Two Cents from an Arm-Chair

By TrailGirl October 6, 2011

I ordered a set for my Titus Racer X, intending them for the rugged, rocky trails near my home. I didn't mount them, so I can't speak to their durability or performance, but here's why I decided to send them back. Perhaps this might help someone else to decide. They are not light-weights for a 2.2, but I had read good things about their grip and railing abilities. Reviewers on the forums I follow had described them as "more predictable" in terms of performance than the WeirWolf Race tire, which I've been running on my hardtail. Now, I am tackling all-mountain to downhill quality trails with an XC machine because I'm a slightly-built rider, and I need a bike I can handle confidently. I am always looking for that judicious line between gram-pinching and bullet-proof performance in my gear, but every component presents a unique dilemma of compromise being as I am not independently wealthy. I really wanted a smaller casing (preferably 2.0-2.1), but given the reviews, I was eager to give the MotoRaptor Race 2.24 a try on dry-over-hard, cobbly, rooty single track. I had planned to go tubeless with these, and compared to USTs, 675g is a fair weight. What stopped me: when I pulled these out of the box, I noticed two things immediately. One, they were labeled as a "Weekend Warrior" tire, which falls one category below the "Enthusiast" rating of the WeirWolf. I don't know if differences in quality/construction or differences in speed relegate a tire to a lower echelon, but it didn't instill confidence. Second, the side knobs are quite large, blocky and square to the tread (no distinctively aggressive slant or contoured corners) in comparison to other all-mountain/xc hybrid tires I have run. It wasn't very apparent in the photos, but it is glaring when you have the rubber in your hand. To me, that spells s-l-o-w. I want rugged, but I also want respectable acceleration capabilities and reasonably low rolling resistance. I don't like the idea of burning energy pushing tires instead of keeping up with my 29er-mounted buddies... so after looking at all of the WTB offerings yet again, I snapped up another pair of the WeirWolf Race tires in the 2.1 for my full-sus.

View Details: WTB Moto Raptor Race Tire

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