WTB Wolverine 29 x 2.2

jdog

jdog

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I have been running the Geax Saguaro TNT (tube / no tube) for some time. My rear was pretty worn out so I thought I might try something different.


I have really grown to love the Geax in nearly every condition. I rode these tires last year on a week long trip across Colorado & Utah and they worked flawlessly.


Although both tires are call 2.2 they vary a lot in size. The Saguaro is by far a wider and more floaty tire. Maybe like a 1/4 inch wider.


I had remembered this video from WTB where the guy said that if you had to pick one tire than this would be it:

http://www.invodo.com/WTB-Wolverine-29-Tire/p/XJ6YK32A

This made sense to me as I can only ride one tire at a time (per wheel) anyway.

http://wtb.com/products/tires/29er/wolverine29er/

As compared to the Geax, the WTB is much lighter since it does not have the reinforced sidewalls of the Geax(TNT). I am a little nervous as the Geax sidewalls are bombproof and the WTB is not. I ran these tubeless with a little extra Stan's sealant than recommended. I have found that non tubeless ready tires tend to absorb a lot of the sealant into the tire casing shortly after it is installed.

These mounted up nicely on the Flow rims with no hassle. I used a compressor to inflate the tire easily.

I used the Wash & Shine on the bead to help pop the tire into place:

http://www.whitelightningco.com/products/wash-shine.htm

(this stuff is super for this btw)


I had been off the mt bike for over a month after a knee surgery but I was itching to get back riding. We hit Allaire since it seems to dry out nicely. It was not muddy, but damp. Perfect really.

Anyway.. the tire was notably softer feeling with the same given psi that I had been running in the Geax. (I am pretty sure that I can run 10+ pounds lower in a TNT Geax tire than in any other I have tried.) I didn't bother adding more air but I kept asking the guy riding behind me if my tire looked low. (he said no btw)

The side knobs on this tire are really aggressive and they hook up in a hurry when you get this thing sideways. I had a Saguaro on the Front and the WTB on the rear on this ride. I could feel the rear hooking up in turns while the front was drifting out. No big deal,just different.

So far (with one ride) I have been impressed with this tire. It seems to offer pretty good rolling speed, great traction and solid cornering. It is a bit too knobby as a race tire, but a slightly worn out set might be perfect.

I think that this tire is a good fit for NJ riding as it looks like it would work well in all the terrain we have here.

Next I will try one on the front as well to see if that makes a difference.

Overall a solid performer that is faster rolling than most but still offers a solid grip that the race day only tires do not. I am glad that I brought these tires in to test. We will be stocking these this season for sure.

Here is another opinion:

http://twentynineinches.com/2010/01/14/wtb-wolverine-mid-term/

In the pics below you can see the Saguaro in the first pic is not much different than the Wolverine in the 2nd and 3rd pic.
 

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Great write up J. Looks interesting. The feel at the same PSI comment makes sense, since the Geax is a higher volume tire.

Good stuff.
 
Thanks, when the protos came out they were like 100g over what were claimed. WTB was gonna make them lighter for production supposedly.
 
I thought WTB was starting to make UST tires this year. I didn't catch if you mentioned if this tire you tried was or was not?
 
I find the grip and traction of the Kenda Nevegal great but it rolls like it's dipped in cold middle eastern molasses. That's why I only run it up front.

How's the rolling resistance of the Wolverine compared to something like the Nevegal?
 
THATmanMANNY said:
I thought WTB was starting to make UST tires this year. I didn't catch if you mentioned if this tire you tried was or was not?
Click to expand...

This paragraph is from the review on twentynineinches.com that J posted the link to:

"Note: WTB states that the Wolverine is NOT approved for tubeless use and I did this as an experiment. Neither I nor Twentynineinches.com suggests that you attempt to run this tire in any way without tubes installed as per the manufactures’ recommendations. And, in my opinion, that non-blessing from WTB needs to change. After experiencing the superb 2-Bliss tires from Specialized, like the Captain Controls, I have a hard time with any tire that does not come out of the box OK’d for tubeless duty. Personally, I blame the lawyers for this vague area of tubeless-ness as a manufacturers blessing but I could be wrong. "

but then below that he writes:

"It mounted up easily tubeless on the Flows and has held air with no leaks at all. The size has been very true to the specs: 2.18” wide on the Rovals and 2.2” wide on the Flows when measuring the casing width."
 
soulchild said:
... I blame the lawyers for this vague area of tubeless-ness as a manufacturers blessing but I could be wrong. ..."
Click to expand...

Yes, you can blame the lawyers (sort of) for this one. I litigate product liability cases. A jury is very quick to find liability unless you attach a large warning tag in Readers' Digest font sizes. It only takes one hore of a plaintiff's engineering expert to testify that safer alternative designs were merely available or that the warning was not "clear" enough. I have even seen a jury verdict where the only available alternative design was patented by the expert himself - who by the way admitted that nobody in the marketplace ever purchased the design from him despite the fact that dozens of manufacturers tested and decided not to use his design. The jury still found liability...

Expect to continue to see the "non-endorsement" from some manufacturers. The ones who were first to endorse such uses on older designs were the ones who had insurance carriers that were not attune to such risks. Others are being forced by the threat of increased premium ratings.
 
This particular WTB tire sat on a flow rim tight enough to satisfy me. The Saguaro tires fit very very very tight. Personally I don't want to mess with tires that sit loosely on the rim. A good example of this would be a Panaracer Rampage. They sit very very loose on the rim, so much so that it is a real challenge to seat them. It is possible but not worth the increased burping potential.

Basically unless the tire say tubeless ready on it you are taking a chance. This chance varies from tire to tire and common sense must be activated.

it is also worth noting that there is huge variance in Bead diameter within a batch of the same brand and model of tires. I have been running Conti Mt king 29er tires tubeless for a while. That being said I have seen many of these so loose that it would be risky to run them tubeless. It is this variance that will get you every time.
 
i have done some miles on my x-men tires also and they're nice. very knobbly feel on the road with them and don't get upset easily. good tire.
 
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