WTB WeirWolf UST 2.3

[leet22]

Thx for the review CPT. They have been on my CRC wish list as well to replace my Mountain king I liked the look of them and price and was going to try them .

[Tankman]

Stick with the Weirwolf up front, mate. Far more aggressive, and better grip in the tricky stuff. I've got the Weirwolf at the front and the Wolverine at the back, and it's far better than the Wolverine was on both ends!

 

That is just the thing... I already have enough grip at the back (bodyweight and all over the back wheel) and the Wolverine just looks like one mean ass tire that will offer much more grip at the front. Running it at much lower pressure that the back, the wolverine is the tire for the job at hand.

 

Are you running 2.3 at the back?

I want to slap the 2.2 UST on the front and the 2.2 is wide already compared to other brands!

[Tankman]

... and if I find the Wolverine doesnt work that lekka up front I can always move it to the back so no harm done!

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

That is just the thing... I already have enough grip at the back (bodyweight and all over the back wheel) and the Wolverine just looks like one mean ass tire that will offer much more grip at the front. Running it at much lower pressure that the back, the wolverine is the tire for the job at hand.

 

Are you running 2.3 at the back?

I want to slap the 2.2 UST on the front and the 2.2 is wide already compared to other brands!

 

Yeah - I'm running a 2.2 Wolverine at the back and a 2.3 Weirwolf at the front. they are pretty much exactly the same width, but the Weirwolf is just THAT much more aggressive.

 

 

... and if I find the Wolverine doesnt work that lekka up front I can always move it to the back so no harm done!

 

I found the Wolverine wasn't working lekker up front, and washed out under extreme cornering. It also wasn't as "planted" as the Wierwolf feels. It's a helluva tire though...

 

Also depends on where you're riding... hardpack mostly, then there's nothing wrong with the Wolverine up front. I just find that the Weirwolf is the frontrunner (nyuk nyuk nyuk!!!) when it comes to grip when things get gnarly.

[jcmeyerSS]

very interesting you feel that way cuz i feel the opposite. i have Weirwolfs on my bike at the moment and cant wait to get rid of them and go back to crossmarks. i just found the crossmarks corner alot better under extreme conditions.

 

fair enough i am heavier than the average mtbr at 97kg i had a very hairy experience on my second ride with these tires. it was on the backside downhill of Breedts (jhb riders will know what i'm talking about). at about 45km/h i when into one of the long righthanders and felt the tire washing out on me, a little at first and then alot, to the point where I ended up 5m in the bushes.

having done that same section on my crossmarks 2weeks before with no problem and probably a little faster as i had a case of beers on race down.

 

give the tire the benefit of the doubt i tried them again the next weekend on the single track at northern farms. my brother (80kg) was on his bike with a monorail upfront and crossmark rear and we both rode both bike through the track. we both found that the wtb was loosing traction in some of the tigher sweeping corners, this was perticularly bad when on the rails of the wheel on very hard-pack. because the tread pattern has a diagonal line of knobs on the outer edges you can actually feel the tire grip and give a little as the knobs on the outer edge start moving inwards and there is nothing to grip on with until the next line of knobs. sooner or later the tires grip gives way all together.

if you look at the crossmark they have a consistent line of knobs run straight along the edges of the wheel and this give you consistent contact and thus grip.

all tires have their limits but as long as it is consistent and you knpow that limit you can push harder with confidence.

 

wanna get rid of my WTB and replace with crossmarks.

please bear in mind that i was running 26x2.1 not 2.3 and this is just my personal experience.

but thanx for the info

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

horses for courses mate - I think the most important thing to remember is that you were riding on HARDPACK, which is crossmark territory. The Weirwolfs are a soft tire, designed to dig in and bit in anything from loose on hard to wet loamy stuff, but they will never be fantastic on the hardpacked clay that you guys get up there in JHB.

 

Consider this though - road bike (motorcycle) tyres cornering ability (the crossmarks, in this case) versus the knobblies on a scrambler (the Weirwolf) whilst cornering on the road, on a long fast corner. The road bike will be able to handle that much more speed than the scrambler, owing to the size of the tread as well as the rubber compund that it uses. However, reverse the situation and have the scrambler off road, and the positions will be very different.

 

You're kind of riding on the MTB's version of a road - hard packed, not a lot of loose stuff, and very very... well, hard. Nothing really for the tire to get down in and grip on, other than that flat, hard surface - which is why you'd need a tire with a harder compound, with closer spaced knobs in order to grip properly.

 

As soon as you introduce some loose stuff though, that hard compound is going to be your enemy and the tire is going to be out of its depth, because it can't adapt to the conditions and form the tread around whatever it needs to grip on...

 

It's really elementary physics though. So if you ever come down to the cape, or even the KZN area, these tyres are for you. If you're consigned to stay near the hard, packed down track up there, then stay with Crossmarks... Even though I hate them with a passion. Saying that though, you might find the Wolverines to your liking!