Tyre review and minor rant - WTB Bronson AM TCS 2.3 - rear

[Headshot]

You should be able to have everything on an MTB tyre - reasonable weight grip and durability - I am sure the technology is there but instead many tyres, like the Bronson I'm reviewing, last about as long as a spit ball in a braai fire and after a certain point become next to useless..

 

The Bronson AM TCS is about 800g and has an aggressive tread pattern with especially long side knobs. The center knobs are less pronounced and quite widely spaced. The tyre mounted up tubeless without any issues and on that score I cannot fault it. It even re-inflated from nearly flat (bead away from rim edge) while out on the trail with my tiny pressure drive Lezyne pump. So, its a decent tubeless ready tyre with the obligatory butyl bead decently stiff casing and aggressive tread. All good then. Well yes, for a while.

 

The tyre proved grippy and refused to burp or bleed air via the sidewalls as some other so-called tubeless ready. This solved two problems I had had with my previous rear tyre. Hard cornering and rock gardens were a breeze and the security the tyre gave was confidence inspiring. there is nothing worse than a weak burp prone tyre when descending at speed.

 

I admit that i did abuse the tyre behaving like a kid and skidding, but this was not an everyday occurrence at all. The center knobs wore away more quickly than I have ever seen on any other tyre. One day they were there, the next - gone. This was after about 4-5 months of 2x rides per week averaging about 40 km total - say 800km.

 

Still not a major problem I thought but my last two rides on the tyre have not gone well at all. I flatted on both rides. The first one looked like a rock or sharp stick hole next to the side knobs. I had to use a car type tubeless tyre plug. They work well. The next ride almost exactly the same thing happened except that this time the fresh sealant blocked the hole easily.

 

Based on this I have concluded that the tyre has reached the end of its useful life. The soft fast wearing compound it seems to be made of may be grippy but its not durable enough to do duty as a rear tyre. Front probably better, but I doubt it'll last as long as my present Hans Dampf Super Gravity which seems to be a whole lot tougher than the standard version from what I have read...

 

I have just fitted a Maxxis 2.35 Ignitor UST tyre I had lying around and am interested to see how it fares...

[hayleyearth]

I have Hans Dampf Evo Snake Skin TrailStar 650B x 2,35" TL-Ready folding on my AM.

 

I have to say they have served me well. I have done about 2700km on them and some of those miles were on terrible tyre eating terrain. I have not had one puncture. I do think the back one will need replacing soon, but I am holding out as they were a bitch to seat. (Oh damn I will never forget that day I swore so much on our way to Karkloof classic!)

[pista]

I have Hans Dampf Evo Snake Skin TrailStar 650B x 2,35" TL-Ready folding on my AM.

 

I have to say they have served me well. I have done about 2700km on them and some of those miles were on terrible tyre eating terrain. I have not had one puncture. I do think the back one will need replacing soon, but I am holding out as they were a bitch to seat. (Oh damn I will never forget that day I swore so much on our way to Karkloof classic!)

 

Was that you on Super Sport?

 

Not many girls riding downhill tyres.

[DR ◣◢]

HD isn'

Was that you on Super Sport?

 

Not many girls riding downhill tyres.

 

It's not a DH tyre.

[pista]

HD isn'

 

It's not a DH tyre.

 

With those big knobs i thought they were.What they used for as i never seen them at Xc races.

[Headshot]

The SG version of the HD is almost a DH tyre (weighs 950g). Some people have reported their std HD's lose their knobs and to be honest I have seen a friends SG version with teh same problem. Mine has also been virtually problem free however, despite millions of thorns and other abuse. The problem I have with some brands - the WTB and an old Bontrager I had years ago - was knob wear - they wear off into rounds instead of retaining the sharp edged profile as they get shorter. Maxxis are far better in that respect.

[DR ◣◢]

With those big knobs i thought they were.What they used for as i never seen them at Xc races.

 

I know okes with big knobs generally ride DH but the HD is a trail / AM tyre. I won't really do DH on them.

[hayleyearth]

With those big knobs i thought they were.What they used for as i never seen them at Xc races.

 

I have done a XC race or 2 with them, and also a stage race and about 4 DH races, but no they are not made specifically for any of those I would say...more Enduro/AM. I have even more agressive tyres on Fat Bastard (my DH bike).

[Capricorn]

soft compounds means fast wearing no matter what tyre you have. The SG version of any of schwalble's tyres doesn't affect the knob resilience: only how you ride and what compound you are using does that.

 

What the SG version however does is simply fantastic: you can ride looooow pressure, and not have the sidewall buckle as easily as non-SG versions are prone to do. The other day, I had a downright flat, and it took me almost 100m of riding before i realized it was flat.

There is one downside to the SG method of construction, which is simultaneously its strength: the top cap of the tyre has few layers of rubber than the sidewalls. Stiff sidewalls = win. soft top cap = win in terms of contact patch and grip.

soft thin cap = not so lakker in terms of more frequent stabbings from thorns = high sealant usage.

 

But so far, its served me well despite the slightly increased need for reinflation to the preferred pressure.

 

that said, i've always been of two minds about HDs in any configuration, and have since switched over to Magic Mary SG as the preferred front tyre. I'll ride the HDs at the back till its thread bare and then say byebye Hans.

Edited February 13, 2014 by Capricorn