MtnBikeRiders.com

 Powered by Max Banner Ads 

A few weeks ago RL and I hit one of the secret DH trails in LA. RL’s bike, the KHS Lucky 7, was equipped with his Do It Yourself (DIY) tubeless tires, aka ghetto tubeless.

Having a set of UST on one of my bikes, I am a true fan of the tubeless system. In our last two trips to Mammoth Mountain, several of the guys pinch flatted as we hit the rocky sections of the mountain.

Always willing to try something new, I decided to give RL’s DIY tubeless a shot. His “How To” video, located at the right of this page, walks you step by step on what to do and what you need. Already having some tubeless sealant leftovers from my UST tires, all I needed was a pair of smaller tubes to use as rim strips / liners. So one day after work I stopped by my LBS and picked up a pair of 20” tubes.

Installation was a breeze. It took me literally less than 15 minutes for each tire. On one I had difficulties getting the bead to sit on the rim but with patience and the air compressor all worked out well.

First ride on the DIY Tubeless Tires was a pretty mellow ride. My son and I rode around the Back Bay in Orange County. Relatively flat as this place is more of an extension for roadies from the river beds and also utilized by hikers. First true ride was this past Wednesday at the Fullerton Loop.

Night ride at the Loop. Kenda Small Block 8 on the rear.

How did it work – perfect! I have them mounted on Easton Havoc wheelset. Front tire is a Panaracer Fire 2.4” and the rear is a Kenda Small Block 8 2.35”. They are currently mounted on my Intense 6.6 but I’m planning to use them on a more aggressive bike such as my Intense Uzzi. Yesterday I rode at Whiting Ranch which hosts a more rugged terrain than the Fullerton Loop. I mounted a camera on my downtube to see the front tire in action. In the video you’ll see the excess of 20” tube I used as a rim strip/liner sticking out between the tire and rim. It’s ugly, but I didn’t want to trim it down yet until I knew for a fact that the tire was holding air.

Panacers FR 2.4s + Easton Havoc… DIY Tubeless System

Popularity: 3% [?]

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

The WTB Wolverine tires came stock on the KHS XCT 555 that I reviewed. I’ve been riding with these tires for a few months now and I wanted to provide our readers a review in the event they are looking for a new set of tires to roll with.

Before we get started, here’s the specs:

Wolverine

USAGE:All Mountain
CONDITIONS:Moist to Dry / Hardpack to Loose
MSRP:$50 Race / $60 UST / $60 AM TCS
In the wild, wolverines are known to attack anything, often preying on much larger animals. On the trail, the Wolverine confidently tackles dicey descents, flies across flats and devours steep climbs. This fast-rolling tire’s moderately-spaced tread pattern combines plentiful working edges that cling to hardpack and outside knobs that let you shred corners. Like its namesake, the Wolverine’s slight profile belies its fierce bite.

SIZE GMS LEVEL WEIGHT DETAILS
2.2 54/52 RACE 560g aramid bead | dna rubber | lightweight casing

WTB markets this tire to be used in ALL Mountain riding conditions. Though there is a XC version of it, the set I tested are pretty XC worthy since it only weights 560g. I’ve taken these tires all through out Southern California from mild XC trails to DH race runs as well as the 4X track.

One of the things I liked about the WTB Wolverine tire is that is a low profile design, which translates to a faster rolling tire. I find that higher treads means more grip, but you sacrifice speed. However, the tread pattern and the right height makes this one fast, grippy and aggressive tire. I can easily get my speed up with these tires and take a fast corner without worrying about washing out. If I were to compare these tires to the rolling resistance of another tire, I would say its right up there with the Kenda Small Block Eight. If you’re not familiar with the SB8, that’s one FAST Tire, but you sacrifice traction when you’re in loose terrain. With the Wolverine, you get great speed and great traction.

Not sure if you’ve noticed, but if you look closely, you may see that I’ve set up my wheels as a Ghetto Tubeless. Basically I used a 24″ tube, filleted it down the middle to act as my rim liner, I then installed the WTB Wolverines, poured in some Stan’s and Voila! Tubeless.

Surprisingly the WTB Wolverines worked well for my tubeless conversion. I’ve been running them with this set up since I got the bike and it does make a difference in the tires riding capabilities. In fact I felt more confident with this set up than I did with tubes. I basically get less side to side rolling. What I mean is, if I’m taking a corner, I lean in, I feel the tires grabbing terrain and the tire doesn’t feel like its going to peel off the rim. I believe this has something to do with the rubber compound that WTB uses (DNA). Cheaper tires will often feel squishy on turns and may even washout more than better quality tires.

Flats? I’ve had a few thorns, 3 total. But since I’m running tubeless, all I did was pull them out and keep riding. I really don’t have anything negative to say about the WTB Wolverine 2.2. I think they are awesome tires, works great as a front and rear, plus they are fast! I’ve never had issues with the sidewall getting torn or punctured. If I need to remove the tire, the bead is super easy to work with. Installing is a breeze and they worked with my Ghetto Tubeless Conversion.

Review Disclaimer

Popularity: 6% [?]

Bookmark It

Hide Sites