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I recently bought the 2018 Whyte T130S. Its great but I am not convinced by the
WTB Trail Boss, TCS System, Light Fast Rolling 27.5" X 2.4"
which it came fitted with at the rear., I seem to be lacking in a bit of traction.
I was thinking to changing to the
Maxxis Minion DHR II WT or the Minion DHR II Exo TR.
Do you think these tyres would be a better choice?
Thanks,
Craig
Minions are popular tyres for a lot of people so I don't think you will go too far wrong with those. Depends a lot what sort of terrain you're riding on as well.
Do WTB do OEM tyres of harder compound/not quite the same compound?
That may be the difference....
I had the same rear tyre on for a lot of the summer and it's great in dry, dusty conditions but as soon as it got a bit wet it was a bit sketchy. I've now got the DHRII TR Exo on the back and it's much better grip-wise and not much slower rolling. Both were on a Hope 35W rim so unless you've got a rim that's as wide as 28mm or more I'd give the WT option a miss as it would round off quite severely otherwise. The EXO sidewalls are tougher too.
I tried that trail boss for a bit, and very quickly went back to Minions
Do WTB do OEM tyres of harder compound/not quite the same compound?
They do but I think Whyte use the good versions.
One thing in favour of the WTB is how well the work with the WTB rims. Vigilante front/trail boss rear?
"Both were on a Hope 35W rim so unless you’ve got a rim that’s as wide as 28mm or more I’d give the WT option a miss as it would round off quite severely otherwise."
DHF 2.5 WT, DHR2 2.4 WT and Shorty 2.5 WT all work really well on Stans Flow EX 25.5mm internal width rims. Great tyres.
started on my Whyte with a trail boss - fine in the summer dryness but switched to a DHR2 exo for the winter and never looked back - great tyre, better traction, braking, grip on roots and rocks and only slightly slower rolling. Downhill much more reassuring! On the back end you could go for the dual compound with exo rather than 3C to save abit of cash.
The Trail Boss is in the same category as Rock Razor, Minion SS etc. Not really a four season tyre although it does better in mud than the others on that list in my experience.
WTB have a very simple name system which confuses people used to impenetrable Maxxis and Schwalbe names it seems... 😂🤦♂️
All tyres state TCS or not (this is the square UST bead they use) and then carcass and compound. Carcass can be ‘light’ or ‘tough’ where ‘tough’ is a doubleskin and noticeably heavier. Compound can be ‘fast’ or ‘high grip’, with one being stickier than the other. Simples.
As above, Whyte have used the ‘good’ tyre and a sane version of it although I’d usually want a rough over a light on the rear, but it’s a summer tyre and it ain’t summer again for a while...
trailboss is nothing like a minion SS
the SS is better cornering, has a faster rolling tread and transitions/drifts from upright to the edge better when leant over.
The trailboss has more straight line braking and climbing traction but being a dry weather tyre clogs quicker than an SS in mud too. There's very little place for mud to clog on an SS
Despite this an SS is still useable in mud so long as you accept you have very little straight line grip and terrible braking performance. It'll rail a turn properly leant over just as well as a DHF or DHRII though. Just get your braking done before hand.
DHRII will be a sweet rear tyre this season until you take it out of it's depth into proper mud tyre territory.
Worth noting that there is a new Trail Boss now…
- wider knob spacing for better mud clearance
- taller side knobs for better leant over grip
- reinforced sidewalls on the light version
I'm looking to try one at some point. Maybe in 2.6
I normally use a minion SS in the summer, DHR II in the winter, on the rear.