[JJHACK]

Well I finally have enough miles on these tires to comment with experience. I put them on my Kona Stinky Delux.

They are small for the 2.5 size listed. Actually more like a 2.35. They are smaller then my existing 2.35 Tioga factory DH tires by a margin! The Tioga's should be listed at 2.5.

The tires ride really well on hard surfaces. I ride 3/4 mile to the trail on a paved road. First ride was so fast and smooth it was clear they roll much better. The tread pattern is interesteing. The knobs are spaced to look like the toes of a dogs ( or wolf) paw. They point together with "toenails" at the ends of the knobs. Because of this when they are brand new they pinch together little rocks and will pelt the frame of your bike and into your face. That problem seems to have gone away with the 150 miles I have on them now.

Traction on wet leaves and muddy trails is excellent as it the turning on wet leaves and gravel. Here in the PNW the biggest natural problem for us is rocks and gravel. In western Washington the rain washes away most of the dirt so we are left with rocky and gravelly trails. Mud is always a concern around the lower elevations and river bottoms. So far I have no complaints at all in actual performance.

I have read people's reviews that say they don't like a specific tire because it does not grip wet roots, or that they do like it because it does grip wet roots! Well,... Hmmmm aside from a studded tire what does? Who would be fooish enough to believe that any rubber tire will actually grip a smooth wet bark free root? Not gonna happen in our lifetime! Rubber on wet wood is not a good situation. Grip is not an option! These tires are no exception. They slide over roots just like every other rubber tire made.

I am a fat tire freak but hate the heavy weight associated with big tires. These seem to fill a hard to achieve goal in that they are big enough to be considered "big tires" yet light enough to use for trail rides and XC trips. The traction is as good as any tire I have used so far. I believe they are 750g or maybe they were 800g? anyhow they are light for their size. The Tioga's were 1000g as I recall.

Unless something else comes up in the next 6 months, I'll likely buy these again. I was going to buy the Michilin's but I don't want red or green tires. If the they make the 2.5's in Black this summer I may try them instead. If not I'll certainly have no regrets putting another set of these weirwolf's on again.

 

[Matt D]

thanks for the review, i've been thinking about these tires.

how are they with pinch flats? more/less than say your tiogas?

 

[JJHACK]

I have not had a pinch flat yet with these and I only had my first flat tire well after 700 miles on theTioga's. Once they started flatting I had a flat every week sometimes two a week. Even though the tread was usable the rubber was breaking down.

The Tioga's were awsome I just wanted something new. I'll try the Michelins when these have 700 miles about May time frame I'm guessing. I ride about 150 miles a month this time of year. That will likely increase to 200 when it warms up and drys out a bit.

My last several sets of tires have worn out by the 700 mile mark. They might look good but start flatting too often.

 

[Serial Midget]

Thanks for writting such a good review; one of the best I've read on the monkey.

I've heard mixed about this tire but I think I try a set after your review.

 

[johnnyru]

Very good review, I was looking at purchasing a set of these as well. Thanks for the input.

Well,... Hmmmm aside from a studded tire what does? Who would be fooish enough to believe that any rubber tire will actually grip a smooth wet bark free root? Not gonna happen in our lifetime! Rubber on wet wood is not a good situation. Grip is not an option! These tires are no exception. They slide over roots just like every other rubber tire made.

If you want a tire that gets good traction on wet roots look into a set of Bontrager Big Earls. They come in several sizes and have an option for a DH casing as well as wet and dry specific tread designs. I have been running a set of the 26 x 2.5 standard casing and wet type for the past three years and it is by far one of the best trail tires I have ever used. It sheds mud well and the traction you get with the GumBi compound is amazing. I live here in the Northeast and it is perfect for wet rocks and roots and also works well in soft and loamy conditions. I personally don't think they will work well in loose gravel but I haven't tried them. They are worth a look and you can usually get them relatively inexpensive on eBay.

Just my .02.

 

[dhmike]

thanks for the review , my dh amigo just orderd a pair .

 

[OGRipper]

Cool review, good stuff. I agree that traction on wet roots is marginal at best, but there is definitely a difference between some tires and, more importantly, between harder and softer rubbers. A lower durometer "sticky" rubber will definitely help.

 

[ultraNoob]

I used the 2.3 Weirwolfs for a while and was really impressed with it's low rolling resistance. Although the tread pattern lacked performance while leaning the bike into a corner. Tried it with different pressures and it just seemed to get worse the closer I got to 35psi. Turned out that since the outter knobs were staggered at an angle, I had few knobs digging into the dirt. The wolf paw pattern seemed to slip out often on those techy off camber climbs.

They're great for fast XC stuff on flat hardpack, but I wasn't satisfied with their AM or climbing performance in semi loose. Regardless of the pressure I ran, I had very poor performance when it got really loose/powdery. As a credit to the Weirwolf design, I never flatted with these tires on and after -300+ miles, they don't show any signs of wear.

 

[Mr.Mike]

I have the thick side walled 2.5 Weirwolf's and was completely disappointed with there performance as a freeride tire, but as a Am tire I really like them. I'm waiting for the rear to wear out so I can get it in the 2.3 size.