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<\/a><\/p>\nYou can easily pay more for your bicycle tyres than for you car’s these days and I wasn’t entirely prepared to fork out that sort of cash. Schwalbe’s offerings are all the rage these days and are right up there with the millions. The Maxxis options were scarce unless you were looking at full on downhill or XC rubber. I was looking for something different and I could get WTB tyres pretty easily, and in the end \u2013 especially after my experiences on the Wolverine-shod Contraband Rogue that we tested earlier this year \u2013 I decided to give them a go.<\/p>\n
I wanted to go the grippier front, quicker rolling rear route and first choice was the Vigilante for the front and a Wolverine out back. I’ve heard great things about the Vigilante and wanted to see if they measured up to the hype. Unfortunately, the Vigilante is not available in 26\u201d in South Africa (no surprises there), so I needed to look at another option. The Bronson was the closest thing I could find by WTB. The reviews were varied, some saying they were wonderful, grippy and lasted ages. Others said basically the opposite. Sometimes you just need to take a chance.<\/p>\n
I converted my Nukeproof Generator wheelset to tubeless with Gorilla Tape and a tubeless valve. It was super easy, but with most tubeless conversions it was the tyres that cause the most concern. Thankfully, the WTB’s didn’t need a compressor or much of an effort to inflate. Seating them took a bit of patience, as they didn’t want to move into the outer part of the rim. A day of settling and they were good to go.<\/p>\n
The Bronson is toted as being able to handle a wide variety of terrain, from hard packed to muddy and a few others in between. It doesn’t have the more popular square shaped knobblies that many manufacturers have opted for recently, but sticks with WTB’s traditional V-shaped kind for the sides and ramped centre knobs for less rolling resistance. The entire Bronson TCS (Tubeless Compatible System) line features dual compound rubber, meaning the centre is a harder 60a while the sides are a softer 50a. This makes the centre better for rolling and the sides grippier, obviously, and aids in durability.<\/p>\n WEIGHT: 825g<\/p>\n COMPOUND: Dual DNA (60a\/50a)<\/p>\n CASING: All Mountain 60 tpi<\/p>\n BEAD: TCS aramid<\/p>\n TIRE SECTION WIDTH: 54mm<\/p>\n TIRE OVERALL WIDTH: 59mm<\/p>\n Terrain<\/strong><\/p>\n I would have to agree with most of the marketing claims of the Bronson being a tyre for diverse conditions, but certainly not all. I had my fair take at muddy conditions in Contermanskloof, having basically no tyres at one point with mud caking everything. But the Bronson slogged of the mud really well thanks to the well spaced knobs, and held its own in the wet surprisingly well. The side knobs were great for this.<\/p>\n Wet roots and rocks didn’t cause too much concern for the Bronson, being predictable with it’s grip. Where it fell short was in really loose situations. Sand made it wash out quickly, as it would most tyres, but it wasn’t predictable. It became quite hairy when riding on really loose conditions like small rocks over hardpack. Again, most tyres would struggle here, but the Bronson just didn’t cope. On a few occasions I only just managed to get a foot out in time so as not to see my face in the trail. Unlike in most of conditions, the Bronson was not predictable here, letting go at a moment’s notice.<\/p>\n Durability<\/strong><\/p>\n I’ve been riding the Bronson for a few months now in a variety of conditions \u2013 even, dare I say, on the road a couple times. The side knobs looked at first like they wouldn’t be down for too much abuse as they stick out quite a bit and are very soft. But I have to say, they have held on admirably despite being heavily siped about half way through the tread. The middle, harder compound has also worn well so far, giving just as much grip as it has from the beginning.<\/p>\n Like the actual wolverine of the Siberian tundra, these tyres are meant to pack a big punch for their slight profile. They are definitely sharp-looking treads, presumably like a wolverine’s mouth daggers and has a distinct arrow tread pattern and quite a round profile. Like the Bronson, it is supposed to be able to handle a variety of terrain, from dry to damp, from hardpack to loamy. Also like the Bronson, it is the TCS option, featuring a harder 60a centre compound with a softer 50a outer compound.<\/p>\n WEIGHT: 810g<\/p>\n COMPOUND: Dual DNA (60a\/50a)<\/p>\n CASING: All Mountain 60 tpi<\/p>\n BEAD: TCS aramid<\/p>\n TIRE SECTION WIDTH: 54mm<\/p>\n TIRE OVERALL WIDTH: 52mm<\/p>\n It’s quite a fatty tyre for a size 2.2, having the same section width as the 2.3 Bronson. Not only that, but it’s quite tall too, which helps with the cushioning and allows for less air pressure needed in order to protect the rim.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\nBronson 2.3 AM TCS<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\nWolverine 2.2 AM TCS<\/h2>\n