Anyone tried WTD Ranger TCS Light 2.8 tyres?

jonathanuk
jonathanuk Posts: 67
in MTB general
I have a Specialized full sus plus bike and was wondering if these tyres might make riding a bit easier / less of a drag over the smoother surfaces (I ride 5 miles on tarmac to and from my local forest) and also give me good speed and grip on the trails, which is a mixture of knobbly paved, smooth hardpack, roots, sand, and fire roads, and the occasional bit of seasonal mud thrown in (the rainy season that lasts about 8 months of the year here in the UK).

Currently I have Purgatory and Ground Control, both 3.0. I'm also wondering whether it's practical / sensible to put a 2.8 up front and a 3.0 at the back - WTD Rangers don't seem to come in 3.0 across the entire range for some reason, I'd like to have had 3.0 High Grip on the front but they seem to be only available in 2.8, could a High Grip 2.8 on the front and Fast Rolling 3.0 on the back work? What's anyone's thoughts on how best to use these tyres?

The fast rolling tightly spaced treads attracted me to these tyres, and the fact that they have a 'High Grip' compound available (surely better for wet rocks and such, given about 12psi with tubes, though if they go tubeless easily I'd do that as my rims are already taped with Stan's). I run 2.2 tyres on a hard tail with a similar tread pattern and a high grip compound, they suit my riding style (more cross-country, less technical).

Thanks.

Comments

  • steve_sordy
    steve_sordy Posts: 2,446
    My 12-year old grandson's bike came fitted with WTB 27.5x2.6" with a Vigilante TCS Light on the front and a Trail Boss TCS Light on the rear.
    The reviews read extremely well. But they each weighed 1050gm and had inner tubes that weighed 320gm each. Wow!

    I replaced them with 27.5x2.4" Maxxis High Roller II. I put a triple compound (Maxx Terra) on the front and a single compound (Maxx Pro) on the rear. Each tyre weighed 933g. Set up tubeless with 80gm of sealant each, That saved 714gm in rotating weight (over 1lb9oz).

    I used to have 2.4" tyres on my Enduro bike (YT Capra) and I never felt that I lacked for grip, not once. Not only grippy, but faster accelerating, nippier and all that good stuff! Great tyres, and suitable for a wide range of conditions. <3

    PS: TCS Light = <b class="Bold">Triple Compound + nylon Slash guard, with a Light casing.
  • robertpb
    robertpb Posts: 1,866
    I'm one of those that is completly baffeld by these very big wellies on bikes. If they were as good as the marketing made out why is it that nobody uses them for racing.

    The biggest tyre I've seen used is a Maxxis 2.5 DHF, most Enduro racers seem to be using either Maxxis 2.5 DHF on the front with a 2.4 DHR or 2.5 Aggessor on the back, or a 2.35 Schwalbe Magic Mary front and a 2.35 Hans Dampf back or another MM, or some are using Michelin Enduro 2.4's.

    In DH it seems to be the same, the new Michelin DH 22 which is on Sam Hill's bike is 2.4.
    Now where's that "Get Out of Crash Free Card"
  • steve_sordy
    steve_sordy Posts: 2,446
    Tyres are the first suspension, followed by your arms & legs. In the early days of MTB, (yes, there was a time before suspension!) balloon tyres were used to enable the riders to go faster down rocky trails.

    It is astonishing what modern suspension, bike designs, and tyres can do for you now. I have a video somewhere of a DH race in Germany in the early 90's. They were all on what look like XC bikes, were wearing Lycra, and having great difficulty descending a grassy slope!
  • jonathanuk
    jonathanuk Posts: 67
    Just an update to this thread... looks like those Light tyres are hard to come by, I can generally only find the Tough variant (thicker sidewalls), coming in at just over 1KG per tyre, ouch. My existing tyres are about the same weight though, and having tried them tubeless it was useless, the sidewalls refused to seal and kept seeping air and sealant, I would have had to add A LOT of sealant to plug all of the tiny holes, adding possibly an innertube's worth of weight per tyre.

    Currently I'm running those same tyes with tubes so there is still a significant weight saving if I can get even 1KG tyres that will seal easily (using minimal sealant). I'm willing to give the WTB Ranger 2.8 Tough tyres a go, I like the tread pattern (should be faster rolling than the Purgatory at least), just would have been interesting to hear some real-use reviews and opinions. I have a hard tail which is fast, light, and agile so I don't feel the need to use slim tyres on the Plus bike (that's not what I bought it for).
  • mets59
    mets59 Posts: 2
    I've been using a 3.0 WTB Ranger light on the front and a 2.8 inch same on the back all summer in the UK, I get on with them great they give great grip up to a point where drift comes in and is predictable. I use Stans sealant and although you can see a few microscopic beads of sealant on the sidewalls they both stay up fine. I was advised by a very knowledgeable cycling coach to put the 3.0 on the front and the 2.8 on the rear. I was a bit worried I'd end up with damaged sidewalls but even after a trip to Afan they are still both fine. I would recommend.

Categories