Team Tested: WTB Vigilante 2.3 TCS Team Issue Tyres
Tyre choice will always come down to what sort of terrain you ride and how aggressive you are, choosing that compromise between grip and rolling speed. However, with enduro getting tougher and bikes getting lighter, never before has tyre choice been so critical. The more competitive of us seek out small advantages, allowing us to travel that little bit faster and with more control than our racing rivals, and when we discover something that really works, it’s nice to keep it to ourselves. Racers cherish these little ‘set-up secrets’, whispering and trading them among friends and exchanging knowing glances of understanding. Which leads me to a slight moral dilemma, I want to say that the new WTB Vigilante Team Issue is just another OK tyre, but if I am honest, and if you like riding full-on trails, I would have to admit that they are good, in fact they are really really good!
The new Vigilantes are WTB’s premier aggressive All-Mountain tyre, developed with tough enduro racing in mind. WTB make bold claims about the new tyre, developed with Mark Weir no less, so I was keen to see how they handled some good old Scottish gnar. Perhaps the best test for a tyre inspired by European Enduro Racing is to run them in a European Enduro Race, and thus was the reason I found myself fitting a set in the dark car park in Glencoe, in preparation for the Bluegrass Enduro Tour. The course would include snow, mud, heather, grass, burly rock and everything in between, all in one day, so any weaknesses were about to be exposed.
The Vigilantes are available in two compounds and all 3 wheel sizes are covered, the Team Issues tested here retail at £49.99. Making use of WBS Tubeless Compatible System, meeting both UST and ETRTO standards they are fully tubeless ready. This was a distinct benefit when fitting them in the dark in a cold car park. One scoop of Stans Sealant, and two strokes of a track pump saw the tyres pop straight onto the bead, avoiding the normal pre race ritual of stripped knuckles, sealant carnage and lots of swearing. A quick shake to distribute the sealant was all that was needed and after 4 weeks of riding I have not touched them. The race would be lift assisted so I ran them at 24psi in the front and 26psin in the rear and they did not burp or squirm once.
Once fitted the tyres have an aggressive, no nonsense profile, using wide spaced square knobs that have already been proven on other class leading tyres to work very well. Measuring 57mm across they have good volume without being bulbous and inspire confidence from the first corner. I was initially concerned to see that the side knobs fall quite central and I thought that it may be a little vague when lent over, but this proved not to be the case at all! Even when lean angles were getting scary the tyre held fast and tracked accurately.
In fact the tyres were so aggressive that I was soon just walloping the back wheel into corners and enjoying the feeling of the tyre hooking up and driving forwards. The Enduro 60tpi casing extra reinforced sidewall has a composed and stable feel, there was no feeling of smearing or collapsing when railing trail centre berms, even at 20psi! When you work hard enough to convince them to finally let go, the drift is predictable and easy to catch.
A lot of people get caught up with the softness of the rubber compounds used on the tread pattern, but what is a lot more important is how fast the rubber rebounds to its original shape, this property is where you find true control!. It is clear that WTB have done a lot of development work here, as the Gravity DNA casing offers a very compliant ride, providing a lot of feedback without being skittish. The well spaced lugs claw into mud and loose soil aggressively, and when you hit hard rock, the well dampened rubber patters over the surface offering excellent traction for quick direction changes.
I was hugely impressed with how they hold their line through loose rock gardens, the slightly more central side knobs stop them trying to mount and deflect sideways, just choose your line and hang on! They provided superb grip over wet root and stone and punched into the mud with ease. I managed to hold speed through many sections where most were slewing sideways. The well spaced knobs shed mud easily and even the thick claggy mud of Innerleithen spins off well! On dry, hard-packed trail centre surfaces the tyres roll well enough, but this is not their intended playground and if your normal riding is mainly trail centre biased, it is probably too much rubber for you!
Now comes the rub, so much grip must come at a cost, and at 980g the Team Issue is no lightweight (the Dual DNA compound weighs 790g). However this year marks the birth of a new breed of Enduro casing, seen throughout the industry. Perhaps reflecting the change in focus of the sport, we are seeing more and more 1kg tyres branded as ‘enduro’ specific. With European Enduro races getting tougher and tougher, lightweight casings just will not cut it anymore, especially when subjected to the specific demands of racing! The number of tyres I saw shredded and torn from the rims at the Bluegrass tour were testament to this. To finish first, first you must finish!
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Bottom line
If you are looking for an aggressive tyre that will allow you to hold a line through gnarly terrain, the Vigilante is an excellent point and shoot option! This is not a tyre for weight weenies, but if you are looking for a tyre that will stand up to the abuse of the worlds toughest races, grip when others have fallen and see you to the finish line, the Team Issue WTB Vigilante is up there with the best. The tyres roll OK for such a soft compound, but for me this tyre would be an ideal front, combined with something faster rolling on the rear. As a front tyre, for aggressive riding on those ‘it’s going to be a loose day’, it is the business. Shhhh, just don’t tell anyone else!
For more information check out WTB’s website
Words and photos: Trev Worsey