First Look: Michelin Wild Mud reinforced tire
Michelin adds to its new tire line a mud tire with a great casing and a couple nifty features
This mud tire is part of Michelin’s resurgence in the mountain bike category with a line of tires made for all-mountain riding. This particular tire is Michelin’s new mud tire optimized for racing in muddy conditions.
The casing is the same compound that we’ve come to love in the RockR’2 Advanced tire. It is reinforced with three layers of casing for rock and debris protection. This tire also features the Magi-X compound which is the softest and the highest energy absorbing tire in the Michelin line-up.
This tire is available in 27.5 and 29er diameters with a width of 2.25. Weight for the 27.5 is 990 grams and 29er is 1050 grams. Actual weight for our test 27.5 tire is 1010 grams.
Mounting, the tire sealed up tubeless easily and held air with minimal loss of air after a day of riding. The tire was extremely round and true, typical of Michelin tires that we’ve tried lately.
On the trail, the tire was predictable and consistent. As the trail got firmer, the tire exhibited more squirm, but it was not difficult to control. As the conditions got softer, the tires displayed its prowess with grip and consistency. Even as the tires packed up a bit, there were still knobs exposed and grabbing traction so the bike was always controllable.
Mud Clearing Action
Michelin claims to have mud-clearing technology with the twisting action of the upper knob under braking. We tried and it works somewhat. The knobs clear up a bit under braking, but only when those knobs are in contact with the ground under braking, so the process can take a while. Nonetheless, it can be entertaining hitting the brakes repeatedly to try and clear a tire of as much mud as possible.
Cut It Out
An interesting feature of this tire is that it’s designed to be cut to customize for the conditions at hand. Each knob is staggered and there’s a clear and easy cut mark on each knob. The cut can be done with a pair of wire cutters on some or all of the knobs for a custom tread for the conditions. Of course, cutting can only be done once and the mud evacuation feature is eliminated. But the tires do exhibit less squirm on terrain that’s only mildly muddy. On our tires, we cut all the knobs on the rear tire and left the front stock.
//www.youtube.com/watch?v=WK7gqZDOS48
Video: The Wild Mud tire shares the same rubber and casing as the Rock’R 2 Advanced tire shown on this video with Fabian Barel.
Bottom Line
This is a specialty tire as it is quite expensive and not everybody likes to race downhill in the mud. But if you have the need or the inclination, this tire fits the bill for high performance during muddy conditions.
Price: $99.99
For more information visit bike.michelinman.com.
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