Vee are a relative newcomer to the World Of Mountain Biking (or WOMB for short), but have a long history making tyres for other industries, and (fact fans) were the very first company to offer a plus sized mountain bike tyre. They had a variety of new stuff to show this year, as well as some fun stuff from last year, and with a former Kenda designer on the team, they’re showing some interesting offerings for everything from standard MTBs to half-fats and fatties. They seem to have relatively little UK distribution at the moment, with principally fat and plus tyres available from a smattering of retailers, but hopefully a wider range will make its way over here soon.
So let’s start with the standard MTB tyres:
The trail taker is a trail tyre with deep but widely spaced knobs. Available in 29×2.2 and 27.5×2.4/2.25It comes in Vee’s DCC compound, which is 48A on the side knobs and 56A in the centre.Vee’s new Synthesis sidewall protection.The Flow Rumba is their newest MTB tyre, developed with the Swiss Downhill Syndicate team. The Tackee compound is 48A. And that’s an ACE name.More aggressive than the Trail Taker, it comes in 2.35 width only, 26 or 27.5.A selection of plus tyres, left to right: last year’s Trax Fatty, Speedster, Crown Gem.The Crown Gem comes in 27.5×3.0, with or without sidewall protection.The knobs look a bit more suited to British terrain and weather than the smoother plus tyres we’ve been seeing on US bike brands.The Speedster, however, we just want to razz to the shops and down some steps.Sizes: 29×2.8, 27.5×3.0, 26×2.8Crown Gems shown here on a Marin Pine Mountain(If that’s a direct mount, it looks pretty high and minimal. Wasn’t on the first 27.5+ Pine Mountain frame.)Some of last years fat tyres, including a 20 inch green one for kids fatbikes.Also available in pink. Let’s repeat that: a 20″ pink kid’s fatbike tyre. WHY DON’T GROWNUPS GET ONE?
David started mountain biking in the 90’s, by which he means “Ineptly jumping a Saracen Kili Racer off anything available in a nearby industrial estate”. After growing up and living in some extremely flat places, David moved to Yorkshire specifically for the mountain biking. This felt like a horrible mistake at first, because the hills are so steep, but you get used to them pretty quickly.
Previously, David trifled with road and BMX, but mountain bikes always won. He’s most at peace battering down a rough trail, quietly fixing everything that does to a bike, or trying to figure out if that one click of compression damping has made things marginally better or worse. The inept jumping continues to this day.
Currently sing some Vee Tyres on Intense Carbine, have been more than impressed so far, great grip, look good, wear well – will be more that interested to try the new Flow Rumba and see how different is to the currently fitted Flow
That Braze on was on the Pine Mountain in the Marin article the other week. I wondered at the time what it could be for, as it looked too high for a front mech.
Currently sing some Vee Tyres on Intense Carbine, have been more than impressed so far, great grip, look good, wear well – will be more that interested to try the new Flow Rumba and see how different is to the currently fitted Flow
Grown ups do get the pink fatbike tyre via OnOne….
I have the Speedsters in Fatbike size, its a world of wierd steering that isnt there with a standard fatbike tyre…
That Braze on was on the Pine Mountain in the Marin article the other week. I wondered at the time what it could be for, as it looked too high for a front mech.