Anyone using the tough/fast in 29er 2.3in form? Looks promising as a winter option that won’t puncture.

For those riding them…

– is it draggy compared to a hans dampf or DHR2?
– was the bead exteremely tight when fitting?
– how does it handle sketchy conditions?

I did find it a bit more draggy compared to DHR11 but really not much in it TBH. Bead wasn’t a problem for me on ARC27 rims.

I’m not sure if sketchy means loose and wild or wet and sloppy but it was a decent all rounder – not the fastest, not the grippiest and not the slowest but it was decent all round and fairly sturdy in the tough casing. Overall I prefer the DHR11 but the WTB is available for less than half the price so in that regard it is very favourable!

I swaped from a Hans Dampf to exactly that tyre at the ‘Ard Moors. It was a bitch to fit and I managed to taco my rim when it blew off in the car park. I got it fitted on a spare wheel but using a tube and did the race. It cut through the slop a lot better than the 2.35 Hans Dampf. I’ve not ridden it since so can’t really say that it’s draggy or not. I didn’t notice it being overly draggy at ‘Ard Moors but then, it wasn’t exactly ‘regular’ conditions.

I’ve since tried to seat it again and again, it blew off at about 40 psi. I do put this down to the tyre as it’s blown off a Superstar Tactic and an WTB i23 now and I’ve managed to seat various different tyres on various different rims relatively easily over the years so I don’t think it’s me!

In contrast though, the same model of tyre went onto my front wheel (albeit with a fair bit of faff) ok and has stayed on and up fine.

I think I’m pretty much sold on it as I reckon the hard compound will help it roll well enough and the blocky tread should provide enough grip on off-camber and wet bits – as well as giving decent braking and climbing traction.

Currently have a Trail Boss tough/fast on the rear though and it was incredibly tight to fit, so I’m a bit wary on that score.

I use the fast tough one on the rear for really bad mud.

It’s tightest tyre to fit I’ve tried and it’s draggy, but worth it when things get steep & sloppy

Oh gawd, now I’m conflicted. I guess I could just return it if it does come up mega-tight.

What’s your usual rear tyre for the wetter months Kimbers?

Hr2, for most stuff, clears better than minion or dampf (and doesn’t loose it’s knobs all the time-consuming schwalbe!), still gets overwhelmed if too muddy

Im trying to get away with smorgasbord this year, it’s faster rolling than hr2, but has been impressive so far,

Im sure you’ll get the wtb on, it has loosened up now it’s not so bad – first time was at tweedlove international couple of years ago, I was up till 1am night b4 race swearing at that bastard tyre, was dead muddy and only had an ardent, (there’s a flat in inners that probably still has a lot of latex on its kitchen ceiling)

Sadly Maxxis have priced themselves out of the running with their doubledown carcass tyres.

It’s either a WTB tough or Schwalbe supergravity carcass on my budget. Might as well give the Vigilante a go.

I’ve got a fast/light (I think) on the rear that replaced a HD (26″). Went on fine. It’s a bit draggier but grips and clears relatively well. Went on fine with just the track pump (ride trace enduro)

I had the tough/high grip version on the Capra rear, not a 29er granted, but never really felt it to be too draggy, certainly nowhere near as bad as the 2.4 HR2’s that came with the bike.

What it loses on tarmac climbs, it makes up for by the extra grip on loose n wild descents, very good tyre IMHO. I had it on DT E1900 rims, can’t remember it being that bad to fit tbh.

I like WTB tyres on the rear, tough enough to allow a bit of clumsy riding when the occasion takes you.

Yeah I dunno why more brands don’t do a similarly tough carcass, perfect for enduro bikes. Or do they and nobody told me?

Slaughter grid on the rear at the moment is about as close as I’ve came to it, so far so good.

It’s my favourite rear tyre but doesn’t fit my mk1 smuggler very well. Fantastic grip all year round in tweed valley and nice high volume. Fits a doddle on WTB rims, not too draggy for such a knobbly big tyre. WTB Breakout is also really good, though I’ve not tried it in winter, it does seem surprisingly good in summer mud, and has a lower profile than the vig.

Superb tyres. Wtb are a bit tight but if you have manly hands you will get it on no worries.
I’ve just taken it of the front to fit a convict instead and will refit the vig to the rear, replacing a breakout.

Well, I’ve been bitten by Vigilantes so I’m going to give this a try in the “Tough” variety:
Terrene

I like the DHR2 on the back in the winter (except for extreme filth).

How about the Baron Projekt? Pretty tough casing and black chilli rubber always seems to last far longer than anything else as sticky.

That terrene one looks like it should be good for loose winter muck anyway. Please report back!

Last winter I had a Convict (light/high grip) on the front and a Vigilante (Tough/fast) on the back. Was very impressed when compared to the Shorty/DHR2 combo I had previously run.
The V is slightly slower than the DHR but not by much and it does work better (IMO) on really wet stuff.

I’ve finally managed to get a ride on the Terrene mentioned above.
It was really easy to mount onto an i23 rim with one wrap of gorilla tape and holds air well with no sidewall weeping. Sidewalls aren’t as stiff or tough feeling as the Vigilantes but are thick enough to avoid too much squirm or worry of rips and tears in the rocks.
Tread pattern and size is much more Hans Dampf than the vigilantes. Overall, they measure up a few mm taller and wider than the vigilantes but no where near the balloon proportions of the 2.35 HDs.
Ride wise, I haven’t spent long on them but they seem ok if nothing special. Worryingly the braking grip (I’m running it as a rear) didn’t seem great. Very easy to lock. I also had a few moments mid turns where the rear suddenly snapped out. I was riding DH3 in Greno and a few of the cheeky trails near Iggle Piggle in Warny which were all pretty dry and slightly dusty (!) last night.
I’ll stick with it for now but I’m not rushing to buy another one.

I bought one of them as well as a Vigilante in the end Paul, was stocking up on bargain rims & wheels anyway so thought I’d give it a go.

Only ridden the Vigilante so far, which is superb in current conditions. The knobbles on the Chunk seem a bit lower profile than I expected, will probably stick it on the back of my other wheelset for winter.

What were you riding beforehand, out of interest?

Big 2.35 Hans Dampfs front and rear! That’s why I cottoned on to the thread as I could almost answer your original question directly!

Getting the Vigilantes on for the ‘ard moors slop was a revelation having done one stage on the HDs. Shame I couldn’t get the vigilante to work tubeless on the rear as the narrower, taller tread does cut in much better that the HDs or that Terrene. Think I’d still run HDs as all rounders though and save the Vigilantes for some front end bite when things are soft.

Interesting that you find the HD bigger than the vigilante, I found the opposite, the vig is so huge it rubs my frame whereas the HD has decent mud clearance. That is in 29er mind you. I also find WTB tyres flawless to set up tubeless on wtb i23 and i25 rims, by far the best tubeless combo I’ve had, though you would hope they would work well together from the same manufacturer. Love the bead lock and how they stay on even without air once they’ve popped on.