Review: WTB KOM i-25 29in Wheels

By Jenn

• Width (internal): 25mm
• Weight (pair): 2,040g
• Available: 25, 23 and 21mm widths in 29, 27.5 and 26in.

These alloy rims built up easily onto Shimano SLX hubs with DT Competition spokes and brass nipples (the rims aren’t eyeletted) – always a good sign. They’re UST-compliant, so I fitted WTB’s Vigilante 2.3/Trail Boss 2.25in tyre combo and set them up tubeless too, using WTB’s tape, valves and sealant. Both tyres seated perfectly first time using a high-volume track pump, though I’ve since struggled horribly to get them off the rim again so I hope I never need to add an emergency tube on the trail…

Onto the bike, and the first thing to say is that, perhaps unsurprisingly, clearance on your own frame is worth checking out. Obviously if you are running a single-chainring drivetrain then this is less of a problem, but with a front mech on board there’s not a great deal of room left.

It’s a good thing then that both tyres seem to clear well, even at low speeds. An inch-wide ‘clean line’ of tread was present most of the time, even on soft ground, and clogging was just not an issue in situations where I anticipated it might be (though they never made it to the South Downs…). I ended up running them at an insanely low (for me) sub-15psi without any of the rolling I’d normally feel from tyres of this size run at low pressures on narrower rims.

The increased contact patch gave phenomenal grip. Both tyres are relatively low-profile, in WTB’s ‘fast rolling’ compound – both properties that turned out to be highly desirable on the 25mm rims. The extra tyre spread rounded out the already minimal shoulder still further, resulting in a lovely, limitless feel to the grip. Slithering about on wiggly singletrack in several inches of mud was pleasurably controlled, certainly noticeably more so than with ‘regular’ wheels, and climbing was insanely fun, leading to the age-old problem of lungs and legs giving out before the equipment did, even on slick green rock. They’re not heavy, and you don’t notice the extra rim (or rubber) ‘til you need it – I’m a convert.

Subscribe to Singletrack today from just £1.49

DEALS ON WTB KOM RIMS

Review Info