The Vee Tire Attack HPL tyre might have only been released to the public a few weeks ago, but I’ve been testing this new all-rounder for a few months already.
There are a handful of parts that you can change on your bike that can have a dramatic effect on performance. A new set of forks, an upgraded rear shock or lighter wheels can all drastically alter how your bike rides, but those items will also drastically decrease bank balance funds, and even if you did drop £1000s on fancy suspension and wheels you’re not going to get very far without a decent set of tyres.
That’s not to say good tyres are cheap, but they are much more affordable, and they’re so much easier to set up than a top of the range suspension platform. Being such a vital part of your bike it’s a good job there are plenty of great tyres to choose from, the only problem now is which tyre do you purchase?
Vee Tire manufactures its tyres in its own factories in Thailand, managing the whole production process from extracting rubber from their own rubber trees, producing the moulds, to design, and marketing. Every step is handled in house by Vee Tire Co. And while Vee might not be as well known as other brands, they’re just as devoted to mountain biking as any brand having recently sponsored Freeride Fiesta in Mexico, and also supporting some big-name downhill teams and riders over the years including Phil Atwill, Alex Marin and many many freeriders.
Vee Tire Attack HPL
We seem to be in the midst of ‘tyre season’ and I have bunches of new rubber to play around with, but the Vee Tire Attack HPL arrived with me late last year and since fitting it I’ve been constantly impressed. Vee isn’t a brand that you’re likely to find in your local store, but they’re easy enough to pick up online and pricing is more affordable than Maxxis, Schwalbe and others, but Vee manages to offer features and performance that easily competes with those better-known brands despite the competitive pricing.
The Attack HPL is Vee’s latest tyre, a model that was engineered to be an all-rounder that would provide grip in most riding situations. Though the tread is said to be optimised for hardpack trails, we’ve found there is enough spacing between knobs of the HPL to dig in on loose dirt and muddy trails, often surprising us by how hard we can push in the soft UK conditions.
The rounded carcass and tread profile ensures the HPL generates grip across its surface while maintaining a fast-rolling speed and impressive braking performance. This powerful traction and confidence-inspiring grip is partly thanks to the tread design, but is also down to the tacky 42a, Top 40 rubber compound that Vee uses. Top 40 is Vee’s top of the line rubber compound and we’ve been impressed with it in previous reviews of the Snap Trail and WCE. Being a 42a compound, it is very soft which is perfect for seeking out more grip. The soft compound also offers a slower rebound than other rubbers, giving the HPL damping properties that we’ve not felt on other tyres.
This softer rubber can feel a little sluggish in certain situations, but the HPL’s tread design does a good job of balancing the ultra-sticky compound with rolling resistance and we never felt the extra tacky traction was slowing us down.
It’s certainly a tyre that will suit riders who want one set of rubber to handle most conditions and we’ve enjoyed the levels of traction that the tyre offers especially when run as a pair. The grip and braking traction aid confidence in technical and rocky sections of trail and thanks to the tough construction we haven’t run into any puncture issues either.
Vee Tire Attack HPL Specifications
| 29 × 2.50 | Top 40 | Gravity Core | 72TPI | 1350g | $70.00 |
| 29 × 2.50 | Top 40 | Enduro Core | 72TPI | 1150g | $65.00 |
| 27.5 x 2.5 | Top 40 | Gravity Core | 72TPI | 1270g | $70.00 |
| 27.5 x 2.5 | Top 40 | Enduro Core | 72TPI | 1080g | $65.00 |
Vee Tire Attack HPL Overall
Vee Tire Co. might not be a household name, but if they keep producing tyres like the HPL then it won’t be long before everyone has heard of them. Overall a great package for riders wanting ultimate grip and confidence across a variety of terrains.
Visit the Vee Tire Co. website where the Attack HPL can be bought from $65.00
Review Info
| Brand: | VeeTire Co. |
| Product: | Attack HPL |
| From: | Vee Tire Co. |
| Price: | $65-$80.00 |
| Tested: | by Andi Sykes for 3 months |
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Comments (8)
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Vee Tire suffer the same problem as Suntour sadly, their products are forever associated with being on BSO’s. They would have to produce a killer tyre range for half the price of the regulars to make a dent in the market sadly, which is probably good for bargain-hunters who can pick them up cheap in clearance sales! Kenda suffer the same issue to a lesser extent also.
Sadly that’s the power of the big brands.
Interesting point – very happy with my Durolux fork. I think that is starting to change.
“they’re easy enough to pick up online”
I can’t find these anywhere, so any pointers would be appreciated, ta.
Would you be able to add some more detail to the review about how it fares in different conditions please Andi?
And perhaps how it stacks up to a Maxxgrip Assegai (to which it bears a passing resemblance)?
And I don’t think you’ve said which carcass you were on?
@chakaping I would say in wet conditions the HPL performs better than the Assegai, and yes I’ll update the review once the weather changes and I’ve tested them in various other conditions. I have chatted with Alex Marin though who is loving them on the front of his DH bike for dusty Spanish tracks.
I actually have the Gravity and Enduro core. I personally prefer the Enduro Core for wet/soft conditions as they have a bit more give to them especially on the front. The Enduro Core also offers really good puncture protection so along with the weight saving that would be my choice.
You can order Vee Tire either from their international or UK websites, although HPL stock is in short supply.
https://veetireco.com/
https://www.veetireco.co.uk/
@reluctantjumper Vee Rubber is the OEM brand that you find on more affordable bikes, Vee Tire is the aftermarket brand, but I get what you mean. The fact is though they have 2 World Champs running their tyres (pumptrack and BMX) plus some really fast enduro and downhill riders. Interesting point Re: Suntour. Have you noticed that many of the same riders on Suntour also use Vee Tire? But as @AJT mentioned, the Durolux is a great fork and the TriAir rear shock is one of my faves. Sometimes you just need to try something new, take a risk and you might be surprised.
I’m old enough to remember when Maxxis were the cheap tyres specced on low end bikes and the only distributor who would sell them was Raleigh P&A and Schwalbe were only seen on touring bikes.
Tyres like everything else in mountain biking follows trends. When I was a smidgen younger than I am now everyone was running Ritchey Z-Max’s, moving forward a few years you were a noob if you didn’t have Conti Vert Pros, and so on and so forth.
Maxxis and Schwalbe have been the brands of choice for a while now, it’s probably time for the tyre god to shine its light on another brand.
Cheers for the info Andi, sounds like a solid contender for all-round duties.
Cannot fault Veetire, been running them for the last 4 years. Great grip and roll upfront with the Snap WCE, with Snap Flow to the rear. Yes they are lesser known brand for a fraction of price of their big rivals.