Bikes Blog
Vee Tire gravity MTB provides new Snap WCE MK2 & WLT, simplifying enduro, DH & eMTB tires
Mar
Developed on the World Cup circuit collectively with Aaron Gwin & Intense, Vee Tire have an entirely revamped Gravity mountain bike tire line-up with a few all-new tires, pared-back logical sizing, less complicated sticky rubber, and three casing choices to cowl every little thing from enduro to DH to eMTB. Of that, the actual latest Vee Gravity spotlight might be the Snap WCE MK2 evolution of their in style all-rounder, plus a flexible new Snap WLT mud tire. However total, it’s possibly the simplification that the majority improves their aggressive mountain bike tire choices…
Vee simplifies Gravity MTB tire lineup, whereas including a pair new treads
Vee Tire boils down their Gravity mountain bike tire shake-up as: 4-3-2.
4 gravity-ready tread patterns now, 3 completely different discipline-specific tire casings, and a pair of separate rubber compounds. I’d personally add a 1… merely 1 width per separate tire, though that will get a bit blurry with their carryover WCE tread.
Anyway, in an business the place it seems like tire corporations simply preserve including extra tread patterns, extra sizes, and so many acronyms on the sidewall of your tire… a bit simplicity is welcome. Don’t fear although, Vee hasn’t given up on making up new acronyms. /s
So 4 treads…
New Vee Snap WCE MK2 gravity tire
Vee Tire’s Snap WCE – World Cup Elite – may very well be their winningest tire, and essentially the most versatile for anybody using or racing in changeable circumstances. Developed to race DH, the Snap household is all about going quick in difficult terrain and in all climate. However the Snap WCE got here in three widths from 2.35-2.8″, all with the identical blocky tread merely getting scaled up or down to suit. And the right width that the professional Intense downhillers needed, wasn’t actually there.
So Vee (re)developed a brand new second-generation Snap WCE MK2 in that preferrred 2.5″ – the identical width as their different prime gravity racing tires. And so they tweaked the tread of the brand new candy spot WCE M2, bringing the blockier middle logs nearer collectively for lowered rolling resistance like on the earlier Snap Path, whereas preserving huge areas in all places else to dig in for grip and to shed mud. The result’s a refined improve, however now a extra succesful tire, higher fitted to racing.
The OG all-arounder Snap WCE continues to be within the line-up (and technically nonetheless counts as only one tread with the MK2). It additionally will get the remainder of the updates under, however now it’s the one Gravity tire that also will get a number of discipline-specific sizes for those who want narrower or plus-sized tread.
New Vee Snap WLT mud tire
Similar to the MK2 is an “new” tire that’s not an enormous shock to see, we really noticed pre-production prototypes of the brand new Snap WLT – Moist & Free Terrain – mud tire final summer season. And it already appears World Cup DH racing success, too – Prime 10 finishes for each Elite Males and Girls ultimately summer season’s wet Leogang racing.
Vee noticed that their professional downhillers needed correct spiky mud tires for tremendous moist & sloppy racing, however ended up trimming down most of the spikes for many moist circumstances. So, Vee calls the Snap WLT a “mid-spike” mud tire. It nonetheless has sharp blocky mud spike lugs, however they’re a bit shorter so they provide extra assist and supply good traction in a wider vary of path circumstances – not solely deep, slick mud – whereas nonetheless rolling effectively.
Assault FSX & Assault HPL carry over
Meant for sooner, drier circumstances, the Assault tires come within the fast-rolling however nonetheless grippy FSX – FaSt eXtreme – and HPL – Onerous, Packed & Free – with a extra open design constructed for looser circumstances. These confirmed treads carry over with the opposite updates.
All 4 treads might be run on each entrance & rear tires, relying on circumstances. However we’ve additionally seen quite a lot of situations the place a rider will run the extra aggressive tire up entrance and the faster-rolling out again for in-between circumstances.
We’re pondering to place extra time on a Snap WCE MK2 upfront and an Assault FSX outback for on a regular basis technical all-mountain using.
1 simplified measurement (largely) in 2 diameters
This simplified setup is about ending the hunt for the most effective Gravity tire to suit, no want to combine and match. But additionally it implies that every tread sample is particularly designed for the precise width of the casing. Decreased sizing was a direct enter from the Intense Manufacturing facility Crew riders who simply needed to have the ability to swap tread patterns relying on path/monitor circumstances whereas preserving tire quantity constant. Vee settled on 2.5″ because the blissful medium for enduro and downhill, providing all the brand new tires in each 29″ & 27.5″ diameters.
Certain, the unique Snap WCE nonetheless presents 2.35″ drained for enduro or DH, 2.6″ for enduro or eMTB, and 27.5+ 2.8″ for enduro or eMTB. However I’m gonna kinda gloss over that within the curiosity of simplicity.
2 simplified rubber compounds: single for gravity, a number of for eMTB
Full 40 is Vee’s new single compound of sticky, low-rebound rubber. And all the new enduro and downhill tires get upgraded to sticky rubber from edge-to-edge. Due to new components that they don’t actually clarify in additional technical element, this new single 40a durometer rubber is softer and extra grippy than any of their earlier dual-compound blends, whereas reducing total rolling resistance and being simply long-wearing.
Simply as an apart: fashionable rubber combination advertising and marketing looks as if magic – how is extra grip & much less rolling resistance potential? – however on the path, it does appear to be regardless of the chemists are mixing into the rubber, actually does appear to work.
The eMTB tires get a brand new E-Ctrl multiple-compound rubber based mostly on their earlier Prime 40 compound that makes use of a stiffer 52a durometer base for assist below the tender 40a shoulder knobs, paired to a more durable, longer-wearing 60a middle rubber that Vee places of their metropolis & trekking ebikes. The mixture guarantees elevated sturdiness and puncture safety, plus gravity-ready cornering grip.
3 simplified Gravity Core casings
Vee has additionally simplified the general building of the Gravity tires into 3 Core casings.
DH Core means an additional bolstered, full 2-ply 72tpi downhill casing over your complete carcass of the tire. Plus it will get tall rubberized Apex inserts that stretch up the sidewall from the bead to just about remove pinch flats, bead Chafer safety, and full sidewall Synthesis safety towards cuts. That is very like the earlier era, and is the one to bash by way of rock gardens on the World Cup circuit when a sooner time is the one factor in your thoughts.
The newer GXE Core means gravity crossed with enduro, a cheerful medium between path and DH. It’s a bolstered 1.5-ply building that makes use of a finer 90tpi casing, overlapping below the tread for additional assist and including a B-Proof Nano anti-puncture layer below the tread for added safety. The sidewalls will get shorter model of the supportive anti-pinch Apex insert, plus the bead Chafer safety. General is shaves simply 100-125g off the DH casing, however leads to a extra supple tire that’s gentle sufficient for aggressive all-mountain type using, however is constructed to deal with the full-on abuse of enduro racing.
It’s even robust sufficient for a little bit of more durable gravity racing, too. The professional Vee athletes apparently generally combine it up a bit, pairing a GXE entrance tire with a DH rear for much less aggressive tracks to get a pleasant steadiness of grip and safety.
Lastly is the brand new Vee Override Core eMTB building, with what appears to be like like a comparatively gentle 1-ply casing that takes benefit of a more durable, coarser 26tpi cloth to offer the tire extra resistance to further torque, with out including pointless weight or a harsh experience. It nonetheless will get the (anti) Chafer bead safety, plus the identical longer Apex anti-pinch remedy because the DH tires.
So how do they experience?
That’s quite a lot of tech speak about how the Vee Gravity tire lineup acquired simplified, and to be trustworthy it doesn’t sound fairly so easy after I separate out all of the tech. However basically the Override Core x E-Ctrl compound eMTB tire line simply contains the Snap WCE & Assault HPL for both moist or drier e-biking. And the GXE Core & DH Core x Full 40 compound tires allow you to decide from the complete Gravity household to seamlessly combine and match based mostly in your circumstances.
Up to now, I’ve solely ridden a bit on the brand new Snap WCE MK2 – which weighed in at 1279g within the lighter GXE model, a couple of grams lighter than claimed. Unsurprisingly, it’s not an exceptionally light-feeling tire, however that tender rubber does follow the bottom. And since I don’t race DH and don’t actually experience eMTBs at house fairly often, I’ll possible follow the GXE casing, which presents loads of safety for all-mountain using & enduro racing.
As of but I’ve solely turned a couple of damp to moist path laps on the brand new MK2 tire, however positively appreciated the grip on moist rock and greasy roots. Now, as spring thaw units in on our house trails, we hope to be shifting extra in the direction of placing kms on a Snap WCE MK2 / Assault FSX combo. However possibly within the meantime, we’ll nonetheless dig in a bit with a few of the new Snap WLTs, too.
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