Have you ever observed how maximum people appear to have a favorite tire emblem or model, and quite a whole lot else is one way or the other unrideable? If you’re a Minion man, you’re probably only a Minion guy, and there are plenty out there who could luckily give up their huge other before they hand over their Magic Marys.
There’s a lot to pick out from these days, even with new tires from e*13. Their catalog has multiplied with the new A/T tire (the sticky, $ seventy-one .95 MoPo rubber compound version is tested right here) and the quick-rolling LG1 S/S EN Race semi-slick tire that costs USD 69.95. You can get both in a manner too many configurations to the listing, together with different casings, unique sizes, and three distinctive kinds of rubber recipes.
Combining a sticky and aggressive front tire with a semi-slick at the rear can make for a fast-rolling mixture that still offers the bite while you want it, but it is no longer exactly a brand-new idea. And as funny as that setup can be, it normally doesn’t work all that well unless situations are fool-evidence.
E*thirteen thinks that their semi-slick can nonetheless be an all-rounder, although; “Speed doesn’t usually need to come on the price of traction,” which sounds like an invite to peer how authentic that is.
TRS A/T Race MoPo – First, e*thirteen appears to love acronyms, and there is plenty of deciphering with these tires. For the 1015-gram TRS A/T MoPo that I ran up the front, the TRS refers to their lighter weight casing that keeps some reduced safety and is meant for path driving, and the A/T bit is short for all-terrain.
The compound is e*13’s MoPo rubber; it is said to sport “Ultra excessive-tack, gradual-rebound tread with a tougher base for better treadwear and faster rolling.” The complete call is ‘Motion Potion,’ from Thailand’s underground moped drag racing scene. If you’ve got ten minutes to spare, you’ll need to YouTube that one – it is way more thrilling than bike tires.
The A/T is also constructed around a casing with a greater extent and rounder profile than what e*thirteen used formerly, a trade that should offer much less of an on/off since. Shorter facet knobs make the tire appear rounder as nicely, and a load of sipes everywhere allows them to conform to the ground.
E13 tires
A new casing gives the A/T a rounder profile than its predecessors.
Don’t fear; we are no longer transferring on without gambling the ‘What does it appear to be’ recreation. This time, I see some Maxxis DHR II in there with the wide, paddle-like braking lugs that trade with longer, tightly spaced ones. They’re ramped on both, and even as the sipes are distinct, they’re all inside the identical orientation, too.
The facet lugs are L-fashioned round at the A/T and alternate between that and square at the DHR II. You might have also noticed the odd-searching sipes molded into the side of each cornering lug; the ones are said to let the lugs flex like an accordion (pictured at proper) and comply higher with the ground. They appear neat and drop a few grams, too.
LG1 S/S EN Race – This tire’s construction is burlier than the A/T, with the LG1 EN referencing its “race-ready enduro casing with an excellent cornering guide and cut protection.”
The S/S is brief for the semi-slick of the route. However, it’s plenty more good sized than a number of the barely-there document treads that can be scary. Instead, a row of four small, siped knobs spans the tire’s crown to offer a braking chunk, and you may word the rows use an alternating layout that leads into the cornering knobs. The concept is to make that transition feel as herbal as viable.
The Race compound receives a gentle, slow rebounding rubber on the perimeters and a quicker rolling, slower-wearing rubber within the middle. However, there’s no MoPo to be observed here, as the center knobs are too small to work properly with that gentle compound. The total weight for the 29″ x 2.4″ size with the LG1 EN designation is 1050 grams.
I will position the TRS A/T and LG1 S/S combination in the burly path motorbike class if we’re discussing intentions. Sure, each is some hundred grams out of doors of that surprisingly mild, excessive-volume phase that makes the experience on a sporty path bike. Still, they may be additionally plenty greater strong and dependable.
The summer solar has baked many of my nearby trails to a difficult, pavement-like crisp, which, effectively sufficient, is good for a tire just like the LG1 S/S. As you’ll assume, rolling speed is subsequent-degree while going from a popular tire to a semi-slick. This is most awesome on leap traces and float trails, and that is exactly in which I found myself going faster while pedaling less. More speed with less attempt, but the big frickin’ deal – it is semi-slick on the go-with-the-flow trail, so it better do that.
Braking traction is… Pretty first-rate, genuinely. That preliminary stab desires to be gentler, not to crack the tire unfastened (unless that is what you seek to do). However, an excellent quantity of anchor is there while you need it. In the dry (however, now not too dusty) and on a hardpacked surface or rock slab, I’d pass up to mention that there is enough braking chunk for most riders’ needs. It does do highly well in low-traction conditions, too, be it moist or cat clutter-dry, but you may want a deft contact on the ol’ rear stopper-lever if you’re driving at the restrict. The Kryptonite with the S/S is sticky dust that fills inside the gaps between its low and middle knobs, efficiently taking it from a semi-slick to an all-slick. No surprises there, even though; it is now not what it changed into made for.
E13
Wet and muddy conditions aren’t a problem unless it is sticky.
The cornering grip is awesome, as it would be with meaty lugs on the shoulders, and I cannot say that I observed any unusual transition from upright to leaned over,
With fast-rolling tires like this semi-slick, I always ask myself if I’d take the time to swap it out for an extra aggressive choice if I knew it would rain a group. E*thirteen has come the nearest to getting me to reply that with a ‘no,’ and the only reason I’d trade it for something meatier would be for hiking traction as opposed to extra braking bite. Even then, it is, in reality, the handiest vibrant roots that give it real trouble; moist (now not sticky) dust and rocks aren’t a problem. Depending on how you ride, that may not be a dealbreaker for you.
