Building on the success of winning an XC World Cup and a couple of 24hr World Championships on their new mountain tires last year, MSC is back in a new season with four new treads. Adding to XC & Marathon race, the new Dragster & Rock & Roller offer more fast conditions mix & match potential. Then, more open and grippy Singletrack & Hot Seat tread designs provide added grip & stronger casings for trail riding & enduro racing.
2020 MSC Dragster marathon & XC mountain bike tire
The first new tread in the XC & Marathon race category is the Dragster, and even faster-rolling hardpack tire than the original Roller.
The new Dragster gets two center rows of ramped, siped knobs for fast rolling straight-line grip, that then step down to two rows of more simple boxy blocks for transition into turns, and finally a lower profile row of shoulder knobs with low-resistance longitudinal sipes for grip on hard surfaces.
The Dragster will be available only in a 29×2.1″ size, and gets MSC’s XC oriented 2C dual compound rubber, is tubeless-ready & e-bike (25km/h) approved.
It will be offered in the 60tpi Pro Shield casing with sidewall protection for £36 / 37€ in black, and 120tpi Epic Shield casing with full, but more supple bead-to-bead protection for £45 / 48€ in black or tan wall.
2019 MSC Rock & Roller marathon & XC mountain bike tire
Like the new Dragster, the new Rock & Roller is meant to offer another alternate cross-country pairing with the Roller, but this time in a more aggressive direction.
The Rock & Roller shares those same two new center rows of fast-rolling ramped knobs, but them opens up more with an angled row of blocky knobs, and a more substantial line of alternating shoulder lugs. These offset knobs with more space in between are designed to bit into softer or soft-over-hardpack terrain, improving grip & control while cornering.
While the new Dragster might get paired on the rear with the current Roller up front for fast rolling XC tracks, this Rock & Roller will make a good front tire to combine with a Roller rear when the course gets dry & loose or wetter.
The Rock & Roller is available now in 29×2.1″ (and will likely add a 27.5×2.1″ version). It gets the same XC 2C dual compound rubber and is again is tubeless & e-bike-ready.
It is also offered in a 60tpi Pro Shield casing for £36 / 37€ in black, and in the 120tpi Epic Shield casing for £45 / 48€ in black or tan wall. The 120tpi version has a claimed weight of 715g.
2019 MSC Singletrack trail, all-mountain & enduro mountain bike tire
Developed as more of an all-mountain or even gravity tire, the new Singletrack gets a wide open, blocky tread design and some more beefy construction. It blends a bit of the principles of MSC’s Tractor & Gripper treads to create a more all-rounder, for when you end up blindly riding & racing new terrain.
Relatively low-profile, ramped & textured center blocks roll well, but are surrounded by spaced out transition blocks, then large blocky shoulder lugs. In between, small stripes are meant to offer a bit more forward traction in really soft terrain.
The Singletrack comes in two different 60tpi casings – one is the same XC Pro Shield casing with sidewall protection for £37 / 38€, and the other is a DH Super Shield casing more designed for enduro-style riding with sidewall protection & anti-pinch butyl inserts above the bead for £38 / 40€. Both versions have 2C dual compound rubber (62a/60a for XC, and 55a/50a for DH) and are offered 27.5 & 29×2.2″ widths. The XC Pro Shield is available in black or tan wall with a claimed 27.5″ weight of 740g; and the DH Super Shield is black only.
2020 MSC Hot Seat enduro & DH mountain bike tire
The Hot Seat is that last of the new mountain bike tire designs, taking the new Singletrack one step further (and wider.) Essentially the tread layout is the same as the more all-mountain tire, but here with a gravity focus, the Hot Seat drops the fast rolling center textures in favor of taller, softer blocks and a step up to a 2.4″ width.
The Hot Seat will be available only in MSC’s most burly DH Xtrem Shield 60tpi gravity casing, with full 4-ply construction, bead-to-bead protection & built-in butyl anti-pinch inserts all along the lower half of the sidewall and around the beads. The tubeless tire is 27.5″ only for now, and is expected to sell for around £55 / 50€ when it becomes available later in the summer.
In the meantime, the new Rock & Roller and Singletrack treads are already available, with the Rock & Roller getting some pro XC race testing together with the current Roller and upcoming Dragster.
For a full breakdown of the tech inside the latest tires, check out our overview of the 2019 line that we got last autumn. MSC teased us about more affordable, high-performance gravel & road tubeless tires, but all we have seen so far have been some updated slicks. So we’ll keep our eyes open for those throughout the summer.
