With the new Escape Inter & Escape Max, Goodyear adds two versatile trail tires to mix-and-match for everyday mountain biking, filling the gap between their light & fast cross country and heavy & sticky enduro tires. Call the new Goodyear Escape a downcountry sweet spot, but now with a lot of choices to fine-tune your bike setup depending on where and how you ride.
There are 2 treads to prioritize low rolling resistance or grip in loose terrain, 2 casings to pick light weight or extra protection, and 3 rubber compounds to select your desired balance between speed and grip.
Pick the Escape combo that best suits how you ride your home trails.
Goodyear Escape Inter & Max: more versatile trail bike tires
The Escape has been Goodyear’s trail bike tire since day one. But now it really ups its game with more choices to perfectly fit what trail means to you. Now you can pick the faster rolling intermediate Escape Inter to prioritize climbing, or get maximum grip for confident descending with the Escape Max. Or combine one of each for a perfect all-around balance of speed and grip.
No matter if your downcountry bike bleeds on the edge more towards XC, or your all-rounder trail bike aspires to be more light-enduro, the new Escape Inter & Escape Max help you perfectly dial-in your ride.
So, what’s actually new?
2 Trail Treads: Escape Inter & Max
Escape Inter is the faster-rolling option with a more rounded profile, slightly smaller knobs, and tighter knob spacing. Goodyear designed this one as a “fast and agile tread” meant to combine cross-country climbing and rolling speed with increased descending confidence. The Inter looks closer to Goodyear’s Peak XC tire, while getting two-stage shoulder blocks for confident grip in soft corners.
“Featuring a rounded profile with a tightly spaced 4 / 3 tread block configuration, promoting high rolling speeds and predictable handling. Ramped center blocks keep rolling speeds high with ‘In Block’ cornering blocks delivering predictable cornering bite.”
On the other hand, the Escape Max is a clearly more aggressive tread pattern with a more boxy shape and tall blocky should knobs for grip in soft terrain. It features a more open design to shed mud and dig deep for grip in loamy trails. It looks more like their Wrangler enduro treads, but with ramped blocks to make it faster rolling.
“Designed to keep rolling efficiency high on the climbs, with large side blocks featuring ‘In Block’ sipes to provide bite and cornering confidence. Utilizing a staggered 3 / 2 / 2 center block pattern for rolling efficiency, braking performance, and a predictable transition from center to cornering blocks.”
2 Trail Casings: Trail Lite & Trail Plus
Goodyear is trying to simplify with two new 60tpi tubeless casings for the new trail tires.
Trail Lite is the lighter-weight version with simple bead protection, casing overlap under the tread to resist punctures, and a lightweight extra layer of sidewall protection. It is meant to be “supple and reliable” with just enough protection to resist cuts and punctures in everyday trail riding.
Trail Plus then takes it a couple of steps further. This mid-weight casing adds butyl anti-pinch flat inserts that extend from the bead halfway up the sidewall. And it replaces the light sidewall protection layer with a tougher bead-to-bead reinforcement fabric for extra protection and sidewall support.
Those extra layers add 145-160g of protection, going from Trail Lite to Plus.
3 Rubber Compounds: UHP, Grip 2 & Grip 3
Then, three rubber compounds round out your choices.
- UHP is Goodyear’s ‘ultra high performance’ fastest rolling and most durable compound – the same 60a rubber used in their road range and teased for some next-gen gravel tires, too.
- Grip2 is a versatile dual compound 50/60 rubber that keeps the fast rolling center but makes the shoulder cornering knobs softer.
- Grip3 then is the stickiest of all. It’s a triple compound 40/50/60 rubber to maximize grip in those cornering blocks without sacrificing either the fast-rolling, longer-wearing center knobs or good grip in the transition.
New Goodyear Escape trail tires – Pricing, options & availability
All of the new Goodyear Escape trail bike tires come in just one 29 x 2.4″ size. Even though there are 2 treads + 2 casings + 3 compounds, there aren’t quite a dozen real combinations available.
Goodyear offers the faster Escape Inter in lighter Trail Lite casing with either UHP or Grip2 rubber (820g*), and a single Trail Plus casing with the Grip2 rubber only (965g). More options for the more aggressive tread, though. The Escape Max comes in Trail Lite in either Grip2 or Grip3 (865g), and in the more heavy-duty Trail Plus version also in Grip2 or Grip3 (1025g).
*(all claimed weights)
Pricing is dependent only on the casing, with the Trail Lite tires selling for $80 / 65€ each, and the Trail Plus tires a bit more at $85 / 70€. Pick up a set at your local Goodyear retailer starting today.
