Michelin recently revamped their Wild series of tires with much improved tread patterns and casings, and now they’re already putting out improved versions of those.
The new Wild Grip’r 2, above, is their all-purpose mountain bike tire. Meant for both dry and muddy conditions, the tread design is revised, the casing comes in tubeless or tubeless ready options and new rubber compounds. Even better, there will be more size options, including a 29er. The new rubber compound is said to be “the best” balance between grip, rolling resistance and longevity. The new Wild Grip’r 2 has already scored a number of wins in 4X World Cup competition with bikers Anneke Beerten and Céline Gros. A 26×2.10 and 26×2.25 Wild Grip’R Advanced, and 26×2.10 Wild Grip’R will come available this fall with the other sizes scheduled for market launch in early 2012.
Check the Race’r Ultimate after the break…
As one might surmise from the pairing of “Race’r” and “Ultimate”, the focus on this tire is racing and lightweight. Designed for dry conditions, it comes in at just 415g for the tubeless-ready 26×2.1 while still boasting some puncture resistance. It’s been on the podium with top-three World Cup finishes by bikers Fabien Canal and Fanny Bourdon already this year.
The central tread pattern remains the same as the current Race’r but the shoulders have been reworked to be more suited for racing (side knobs are lower). It’ll be available in spring 2012 in three sizes, including a 29er, with various compounds.
