From a golf course in British Columbia, pro freeride mountain biker Rémy Métailler just gave us a sneaky peek at the prototype e*thirteen Grappler enduro tire he’s been test riding on the trails of Squamish this spring. While Remy shares a detailed look at the complete build of his unique Cube Stereo 170 long-travel alloy 29er, he glosses over the new tire. But we still get a pretty good look…
e*thirteen Grappler prototype enduro mountain bike tire
When he first built up the new 170mm travel 29er freeride bike (he actually calls it a big travel trail bike), Rémy had started riding the current e*thirteen All-Terrain tires with a dual-ply DH casing and the latest Mopo soft multi-compound rubber. His first year on e*thirteen tires, Rémy recently has been trail riding with this new prototype Grappler enduro tread front tire.
What’s new on the Grappler vs. the LG1 All-Terrain?
Remy calls the new front tire “a bit more aggressive” than the current A/T tread that e*thirteen offers across trail, enduro & DH casings. A quick glance at the Grappler tread vs. the All-Terrain and it would be easy to overlook the differences. But like Remy says, there are subtle differences.
Overall the tread layout is the same as the A/T (even down to the same sipes). But both types of center tread blocks on the new Grappler appear more squared off with vertical edges, vs. the tapered pyramid ramps on the A/T edges. The shoulder knobs are also modified, cutting the small leg off from the A/T variant that would have smoothed transitions while cornering.
We suspect that the slightly more boxy tread of the Grappler with more open space before the side knobs has been adapted to dig deeper for added traction in soft trail conditions, not unlike the loamy trails that we can watch Remy riding in his Pro Bike Check video below.
Interestingly, Remy has paired a enduro EN casing version of the new Grappler up front, to the downhill casing of the LG1 DH A/T in the rear. While the enduro casing is likely a bit lighter, e*thirteen’s top spec EN & DH tires share much the same protection. Remy has been running 16-19psi in the new EN tire vs. 19-21psi in the existing rear DH tire over the winter and spring at Squamish. (He is quite light at 65kg/143lb, though.)
He suggests that both share the latest ultra-tacky dual-compound Motion Potion rubber, which also indicates the new tire probably gets e13’s Apex insert bead & sidewall cut protection and woven Aramid sidewall reinforcement layer. No official word on sizing, but everything else e13 makes besides their semi-slicks are ‘true’ 2.4″.
e13 Grappler availability?
No official date has been announced for the new e*thirteen enduro tire, and apparently the current COVID-19 pandemic has left that up in the air. But apparently Remy can get you a deal on their current tires, wheels, cassettes & more with code: REMY15 at checkout!
Pro Bike Check: Rémy Métailler’s alloy Cube Stereo 170 29er
The full breakdown of Rémy’s unique Cube Stereo 170 build reveals plenty more currently available, but still quite interesting tidbits. From the DVO suspension to a Rotor hydraulic 1×12 drivetrain, there’s likely no other freerider on a similar bike. Another unique gadget is the STFU chain damper, something we’ll dig deeper into on its own.
