Todd Bischoff of e*thirteen gave us a sneak peek at their new TRS Race tires at the Enduro World Series in Finale Ligure. Check out the meats and dig into the info and philosophy that he provided. -gordo
Grip. We wanted maximum grip that would be worthy of a top level racer in the Enduro World Series. It’s the kind of riding we like to do.
Specifically: Cornering Grip. Traction isn’t really a problem when you are going in a straight line except under hard braking. We wanted a tire that would work to give you some of the best possible grip in a wide range of conditions.
Wider. This is the first tire designed for wider rims. We designed the casing to work specifically with our newest 27mm carbon Race rims. Sidewall and center tread protection is in the right place to work perfectly with wider rims and prevent the shortcomings of using a tire designed for a 23mm rim on a wider rim profile. We aren’t just talking about the benefits of wider rims like everyone else. We are using them.
Smooth rolling. The ramped center knobs roll smoothly and don’t feel like you are driving a tractor. They roll fast and have plenty of real estate and strategically placed sipes to give great braking.
Tubeless. Tubeless is still a pain in the ass to set up. We have worked closely to make a full system that works with as few problems as possible. We have tuned the tire to rim fit (obviously using our tires and rims will be the best way to go…) so that it is nearly always possible to get a tubeless tire to seat just using a standard floor pump. Couple that with the internal profile on our rims that is designed to slide the tire bead on and lock it in place easily, our high volume Tubeless Valves to let as much air in to seat the tire as possible, and our Tire Plasma Sealant and it is about as easy as it can be.
From this last "development" tire design, we made a few updates to the final tire design:
- Decrease center knob height slightly. Increase side knob height by. Fits tires even better on wider rims and adds more cornering grip.
- Side knobs now alternate with center knobs. Adds more stability.
- Sipe pattern has changed. Will be more effective at adding traction in challenging terrain.
Final Notes:
- TRSr tire will be a sticky 3 compound DH rubber with extra reinforcement at the center knobs to help prevent pinch flats.
- TRS+ will be 2 compound with same casing we have now.
- Sizes and models:
- 650b x 2.35 TRS Race
- 650b x 2.35 TRS+
- 29” x 2.35 TRS Race
- 29” x 2.35 TRS+
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