Tioga Edge 22 Tire

Tioga is what one may refer to as a legacy brand – a company with roots deeply intertwined in the heart of mountain biking – and the old school racer’s choice for giant saddles is making a resurgence in the tire game. We reviewed the Glide G3 and G3TT previously and were fans of the cornering abilities at play. Tioga replied in kind as if to say, “Hold my beer.” The Edge 22 has a familiar knob design but they’ve been arranged in a distinctly new way, creating a large center channel and greatly reducing any gap between the inner and edge knobs. Strong claims were made by Tioga and when the tire arrived it was time to put up or shut up.

Edge 22 Tire Highlights

• Sizes: 27.5x2.5" (tested), 29x2.5" coming soon
• Center gap with dual cornering edges
• Magnum 120 TPI casing (heavier duty casing coming soon)
• Synergy dual-compound rubber (61a/50a)
• Tubeless-ready
• Folding bead
• Actual Weight: 910g (2.0-pounds, 27.5x2.5")

Initial Impressions

Unboxing the Edge 22 felt somewhat familiar. Despite punctures during the previous G3 review it was darn good as a front tire. The Edge 22 currently shares the same lightweight woven Magnum 120 TPI casing and similar knobs with the G3, but a little extra volume and an interesting open tread design mean it's designed to be front-specific.

How does it work? The ovals in the images above represent the tire’s contact patch. Tioga claims "the open center design adds accessible cornering edges closer to the center of the tread for instant cornering grip when turning. As lean angle increases the center edges remain engaged with the terrain and the outer row knobs kick in, doubling the cornering edge engagement to hold the cornering line in ways that tires with a single row cornering knobs can’t match."

A thin bead-to-bead protection layer is said to balance sidewall suppleness and casing conformity. Tioga's Synergy dual-compound rubber places softer rubber on the sides for added cornering traction and harder rubber in the central zone for less rolling resistance and increased tread life.

We pulled a 2.4" Maxxis Minion DHF from our Santa Cruz Reserve 30 wheel and mounted up the new Tioga. The tire installed with no complaints, snapping into place with an affirmative and resonant sound. In no time, we were off to the trail and it was time to sort out the merits of Tioga’s claims.

On the Trail

While Tioga states that the Edge 22 is a radical departure from traditional tire designs, riding it was intuitive. From the onset, we felt as though the Edge 22 was rather unremarkable in that it just worked. It could have been because early rides were in some pretty dreamy conditions – the sort of chewed up organics that a skateboard wheel would be able to hold on to. These chocolate cake trails allowed us to push hard and rip through corners. At 26 PSI, the Edge 22 showed no signs of rolling or burping, which was good since there were a number of steep catcher’s mitt style turns that demand the most of front end grip.

Despite lacking knobs right down the center, front-wheel control was never in question under braking.

Subsequent rides took place in more traditional dry, loose, and jagged conditions that the Reno, Nevada area is known for. Time and again though, the Edge 22 held a line and never once got weird. Well after the Minion DHR out back gave up in turns, the Edge held on and carries us through the turn.

Approximately a month or so into testing the Edge 22 it was time for a trail day at Mt. Hough in Quincy, California. After the shovels were put away fresh tracks were laid down. The lower portion of Hough has plenty of jagged edges and shale, ripe for slashing tires. In conditions that begged for top speeds, we gave our best shot to slice this thing open but ultimately failed at the task. All the Edge 22 did was lay down traction and give the nerve to obtain Star Wars Speeder speeds.

During the final weeks of testing, trails dried out and became a plume of dust and questionable decisions. By this time the Edge 22 had earned its stripes, erasing much of the doubt that our skeptical minds had conjured. In truth, the only time the Edge 22 would fail to rail was on loose over hard-pack, while the rider was seated with the inside foot out in tom-foolery mode. Only then did the tire push a bit but never slid out from underneath.

Despite lacking knobs right down the center, front-wheel control was never in question under braking. The Tioga held its line and never danced about. In the image below, the red lines represent accessible braking edges inside the contact patch.

When charging head-first into rocky or more technical bits of trail, there was no perceptible difference in front-wheel deflection or stability from the 2.5" Maxxis Minion DHR EXO it replaced. It would be fantastic to give the forthcoming heavier cased Edge 22 a rundown as its ride qualities could possibly even emulate the Assegai. With such a vast difference in casing and knob design, it is a stretch to compare these two tires but the transition from center to edge knobs is very much the same. Tall praise for a brand on the come-back in tire town.

This leads us back to Tioga’s original claim of (more or less) constant access to corner or biting knobs. Based on our ride time they have indeed made good on the claim. The Edge 22 has no vague points, a positive cornering feel, and delivers a ride that many trail riders will enjoy.

Things That Could Be Improved

Tioga makes no claim that the Edge 22 is a mud tire, and in all fairness we never tested it in such conditions. To that end, we can only say it would be intriguing to see how this tire sheds the slop and holds its own in wetter conditions. There are some very qualified individuals that state the outer channel is critical to a tire’s performance and mud-shed. As it sits, nobody is challenging that notion but it would be interesting to see what is possible.

Long Term Durability

Our Edge 22 never slashed, punctured or failed. Front tires often have a longer life than the rubber out back, and based on the minimal wear so far it is fair to say the Edge 22 will last most of this season.

What’s the Bottom Line?

The Tioga Edge 22 is exactly what it claims to be: a reliable, front-specific trail tire for riders in semi-wet to dry and rocky conditions. We can find no blatant fault behind this thing. It is virtually foolproof to ride and may offer a gateway for riders to lay their bikes over with greater confidence. Cool kids may scoff at the marketing or the lack of yellow hot-patch, but if you live in drier parts of this world we highly recommend you give this tire some consideration.

Head over to www.tiogausa.com for more details.

About the Reviewer

Brad Howell - Age: 40 // Years Riding: 27 // Height: 5’9” (1.75m) // Weight: 160-pounds (72.5kg)

Brad started mountain biking when a 2.25-inch tire was "large," and despite having threads, bottom brackets sucked. Riding in the woods with friends eventually lead way to racing, trying to send it at the local gravel pits, and working in bike shops as a wrench to help fix those bikes. Fortunate enough to have dug at the past six Rampages and become friends with some of the sport’s biggest talents, Brad has a broad perspective of what bikes can do and what it means to be a good rider. The past few years Brad worked in the bike industry and got to see the man behind the curtain. These days, though, he likes just riding his bike in the woods with friends.

Photos by Robert Beaupre