MTB

WTB Wins Taipei Cycle d&i Awards, Expands and Furthers 27.5+ Market and Offerings

By DJC Media

WTB received two design and innovation awards today for the WTB Trailblazer 2.8 27.5+ TCS tire and WTB 27.5+ System from iF Design today during the Taipei Cycle d&i Awards Ceremony.  Additionally, WTB unveiled a new Bridger 3.0 27.5+ TCS tread pattern and Asym i29 and i35 TCS rims to further the usage and applications of their new 27.5+ category and tire size.



The WTB Trailblazer 2.8 27.5+ TCS tire is a large 27.5” tire that was designed to fit within existing 29” bicycles when combined with a traditionally wider 27.5” rim.  When mounted and inflated, the WTB Trailblazer 2.8 27.5+ TCS tire becomes 28.6” in diameter, causing roughly a ¼” drop in the bottom bracket height of most mountain bikes.  Mark Slate, WTB’s cofounder and designer, who accepted the award on WTB’s behalf, elaborated on the Trailblazer:

The much larger air volume of the TRAILBLAZER allows lower air pressure, a wider footprint and better traction for more fun! The WTB TRAILBLAZER tire changes in size based on rim width choice. Standard width rims have been 23mm and 25mm for big mountain bike tires. Those sizes work OK when using the TRAILBLAZER 2.8 tire, but with the wider rims that WTB now offers; 29, 35 and 45 (inner widths measured in millimeters) the new + size tire takes on a different character. Wider rims allow even lower pressure with plenty of support to keep the tire tracking precisely for control. Wider rims create bigger tires, so the rim choice needs to be in part based on the bike the tire needs to fit.



As Slate mentioned, WTB has also released the Asym i29 and i35 rims, featuring 29mm and 35mm inner rim widths, allowing WTB Trailblazer users to fine tune the tire’s fit within potentially constrictive chain stays.  WTB Asym i29 and i35 rims will be available in 27.5” and 29” wheel sizes, retailing for ­­$84.95 and $89.95 respectively.  Asym i29 27.5” rims tip the scales at 512g with i35 27.5” rims hitting 560g.  Both widths feature and asymmetric offset, hence the name Asym, that evenly distributes spoke tension and alleviates the need for dishing during build up.  Utilizing WTB’s highest end WT69 Alloy offering, the rims are also directly intended for all mountain and enduro usage.

Also blurring the lines between plus sized usage and enduro and further augmenting WTB’s 27.5+ system is WTB’s new Bridger 3.0 27.5+ TCS tire.  Jason Moeschler, WTB’s global OEM sales manager elaborated on what this tire means for production bicycles and the burgeoning category:

The Bridger 3.0 27.5+ TCS tire really proves the legitimacy of this wheel size, marking trail worthiness and usage beyond a taste of plus sized ride characteristics.  Big, blocky, spaced knobs hunger for technical trail and the size is unquestionably large.  Bicycle and suspension companies are now doing ground-up designs around this larger, more aggressive size.  Plus, offering the Bridger 3.0 27.5+ in a TCS Tough High Grip begs for enduro use considerations when designing a bike around it.

WTB Bridger 3.0 27.5+ TCS Light: Fast Rolling Compound tires will retail for $67.95 while the TCS Tough: High Grip option carries an MSRP of $76.95 USD.  WTB lists preproduction weights of 1235g and 1510g for the TCS Light: Fast Rolling and TCS Tough: High Grip options with a projected availability of August 2015.

Following the awards ceremony, Mark Slate commented on what receiving iF Design’s Taipei Cycle d&i Awards for WTB Trailblazer and WTB 27.5+ System means to WTB:

WTB is proud and grateful to be recognized for the TRAILBLAZER tire and the 27.5+ system. WTB feels this use of 29” tire bikes – with a new wheel and much fatter tire – defines a new type of use and ride. The ride is different than any other size, not too fat and not too big in diameter, it can fit many sizes of riders. WTB believes this 27.5+ size defines a very meaningful difference in the type of ride the tire provides.

WTB has been at the forefront of new tire size before. It was in 1999 that WTB followed advice of friends and created the first true 29” diameter tire. The 2.1 size Nano Raptor was a bigger than ever before made tire that fit the standard 700c road bike rim diameter.

WTB would be remiss if we failed to thank Wes Williams, Bob Poor and Gary Fisher for their help and support to bring new tires sizes to mountain bike enthusiasts. WTB remains grateful to be able to produce tire designs that are acknowledged for their advancement of bicycle control and pleasure.