image courtesy of pinkbike.com
It’s no secret any more that e*thirteen recently changed manufacturers for their latest run of tires. The current batch, made by Vee rubber, have a different casing and different rubber compounds to the first generation TRS+ and TRSr tires (made in the same factory as Maxxis). The updates are designed to improve grip under cornering and braking, decrease rolling resistance, and increase the tire’s puncture resistance. The first generation of e*thirteen tires received rave reviews from media and customers alike, so there was some understandable hesitation when such a winning formula was changed.
The reviews are in, and the new rubber, sidewall, and casing of current-model TRS tires is, by all accounts, as grippy, tough and reliable as previous models. But don’t take our word for it! Our friends at Pinkbike recently conducted an in-depth, and very honest review of the strengths and weaknesses of e*Thirteen’s TRSr tire. Don’t worry- they loved it!
image courtesy of pinkbike.com
“If you mostly get out in dry weather, and you value traction over longevity, there’s no reason why the new TRS Race shouldn’t be on your list of possible tire options.”
-Mike Levy, Pinkbike.com
The TRSr sports a range of rubber durometers (a measurement of the rubber’s softness and stickiness). The TRSr starts with a stiff 72a durometer rubber for the base, giving the tire extra support, and providing a solid platform for the 40a rubber on the side knobs, and 42a in the center. Softer side lugs provide cornering confidence, and the soft center lugs are for braking and accelerating grip. The result is a tire that is super fast-rolling, but still provides tons of grip in dusty corners. e*thirteen have cut sipes in the center and side lugs allowing them to flex and grab the ground more effectively.
image courtesy of pinkbike.com
“TRSr’s climbing performance… summed up in one word: Somuchtraction. …These things might be the most impressive tire around.”
-Mike Levy
Levy notes that the TRSr sports a particularly square profile, mostly de to the new casing. Looking at the tire from the back, the tire looks flatter on top, providing more surface area to contact the ground. A square profile typically increases accelerating and braking grip, but tends to break traction and ‘drift’ more easily under hard cornering (as the tire has a smaller point of contact when leaned over, compared to a rounder tire).
“Time to descend. In steep, loose, dry conditions, the TRSr might be unbeatable so long as you’re happy with a square-shaped profile that offers a different kind of feel compared to something rounder.”
-Mike Levy
While very positive about the tire overall, Levy does note that the TRSr doesn’t feel as home in wet conditions as other tires. He notes that the stiff sidewall, which offers so much confidence in dry conditions, feels unforgiving over slippery roots, even at low PSI. Heavier riders will probably benefit from this feature more than light riders, when riding in mud.
image courtesy of pinkbike.com
“Weirdly, they felt stiff and unforgiving when conditions were muddy and slow and the ground was hard or covered in roots, which is in opposition of their dry weather performance.”
-Mike Levy
That being said, compared to the two most popular Enduro and Freeride tires on the market, the Maxxis Minion and Schwalbe Magic Mary, the TRSr tire is considerably faster in dry conditions. Despite the TRSr’s large surface area, it is still a reasonably fast-rolling tire.
“Timed runs on the same steep five-minute trail averaged out to them being consistently between 5 to 6-seconds quicker Minions, which was a bit of surprise. That’s an average taken from dozens of runs over countless rides, but all in the dry. When gravity was doing the work, you could brake later and harder than when on Minions, and they roll quicker than a Magic Mary, too.”
-Mike Levy
You can find the full review on Pinkbike.com, and you can find the TRSr tires at your local Live to Play Sports dealer.