The team at WTB is all bikes and dirt, and its latest edition to the Exposure Road TCS lineup is no exception. The new Exposure 32cm bridges the gap between the brand's 30mm slick rubber and 34mm gravel specific tire.
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Aiming to encourage riders to venture beyond the pavement, WTB has combined its Road TCS (Tubeless Compatible System) with large volume casings in an effort to create a tire that’s suited to long gravel filled days as well as group rides on glass-smooth tarmac.
“The Exposure 32 tread pattern complements its 30 and 34 siblings, fitting right in between the smoother and more road-going 30 and the mixed-condition 34 tires,” stated Will Ritchie, WTB’s OEM drop bar manager.
The tread pattern on the Exposure 32 sees a relatively conservative center tread with intermediate hatching, while the shoulders see small nubs for a bit of added grip and confidence while cornering on looser road surfaces.
The Exposure range is an evolution; as they get wider the tread also gets more aggressive, and the capability and intended usage of the Exposure 32 falls between Exposure 30 and Exposure 34.
The narrower Exposure 30 is what you’d expect in a road tire with a smooth center channel with a bit of hatching on the shoulders, while the Exposure 34 sees a similar center tread to the 32, but with more aggressive knobs on the edge of the casing.
“A progressive transition to slightly more open side tread allows for better wet weather grip and enough bite to assist in smoother dirt conditions — combined with our tubeless Supple Casing, the Exposure 32 is an excellent distance tire for pavement and broken blacktop with enough volume and tread to not be out of place seeing some dirt use too,” Ritchie explains.
WTB’s Supple Casing and Distance+ Compound pre-production sample tires are claimed to weigh 315g and the Exposure 32 Road TCS tires are available now costing $79.99. UK and Australian pricing are to be confirmed.
