This is the best new tyre that WTB have made in years. It’s got an appetite for traction – courtesy of aggressive sharp-edged blocks – that should make it slow rolling, yet it feels lively for a full width 2.3in tread.
The central knobs are broad, bat-wing shaped affairs, similar to those found on other WTB tyres. They allow good rear drive and, when fitted up front (where we liked it best), an easy transition to the intermediate tread, itself connected with small tie bars.
Getting the Bronson to full lean is relatively easy. The tyre likes to be manhandled and responds well to being pitched in hard on loamy dirt where it can claw away with predictable levels of slide.
It’s available in 2.1in or 2.3in widths and in standard Race (£30) or WTB’s new TCS (Tubeless Compatible System) tubeless-ready casing. Weight ranges from 600g for the 2.1in Race up to 810g for the 2.3in TCS, all ballpark for the genre.
The TCS bead and casing, when used on UST tubeless rims with a dose of sealant, will run tubeless very happily. Overall, the Bronson is a predictable, solid three-season tyre for all cross-country and trail bike applications bar mud-plugging, and is likely to appeal to fans of Kenda and Maxxis treads.