Delium Tires - Can Quality Also Be Affordable?

Do We Need Yet Another Tire Brand?

There is no doubt about it: there are a lot of tire brands on the market today. Some might say maybe too many. Well, we decided to bring on a new tire brand anyway and there are a ton of reasons why. Introducing Delium Tires, created to produce some of the highest performing MTB tires on the market while providing a fantastic value and staying moderately affordable. When you first see the retail price of some of the tires you might do a double-take as they are so much cheaper than some of the other high-end tires on the market. That was the goal for Delium. As soon as we saw these, we knew we had to get our hands on them to try out. I'll go into depth about each tire and the tires we tested, but for now, as you can see, they are available on our site. Clearly this means we got along with them well and I think the performance when compared to the retail price is tough to beat!

Technology:

• Triple Zone Casing

When it comes to mountain bike tires, the compounds and tread patterns get all the attention. But I think the tire casing plays such an important role in how the tire rides and feels. Delium has what they call the “Triple Zone Casing”. It consists of a supple top, a cut protection sidewall, and rim impact protection at the bead. This helps give you a bit of everything you want in one tire. Zone 1, or the supple top zone, does exactly what it says. It is supple and conforms to the ground a bit better, providing grip and predictability while riding. Pedaling over rough terrain becomes easier because the tire won’t bounce you around quite as much. Zone 2, or the cut protection zone, has two layers of sidewall to combat cuts and slices while riding. Zone 3, or the rim impact protection zone, is a zone near the bead of the tire that basically wraps around the rim lip. This adds extra strong material at the apex to help protect the rim against any rim impacts. Both Zone 2 and 3 work together to add more tire stability when cornering, allowing you to ride lower pressures without the tire folding or feeling wobbly. 

• Compound

Depending on what tire casing you are looking at, there are three different types of rubber compound. For the Light casing, there is a Medium Dual Compound that uses a hard 65a compound in the center and a softer 50a compound on the side knobs. This creates a fast rolling tire while still maintaining the ability to hold grip in the corners. The All-Round casing gets a softer rubber with their Soft Triple Compound. Here, a softer 60a compound in the center provides predictable grip while the side knobs with a 50a compound really help the tire bite while cornering. The last casing, the Reinforced, is combined with the softest combination of rubber. The center tread starts with an already soft 50a compound while the side knobs get even softer 42a compound for all out grip. 

Tread Patterns:

Delium offers four tread patterns to choose from. In order of most grip to least grip (but don’t get us wrong, it’s still plenty grippy), we have the Rugged, Versatile, Steady, and Fast. Each has a much different feeling on the dirt and they belong in disparate categories, like fast cross country riding, trail riding and all out downhill riding. 

Rugged Tire ($45-55)

The Rugged tire will be the go-to tire in the Delium lineup when you just want the most grip possible. It is designed to provide both a ton of predictable traction and cushioning from technical terrain and impacts. The Rugged has 6mm tall center knobs making it the largest knobs in the lineup. I really like the alternating pattern of the Rugged, with its row of two center knobs then a row of three. This seems to be common with some of the other top selling tires on the market as well. The Rugged is available in All-Round and Reinforced casing options in both 27.5” and 29” diameters with a width of 2.5”. The All-Round casing will be the lighter option and more of your standard trail tire while the Reinforced casing will be the burlier option, with some added protection that also comes with a bit more weight. The Reinforced will be the choice for a hard riding enduro or downhill rider. It will also better suit an e-bike, creating a more stable tire. The Rugged would make an amazing front or rear tire, but running it up front with a different Delium tire in the rear would make for a great faster rolling setup as well. 

Tire size : 27.5x2.5 or 29x2.5

Approx Weight (All-Round): 27.5” 950 grams, 29” 1010 grams

Approx Weight (Reinforced): 27.5” 1150 grams, 29” 1220 grams

Bead : Folding Aramid Bead

Compound (All-Round) : Soft Triple Compound 50a / 60a

Compound (Reinforced): Extra Soft Triple Compound 42a / 50a

Technology : Triple Zone Casing, Tubeless Ready, Aramid Bead

Compatibility : ECE-R75 Certified for E-Bikes

Color : Black

Versatile Tire ($45-55)

The Versatile tire says it all in the name. It’s made to excel in a lot of different conditions and terrains, and it’s nearly a four-season tire as well. The 5.5mm center knobs are tall yet wide to help provide stability. It combines the ability to grip well on hard surfaces as well as soft soil thanks to the tall knobs that can bite into the ground. The Versatile comes in the same options as the Rugged tire, two casing options, All-Round and Reinforced, in 27.5” and 29” diameters in a 2.5” width. The Versatile can be run front or rear, but we think it goes well in the rear paired to a Rugged up front.

Tire size : 27.5x2.5 or 29x2.5

Approx Weight (All-Round) : 27.5” 950 grams, 29” 1000 grams

Approx Weight (Reinforced):  27.5” 1150 grams, 29” 1200 grams

Bead : Folding Aramid Bead

Compound : Soft Triple Compound 50a / 60a

Compound (Reinforced): Extra Soft Triple Compound 42a / 50a

Technology : Triple Zone Casing, Tubeless Ready, Aramid Bead

Compatibility : ECE-R75 Certified for E-Bikes

Color : Black

Steady Tire ($35-45)

The Steady tire is going to be a perfect trail tire. With medium sized knobs at 4.5mm tall, the spaced out knob profile also lends itself to be a very good tire in a wide range of conditions. The rounded profile also allows the Steady to roll fast while still having great cornering traction. The Steady can be run front and rear, or it would work well just as a rear tire with the Versatile or Rugged up front. Coming in a lighter casing than the Versatile or Rugged, the Steady is available in Light and All-Round casings. The Light forgoes some of the rim impact protection in a trade-off for some weight savings. If I were running this tire in the rear with a more knobby front, I would go for the All-Round casing. But if running it to be fast and have it front and rear, the Light casing will be the top choice. It also comes in both 27.5” and 29” diameters, but the width gets dropped to a 2.4” for both size options.

Tire size : 27.5x2.4 or 29x2.4

Approx Weight (Light) : 27.5” 900 grams, 29” 950 grams

Approx Weight (All-Round): 27.5” 950 grams, 29” 1000 grams

Bead : Folding Bead

Compound (Light) : Medium Dual Compound 50a / 65a

Compound (All-Round): Soft Triple Compound 50a / 60a

Technology (Light) : Light Dual Zone Casing, Tubeless Ready

Technology (All-Round): Triple Zone Casing, Tubeless Ready, Aramid Bead

Compatibility : ECE-R75 Certified for E-Bikes

Color : Black

Fast Tire ($35-45)

The Fast tire is, well, going to be the fastest tire in the Delium lineup. With a tightly spaced knob pattern the Fast is ready to rip and excel on dry, hard packed terrain. Thanks to its 4mm tall knobs, the Fast tire makes for a great front and rear combo if your goal is to roll as fast as possible. Alternatively, run it in the rear with any of the other tires in the Delium range. The Fast is available in the same options as the Steady tire, 27.5” and 29” sizes with a Light or All-Round casing and all options in a 2.4” width. 

Tire size : 27.5x2.4 or 29x2.4

Approx Weight (Light) : 27.5” 915 grams, 29” 960 grams

Approx Weight (All-Round): 27.5” 950 grams, 29” 1000 grams

Bead : Folding Bead

Compound (Light) : Medium Dual Compound 50a / 65a

Compound (All-Round): Soft Triple Compound 50a / 60a

Technology (Light) : Light Dual Zone Casing, Tubeless Ready

Technology (All-Round): Triple Zone Casing, Tubeless Ready, Aramid Bead

Compatibility : ECE-R75 Certified for E-Bikes

Color : Black

Riding Impressions:

Delium sent out a few different tires for us to test, giving us the opportunity to mix and match front and rear combinations. They sent the Rugged in both casing options, the Versatile in the Reinforced casing, and the Fast in the All-Round casing. After getting some time in on the tires, I can easily say these tires can hold their own when compared to competitors at twice the price. I put about two months of riding on the Rugged and Versatile and about a month of riding on the Fast. I have had no flats, the wear seems to be even and relatively slow compared to some other tires that I run, and overall I'm riding confidently on these tires. 

The Rugged has been on the front of all my test bikes at this point, and I don't see myself moving on from that very soon. I managed to put a lot of miles on the Delium Rugged up front in the Reinforced casing paired to the Versatile also with the Reinforced in the rear on a Forestal e-bike. I figured getting these on an e-bike would be the ultimate test. Obviously with a heavier bike, you tend to see more flat tires, not to mention greater wear because the miles rack up faster. So far, I have no complaints about this combo. The Reinforced casing is tough and allows me to actually run a little less pressure than I have with similar downhill style casings. Feeling solid and planted under you, I immediately was confident on these tires and was able to focus on the trail right away. Mostly I have ridden in our dry SoCal conditions and the Rugged has provided grip in these often slippery conditions. I did get some time to ride these tires in some real loamy soil in Santa Cruz about a month ago. While the tires immediately felt good there, something I noticed was the way I could predictably slide these tires in that soil, allowing the bike to do its thing under you and hold your line super well. While I haven't ridden the Rugged in the rear, it will work well if you don't need to shed any dirt quickly. 

The Versatile has been my rear tire on the larger travel bikes and I have had it in the rear on my test setup while riding the Rugged up front on an e-bike. The Versatile has been performing great as a rear tire. While there are a few tires on the market that brake better, I feel as though this tire strikes a balance of rolling speed and grip. I'm also amazed with how little wear I have put on this tire despite two months of e-bike riding. So far no flats, no issues to talk about and the tire remains on my bike to be ridden until its eventual death. 

The Fast was a tire we really wanted to see in person. Although it looks like a great tire for an XC bike, I really wanted to know how this tire feels on the rear of a trail bike with a Rugged up front. And that is exactly how I've been running it. Now on the trail bike instead of an e-bike, I went with the Rugged’s lighter casing (All-Round) and the Fast’s heavier casing (also All-Round). So far I am super impressed with the Fast in the rear. It provides more traction than I expected. It's a perfect tire to get faster speeds while remaining predictable. The conditions I rode this combo in are very similar to those of the other tires that I have been riding, but this tire is meant for hard-pack conditions. So far the Fast tire is working great in the rear, I would be curious to try this front and rear when doing some bigger, faster days. 

What's Worldwide's Takeaway?

While there is a plethora of tire options and brands available in the mountain bike market right now, Delium is offering something special with affordable prices that can go toe-to-toe with the best of the best. Ranging from $35 to $55 USD retail pricing, Delium is about half the price of the competition while arguably being as good as some of the options. The Rugged tire from Delium is really the star, I think, making a great front tire. I particularly like the casing that is made out up of the three different zones. All four tires in their range fit well together and pretty much cover any aspect of riding. No matter your terrain or riding style, Delium has a tire option for you.