Michelin's Newest Wild Enduro Tire Lineup Long Term Review

Words by: Trevor Mejia 

Has Michelin Nailed Their Enduro Tires to Compete Against the Best? 

What’s New: 

New for 2024, Michelin has specified their tires for the enduro market with their “Wild Enduro” lineup. They wanted to be clear and concise with their lineup language and use case with tires consisting of the MS (Mixed Soft), MH (Mixed Hard) and Rear, a faster rolling rear specific tire, all of which use the Wild Enduro pre-fix. There is also a dedicated mud tire in this lineup but here in sunny Southern California there is no need for such a tire here so it was not tested. The enduro casing is characterized by 2x55tpi layers, a bead to bead shield, a tread shield and an insert at the bead for pinch protection. They use their “Magi-X” compound which is their softest and slowest rebounding rubber available, coming from MotoGP technology.  They come with either a blue/yellow logo, or to keep things subtle, a dark black and grey logo. MH comes in 29/27.5 x 2.5. MS comes in 29/27.5 x 2.4. Enduro Rear is a dedicated 29 x 2.4 sized tire interestingly enough. The tires weigh in right around 1300 grams, placing them right in the range between a Maxxis EXO+ and DoubleDown tire for reference. 

Back in March we put out a initial impressions and full spec article if you want to see all the tires and more specs. 

Wild Enduro MH

MH stands for “Mixed Hard” which is its intended use case. The tread design is a 2x2 pattern with one of the pairs being closer together than the next and repeating. There are small vertical cuts on the center tread  for added support and less squirm. Side knobs are large and offset for consistent grip when the tire is leaned over. Overall, the tops of the knobs are flat on top for increased rolling speed and grip on a more hard pack surface. In between the center knobs there is also a small raised piece of rubber that I imagine is for extra flat protection in the more vulnerable areas. 

Wild Enduro MS

Next in the lineup is MS which stands for “Mixed Soft”. The tread pattern uses a 3x2x2x3 pattern repeating and features large uniform side knobs. All the knobs are very spread out in the tire, allowing room for dirt to clear and space for the knobs to break into soft loamy trails or deep dust. I’d imagine that this tire also clears mud relatively well, although there is a dedicated mud tire for just that. 

Wild Enduro Rear

This is a very unique looking tire, resembling a semi slick that became popular a few years ago. The top of the tread is depressed in height for decreased rolling resistance and larger contact area and angled outwards in a v shape. It uses 2 triangular center knobs with 2 smaller angled knobs to fill in the space. The side knobs are offset and closer together than the other two tires in the lineup, again for better rolling speed.

Specs

• Enduro specific 

• MH 29/27.5 x 2.5 (1335g 29”)

• MS 29/27.5 x 2.4 (1290g 29”)

• Enduro Rear 29 x 2.4 (1225g)

• Yellow/Blue or Grey/Black logos 

• 2 x 55tpi layers 

• Magi-X Compound 

• E-Bike compatible 

In the Field: 

I had the chance to test all of these long term over the past 3 months on trails that included The Whistler Bike Park, Snow Summit Bike Park (Big Bear), and big pedals days in SoCal and Southern Arizona. The tires were mounted aboard a Yeti SB140 for Whistler and a Forbidden Druid V2 for Big Bear and the pedal days. Because of the 2x55tpi casing, I knew even before mounting the tires that they would give enough support to ride trails at the bike park, but unsure how they would fare on big pedals days. No tire inserts were used. 

In Whistler, half the days were wet and half of the days had the most epic dirt you could imagine. I started out with the MS as the front at 24psi and MH in the rear at 28psi. Because of the forces that a trail like A-Line or Dirt Merchant put on your tires and gear, I did have to go up a few psi but this is understandable. Back at home I was able to get away with lower pressures comfortably. I really enjoyed this setup and never had a lack of grip in the front even though I was using the MS on hardpack. I felt the rear MH was a faster roller than if I had the MS as a rear tire which was important to clear jumps and carry speed in the bike park. The MH also allowed for a little bit of drift when locking up the brake in a corner as a rear tire, a sensation that I enjoy. If steep loamers or a DH track was the terrain I was riding I would want the MS front and rear but those aren’t so typical for myself right now. 

I carried this setup to my home trails but quickly took the MH off the rear and put on the dedicated “Enduro Rear” tire. The combination of the MS front MH rear was simply too slow for a big pedal day where grip was not of the utmost importance. These tires are not the lightest, nor are they the heaviest, they definitely prioritize grip and casing support over speed and rolling resistance. This is where the “rear” tire came into play. Instantly I was able to carry speed on big pedals days or on relatively flatter terrain while still keeping the support that I loved about pushing these tires hard. Because of the depressed center tread with the compact knobs, it would slide around in loose sandy corners, which I personally found super fun. On steep rock slabs or technical climbs on Southern AZ granite, it gave all the grip I needed as well in a consistent manner. This tire would be really amazing on some fast Colorado style single track. 

I am pleased to report that after putting many miles on each of these Wild Enduro tires, running the MS as a dedicated front tire, and splitting the time up in the rear between the MH and Enduro Rear, I had ZERO issues with these tires. No flats, no burping at low psi, no broken wheels or ripped off side knobs. I will still run the MS as a front for many more months, the MH as a rear for gnarlier steeper tracks and Enduro Rear for everyday pedals. Tire wear has been surprisingly excellent considering how soft the rubber compound is. MS as a front shows very limited wear, MH as a rear tire being ridden 4 days straight in the Whistler Bike park and Snow Summit Bike Park shows nothing major, somehow. It makes me think maybe they could go even softer with the compound? Wild Enduro Rear shows the most signs of wear, mainly from the harsh desert conditions I was riding in, but still has plenty of life all things considered. 

Worldwide’s Takeaway

Michelin has made a point to simplify their tire  lineup, with each tier of tire tying directly into the specific discipline that it is intended for. The Wild Enduro lineup just does that, with a casing that is supportive enough for a rider to push their limits in gravity oriented terrain, and a sticky rubber compound that inspires confidence and provides consistent grip. They have sorted their tires for different riding conditions for soft or hard terrain, and a rear specific tire for better rolling speed. After a few months of testing these tires to their limit, we have been very pleased with how they have performed and even more impressed by not having any issues during testing or premature wear. We are stoked to carry these tires in stock  and to continue riding them after coming away with some positive remarks in testing.