WTB Resolute 700x42c Tire: Customer Review

Overview

I've put about 250 mixed-terrain miles on the WTB Resolute 700x42c tires since I got them about 3 weeks ago. I've done two epic mixed terrain adventure rides: The Above Category Cyclery "Officially Serious Bicycle Ride" up Mt Tam in Marin County, California, two weeks ago, and the Grasshopper Adventure Series' "Old Caz" ride in Sonoma County last weekend, as well as some local fun/training loops through the Santa Cruz mountains near where I live south of San Francisco. I absolutely love these "monstercross" tires!

Performance

The WTB Resolute tires grip like crazy on all sorts of surfaces, wet or dry, loose or hardpack. The small knobs even handle deep, greasy mud respectably without loading up, and still roll pretty fast on pavement. I set them up tubeless using Stans, and with that and their big volume I can run lower tire pressures so I can bash into and run over things without flatting. This was especially useful on Old Caz--I passed a bunch of folks with flat tires on the first dirt descent down Willow Creek--most of them had typical 35c cyclocross tires that didn't seem to be able to resist the ruts and rocks or maybe they were pinch-flatting, I'm not sure. Additionally, the big volume/low pressure combo also makes for a really smooth ride--it damps out a lot of chatter from rough terrain. My hands especially appreciated that over 50 miles of monstercross madness.

It had rained a few days before the event, and water was oozing out of the ground all over the place making for some slippery corners on the dirt downhills. Some riders on lesser tires were blowing out of the corners into the trees, but the Resolutes didn't fail me. I only wish I'd had more time to get comfortable with them beforehand, as they're more capable than I am confident. With each ride I push them a bit harder, and could go a bit faster. They are great for railing singletrack switchbacks and provide good grip to go with hydraulic disc brakes. They're much less prone to breaking loose under hard braking than the 35c Specialized Tracer tires that originally came on the bike.

Set Up and Installation

I'm still experimenting with tire pressure: Today I was running 40 pounds in the back, and 35 in the front, and did a loop through the hills that has some really steep (up to about 20%) climbs on hardpack dirt, loose gravel, rocky single track, and pavement. Fortunately, my bike felt surefooted on all of it. (For reference, I weigh around 185 lbs., your mileage may vary.)

WTB states that the Resolute tires are designed for use with 23mm inner rim width wheels, but they work fine with my Stan's Iron Cross rims, which have an inner rim width of just 20mm. Installed on these they measured out at 44.4mm. There's also a bit of increased outside diameter, as I now have just a touch of toe overlap, where I had none with the 35c Tracers. Only noticeable in really low speed situation and really just a minor annoyance. I don't seem to notice it at all now.

Setting up the Resolutes tubeless on the Stan's rims was pretty simple. I was able to get the tires on the rim using just my hands, no levers needed (though I did lube the beads a bit with soapy water first.) I used a compressor to set the beads initially, because I have one. Note that these tires are directional, and there's a very-hard-to-see arrow indicating which way to mount them. I missed that on the first tire, so had to unmount it and set it up again. On the second mounting I was able to seat the beads using a high volume Lezyne floor pump with no issues.

Final Thoughts

I'm not a racer, I ride for fun and adventure, so I can't say if these are the fastest tires around, as I'm just not that fast myself. But, I find that I *can* ride faster, as these tires are SO capable and confidence inspiring. When I head out for a day's adventure, I want to be able to ride anywhere, on anything, and so far these tires have been perfect. Highly recommended if you have enough clearance to fit them.