The Lab: e*thirteen TRS Race and TRS+ Tires Review
Our global test team has been pushing products to the very limit on the world’s toughest trails. In The Lab, durability is rewarded and weaknesses have nowhere to hide. This time, we tested the e*thirteen TRS Race and TRS+ tires.
UK tester Trev has been running the E13 TRS Race and TRS+ tires for the last 3 months in Scotland, generally on muddy DH style trails. The tyre is firmly targeted towards the bike-park or aggressive enduro racer, featuring sturdy, reinforced sidewalls. Tubeless installation was effortless and the beads literally jumped onto the rim. Mounted onto a 30 mm rim the cross hatched ‘enduro reinforced’ sidewall is impressive indeed, running a standard pressure of 20/22 psi Trev has been unable to unsettle or burp the tyre, even after over enthusiastic cornering attempts. The harder wearing durable TRS+ version uses a Durable Dual compound tread pattern while the Race version features a Sticky Triple compound that is noticeably softer, but both are quite draggy so you will need strong legs for long missions.
On the trail, the mid-volume tires feel aggressive and well damped, providing impressive grip on rock slab and bike park terrain and filtering out trail buzz efficiently. However, while good, cornering bite and that elusive ‘railability’ is not quite a match for the best out there. While the smooth damping does provide huge confidence white-knuckling through rock gardens, the diagonal sipes leave the tyre feeling a little ‘soft’ when leant right over. Trev was also surprised to pick up 3 small tears which were fixed easily with tubeless repair bungs. Trev weighed the 29er version at 980g each, and while they are wearing well, with a high price he will probably fit a different model when they’re done.
Strengths
- Strong and stable sidewall
- Wearing well
Weaknesses
- Soft when leant over
- Expensive
Tester: Trev
Length of testing: four months
More info: bythehive.com
Price: € 67.90 – € 82.90
Weight: approx 980 g
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