Surly Dirt Wizard 27.5 x 3” Review – The most aggressive Plus-Tire yet?

When it comes to plus sized tires there is one complaint that comes to mind; the tires are all way too thin and not aggressive enough to gain good grip in muddier conditions. All that is about to change with the new Surly Dirt Wizard, but it does come at a significant cost!

Minimum rim width: 35 mm
Weight: 1200 g
Price: € 96.99

These Dirt Wizards are a full 3” wide, so measure up with a similar outside circumference as a 29” tire. They also boast a much more durable compound than others and offer better traction, not to mention their sheer depth of nobbles! Their side walls also offer thicker protection with their 60 TP casing and nylon make-up.

It would seem that Surly are one of the first companies to step up to the mark and do something about the lack of nobble sizes on plus tires with theses beastly units. First impressions of the feel of these tires are very good. OK they are a tad heavy, but only 100g more than the much loved Schwalbe Magic Mary Super Gravity, but the grip really does feel like cheating when running one just on the front of our 650+ test rig. These are one of the first plus sized tires with decent twin-ply side walls, offering up a lot more natural damping and avoiding that kind-of bounce back felt from your average thin plus tire. When it comes to grip in mud and loose shale or gravel, these offer an extensive amount of extra grip, way more than a standard plus tire. Drag is definitely noticeable, hence why we went for just the front and not a front and rear set-up. Although they have a high price, it could be a price worth paying for that extra grip.

For more information check out the Surly website.

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