While Tioga was once a massive force to be reckoned with them it came to mountain bike rubber, in recent years the brand has struggled to keep up with the success of their early Farmer John and Factory range of tyres, but it aims to make a comeback with an all-new and rather unique tyre in the Edge 22.

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As the name hints, this front specific tyre has a rather interesting edge tread and Tioga is making some big claims about how effectively it bites and grips, despite the rather odd looks. We got a full rundown on the new tyre and the theory is certainly very interesting, though the proof is obviously in the riding.

Basically, the theory goes that most tyres have a 'transition gap' between the centre and edge tread, which gives a feeling of losing bite as you initiate a turn and transition from the centre to the edge of the tyre when turning - the Maxxis Minion DHF is a good example of a popular tyre that has this feature.

The Edge 22 builds on that by keeping a transition gap, but using a double row of edge tread to change the point where you move onto it. The idea is that the edge engages earlier (around a 20º lean angle) and therefore give improved bite and a more confidence inspiring feel.

Tioga had some graphs and numbers to throw about and claimed that the Edge 22 "doubles the edge engagement from the 20-40º lean angle" while keeping the feeling of the tyre the same when it's fully leant over at a 40º+ angle.

It'd seem like moving the tread from the centre to the edge would impact rolling resistance, but Tioga reckons it's comparable to a normal tyre, though they don't recommend running it on the rear. I'd be really interested in seeing how the tyre performs under hard, straight line braking and on hardpack. Traditionally, tyres with sparse centre tread can be vague in such situations - think running a proper mud spike in the dry - but again, Tioga reckons it's fine.

Tioga-edge-22-first-look-102.jpg, by Jon Woodhouse

The tyre will be available in both 650b and 29" in a single 2.5" width designed to work with modern 30mm or so width rims. The tyre uses a 'Magnum 120+' casing, which uses a 120TPI carcass with a breaker ply to reinforce it. It'll use a dual compound with 61a durometer rubber in the centre and a softer 50a compound on the edge. Weight is at a claimed 905g for the 650b version too.

The tyre will cost £65 and availability will be from Ison Distribution around March. Hopefully we'll have a set to ride around then...

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