off-road.cc

The WTB Verdict 2.5 is a super-aggressive intermediate tyre that excels on loose surfaces whether it's wet or dry. The support and damping from the TCS Tough casing is up there with the best, and the High Grip compound is excellent. It's priced well too, but it's heavy and not quite at home on hardpacked surfaces.

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The WTB Verdict is a do-it-all spike tyre for loose riding on technical trails, and it's a monster. The knobs are tall and chunky, and the side knobs are substantial for cornering and off-camber grip.

On 30mm rims the 2.5" 29er blows up wide with a middling profile – not heavily rounded but not squared off either – for a good ride feel. That was lucky for me, really, as this is the only width available. 

Those widely-spaced knobs shed mud well, and it clears quickly. Under cornering it transitions well from centre to side knobs, with no vagueness – just a smooth continuation of the tyre biting into the earth.

Come wet or dry, the compound is tacky on dirt or rock. This tyre is rarely vague and it's confidence inspiring over all sorts of terrain – be it loose, loose over hard, or just rocky and janky.

It's reasonable too on hardpack, if perhaps vaguer at speed than ideal as the tall knobs flex and wander, but not so you'll be too disappointed or worried when you hit the trail centre.

At 1291g this tyre isn't light, but it's perfectly good for e-bikes and I'd be happy with it on the front of regular bike too given the performance.

You can also get this tyre in a TCS Light High Grip variation which weighs a claimed 98g less, but given the small difference – and the fact I've punctured a TCS Light High Grip version of WTB's Vigilante recently – I'd probably just accept the extra mass and get the excellent TCS Tough carcass.

The TCS Tough is supportive. I'm 60kgs and, with the Verdict at 17-18psi on a Specialized Levo SL, it doesn't fold over and feels well damped.

In fact, it's hard to fault this tyre. It ticks every box for support and grip in varying conditions, and at £58 it's not even that expensive. It's an excellent, confidence inspiring tyre you can fit and forget for gravity-fed riding. 

Incidentally, if you want something even more aggressive, WTB also does a dedicated Verdict Wet 2.5 with much taller knobs. The review will be coming up soon, but until now it's been just too dry to even think about fitting it! 

• www.wtb.com

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