Michelin Wild Enduro Tire - 29 x 2.4, Tubeless, Rear, E-Bike [Rider Review]

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With the popularity of E-Bikes and how rad they are becoming, there is a high demand for E-Bike specific parts. Tires are the cheapest and one of the best ways to improve your ride. Michelin has made a Wild Enduro tire just for E-Bikes and Andreas has a great breakdown of that tire.

Intro

I decided to try out the Michelin Wild Enduro Rear tire after running the front version both front and rear extensively last year. I’ve had them now for about 1.5 months and ridden them 30+ times. Rides have varied from 7-9 miles and 1,700-2,400 ft vertical. Conditions have varied from very dry (loose over hard) to perfectly tacky after a light rain.

At this point, I’m enthusiastically recommending these tires to anyone I ride with.

I’ve also reviewed the Wild Enduro Front here at Worldwide Cyclery, so be sure to check that out too.

Reviewer background:

I’m an advanced to expert rider and I ride in the bay area coast (Half Moon Bay, Pacifica, & Santa Cruz). My favorite trails are steep and flowy with conditions most of the year being dry and dusty over hard pack with rocks and roots being uncommon. I’m riding a Transition Sentinel with 30mm internal width rims. I like very grippy tires, with knobs in the transition zone from center to shoulder. I never (knock on wood) flat, so standard “trail” casing weights are sufficient for me.

Measured Specs:
Actual weight: 1,145 g (29x2.4)
Knob-Knob width (on 30mm internal rim at 30 psi): 2.40-2.2” (knobs alternate)
Casing width (on 30mm internal rim at 30 psi): 2.36”
Center knob height: 4.4mm
Shoulder knob height: 7.0mm

Comparisons & Positives

I ran the Michelin Wild Enduro Rear with a Michelin Wild Enduro Front (Gum-X). Immediately prior to riding this tire, I ran an Maxxis Assegai / Dissector (didn’t like the lack of braking traction) and Assegai / DHR (pretty solid, but my DHR is pretty worn out). In terms of comparison, I feel like the Michelin Wild Enduro Rear shares amazing shoulder knobs like the Maxxis Assegai, but a faster rolling center tread (like the DHR). It’s grip overall is better than the DHR. I’ve never felt it give out on off-camber sections, and I have to aggressively try to get it to break loose and slide in dusty corners. Where it’s better than both is in durability. The Gum-X rubber appears to wear down uniformly, rather than come off in chunks (like MaxxTerra). See photos for comparison of the profile between freshly mounted and after about 30 rides.

Negatives

They’re a bit heavier than a Maxxis DHR, basically on par with an Maxxis EXO Assegai, although the casing is more like EXO+. The grip is so good that riders who like drifting or skidding might not like them. The Gum-X compound slides off wet eucalyptus roots (to be fair, every tire I’ve tried does too).

Summary

The Michelin Wild Enduro Rear is my new favorite rear tire: a grippy all-season tire that combines a lot of the positive traits of my other favorites (Assegai and DHR). For me, it strikes a great balance of grip, rolling resistance, and durability for “enduro” (aggressive trail) riding.