As gravel racing becomes increasingly popular, so too does aerodynamics on gravel bikes, with Factor’s Elara, launched last week, being a prime example of what happens when brands push the aero boat out. Now, WTB has thrown its ‘faster’ hat in the ring, unveiling three new tyres designed with help from the folk at Stromm in a bid to bring consistent traction over a range of surfaces, while cutting down on drag.
Included in WTB’s aero lineup are three existing tyres that all get the slippery-to-air treatment: the Byway RS, Course and Macro. But these have all been tweaked with the aim of creating the fastest gravel tyres possible. To do so, the brand teamed up with Stromm, the company that created the world’s fastest UCI-legal road bike (apparently), the RAKTT, to bring its aerodynamic wizardry to its new range.
The result is the three existing tyres benefiting from wider profiles, built to suit rims with 25mm to 32mm internal widths. However, we’re told that they’re ‘optimised’ around a 28mm internal width. So that’s where you’re most likely to see the best aero gains. To achieve greater aerodynamics, the tyres rock strategically placed vortex generators and trip strips built into the sidewalls. WTB says that these both manipulate air over the tyre and wheels, which then controls boundary layer separation while reducing the low-pressure wake. We’re told that the low-pressure wake is what increases drag.
As expected from something built with aerodynamics in mind, WTB reckons that the efficiency increases as the speeds build. The brand, and Stromm, has put the tyres through some rather serious testing, too, both using the Chung method at the Kerry Baker Memorial Velodrome in Redmond, WA, and real-world testing. The results gathered during the velodrome test suggest that the rider was pushing 5.8 watts at 30 km/h and up to 13.8 watts at 40 km/h.
Each of the new aerodynamic WTB tyres features an all-new casing construction, using new manufacturing methods, more consistent production tolerances and ‘advanced’ material sourcing. As such, all of the tyres get a 120 TPI casing with bead-to-bead SG2 puncture protection, which is said to boost protection without adding stiffness. The rubber compound is then an upgraded Dual DNA rubber which pairs a low-drag centre rubber with a high-friction shoulder tread, to balance minimal rolling resistance with plenty of cornering grip.
Models and pricing
As suggested, Stromm’s new aero tech finds its way onto three of WTB’s tyres, the Byway RS, Course and Macro.
The Byway RS 50, weighing a claimed 620g, is all about speed. It uses a slick centre tread and low-profile transition and shoulder knobs. Of course, this tyre’s aim is to reduce rolling resistance to a minimum while offering some cornering traction.
The Course 52 sits in the middle of the traction range. WTB says that it uses a versatile tread pattern that doesn’t totally sacrifice rolling efficiency, and it’s the tyre to pick for varied conditions.
Then, the Macro 54 is the highest-volume tyre in the new range, and it boasts a more aggressive tread pattern and wider-spaced knobs to boost traction when the trail gets extra technical.
If you’re up for shedding some drag, each of WTB’s new models will set you back £69.50.
