Although the latest version of WTB’s Judge looks the same as before, the differences are more than skin-deep. Introducing the SG1 carcass and tweaks to the tyre’s rubber compound, it’s a much more reliable tyre in all senses of the word. It provides tonnes of predictable traction in the wet and dry with excellent puncture protection.
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WTB Judge Tough/High Grip SG1 – Technical details
While the Judge’s tread pattern remains identical to previous versions, it boasts WTB’s latest carcass dubbed SG1. This carcass is the brand’s strongest yet and has been built to deal with the increasing demands of enduro, downhill and e-mountain bike riding.
To boost protection, it benefits from ‘under tread puncture protection’ which is an extra layer of material that runs directly underneath the tread to prevent sharp objects from breaking through. There’s there’s IP+ tech: essentially a pair of reinforcing strips that sit along each of the tyre’s beads. The idea behind this is to protect against pinch flats and improve sidewall support. IP+ is said to be three times taller than the regular IP.
Although the tyre still runs WTB’s TriTec compound, that’s also had a tweak. The rubber has been reformulated with a new ratio of carbon black and other reinforcing agents, resulting in a compound that’s less slippery when wet. It’s not a tackier compound – it’s just boosted when the rubber is in contact with moisture.
The compound also reduces the amount of carbon black while adding more silica to boost wear resistance. Then, as it features TriTec, there are three compounds, so there’s firmer rubber placed where fast rolling and longevity are required and a softer compound where traction is key.
The Judge is only available in 2.4in widths and Tough/High Grip variants with the SG1 carcass. However, WTB offers 650b and 29in sizes. The 29x.2.4-inch tyre weighs 1,636g, so it’s far from light and heavier than a Maxxis DHR II in a DH casing at a claimed 1,379g.
WTB Judge Tough/High Grip SG1 – Performance
The Judge is designed to be rear-specific and it shares a rather similar tread pattern to the DHR II from Maxxis. However, it’s much more aggressive with tall knobs across its width and because of that, it performs similarly but it gives much more in every respect.
Inflating the tyre onto a rim requires a good confident track pump, a tubeless booster or a CO2 canister as the sidewalls are so comprehensively protected. They’re rather stiff and I found that it could be a little reluctant to crack onto a rim bead.
And with such stiff sidewalls, you will want to run a lower pressure than usual. During my first few runs with the tyre, the carcass was too supportive and transferred a lot of feedback through the bike. I usually run a rear tyre at around 22psi so for the bulk of the test, I went down to 20 and sometimes 19psi which added a welcome load of compliance to the tyre and boosted overall grip.
Grip is plentiful in pretty much all but the absolute wettest of conditions. The tyre hooks up confidently thanks to the sharp, aggressive edges of the tread pattern. Pair the grip with the abundance of support provided by the sidewalls and it’s a super confident tyre that begs to be pushed that bit harder each time.
Then through WTB’s tweaks to the rubber compound, it’s a very consistent tyre through varying conditions. Changing the formula up might not sound like much but, because of the work done here, grip doesn’t change as drastically when riding greasy sections – simply because of the boost in chemical grip. It clears mud rather well too.
Under braking, performance is very good. The wide and tall paddle-shaped knobs make light work of biting into soft terrain, where locking up (unless intended) is staved off. However, with more powerful brakes, I found that the Judge required a lighter touch and benefits from modulation of braking power.
As a direct result of the aggressive tread pattern and its weight, it’s not the best rolling bit of rubber in the world. That said, it’s certainly an improvement compared to the previous tyre that I tested but if big days on the bike are your thing, you’ll definitely notice a bit of drag slowing you down, despite the ramps on the centre tread. Because of this, it’s best placed as a rear tyre for uplift-assisted bike park riding or for those who prioritise rear-end grip and can forgive a bit of rolling resistance.
WTB Judge Tough/High Grip SG1 – Verdict
At £80, the WTB SG1 tyre is on the pricier end of the spectrum. At that price, it does get trumped by tyres such as Schwalbe’s Big Betty Ultra Soft EVO Downhill at £65.
It does match the Maxxis High Roller III in its Double Down casings. It’s not quite the protection of the Judge in its SG1 guise, and it doesn’t accommodate lower pressures as confidently but the High Roller III does roll better, and it’s not as heavy, even in its DH casing at a claimed 1,400.
So the WTB Judge Tough/High Grip in its new SG1 casing is a little pricier than other high ticket tyres on the market but if it’s all-out protection you’re looking for, it’s a great option. It’s an excellent option for enduro, downhill, e-MTB and bikepark days where grip is an absolute priority.
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