Cast Antagonist DualWall tyre

The Cast Antagonist DualWall is another tyre in the brand’s lineup that leverages the technological might of the well-known brand, Pirelli. Utilising many of the same features but with its own tread pattern, it’s a surprisingly fast rolling, predictable and rather light bit of rubber. However, it’s not quite the all-rounder of its Protagonist range mate.

Cast Antagonist DualWall – Technical details

Like the Protagonist, the Antagonist has been developed with a helping hand from Pirelli. As such, it gets many of the same bits and pieces that you’ll find on a Pirelli tyre, such as the heavy-going DualWall casing, which has been built specifically for enduro racing.

It’s a 120tpi double-ply carcass that also gets a rubber insert just above the bead. This has been added in a bid to stave off pinch flats, while providing plenty of strength and support for aggressive riding.

As for the rubber, this tyre uses the SmartEvo DH compound. It’s a very soft 42 Shore A compound developed off the back of Pirelli’s vast experience in motorsports.

That’s where Pirelli’s hand in the process ends, as the tyre gets a tread pattern designed by Cast. It’s a fairly tightly packed pattern built to inspire confidence when cornering, as well as create plenty of bite when braking. Because there are plenty of knobs across the breadth of the tyre, feel remains consistent as the tyre is tipped into a lean.

The Antagonist is only available in the burly DualWall carcass and SmartEvo DH rubber, which makes sense for an enduro-focused tyre. It can be picked up in 29in and 650b sizes, though there’s only a 2.4-inch width up for grabs – again, understandable.

Despite Cast claiming a 1,250g weight for the 650b tyre I tested, I weighed it to be 1,182g, which really isn’t too shabby for a tyre of this type.

Cast Antagonist DualWall – Performance

I’ve been quite the fan of Pirelli’s rubber compound and carcasses for a little while now, and previously, the SmartEvo DH rubber has been reasonably slow rolling. That is, until now.

I was very surprised by the rolling speed the Antagonist encourages. It’s not the fastest tyre in the world, but given its soft compound, it manages to add a spritely and easy-going feel to pedalling. That’ll likely be because the tread pattern isn’t the tallest around, but it is quite tightly packed. It’s kind of like a much more aggressive semi-slick in the way that it looks.

That tread pattern certainly gives the tyre a more rear-wheel vibe, which is how I’ve run it, in tandem with the Protagonist at the front. But if you’re looking to shed rolling resistance, it would make a reasonable choice up front, too.

As there’s not all that much space between knobs, it’s mighty consistent in the corners. As it leans there are no dead spots or surprises, leading to a super confident feeling rear end. Encouraging it to break traction is no easy feat, either.

Throughout my time with the tyre, I’ve ridden everything from wet natural trails through to dry bike park tracks, and its performance across the spectrum has been very consistent. Thanks to the soft rubber it manages to find grip almost everywhere, making it a real contender as a year-round tyre.

However, as that tread pattern is so tightly packed, it does tend to clog rather quickly in soft, wet and claggy conditions. Admittedly, this is the very limit of what the tyre’s designed for, but in the UK, those conditions can throw themselves up at a moment’s notice. Compounding that downside is that the tyre then struggles to clear that mud, reducing grip where you need it the most.

Best mountain bike tyres 2025 – quality rubber for trail, XC and enduro

What I have been very impressed with is its braking traction. Because there are plenty of very sharp braking edges all over the tyre, it just bites into the ground, making for superb control when riding steep and questionable terrain. It’s one of the few tyres that truly enable the full might of the very powerful brakes we’re seeing crop up on the market. Yes, it can lock up under loads of power, but you’ll need a very solid handful of rear brake to get it there.

As a more rear-focused tyre with that soft SmartEvo DH compound, it does wear relatively fast. After around four months of riding the tread is losing its sharp edges but, so far at least, it’s still far from losing its performance.

Cast Antagonist DualWall – Verdict

£80 is pretty much the going rate for good mountain bike tyres at the moment, though there are a few exceptions. Specialized’s recent Eliminator Radial, for instance, will cost you £55. That’s very impressive but, having ridden the older non-radial version, I found that traction wasn’t quite as reliable.

A very comparable tyre is Maxxis’s Minion DHR II with its MaxxGrip rubber and DoubleDown carcass. That’ll set you back £80, too, and while it clears mud better and grips rather well, its braking traction is not nearly as strong.

If I could pick one rear tyre for year-round riding, Cast’s Antagonist DualWall would be it. While it has its drawbacks in the clogging and mud clearance department, its overall traction, consistency, rolling speed, weight and braking make it a very real contender in a market stacked with excellent options.