Review: Judge & Verdict - WTB's Most Aggressive Dry-Condition Tire Combo

Next out of the box was the Judge rear-specific monster in the 2.4-inch, WTB's TCS Tough casing and Fast Rolling compound. The Judge had even larger tread blocks and weighed 1360 grams. Over the top? WTB's hyper-aggressive tires made my test bike look like a warhorse.



WTB Technology

WTB's nomenclature is intentionally straightforward, but it's worth a walk-through to get an idea where the Judge and Verdict tires fall into line in their range.




Verdict: Front Tire

WTB makes a wet and dry version of their front-specific Verdict tire. Click here, if you want to explore the wet compound version. This show is about the other one, which is noted by WTB as an all-condition design intended for maximum grip on loose dry, loamy soil and for roots and rocks. Reportedly, the tall, widely spaced tread blocks also help to shed mud in wet conditions. That's about as clear a description of an enduro racing tire as it gets.


Performance

Mounting up the Verdict tire earned a seven out of ten score on the Marin's aluminum rims. I needed a blast from my Topeak reservoir pump to get it seated, and it took a second inflation before the Stan's Pro sealant stabilized the air pressure. (FYI: airing the same tire on a WTB i-29 rim required a similar effort.)

There's no ignoring that this tire is weighty once you get rolling - and you're going to suffer a little on long stretches of pavement, where the grippy rubber compound offers up enough rolling resistance to suggest a downshift from the gear that you'd normally be cruising in. Once you hit the dirt, however, that rolling resistance melts away, even on hard-pack surfaces. I've noticed this with similar designs, like Schwalbe Magic Mary and e*thirteen tires as well.


As promised, the Verdict grips corners insanely well. When I eased my way around a fast turn, it responded with "very good" traction - similar to a brand new Maxxis DHF. The key to getting the most from this tire, however, was to push into the apex with the cranks and pressurize the tires. Do that and the Verdict delivers the pizza with extra toppings. Similarly, the Verdict digs in to deep, sandy turns until it finds enough resistance, then it settles in for a smooth apex and exit.

Steep rutty descents and mixed soil - the fluffy, unstable mixture created by rear-wheel skidders, deposited in heaps that camouflage edgy ruts and slippery stone slabs. That's where the Verdict becomes the bacon saver. Somehow, the tire finds enough grip to replace pernicious angst with hopeful anticipation. Braking is far less sketchy and the edging tread sticks predictably to off cambers, especially well to rocks, where wiggly wet-condition tread blocks often lose grip.

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Judge: Rear Tire

The Judge is WTB's "Oh yeah?" rear-specific tire. "Our rowdiest rear tire," they state, and they don't make any excuses about its weight. It's listed at a whopping, 1427 grams in the TCS Tough, Fast Rolling version we review here, and it's clearly advertised as an enduro and downhill racing tire - you're not buying it to improve your pedaling game.


According to WTB's recommendation, the proper rear tire for the job was the TCS Tough casing, paired with their harder compound, Fast Rolling tread. It only comes in the 2.4-inch width which, when inflated to 25 psi, actually measured 55.2 millimeters (2.175") at the casing and 60 millimeters (2.375") at the widest part of the tread, again, mounted to a WTB 29-millimeter inner-width rim. Actual weight in the 29-inch size was 1360 grams on the scale, where WTB's stated weight is well over 1400. In case you wanted to know, the height/diameter of the Judge at the stated pressure was 29.3 inches.

Performance

Again, airing up the Judge required extra effort: the assistance of a compressor, for rims that mounted comparably sized Maxxis Minion WT tires with no issues and a standard floor pump. Afterward, the Judge continued to weep a small amount of sealant near the bead seats but created no problems beyond that. To its credit, I was able to mount the dual-ply casing by hand. I would discover later that the Judge is impartial to pressure as long as you stay within sensible boundaries. I chose my usual 25 psi and it was good from the get-go. (Nothing bad happened at 28 or 20 psi either.) It's a stiff, DH-strength casing with average volume that makes for a very stable tire.

rubber deep into the soil, so if there's traction to be found, the Judge will latch onto it. When most of your descents are loose over hardpack, that extra bite, however small it may be, offers up a significant measure of control.

Rear tires that perform well under braking usually deliver the goods on tricky climbs. WTB's judge claws up steep chutes like a brute. The flat profile acts like a paddle wheel in loose soil, and when those chunky blocks catch hold of anything hard, the bike ratchets forward in a series of short accelerations. I found the most useful aspect of the Judge was its near-seamless transition from soil to rock or wood. No need for
stalwart row of edging blocks, carefully siped to add some sensitivity, and a flat tread profile that sets those knobs into the soil well before you arrive at the apex of the turns. I never blew out of a corner. There were times when I missed the entrance completely and still carved a decent line through the woods. I could blast deep, sandy berms and somehow carry speed through the exit. There was enough control to plant the rear wheel in a rut, and enough grip to hack out of one on command. I expect this level of confidence from a dedicated race tire. The fact that WTB makes it is the pleasant surprise.





Pinkbike's Take:

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