Surly were one of the original players in the plus-sized world and are still pushing all kinds of fat wheels and tires in their range. The Dirt Wizard is currently the chunkiest, heaviest, and most aggressive 27.5+ tire I have used to date.
The Dirt Wizard is only available in a 3.0" width for 27.5" and 29", and there's also a 26" version in 2.75" and 3.0". The tubeless compatible, folding bead tire uses a single 48a durometer rubber compound, with a 60tpi casing that has added nylon sidewall protection. All that rubber comes at a price, and for $90 USD / €94.95 EUR the Dirt Wizard better have some tricks up its sleeve.
Dirt Wizard Details• Casing: Folding
• TPI: 60 w/Nylon sidewall protection
• Compound: Single 48a
• Size: 27.5'' x 3.0''
• Bead: kevlar
• Bead Seat Diameter: 584mm
• Weight: 1210 grams and 1252g (actual)
• Price: $90 USD / €94.95 EUR
•
surlybikes.com The Dirt Wizard is currently the most aggressive plus tire on the market.
Design and Performance I had given up on plus-bikes for the kind of riding I do; they had some notable advantages, but were always too flimsy, prone to punctures, and I could never find anything that I preferred over swapping to 29" wheels with an aggressive/heavy set of tires. At the beginning of plus, most brands wanted to offset the added weight and rolling resistance of the bigger volume tires by using very low profile tread and lightweight casings to make tires around 800g.
The theory was this: more volume = lower pressures, lower pressures and more surface area = more grip. But, to counter that, many plus tires had a shallow tread, which equaled less grip, a light carcass that gave more chance of puncturing and less stability, which meant increasing pressures to get the right stability and puncture resistance. This leaves you back at square one, where I always wanted to try the added benefits of the plus size but combined with the existing benefits of the thicker casing and aggressive tread.
The downside of that combination is added weight, but there are riders who want plus-size grip and value stability and puncture resistance over weight savings, and there's also a whole new breed of plus-sized eMTB's that deserve tougher rubber.
The Dirt Wizard's carcass measures up at 2.65" and nearly 3.0" at the outside of the tread blocks on a 40mm rim.
The Dirt Wizard has a huge amount of spacing between the blocks which allows mud to shed easily. The 48a single compound rubber strikes a good balance between super soft and tacky, but maintains some durability and rolling speed.
Set on 40mm wide rims, the Dirt Wizard still maintains a rounded profile with the center blocks protruding much higher than the edge blocks. I found the ideal pressure was 20/22psi, meaning that on asphalt or harder terrain I was riding upon the center ridge of blocks and had surprisingly fast rolling speed. Running lower pressures, around 15psi (which is normally the starting point for plus tire recommendations) allowed the tire to compress too much, allowing the edge blocks to contact the ground too, this made a noticeable difference to the rolling speed. Over-inflated skinny plus tires means a very springy and un-damped ride, but the Dirt Wizards still had enough damping to calm them down as the pressure rose to 20/22psi.
The casing proved to be the toughest plus-size tire to date, although Maxxis Double Down casings in plus-sizing are just reaching the shelves. I never managed to cut the sidewalls or pinch them against the rim, which is the most common way to puncture a thin plus-tire, often close to the rim bead which can be difficult to repair or plug. I did manage to cut the tire between two side blocks above the line of nylon sidewall reinforcement, which required a tubeless repair patch on the inside.
The Dirt Wizard offers tons of braking traction, climbing traction, and a very smooth and predictable transition on the the edge, with a predictable breakaway point due to the rounded shape and huge blocks.
So who is the Dirt Wizard for? It's best suited for the rear wheel of an eMTB for massive climbing traction, good rolling speed and a tough casing. It could also be a good choice for plus bike riders who need a reliable tire for aggressive riding in soft and loose conditions and don't mind the weight penalty.
Pinkbike's Take: | The Dirt Wizard could be the choice for anybody needing more aggressive plus bike rubber, especially in soft conditions.— Paul Aston |
My aunt does have an ebike, but since she uses it for logging roads and dirt roads (what most will be used for) she just runs high enough pressure to avoid flats on her schwalbe nobby nics.
Moral of the story: plus bikes have their place. It may not be on your bike, but that doesn't mean it is a waste of everyone else's time to learn about it.
This review is Fake News.
Where's my pitchfork?
Sod off ya old git!
What you should have said was "So you don't really have a sense of rolling resistance because the motor overcame that all." Which do would have been wrong since he can coast, but it would have made more sense than the idea that motor powered vehicles don't need traction to climb.
The last time I bought tyres was when Planet X had a huge bunch of Geax tyres at like £8 - 15 each, so go figure.
I bought 4 Chunky Monkey dual compound around Christmas for 16eur each, very underrated tyre , its basically a MaxxTerra: 42a sides and 50a center, hands down the better value I've ever found, shoulder knobs could be a little higher but apart that can't fault them. Should last until next Christmas
These tires have always looked interesting to me for going down stuff, but pedalling up sounds like hell.
but in looser, dryer places like California, they only seem to be getting more popular. more and more of the people in the group i ride with are falling in love with them, and I finally had a chance to try a bike with 2.8 Rekons. they give so much more traction in slightly loose conditions, even more than the DHF's I run, I'm considering building up a set up wheels to switch to plus as well.
would I use them on a shuttle DH day? probably not, but for fun social rides, it's nice to cut out some of the sketchiness of trails that haven't seen a full inch of rain in over a year
Funny, if I was to mainly ride down stuff I'd be happy with a 2.8 minions. Roll ok down and lots of grip & stability on wider rims. Pedalling up they take the steam out of you quick and sprinting or steep quick climbs they're really slow.
FWIW i've had about 4 dirt wizards and about 1500miles of hard riding on them
When I'm not on B+, I run 29x2.4 WT 3C front and rear on my bikes. I mostly ride in North Vancouver, Squamish and Bellingham and I don't think it would be a stretch to call the dirt wizard 'super tacky'. 42a seems right to me when comparing if it is more closely related to the sideknobs of my minions (42a) vs center tread (50a).
Anyways, enough talking about feelings, I know a guy with a durometer and I'll try and measure.
Until them, this was a while ago... I'm trying to find some sources for this claim and here are two...
singletrackworld.com/2016/06/would-you-ride-a-plus-sized-dirty-wizard
www.bikeradar.com/mtb/news/article/surly-karate-monkey-275-first-look-47733
Maybe things have changed? Maybe @paulaston can confirm the 48a? Maybe not?
First impressions:
I first tried the Dirt Wizards on a friend's BTR Belter at Fujiten MTB park in Japan. Fujiten has fantastic loamy dirt that, when compacted. creates some of the best trails for 'flowy DH' (for POV of the very trails, see BCPOV youtube channel here: (www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdlTmSDG9WI), and the dirt/trails there really seemed to be a good match for the DWs.
The grip was really good, and very predictable. Cornering was good too, (my friend was not running crazily low pressures, but in the low to mid 20s). I was surprised by the relatively low rolling resistance too. I was riding with people on FS bikes and the DWs on a LTHT had absolutely no trouble keeping up with everyone and keeping me where I wanted the bike to be.
I was so impressed, I bought a set, and have ended up running it as a front tyre on the Bfe (with a Rock Razor on the back) and I have been seriously impressed. I am running it on a Stans Flow Ex (29mm) at mid 20s PSI. No, I do not use it for climbing, but for lift assisted DH.
The only downside? It's never going to be a cheap purchase. However, the price has been worth it in my opinion, and I'd recommend it as a front for anyone riding lift assisted DH on flow trails.
The 26x2.75 should work well on many 27.5 forks and frames without upsetting the geometry.
and PS i bought these for 60 at universal a few times.
I run a light casing Chunk up front on an i45 and enjoy it. I don't think it has an edge in ultimate grip necessarily, due to the side knobs being in line with the other knobs but it is progressive and I never felt like it was going to wash out on me.
When I had a Chunk on the back, I was sure I could climb upsidedown if I needed to and perhaps throw myself off the bike.
Apparently this 'writer' isn't aware of that
Come on!
The tread width measures at 2.9065" in the pic. You didn't even have to read to pick up on that...