ColinL

It's a 26x2.25 Michelin Wild Race'R Advanced. So far I've only used it on dry trails, but that is 95% of my riding.

It has fantastic grip on rocks, roots, hardpack and loose-over-hardpack. Michelin says it can do mixed terrain and mud, but looking at it, I'm rather doubtful. It has a combination of rolling speed and cornering ability that I haven't previously experienced. The shoulder blocks are funny shaped, but they're big and yet don't squirm on hardpack.

The tire it replaced was a 26x2.3 Specialized Ground Control (Control). My front tire is a 26x2.25 Michelin Wild Grip'R2 Advanced, which rolls pretty well in its own right and has a boatload of traction. I considered a Wild Grip'R for the rear as well, but I wanted to try the Race'R instead. Previous to the Ground Control, I was using a Geax Saguaro 26x2.0 TNT for quite a few miles. (Sucker still isn't dead-- just removed.)

Wild Racer (WR) compared to the Ground Control (GC) and Saguaro (S)

- Similar climbing and acceleration grip on hardpack. No slippage with any of them.
- WR has the best grip on roots and rocks. It has the softest tread compound so this shouldn't be surprising.
- GC has the best braking grip. It's surely the tall horizontal tread blocks. WR and S are similar.
- WR has the best cornering grip when going fast-- the rear end is on rails when you chuck it sideways. Cornering slowly, in the middle of the tread, is not a good idea on the WR.
- WR is the fastest rolling by far. S is second, slightly faster than GC. GC rolls ok for those big blocks, but it is dramatically slower than the WR.
- WR is the lightest, about 100g lighter than the GC which isn't extremely noticeable. But it's more than 200g lighter than the tank-like S TNT, which is noticeable.

Too early to tell about tire wear and durability. I didn't cut the GC and I don't hit perfect lines through rock gardens, so I also expect no trouble from the WR despite being light. The sidewalls actually feel pretty decent on the WR -- nothing like the paper-thin sidewalls on my dad's Rocket Rons.

Speaking of the Rocket Ron, that's the tire I think this Michelin Wild Race'R is the most similar to. Really fast, optimized for dry but somewhat / kinda usable in loose cover, with shoulder knobs. Except I hate the RoRo's shoulders; they're tall and squirmy, and in fact I've ripped knobs clean off ... on hardpack, not rocks!

I personally doubt I'd use a Wild Race'R up front unless I were XC racing on hardpack. But as a rear tire it's so fast and corners so well, I think I'd stick with it unless the longevity is awful. If that's the case, next time I'll try out the Wild Grip'R in the back.


Anyway. That was more than long enough. Consider this tire if you ride hardpack.

Daspydyr 

Nice detail in the review. It sounds like a good desert tire for the SW. I'll put it on my watch list.

ColinL

I bet it would be, but I'm not sure about tread life. I'll come back to this thread and provide updates. Hopefully it at least lasts the rest of the year since I can typically ride through November before it gets really cold.

The tire has a <- Rear Front-> directional indicator and I'm running it in the rear orientation which is exactly how that pic looks. When the leading edge of the 3 diamonds wears down, I'm going to flip it around to the front orientation and use the edges of the other side of the them. When *that* edge wears down, the tire is probably going to be sketchy.

Dannihilator

Normally can't run michelins, I have a tendency to tear knobs off of them in short order.
These look interesting though.

Daspydyr 

The spacing and height of the knobs do make the tire appear to have a short life. I'm thinking its will be a good front tire. I like more of a paddle shape for the back for sandy conditions.

dminor 

I hate your new rear tire. It's the wrong brand.

ColinL

LOL. If/when Maxxis does a fatter Monorail that is TR, I'm on it. Might even go for an Aspen TR.

LouisvilleBiker

I install these often at my Louisville bicycle shop.

Thanks for your review though - I don't often follow up with my customers about how the tires wear/tear