Review: Michelin's Wild Enduro Racing Line Tires Are Tough, Tacky, & Heavy

You may recognize these treads from the Wild Enduro series, but the flashy blue and yellow hot patches dictate the "Racing Line" version, which are feature laden with technologies designed for the rigours of downhill, e-MTB and enduro racing. This means the tougher carcasses weigh in at some 150-grams more than the "Gravity Shield" casing that has been around for some time. At the moment, the Wild Front / Rear Racing Line combo is only available in a 29" x 2.4" option and their weights measured 1459 and 1350 grams, respectively.


Design & Construction

Another brand, another round of tire nomenclature to decipher. This time, Michelin has brought together the compound, support, and puncture resistance of their downhill tire construction while borrowing the tread patterns previously found on the lighter-duty Wild Enduro options. All of the blue and yellow Racing Line tires use the Magi-X DH compound, which feels a lot like Five Ten's Stealth rubber - it's firm, yet tacky.

You could mistake the Wild Enduro Front for a mud-spike, and it's not far off of that. It's designed to be versatile in all conditions and clear debris. While the Wild Enduro Rear features a similar shoulder knob, the grip down the center of the tire is optimized to restore rolling resistance. Michelin's star-rating scale places the rear tread in this pair as the faster wearing tire due to the amount of time it will take to burn through the shorter center blocks.

Construction technologies include a "Down Hill Shield" aimed to deter sidewall tears and a 4-ply "Double Defence" layer. Along the top is sheath of high density puncture protection to ward off sharp objects that may find themselves landing between the tread blocks. Additionally, the sidewalls feature a reinforcement that tapers upwards from the bead along the sidewall to prevent pinch flats and add stability under low pressures.



Performance


INSTALLATION

The Wild Enduros tires were installed on Bontrager Line 30 Carbon wheels without much wrestling or the need for any tire levers, despite the rim's protective plastic strip that can make other tires difficult to fit. The tires popped into the seat at pressures around 30 psi with just a standard pump. Some folded tires can lose air like a leaking sieve, but that wasn't the case with either Wild Enduro, even after two more swaps to different wheelsets.

In terms of sizing, I took the hot tip to leave the tires inflated at a higher pressure of 45 psi for twenty-four hours to allow them to fully stretch out to their full capacity. After that, both the front and rear, despite its smaller appearance, measured at 2.4" wide across the casing and 2.5" from edge to edge.

TRACTION & CORNERING

Immediately, the effort required to turn these tires over on pavement due to the weight and tacky compound is noticeable. You can feel the tank track-like tread turn over knob by knob; granted, testing primarily took place through the back half of a damp and cold autumn.

A quick rip down a concrete stairs set revealed the high level of damping that both the slow rebounding rubber and thick casing provided, even on a 24 kg eMTB. That squared-off, open tread and supportive casing did look promising once things pointed downhill on trail though.

After the first outing in a mix of sloppy organic dirt and slime covered bedrock, you could have fooled me if you said these Wild Enduros were filled with tire inserts. The grip levels were adequate with pressures close to what I would run on a bike without the extra heft of a motor; 23 psi in the front tire, 26 psi in rear, but the support was next level. I incrementally lowered the pressures over the course of two laps and my confidence in the security of the casing and traction of the tread grew.

Typically, a tire with such an open tread doesn't perform well on bedrock or roots, but the Wild Enduros were predictable in those scenarios. The front carries similar mud-shedding qualities to the Schwalbe Magic Mary, however, finding the shoulder knobs was an easier task. There is a ton of bite in those shoulder knobs and when the right pressures are found the casing is stable and doesn't feel flimsy. They are savage diggers when you get them on edge in soft terrain.

That does mean you need to lean marginally harder to corner on hard-packed dirt. They're consistent when you steer the bike, but they do have an earlier breaking point. Compared to something like a Maxxis Minion DHF on the same 30mm rims, you need patience in firmer soil, letting the shoulder knob touch down and weighting the lug to slightly depress into the casing. Only then you can push further into the turn, otherwise you may start to slide if you're overzealous.

Transitioning from the center to the shoulder knob on the rear tire is not as drastic as a full semi-slick. You do have to pay attention when trail braking because the rear tire can cake up with organic earth occasionally. For adverse weather, Michelin does suggest doubling up on Wild Enduro Fronts and using it on the rear wheel for really mucky conditions. Martin Maes did just that during the La Thuille EWS, but I never found the need to try this option, given the amount of grit in the soil on the North Shore. The grip on the front wheel was able to handle the majority of the hard braking, while the Wild Rear stayed consistent enough and allowed me to perceive troublesome places where it might break free momentarily. I would happily take whatever relief from the faster, lower tread on the rear tread I can get.

Firm, heavy, slow, tacky, open, mixed rear tread - who are they good for? E-bikers, riders who flat frequently, and those who frequent demanding trails with easygoing vertical access. They conform much better when it's warm, like most other tires, but the Wild Enduro Racing Line in particular are firm enough to support heavy loads at low pressures without the carcass or tread wiggling around.

At slower speeds on a traditional bike, with final pressures hovering around 18 psi in the front and 22 out back, they do seem over-damped. The harsh sensation is amplified by the cold weather and can impede you from going forwards over stutter bumps. I even had to alter my suspension settings by dropping some spring force and opening the damper to compensate for this. As a constant tinkerer, I do wonder what a slightly larger volume might do to overcome this trait. The four-ply, burly carcass could be the one mountain bike component to have a minimum weight limit.



DURABILITY

There is something to be said for their durability, though. "I haven't flatted yet" are famous last words, but I have faith that I could roll out on the Wild Enduro Racing Line tires with zero pressure and still make it home in time for dinner anyways.

So far, all the knobs have worn evenly - they're just starting to show signs of wear, but none of them have left unexpectedly yet. There are signs of the lugs on the rear tire starting to crack slightly along the base of the outer edge. That's nothing out of the ordinary for the amount of aggressive riding they have been subjected to, although the brutality of multiple days in a bone dry bike park might say otherwise.

They've also retained their shape just fine after a few installs and there was one horrendous case on a sizeable, log-framed gap jump. Not only did the tire survive, but it didn't lose any air or show any signs of the impact. No rims were harmed during this test session, thankfully.

WEIGHT

A friend jokingly inquired about how these "car tires" performed on the trail. I wasn't sure that was a reference to the brand's history or if he had tuned into the weight penalty incurred by the Racing Line duo. Michelin is transparent and lists the weights for all of their mountain bike tires, which is something that cannot be said for some products known to tip the scales. The front weighed in at 1459 grams, a little more than the 1400 grams claimed number. Meanwhile, the rear was bang on the stated number of 1350 grams, nearly the exact same weight as the equivalent 29" casing options of a 2.4" Schwalbe Magic Mary.

It is what it is, so if you're worried about weight and don't need the durability, Michelin offers other Wild Enduro Front and Rear tires with a Gravity Shield that are roughly 150-grams less per end.

PRICE

Price aside, it's unlikely you will be tossing out a slashed Michelin Racing Line tire after one ride. Listed at $99 USD, this combo is in line with other top end choices for World Cup and Enduro World Series competitors where the trade off for high wear to all-out traction is foremost. A 3CG Maxxis Assegai hovers around a similar dollar figure and wears at a similar rate, based on my experience between these tires.

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Pinkbike's Take

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Reviews and Tech Reviews Tires Michelin Michelin Wild Enduro