First spotted at the Fort William World Cup this year, the Goodyear Wrangler is now available for us mere mortals to enjoy.
The latest addition to their MTB tyre line that was fronted by the Newtons, Goodyear’s Wrangler MTF makes the most of some world class development to make it a serious competitor.
Photos by Pete Scullion.
Key features:
- Front-specific tyre
- 29″ only
- Dynamic:Grip3s compound
- Enduro casing
- 1105g (29 x 2.4″)
- £69.99 RRP
- GoodyearBike.com
The Goodyear Wrangler MTF Enduro is aimed at dry, rocky conditions and, unsurprisingly, for enduro. Their ElectricDrive variant is their ebike specific offering that better deals with the demands of modern ebikes.
In the hand, and even compared to the Newton MTR I paired this with, the casing feels far less robust and lighter as result. Mounting it on a Reserve 30HD rim was a treat, with a real crisp thwack as the tyre seated.
Despite the feeling of a less robust carcass, the tyre held up well on its first outing down a large, rocky Scottish mountain. Feeling sure-footed on rock and dirt, the terrain it was designed for. Even with some fruity lines by yours truly as I tired towards the lower slopes, the Wrangler shrugged off the square edges.
For the most part, I forgot the Wrangler was on the front wheel. Traction was excellent and the tyre tuned out the trail vibrations well. The only thing that defeated the tyre was a razor sharp shard of a mussel shell that littered the seafront car park. I doubt any tyre would survive an edge of this kind.
Luckily the fresh sealant worked a treat and a few more psi in the tyre, it ran fine for the rest of the day. A Scottish mountain is a proper test of a tyre, and the Wrangler MTF Enduro passed with flying colours. It’s even stood up well to a fair amount of use.
What do we think?
Goodyear appear to have made a light, robust and grippy tyre that appears to only be susceptible to razor sharp sea shells. While I’d expect a front tyre not to start to wear all that quickly, the tread still looks pretty fresh. I haven’t used it in thick mud or turbo grease but then it’s not really designed for either.
We love:
- Light weight
- Grippy tread and compound
- Robust
Could do better:
- Not an awful lot
