First Impressions
Moving on up to 2.3-inch tires from 2.2s, that was the decision. After more than a few miles on a set of Geax treads, it was time to make the switch. After doing a little research, we picked the WTB Bronsons and made our purchase from Performance Bicycle. Customer service assured us that despite their readiness for tubeless operation, they’d work fine with a more traditional tubed setup. So with a little-end-season-coupon-goodness, a pair of Bronson 2.3s were had for roughly $60, or about half the MSRP. They arrived in a few days ready for installation.
Features
The Bronsons are a folding tire, able to compress into an easily transportable package. Our shoebox-sized shipping container easily held the tires, two new Schraeder-valved tubes (pre-filled with anti-puncture Slime), and still had room for more.
Specs
Size: 26 x 2.3
Material: Dual DNA (60a/50a) rubber compound
Weight: 740 g
The tires themselves boast a set of six aggressive knobs arranged in a modified chevron pattern. Each knob is octagonal and designed to operate in a variety of conditions, The head of the chevron faces forward and rolling direction is indicated on the sidewall. The rest of the graphics are fairly minimal by today’s standards, Only the bright-white BRONSON and nothing much else.
Installing the Bronsons were pretty straightforward. The bead sits tightly on the rim as you’d expect from a tire that can handle a tubeless setup. Once on, you can really tell the difference between a 2.3-inch tire and its 2.2-inch cousin. The Bronson’s are wide and cut an aggressive path.
Fit
So how do they perform? Well, conditions around here are what they are — alternatively dry and hard packed or dry and dusty, covered with loose rock and powdery soft dirt. The Bronson’s handled both of these types of terrain well, helping to run up long steeps and manage the descents. We liked the grip and cornering capabilities of the Bronsons. We found that the Bronsons didn’t suffer from much of the slip experienced with other tires when headed uphill, and we liked that a lot.
Final Verdict
The WTB Bronsons are a hit with us. Nice and wide. Aggressive tread. Able to climb well, corner well and hang on when the going get’s a little loose. When you couple that with the end of season discounts that can be found online at places like Performance Bicycle, it’s hard to go wrong when stepping up to a wider tire.