Ebike tire showdown. Michelin E wild vs Schwalbe Eddie Current

[miPbiP]

Interested to see how you go with the 2.6 Michelin

Was thinking of you the other day when this was released

View attachment 13600

they've really cleverly blended the battery into that frame without actually integrating it. good job.

 

[StevoKickstart]

I ride a Levo Carbon '19- Last week I changed the stock Butchers to Eddy Currents (F&R 2.6's) and I'm running them tubeless.
Last weekend for the first outing I rode in the dry on the loamy Surrey Hills; I am so impressed with the front and allowed me to be significantly faster on my normal trails.
The front Butcher used to start to wipe out which inhibited my speed around flowing loamy corners, but the EC gave me so much more confidence and therefore speed. I didn't notice anything different on the rear- but I've only ridden once in the dry.
They are heavy tyres, but I'm not bothered as they give confidence and stability.
As an aside I like the rear tread pattern as it reminds me of the "go to" motorcycle trials tyre back in the 80'/90's which was made by Michelin. My hero back then was a Belgian Honda rider called Eddy Lejeune who was revolutionary for motor-cycle trials... I almost thought that this tyre was named after him and his Michelins.... anyone else thought this?? or am I just being sentimental.... and showing my age...
I recommend the EC's. If anyone's interested I can report feedback as the Autumn/ Winter kicks in?

 

[Fivetones]

I used to ride trials back then too (Cheshire Centre, youth and up to 21).

The Eddie Current tyre looks like the tyres we used back then. Used to love the softer Michelins then, didn’t last long though.

Eddie Lejeune, amazing rider.

 

[Rusty]

As an aside I like the rear tread pattern as it reminds me of the "go to" motorcycle trials tyre back in the 80'/90's which was made by Michelin. My hero back then was a Belgian Honda rider called Eddy Lejeune who was revolutionary for motor-cycle trials... I almost thought that this tyre was named after him and his Michelins.... anyone else thought this?? or am I just being sentimental.... and showing my age...

Ummm - showing age?

If you had said Jordi Tarres - Bernie Schrieber - Martin Lampkin or Gustav Franke I would say yes ..... otherwise young pup, just get out and ride

 

[Brianjonesphoto]

While we are discussing trials. I want to find a setup with similar feel as my moto trials bike. I know an eddy current is really close to a trials tire but they are too speedy. I’m thinking about a pair of wtb vigilante 2.8 in rough high grip. Grippy compound and stiff sidewall to facilitate lower pressures. Any errors in my logic?

The oem 2.5?high rollers with exo casting have not held up well to pressures under 20psi.

I need some more grip was fall and winter sets in. The wet roots are getting slick on year old tires.

 

[Brianjonesphoto]

While we are discussing trials. I want to find a setup with similar feel as my moto trials bike. I know an eddy current is really close to a trials tire but they are too speedy. I’m thinking about a pair of wtb vigilante 2.8 in rough high grip. Grippy compound and stiff sidewall to facilitate lower pressures. Any errors in my logic?

The oem 2.5?high rollers with exo casting have not held up well to pressures under 20psi.

I need some more grip was fall and winter sets in. The wet roots are getting slick on year old tires.

Disregard

I did a bit more digging and found a pretty good price on a set of eddy’s. I’ll give the a try.

 

[Galaxyride]

Just an FYI...Looking at the Schwalbe website I noticed they have a 2.6x27.5 front and rear option coming for the Eddy Current. I emailed their rep. who says they’ll be out in November.

 

[rsilvers]

The intermediate knobs on those eddies give me pause. Reminds me of the bad things the kendal nevegsl suffered from. I think a nice channel seperating the center pattern knobs from the side edging knobs is key, especially for the front. With those intermediate knobs, when you go to roll the tire over on to the side knobs it can just skate past the edge knobs rather than have a definitive transition from center knobs to , bam!, your locked in on the edging knobs. If you're so inclined you may want to snip the outside half of the all the intermediates on both sides and try that.

View attachment 14551

Interesting. So the channel on the DHF is not just a mistake that the Assegai fixed by filling in that area? Isn't it a flaw what when you turn the tire breaks free before it regains grip?

 

[rsilvers]

As an FYI Amaury Peiron was running an Eddie Current rear, Magic Mary front for his winning run at Fort William last week.

View attachment 14575

I don't like my Eddy Current front, but the back is fine. So if I put a DHF or Magic Mary on the front, and save the Eddy Current front, is it reasonable to use on the back when the normal rear Eddy Current wears out?

 

[Zimmerframe]

And now the weathers wet in lots of places .. I'm sure @Jeff McD @Swissrob , Me and many others would like to know ....

On ....... WET ROOTS ! Would you rate the e-wild over the Mary on the front ??? or vice versa ..

 

[R120]

Only just got my bike back from warranty, but will be putting the e-wilds through the mud and wet roots over the next few days so will report back

 

[Dirtnvert]

Interesting. So the channel on the DHF is not just a mistake that the Assegai fixed by filling in that area? Isn't it a flaw what when you turn the tire breaks free before it regains grip?

Only if the side knobs are too small. One solid big burly edge is their intuitiveness. Thats why the michelin rockr2 does it even better. Tighter , more supportive side knobs after the channel. Both , minion and rockr2, have a weakness in not being able to shed mud because of the tighter spacing, aside from the channel. I think the intermediate knob tires have their place if the spacing is done right. The assguy and wild enduro and magic mary shed mud effectively and have a bit deeper penitrating knobs. When the tire is penitrating and the spacing is enough those tires are effective, more effective in mud. Not full on mud tires but happy mediums between minionesque tires and full on mud tires

 

[Rusty]

I don’t understand how a tire fails like that without flatting , only EXO max tires have failed like that.

My initial thought is the tire has gripped (or caught) nicely and there is a lot of sideways kinetic movement causing a 'tear'. With the weight of the ebike this would probably be more common than at any time except for the old days of the heavyweight DH bikes. Seem to remember seeing this often then, but usually a bigger tear as the sidewalls were lighter.
Seen a similar thing in the 70's when one of the Japanese manufacturers started making really lightweight tires for Speedway bikes. Not a problem on the longer Euro tracks that usually has a nice cushion, but on the short US tracks that were a lot grippier they would tear sidewalls right on the rim bead.

 

[Rusty]

You guys must go really hard to break all these rims and tyres. I am 95kg and have 2.8 E-Wilds on my 2018 carbon levo turbo (so carbon rims)

Considering the build of MTB rims and the length of the spokes I am surprised some guys don't go through more wheels.

i go pretty fast as i was an MX Racer and am running them at 12psi each end! I am using Huck Norris but can't imagine cycling on them at 25psi it must be like riding a hard tail bone shaker. How do you get any grip on wet rocks? I used to run my enduro motorbike tyres at 8psi! Surprising how people can run the kit in such a wide range of pressures and all be seemingly happy with the results. Cheers Mark...

Is a bit of 'Horses for Courses', but saying that the short time I was racing MX at a high level I learned sometimes what I thought I knew wasn't always best. Used to run 10-12 when it was really muddy but was encouraged to run my usual 15-16 .... with a slightly narrower tire. Testing proved they would cut through the slop and find grip I was not getting on standard width mud tires. In one practice I was 4-5 seconds a lap faster on the skinny tires.
I did find if I ran less that 14psi that not only I would square rims (and this was in 6" travel days) real easily but it always felt like I had a flat tire.
On my MTB when I was doing our club XC series I found much less than 28psi and I would roll tires off the rim. My buddy who is similar in weight on the same bike and tires used to run 18-20 with no problems. That was possibly because he was more of a cyclist and rode a lot on the seat where I would stand a lot and really load the front end and late brake into corners.

 

[CjP]

And now the weathers wet in lots of places .. I'm sure @Jeff McD @Swissrob , Me and many others would like to know ....

On ....... WET ROOTS ! Would you rate the e-wild over the Mary on the front ??? or vice versa ..

The only experience I’ve had with Mary’s and wet roots had nothing to do with tires. I have had a couple wild wet roots though so I’d say either one is pretty good.

Don’t know if this helped but couldn’t have been any less useless than most of the reply’s regarding wet root grip?

 

[CjP]

The only experience I’ve had with Mary’s and wet roots had nothing to do with tires. I have had a couple wild wet roots though so I’d say either one is pretty good.

Don’t know if this helped but couldn’t have been any less useless than most of the reply’s regarding wet root grip?

?

 

[Zimmerframe]

The only experience I’ve had with Mary’s and wet roots had nothing to do with tires. I have had a couple wild wet roots though so I’d say either one is pretty good.

Did you have to use flour to find the wet bits ?

Some additional useless facts :

Eddy Current 2.8 27.5 : 1350g
Magic Mary 2.6 27.5 SG snake (soft) : 1250g
E-Wild 2.8 27.5 REAR : 1310g 2.6 : 1220g
E-Wild 2.8 27.5 FRONT : 1090g 2.6 1000g
Butcher Grid 2.8 27.5 : 1073g

 

[Rusty]

I am sooooo not going there @Zimmerframe

 

[gtaadicto]

I replaced a worn out 2.5 HR2 on my rear wheel with an Eddy Current 27.5x2.8. My first impressions are:
-Very good climbing traction and braking on hard/loose over hard terrains.
- Average cornering grip, not as predictable as a Maxxis HR2 or Aggressor 2.5.
- very poor grip on trails covered with lots of dry pine needles. In these conditions a 2.5 Maxxis Aggressor is the best tire.
- very slow rolling

Rain is coming in a few days, will update with my impressions on wet terrain.

 

[Rob Rides EMTB]

I hope @Tim29 comes back and updates us how he got on with the tyres.

 

[STK]

Thanks. I've been looking for a replacement front tire for my Kenevo. On my acoustic Enduro 29 I love the Butcher 2.6. But in 2.8 on the 27.5, the gap between the center knobs and outside knobs seems huge and needs some king of transition know there in a way it doesn't on the 2.6. I ordered the 2.8 magic Mary's today and they look like a good option to pair with the Eddy Current 2.8 on the rear. A beast of a tire for the rear but it seemed to out grip the front Butcher 2.8 and I like the rear to let go a little before the front. I got one for a good price on Amazon and hope they will be an improvement in grip here in dusty SoCal.

Here is the Magic Mary on the front after 568 miles of dry and Rocky So Cal riding. Many side knobs are breaking off.
The Eddy Current is on the rear and has 786 miles and the side knobs are worn but not tearing. Will keep using the EC but need another Front tire option.

 

[gtaadicto]

The climbing traction of the Eddy current rear 27.5 x 2.8 in snow and sticky mud is simply outstanding. It's my new favourite winter rear tire, alongside with a 2.5 Shorty in the front wheel.

 

[thewrx]

Im a believer of the eddy c tires for a heavy, high tq, and fast ebike: especially how aggressive i ride. The only thing is that i have to stay at 30 psi or up, so it doesn’t fold when corner. I could drop the psi a bit on a soft trail, but have to be careful on switchbacks.

 

[Stanny_uk]

So are we saying dhr2 are shite and get some ewilds then??? I've just put set of dhr2s on under mates recommendation.. Won't listen again.. I took out rear side wall at 8miles in... Then again yesterday on a rock down centre.. Tubeless on ar40 rims... I'm big boy 17st so no this won't help... Like sound of e wild as roll and on special here at mo??? 2.8s

 

[RoJo]

I don't mind the 2.8" DHRII on the rear in terms of grip and playfulness (if you excuse durability), as I quite the initial slide which is caught by the large corner knobs, plus braking is very strong.
However on the front it's a disaster:
- Squared off tyre profile means it doesn't dig in when stood up.
- Centre knobs don't give lateral support (as they are joined together with no space between then).
- Too much space between central and corner knobs when scaled to 2.8" version causing it to slide before gripping up.
The consequence is that the tyre has to be leaned aggressively onto the side knobs before cornering. Now you might say that this is good cornering technique and I should just get on with it, however every now and then when loading the tyre up it slides before you have chance to transition to the corner knobs which is bad news!
As per Tim's suggestions, I fitted 27.5x2.8" Magic Mary on the front (I still like plus tyres unlike the rest of the world). This is a sensational tyre: good initial support due to more rounded profile and centre knobs digging in, transition knobs which I think are important to fill the large gaps in 2.8 rubber, then good cornering knobs. Maybe the side knobs are not as strong as the DHRII but the advantage of the Mary is that you don't just slide straight through them (onto your face).
In conclusion the Mary has better initial grip and a more progressive transition which results in predictable behaviour. It's this predictable behaviour (rather than on/off) which was the reason behind the design of the Assegai.
I actually really like 2.4WT DHRII but I don't think the design scales that well to 2.8". Even the 2.6 DHRII is starting to show signs of initial sliding which is unnerving.

 

[YrianX]

Anyone seen / Heard any news of the e-wilds in 29"?

 

[renedis]

Anyone seen / Heard any news of the e-wilds in 29"?

I’ve tested the normal “wilds” in 2.4 29” which are also ebike certified. Cant complain!

My review:
Michelin Wild Enduro Gum-X Front / Rear 29"
Overall:
Great allrounder and holding up with the rest of the competition in dry/moist conditions. I would really recommend these tyres to anybody. They are fast, loads of grip and predictable. When it get rainy then do look out, they slide more then you wish for but are still predictable.

Positive side:
- The tyres give enough grip and conifdence to ride harder in dry conditions
- The tyres provide less rolling resistance then expected

Negative side:
- In (very) wet condition they won’t keep up. To much grip is lost.
- Getting these tubeless is not as easy as some other brands.

Weight:
Front GUM-X spec’d: 1030 grams - Real-life: 1020 grams
Rear GUM-X spec’d: 1160 grams - Real-life: 1162 grams

The tyres are ECE-R50 (emtb 25 kmph) certified. That in mind, it made me try these tyres on my ebike. The tyres were not that hard to put on the rims, except that it took quite a long(er) time to keep them sealed. I’ve put in 80ml of Muc-Off sealant per tyre. That should be enough but I had to add another 20ml to keep them sealed (100ml total per tyre). This could be due to the used sealant, but to be honest, I’ve used this sealant before on other tyres without any issues. I’ve kept them on 2 bar / 29 PSI.

They feel good. The side walls feel thick enough to hold up some smashes and rocks. Even though it is not a threathed tyre, they do feel like it. my internal rim width is 30.5 mm, they fit good on my rims and look great as far as that matters.

First ride was somewhat carefull. I didn’t know what to expect and took an easy ride on a local XC trail. It was dry outside but cold, a typical autumn day in the Netherlands. After riding a few kilometers the tyres felt very good. Good grip and to my surprise not that much of rolling resistance from the rear. It’s quite a fast rolling one!

Second ride, time to do some more enduro stuff. I’ve chosen a single track to ride. It was raining and cold, but that shouldn’t take a way any fun. First few kilometers I took it easy again, they felt pretty much the same as before so I took it up a knodge. They still hold up! Keeping up with the flow and of we go. But then it started raining a bit harder and the single track became alot more muddy. At this point the tyre is still predictable but it does loses some grip in both front and rear.

 

[Dirtnvert]

Good review. I was also really surprised how fast my ewild rolls. Those bevelled center knobs seem to work. Their rubber is tge secret. Great grip and damping and wear reasonably well. Always had good luck running any michelin tubeless though. Getting them on is the battle for me.
The tire everyone is missing/overlooking though is the rockr2 2.35. Its the same width as a 2.5 minion and minionesque in its design. Better in every way though. The ewilds and wild enduro's have similar side knobs and the same rubber as the rock'r2's but the R2's have more sideknobs and tigher side knob spacing. Stick those in a corner and its like being on rails. Theyll handle mud but only up to the point of the mud having clay and being sticky, packing up between the center knobs. Really good braking and climbing and a touch more weight than wild enduro, likely because of the more aggressive knobs and more of them. Still think its the best tire on the market. I wish they made lighter and heavier casing options in that tire and narrower and wider sizes. Someone try one. Pretty sure you'll dig them

 

[Flatslide]

So longer chainstays like years gone by. The only benefit I can see is .........
I’ve had Maxxis aggressor tyres last 2800km on the rear of my enduro bike. And Spesh tyres last 2200km so far on my ebike and still going strong and they are soft compound too. I guess if they said ebike specific then i’d get more KOM’s, never loose traction and rack up 10000km of trouble free k’s
Just a downhill Tyre marketed as a ebike tyre.
Just sayin ?‍

My Altitude is still on it's oem 2.5" DHF and Aggressor tyres, 2400km in. Interesting to see you attained 2800km on the Aggressor - I think maybe 3k km in my application. Been very happy with their performance as I bought the bike at the start of winter here and it's been a daily commuter. No punctures and I use tubes.

 

[Tim29]

Michelin has supplied me with two 29x2.6 E-wilds to throw down the mountain and write a few reviews on. They just came today so i be mounting them up on two different rim widths. 32 internal and 35 internal to start!
I don’t ever run any type of cores up front so they just be tubeless installs. even got a set of socks to go with them.
First glance. There is a front and rear and the rear tire shares the same tread profile but the tires casing is considerably stiffer and heavier tire. for the weight weenies
Front tire is 1058g
Rear tire is 1318G