Review: WTB Breakout 27.5/650b Tires

I received a pair of the brand-new WTB Breakout tires under a shroud of secrecy back in February, but now finally I can share my ride impressions with you! But first, the specs.

Specs

As I mentioned in my “First Look” article, the Breakout is designed for both speed and traction. Measuring 2.5in in width, the tread pattern features square and oval-shaped knobs with consistent spacing and pitch, in a non-directional pattern.

The Breakout is available in two versions: Fast Rolling and High Grip. As I mentioned in my previous article,

Both of these versions feature WTB’s proprietery TCS (Tubeless Compatible System) with reinforced sidewalls. However, the High Grip tire features “a 60 durometer base layer of rubber, which is then coated by a top layer of 45 durometer sticky rubber,” according to WTB, while the Fast Rolling version, on the other hand, is covered in a dual top layer of 50 durometer rubber on the outer knobs with a 60 durometer centerline.
The High Grip tires weigh in at a reported 1140g and the Fast Rolling weigh in at a reported 1110g.

Out on the Trail

Over the past month I’ve had the pleasure of pedalling many miles with the Breakouts mounted on my GT Force Carbon Pro test rig. I’ve shredded everything from rough, gnarly downhills to smooth, serpentine singletrack. And here’s what I’ve found.

To date, my test terrain has consisted of dry, rocky singletrack, with an abundance of dusty loose-over-hardpack conditions. Based on the tread pattern, I think these are the ideal conditions for the Breakout! While I haven’t tested them in heavy mud conditions yet, the tight, deep, square knobs started to pack up quickly even in slightly-damp conditions. While I haven’t truly had the chance to really see how they expel mud, if you’re looking for a good mud tire, I’d recommend you look elsewhere.

The rounded profile and consistent knob spacing makes for a tire that grips and corners superbly in these loose-over-hardpack conditions. The profile provides a very consistent feel: when canting from side-to-side, there’s no harsh transition between knob lines. Everything feels very smooth and natural.

The high volume carcass makes easy work of loose, chundery, and challenging terrain. The grippy rubber holds traction extremely well up and over slabby rocks, and even when the tires are canted at an angle while crossing slickrock, they just grab on and hold tight.

The tight knob spacing also makes this a surprisingly fast-rolling tire for its size and weight. I recently pedaled the Breakouts on a 37-mile, mostly cross country ride, and these knobs just buzzed right along!

While I haven’t been able to log a thousand miles on these bad boys yet, the visibly-reinforced sidewalls with TCS construction, as well as WTB’s long-standing history of durable tires, makes me confident these will stand the test of time.

Bottom Line

The WTB Breakout is a high-volume tire that is definitely intended for long-travel all-mountain/endure rigs, yet boasts the fast-rolling characteristics of a much narrower and lower-profile tire. If you don’t want to sacrifice traction and burl or speed, break out the Breakouts!

MSRP: $79.95

Availability: June

Thanks to WTB for sending over the Breakout tires for review!