Review: 700 X 45mm Vulpine - Final Word

 Note: WTB sent over one set each of the Vulpine S, Vulpine, and Resolute tires for testing and review to Guitar Ted Productions at no cost. I was not paid nor bribed for this review and I will always strive to give my honest thoughts and opinions throughout.

This will now be the final review on the trio of WTB tires I received back in late May of this year. The previous Vulpine update can be seen HERE.

This review will tie in with the final on the Vulpine S review, which you can refer to HERE if you would like to. The reason for the tie-in is due to the wheel set I ran with the Vulpine S to start out with. The wheel set I refer to is the BERD spoked, Industry 9 hubbed, carbon rimmed wheel set, which you can learn more about at the link .

Okay, I apologize for this confusion of wheels and tires, but the wheel set did color my impressions and I wanted to be very clear on that point. Now, on with the review of the Vulpine!

The Vulpine is great on fast, dry dirt tracks like this.

To be fair, I swapped the Vulpine tires over to the wheels with the BERD spokes and yes.....it felt the same as when I had the Vulpine S tires on those wheels. So, it wasn't that the Vulpine S tires were better riding tires, it was the wheels. 

What was different was that I had more grip, which stands to reason as the Vulpine is a fully treaded tire. The grip came into play on corners and in a few spots on my test track that had looser dirt. The tires tracked better with less slippage. 

However; it is important to note that the Vulpine is definitely a dry weather tire. Soft dirt and mud are not its friend and deeper, loose chunky gravel is still going to be a chore with the Vulpine tires. I would not use these for those conditions. That would be where I would run the Resolute. But if it is dry, on firmer roads and dirt? Absolutely I would run the Vulpines. They are decent on pavement, although not as fast as the smoother tread on the Vulpine S, and again, this is no big surprise. Choose accordingly. 

Final Word:

Ever since WTB redesigned the Vulpine and introduced it as a 70 X 38mm tire I have longed for the day when it would be offered in a wider, more voluminous size. That day is here, and hopefully with these new "wider is better" trends in racing we will see an even wider 50mm Vulpine. But at 45+mm, even if a 50mm Vulpine never happens, this size for the Vulpine makes the most sense to me. 

The Vulpine is fast, grips enough in drier conditions to be fun on buff dirt, and it handles gravel well enough that it could be a really good alternative as an all-around gravel tire for many people. I still would go with a Resolute as my go-to all-around gravel tire because it does get wet here at times and the Resolute will handle wet grounds in a better way than a Vulpine. However; if you live in a dry climate, or if you just want a good, fast gravel tire that isn't missing tread, the Vulpine in the 45mm size could be just right for you.