Review: 700 X 45mm Vulpine S - 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.

The Vulpine S  tires are WTB's newest tread design for gravel riding. They are a modification of the Vulpine design, with a slick central tread and the Vulpine's smaller knobs out on the shoulders. If you have missed my previous posts on this review, you can start catching up by clicking HERE. 

In that last update I speculated that the reason I may have been feeling that the Vulpine S was smoother and more forgiving than the Vulpine, (also being tested), was that the Vulpine S tires were mounted to my BERD spoked carbon wheel set. Those BERD spokes are claimed to have a 200% better damping capability than a stainless steel spoke does. So I figured I had better swap out tires to make sure that the wheels weren't what was coloring my impressions of the Vulpine S. 

I decided to swap the tires then and chose a set of Roval carbon wheels which have a narrower inner rim dimension than the previous wheel set. At about 21mm inner rim width, I was expecting the tires to be measuring out narrower on these rims than the almost 46mm that they measured out to on the wider rims. However; the difference was negligible at 45.3mm. Slightly narrower, but nothing to concern myself over.

Now I was running the Vulpine S on wheels more akin to what many folks might be using. Especially due to the more traditional spoke choice. These wheels are not particularly forgiving either, and in total, with all the changes, the ride quality was different. Now these tires feel more like the Vulpine tires, which I happened to have swapped over to the BERD wheel set. I'll have the results on that swap in my final Vulpine review coming up, but you might guess the outcome already!

Back to the Vulpine S. It is a fast tire no matter what rim you use the tire on, as long as it is a reasonable choice. The tire spins up fast, coasts a long way on harder surfaces, and is decently smooth, but it was really quite apparent that those BERD spokes have a very pronounced effect on ride quality. The Roval wheels feel harsh in comparison and the tires cannot be blamed for that. 

I see no alarming wear issues and I think this aspect of the Vulpine S is normal. So, is this a good tire? The answer to that is, as always, dependent upon what your expectations are. If you are looking for a tire that does gravel well, is fast, and excels (for a gravel tire) on pavement, then yes - the WTB Vulpine S is a good tire. If, however, you are looking for a gravel tire for what amounts to XC MTB riding, then no - the WTB Vulpine S is not a good tire. 

Final Word: 

The Vulpine S is a great tire for Mid-West gravel if it isn't fresh and deep all across the road. Even then it will handle it and my only complaint there is that the tire has a tendency to lose lateral grip a bit more than some other more treaded tires. 

WTB positions this tire as its gravel racing choice. I think that is right on for many courses and roads, but there are some events where this tire may not be good from a grip and cornering standpoint due to its minimal tread design. I would have no problems running this tire anywhere in the Mid-West, at Mid-South, or on roads that were mostly smoother dirt as far as racing goes. 

However; I think another excellent use case for the Vulpine S is for that rider that does a lot of mixed surface roads where pavement is a large portion of the riding. This is the tire that will get you out of town efficiently and once out on the dirt roads, it will handle fine. As long as fast cornering on looser dirt or loose gravel is not a big part of the ride, I think the Vulpine S is a tire to consider strongly for all-road use. 

And just to close out here, yes - Those BERD spokes are the real deal. They are eye-wateringly expensive but I have not ridden anything else that comes close to damping out vibrations like BERD spokes do in a wheel set. Highly recommended.