Our tyres are, first and foremost, designed to keep you planted on the trail – but a grippy tyre isn’t necessarily the lightest. We’ve been looking for the perfect rubber, a combination of grippy, fast and light for years. With the help of enduro specialists – Curtis Keene and Jared Graves – we may have just found such a tyre.
From the drawing board to the trail
Last year our sponsored enduro riders, Keene and Graves, were struggling to find the perfect rubber to slap on their machines. On one hand they had the heavy downhill Grid tyres, and the other the reinforced trail version of the Grid tyres which they deemed not tough enough to cope with enduro riding. They needed something in between, a goldilocks type tyre that would provide all the tough, grippy traction of a downhill tyre, but the fast and lightweight speed of an enduro one.
Alongside them and our tyre specialists, Wolf VormWalde, we concocted a new design – a tyre to change the name of the enduro game. The result is our new 120 tpi BLCK DMND casing, a two-ply system where one wraps all the way around the tyre, and another that stops just under the shoulder knobs. This layering of material helps to keep the crown of the tyre extremely flexible, meaning it can adapt to new shapes as it flies over rough ground, while still maintaining rigid sidewall support.
We’ve also thrown in a handy rubber apex layer that thickens around the bead of the tyre before it gets thinner towards the shoulder knobs. It’s a design that’s proven to dramatically reduce the number of pinch flats and protect the tyres sidewall from being sliced as it’s squished against the rim.
The tread pattern of our new BLCK DMND design is nothing new, it’s been on our super slick Butcher and Hillbilly tyres throughout this year. We have, however, thrown the new and improved casing onto these two tyres – so while the tread pattern may be identical, the rubber compounds and inner design certainly isn’t. These new tyres will be available in a wide range of sizes, from 2.3” and 2.6” versions for both 27.5 and 29” wheels, as well as a 27.5 x 2.8” Butcher tyre.
Tried and trail-tested
The new BLCK DMND construction is aimed at enduro riders looking to rag the trail with the utmost confidence and speed. Both Curtis Keene and Jared Graves tested the new design throughout the latter half of the Enduro World Series, experiencing a big improvement on the new variants of the Butcher and Hillbilly tyres.
Both of their best results this season have come at the recent round in Whistler, Canada, on a course that’s famed for it’s rough terrain, ragged rock gardens and death-defying descents. The new BLCK DMND clearly held up well, a top 10 placing for Graves overall and podium place on the final stage attesting to the new, speedier and more robust tyres.
Keene and Graves have both been rocking the new Stumpjumpers throughout the 2018 EWS, a bike that takes enduro riding up a gear with its super-stiff chassis, formidable suspension performance and nimble handling that can, quite literally, turn on a dime.
The new Stumpjumper has a telepathic connection with the trail and with the Flip Chip and Rx Tune, you’re able to fine-tune your ride to suit your desired riding style. Whether it’s altering the geometry, or adjusting the suspension, these added features allow the Stumpjumper to morph and adapt to the trail – all while on the fly. The new Stumpjumper frame can also fit up to a 3” tyre, perfect for our new range of BLCK DMND tyres.
Available in everything from robust, budget-conscious alloy, to a full-carbon competition level model, the Stumpjumper offers a wide range of choices for just about any enduro rider – whether newbie or seasoned veteran.
If you’re looking to improve your enduro rig, or even start afresh from the bike up, make sure to check out our full range of Stumpjumpers here, we’ll have the new EVOs coming soon as well! For the new, BLCK DMND tyres, make sure to ask in store, or send us a quick email about ordering a pair.
