Wheels and Tyres

SPECIALIZED STORM DH

If you’re serious about riding through the winter, or racing in wet and slippery conditions then a pair of dedicated mud spikes will help enormously. There’s only so far you can push an ‘all-conditions’ tyre designs regardless of tyre pressure settings.

Here in the UK we can be running on sodden and greasy tracks from October through to March, and even beyond. A pair of mud/wet tyres are essential for staying upright in all but the most parched conditions.

Specialized have been in the tyre business for over forty years and as such offer a full range of both gravity and trail tyres at realistic prices for the privateer racer. They don’t cut corners either, with plenty of tech and development going into their rubber.

Specialized’s Storm has been a favourite tread design for years both in the folding bead lighter weight trail model and here in the more robust and gravity focused steel bead DH version. This is aggressive and dedicated rubber to add extra confidence in challenging conditions.

‘At a shade over 1100g the weight is reasonable considering the tyre’s performance and durability’

The Storm tyre starts with a dual ply soft rubber compounds: a firmer 70a on the base and a more compliant 42a compound on the top. A reliable 60TPI casing with steel beads and extra Butyl inserts gives plenty of sidewall support (and pinch puncture resistance) allowing the tall tread pattern to grip slippery off camber roots. The tall spiky alternating centre knobs dig deep into both loose soil and greasy mud yet clear quickly and resist clogging. Tall shoulder tread gives excellent grip in tight corners or off-camber sections. Traction is unbeatable and really adds that confidence boost you need on a wet weekend of DH racing or uplifts.

Available in both 26” and 27.5” (650B) sizes in a 2.3” width, the Storm DH works well both as a front and rear tyre and should fit most generations of frame. At a shade over 1100g the weight is reasonable considering the tyre’s performance and durability. With a price of £50, this rubber, like most of Specialized’s tyres, is cheaper than most of the competition too.

PRICE: £50

specialized.com