Product news: The trend towards ever wider tires – even on the road – seems to be unstoppable. US tire manufacturer WTB is stepping on the gas again and taking on a pioneering role with the Road Plus Standard. 650B rims with voluminous tires should appeal to racing cyclists and gravel bikers alike. We took a closer look at the Road Plus Standard and show you the solutions that are currently available.
The Road Plus Standard is intended to appeal to drivers who like to move on unpaved roads in addition to the asphalt. The tires should roll easily on asphalt, but also offer the necessary reserves on, for example, gravel roads. The highlight: The Road Plus Standard has the same outer diameter as a standard 700 x 30 mm road bike tire and the geometry of the wheel remains unchanged. However, you gain in comfort and expand the range of use considerably. However, the eye of the bottleneck on many bikes is likely to be the lack of tire clearance in the fork and rear end - here you should always check whether there is enough space for the wide tires.
Of course, a new wheel set is also due: The 27,5″ rims should be wide enough to give the tires enough support. On the other hand, there is no need to worry about major weight losses: in combination with a tubeless kit and light rims, Road Plus wheelsets can also be set up very easily and still offer a lot of comfort, since you can vary the air pressure depending on the application for the best setup.
Road Plus & Standard 700C in comparison:
Road Plus tires from WTB
WTB Horizon
Size: 650 x 47 mm
Weight: approx. 515 g
Price: € 59,90
The WTB Horizon is the slightly sportier tire of the two Road Plus tires in the WTB range. A smooth tread ensures the best propulsion on asphalt. With a width of 47 mm and optimized sidewalls, the tire is suitable for off-road excursions.
WTB Byway
Size: 650 x 47 mm
Weight: approx. 535 g
Price: € 59,90
The Byway is a tire with a little more reserve for off-road use. It also has the smooth tread for good propulsion on asphalt. But the side knobs are significantly more pronounced than on the Horizon for more cornering grip on unpaved paths. The tire only weighs about 20 grams more than the Horizon.
WTB recommends its 650B rims Ci24 Carbon or KOM i23/25 650B TCS as suitable rims. These are also perfectly matched to the rim by the TCS standard to enable a very easy tubeless conversion.
We could already see the Road Plus standard on the Try 3T Explorer and were convinced of the good rolling properties of the tyres, which nevertheless offered reserves for the off-road trip. We are curious to see whether the standard will continue to spread among other manufacturers. Road Plus is definitely a good solution for gravel use or racing cyclists who want a little more reserves for off-road use. Also with regard to the fact that you can easily switch between conventional 700c wheelset and Road Plus wheelset.
Stefan says
Hi,
Would the Plus tire fit on a Specialized Crux Expert? I would love to drive it... 🙂