We have reviewed the majority of mountain bike offerings from Vee Tires and they recently found a hole in that lineup that needed filling. Vee makes tread for scooters, BMX race rigs, and several other applications at their factory in Taiwan. They even make tires for other brands, like e*thirteen. The only two-wheeled dirt niche they were missing was a dedicated trail tire to slot between their XC and DH tread.
The new Snap Trail model was designed for riding rough and fast tracks that don’t quite require the weight and lug depth of a full-fledged gravity tire. The tread pattern is essentially the same as their Snap WCE tire, with smaller lugs and a lighter casing option. The new rubber will come in two casings, with 29″ diameter tires tipping the scale at 1160g with the Gravity Core carcass and 1040g with the Enduro Core, and between 1100g and 980 for the 27.5″ versions respectively.
The tire’s soft Top40 Compound was selected for its maximum grip character, and having touched these tires in person I can say that the tread is notably supple. Of course, the 72tpi casing is tubeless-ready across the model selection. Thankfully, tubeless is a characteristic that we can expect from any modern tire, like tapered headtubes and boost spacing on bike frames.
Looking at a comparison between the original Snap and the Snap Trail, both stretch to 60mm wide on a 30mm rim bed, though the new trail version has a shallower total height by 1.5mm due to the shorter center-knobs. The center and shoulder-knobs are the same widths as the prior version. The inner edge of the shoulder knobs are also 0.49mm shorter on the Snap Trail, and the buttressed outer edge is shortened slightly less, resulting in a 2° flatter traction surface on the outer lugs which should provide quicker cornering engagement.
Snap Trail tires will be available in 29″ and 27.5″ diameters, Gravity Core or Enduro Core casings, all in single 2.35″ width. Your local EU or US retailer will receive stock next month. All options retail for €/$65.
Our editor, Jeff barber, will be testing the Snap Trail tires this spring, so stay tuned for the full story.
