Actual width: (on 30mm internal rim at 20psi): Jet XC2 29 x 2.25in 56mm/2.2in, Force XC2 and Wild XC2 29 x 2.25in 56.5mm/2.The Skip Barber Formula Car Race Series made its first visit to the winding and fast NOLA Motorsports Park near the famous New Orleans French Quarter.Colors: Black with ‘Racing Line’ hot patch. Tech Specs: Michelin Jet XC2, Force XC2 and Wild XC2 Between the three tread patterns, you’ve got an arsenal for a full season of conditions and initial testing suggests they’ll also last well in wear and damage shrugging terms. If you can keep them in line and hooked up you get an outstandingly fast-rolling performance as a reward though and if you’re mostly running them in dry and loose situations then they’re spot on for speed. It would be good to see the Jet and Force in larger volume 2.35/2.4in sizes, too. Compound and carcass give them a slightly stiffer rather than connected feel compared to the most supple rubber from Maxxis, Specialized and Schwalbe. Using the same single compound across all three tires seems like a short cut too, particularly on the Wild which could be a really good tire on damp days if it had a softer compound. The new Michelin XC2 trio is slightly heavier than Maxxis and Specialized’s benchmark equivalents and a lot more expensive than Specialized, too. It’s the heaviest tire of the three and the only one available in 2.35in as well as 2.25in and while Michelin don’t say it’s got increased puncture protection it gets an extra half star on its ‘performance’ chart. That means even with the big gaps and lack of ramping it’s still seriously quick rolling if used upfront with the Force XC2 or Jet XC2 at the rear. Having said that it’s still a comparatively hard mix that’s still definitely better in dry loose rock/loam conditions than wet situations. It’s such a marked difference that if we’re totally honest we actually thought it used a softer rubber than the Jet and Force before Michelin confirmed all compounds were the same. A centreline sipe split in each knob doesn’t skid off hard, wet surfaces quite as easily either making it a more leanable and predictable tire in mixed conditions. The more open, blocky tread gives you more bite to work with in loose and wet conditions and there’s no danger of it clogging up on grassy/claggy CX style courses either. The Wild’s look dramatically different to most XC tires with a wide-open, unramped square block tread more like a cut-down mud tire or old favorites like the Maxxis Beaver or the Bontrager Mud-X from years ago. There’s a QR code for further setup information on the recycled cardboard header card, although as we’re writing them up pre-embargo that link wasn’t live yet. There’s plenty of stretch in the bead though so while it looked like mounting was going to be a real fight each time, they all eased on with a single lever. They only come in 29er sizes and the initial rim fit seems super tight. We’ve not split them despite several rim slams either but, while Michelin gives them an E-bike certification, they still need treating with reasonable care in rockeries. It doesn’t crumble or fold alarming (even as low as 20psi) although we did get some burping of fluid from the Wild tread at lower pressures as there’s more side lug to pull the tire around. Weights are around 10-15 per cent heavier than Maxxis EXO and Specialized Control XC tires of a similar size/tread and the carcass feel is similar too, and certainly not frighteningly skimpy. All three tires sit on the same 2x150 TPI (Threads Per Inch) Cross Shield2 carcass construction which wraps up around the bead for a 4x150 TPI protective/stabilizing layer above the rim.
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