Intro:
I built out a REEB SST the year it was released and was looking for a somewhat durable, but fast rolling tire suitable for a trailbike. I was also looking for tanwall tires, because I like the aesthetic on a steel bike, as cheesy as it may sound. The Ehline fit all of these and, despite my skepticism, I gave it a shot.
What I found was a tire that surprised me constantly with its durability, consistency, rolling speed, and braking traction.
Riding:
I put this tire on the back of my SST, which is a 120mm trailbike, on 30mm IW rims and no inserts. I ran it exclusively on this bike and found the tire to be a really good mix of traction, rolling speed, durability, and braking traction.
In our varied conditions here in WNC, the tire gripped our wet roots and rocks remarkably well and consistently. It seemed to handle dry, dusty conditions reasonably well with no unexpected drifting or traction loss. When trails got steep, you found the limitation of running such a low-profile tire upon heavy braking, but it was never inconsistent, surprising, or unexpected and it found its footing again once you reduced the braking force slightly.
Climbing traction was similarly reliable, no unexpected spinouts and it gripped wet roots better than some more aggressive treads I've used.
If I was to summarize how it rode in one word, I'd say consistency. You know what you were getting into every time you hit a root, rock, or braking section, the only surprises I found were early on when I was feeling it out and were more to the positive side. Durability:
I smashed it into a few square edges with no pinch flats or other problems, although I will note that there was some sidewall weeping, but not excessive especially given how long it had been on my bike. It is such a minor amount that I'm not even sure it's worth mentioning, but it is there.
Tread life was also good, after about 500-600 miles in our mixed terrain here, it still had plenty of life left in the tread.
Who would I recommend this to?
I will lead with the idea that this is not a fast-rolling enduro tire, it'll fit somewhere between "downcountry" and enduro. It's weight and rolling speed are probably on the slower side for more XC oriented riding, but it's not going to have the traction in diverse terrain that a tire leaning towards enduro would especially in steeper terrain. Further, braking traction is going to significantly be compromised compared to a more gravity oriented tire, but that should be a given with the tread pattern and rolling speed.
It fits into the "trail" bucket perfectly, at least for the conditions I ran it in. It brakes well enough and isn't going to leave you sideways on a few steep chutes and it's going to grab roots/rocks in varied conditions well enough. When speeds get higher, you'll find grabbing a handful of brake gets you enough bite to slow the bike down, but with such a low tread, it's not going to dig in and bring you to a rapid halt either. It requires more management on steeper terrain, but it never gets wildly out of control.
I think the ideal rider for this is someone looking for a faster rolling rear tire that is consistent in its behavior and durable across varied terrain, but not something that requires a ton of braking traction especially in steeper terrain.
Comparisons:
vs WTB Trail Boss 2.4 - The Trail Boss has been a goto rear for me for a while now. The knobs seem to dig in well into soft dirt and provide good traction across both wet and dry conditions. It rolls reasonably well, although not as well as the Ehline does. The downside to the Trail Boss is the tread life, the high grip variants wear insanely fast and the fast rolling variant, while it lasts longer, don't last as long as the Ehlines tread does. The behavior of the Trail Boss also changes a lot over the life of the tire, where the Ehline remains more consistent. If you ride primarily soft, wet dirt, the Trail Boss will provide more braking traction and bite into the dirt especially in steeper sections. The Ehline will roll faster and last longer at the expense of this traction.
Pros:
Easy install and removal
Durable casing provides good flat/tear protection
Good tread life
Traction is consistent and reliable, both climbing and descending
Good rolling speed, gets moving quickly and sprints well
Cons:
Minor amount of sidewall weeping
Traction in steep, loose conditions will be less reliable
Comments