Despite being relative new comers to the off-road cycling scene, Vee Tires are making waves already and are up to their elbows in development with ex Elite Downhill World Cup racer, Mike King.

We’ve had a pair of 29in Crown tyres in the Tackee compound since January – though conditions have been on the wetter side, rather than the dry hard pack conditions that the Crown tyres would really excel in.

Vee Tires Crown front and rear

Crown Front

Weighing just under 850grams for the 29in version, the Vee Tire Crown Front tyre uses tough 120tpi casing, and has a low profile tread design with a fairly central wedge pattern, that aids rolling resistance.

Although the front cleared quite well, the low profile tread was limited in sloppy conditions – but great on dry hard-packed trails

We inflated ours tubeless using Stans No Tubes fluid – first time – on a 24mm wide e13 TRS rim and noticed the huge volume the tyre has. It’s a fair bit bigger than a 2.3 High Roller, in both height and width, and has a much rounder profile.

The shoulders aren’t as square as other popular tyres like the Maxxis High Roller II or the Schwalbe Hans Dampf – but are pronounced enough, and the transition to central tread is smooth – offering a predictable feel.

The steering biased front tread pattern makes the Crown front a good option

The soft Tackee compound increases the grip offered by the tread pattern, which reminds us of something in between a WTB Velociraptor front tyre, and the Maxxis Ignitor. It uses a central wedge shape to cut through the mud and provide stability in cambered situations. Combined with the paddles next to it does a pretty good job of braking – especially given the conditions we mostly rode the tyre in.

We did find that the tyre clogged a bit in the thick mud, though it’s hardly surprising. But what did surprise us was the overall grip, and the cornering feel – given the rounder profile. They felt secure and other than rolling a little slowly on firmer surfaces, gripped well in most conditions.

Crown Rear

With the same huge casing as the front model and a similar weight, the rear model of the crown has the same rounded profile, though with a much lower profile and closer packed tread pattern.

The Crown Rear has the same profile as the front, but the round profile is more welcome on the rear

We thought the rear tyre would be a super fast rolling number with the support of a decent shoulder – in the same vein as the Rock Razor from Schwalbe – though the soft Tackee rubber compound made the tyre slower than we thought on hard surfaces . However, it made it far grippier than it really should be on wet and slippy surfaces. And our local trails are particularly wet and slippery, most of the time.

A low profile tread with good shoulders makes the Crown rear grip fast and roll well – though a firmer rubber would be faster still

We certainly found the Crown rear had more purchase than some other similar tyres, but this is definitely aided by Tackee compound.  A double edge sword, no doubt – a firmer compound might roll quicker but would certainly offer less grip.

Our only real issue with the rear tyre though, was the enormous size! If you have the clearance for it, then why not – but even the massive clearance on the Intense Carbine 29er we rode our tyres on was tight.

Big volume tyre with closely packed tread = inevitable cloggage

Current testing conditions are dry and dusty – and we like what we feel!

Vee Tires 29in Crown Rear

We say

In the 29in size, we got on with the Vee Tire Crown surprisingly well. We suspect the front tyre might be a little round in the 27.5in size, given the way a smaller wheel is thrown in to turns rather than carved like a 29er tends to be, but they are a solid pair of tyres with good casing and a rubber compound that grips fast on numerous surfaces.

At the moment, we’re enjoying the dry trails on them, and will report back when we’ve had a few more miles in the conditions they should favour.

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