Review on Unlock Adventure with the WTB Riddler: Embrace Thrilling Paths and Unparalleled Versatility by Harald Patterson

The Riddler 45c is a fantastic tire for gravel adventures. Bought a pair to ride in the Oregon outback this summer, including long distances where a 29x2.3 would be handy. In these sections, the Riddler held his ground fully loaded. It gripped well on gravel and gravel descents, offered a fairly plush ride (tubeless 35psi front and 40 rear), and was quick on paved sections of road where it never felt like I was struggling to keep the knobs turning. . Only one flat tire at 405 miles on rough back roads, and that was more of a sealant failure than a tire failure (DO NOT buy Finish Line water-based sealant, it won't work. Use Stan's Sealer or a similar latex-based sealer). On the very last day of the trip I noticed a knot in the rear tire while driving on tarmac, but as soon as we got back onto the gravel it went away and I ended the trip. The next day the entire rear tire was blistered and filled with air and sealant where the tread had separated from the carcass. The tire was still intact and incredibly still rideable (prior to my LBS where I briefly swapped it out for a 40c WTB Nano, also a great tyre). A few notes on that last puncture: I had ridden a pair of Riddlers a few months prior to the long tour so they weren't new at the time. Also, the Outback is a really rough ride and I was fully loaded so I beat the tires pretty well for five days. I ended up emailing WTB about the failure and they got a replacement tire in the mail the very next day so I'm still riding Riddlers and have been pleased with their quick response and great customer service (tip: if you contact customer service ANYONE industry, don't be an asshole. Tell them what you like about their products, explain the problem you are having and ASK them to help. This resulted in a 100% pleasant experience for you me.) A few more notes while I do it: Mounted on 19mm internal width rims (WTB Strykers), the tires are 44mm wide shoulder to shoulder. Make sure you have enough space as mine is very narrow and in muddy conditions I tend to rub the frame a bit on the inside of the chainstays. No hope of fitting fenders with these tires, but maybe your bike has more clearance? Finally, for a sub-$60 tire, the Riddler is a really great deal. They're grippy, roll fast, provide good cushioning (I can't bring myself to use the word s_pple because it's rough), they're easy to set up and they look great. Four stars for Hull Break but five stars for WTB. Customer service and bus service otherwise.