Review on WTB Horizon 650 x 47c Road TCS Tire: Superior Performance and Exceptional Durability for Unmatched Road Adventures by Ben Walls

I bought these tires for my Traitor hiking touring bike. I mostly ride the bike on gravel and dirt and previously had Maxxis Happy Medium 700x42 tires. With those 700x42 tires mounted, the frame is maximized with no room for full fenders. A week-long trek from Pittsburgh to Washington DC wearing RaceBlade-style quick-release fenders proved they weren't made for gravel riding. After three days of riding, the rear fender caught on my rear wheel and broke the chain. This resulted in an 8 hour detour to walk to the nearest town to get my chain fixed (unfortunately I didn't have a chain tool). After this experience I decided to look for a solution to install real wings and here it is (and started carrying a chain tool with me). I had many problems installing them. I have mounted them on tubeless rims with tubes, but no matter how fast I inflated them (with an air compressor), the tire bead would not seat properly. I finally got in touch with WTB who gave me some advice but I still couldn't install it properly. After spending some time on google I decided to give soapy water a try, I actually used conditioner as it seems extra smooth to me. I poured a drop of conditioner into a water bottle, filled the rest with water, shook until fully mixed, and then wet the tire with it, focusing mostly on the bead. With this on the tire and with the help of an air compressor, they snapped in like a normal tire! I'm concerned I won't be able to reinstall them if I get an apartment down the street, but I'll have to deal with that if that happens, maybe I'll start carrying a travel bottle of conditioner with me. After installing them I was very impressed with the ride. The bike handles the same as before, but now it feels like it has suspension. The full volume of air in the tires makes the ride almost smooth on gravel and virtually eliminates any chatter on asphalt. I haven't installed any wings yet, but there's plenty of room for that. Great tyres!