WTB Byway in review

Fast tires from the mountain bike pros at WTB? Who would have thought that the US brand would make a semi-slick tire like the Byway. But does that go hand in hand with minimal traction and poor performance on the trails? We put the tire through the wringer in our gravel tire group test to find out.

**WTB** Byway | 477 g | € 54,95 | Manufacturer’s website

Few other brands have as much off-road heritage in their genes as Wilderness Trail Bikes. It’s literally in their name. While they’re known for their MTB tires, they also offer some stand-out gravel tires. The Byway follows the same principle as the fastest tires in the test field. A smooth central tread and pronounced shoulder knobs promise to offer the perfect compromise between efficiency and traction. But WTB do things a little differently here, making the shoulders knobs slightly wider and flatter than those of the competition. Typical WTB, on the other hand, are the classic tan walls and hassle-free fitment, not even requiring any special tools.

Speed or all-round – What is the WTB Byway all about?

The WTB Byway looks really fast, but how does the tire perform in real-world tests? You’ll immediately notice how much fun this tire is, offering agile handling on asphalt and hardpack, and leaning into corners with ease. At the same time, however, it’s not the most efficient. Our lab tests confirm this. Aat 22.1 W rolling resistance, the Byway has a hard time keeping up, and even the significantly knobbier WTB Riddler is faster. When you hit the loose ground or forest soil, you’ll likely stop smiling because the agile tire feels out of place the moment you veer off-road. As expected, the semi-slick tread offers little to no grip off-road, and the shoulder knobs tend to slide around more than grip on loose terrain despite their width, which we found surprising. The Byway gets average marks for puncture protection, and it offers even less resistance to pinching, making you want to get back on the asphalt sooner rather than later. At least it performs better than the rest regarding compliance, in which case the American brand have done a stellar job. Ultimately, the Byway is reserved for dry, hard surfaces, and when you don’t need optimal efficiency.

Tire Characteristics

intended use

asphalt/hard pack
trail

rolling resistance

slow
quick

pinch protection

low
high

puncture protection

low
high

handling in wet conditions

slippery
grippy

Conclusion

Even if the WTB Byway doesn’t look like it, it’s clearly more of an all-rounder than a speed-oriented model, because it lacks the necessary efficiency. While it offers moderate grip on almost all surfaces, we would only recommend it for asphalt and hardpack. It’s a tire for leisurely all-road bike rides with occasional gravel excursions in dry conditions.

Tops

stylish look
a lot of fun on hardpack and asphalt

Flops

very inefficient according to lab results
below-average puncture protection
insufficient grip in wet conditions

For more information head to: wtb.com

In our introduction of the best gravel tire on test you can’t just find our most interesting findings and our overall conclusion, but a good view on all tires tested.

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Words: czajac Photos: Jan Richter