French brand Michelin has a big presence in the enduro scene, bolstered by the successes of top racers like Sam Hill and other Nukeproof-sponsored athletes. The Wild Enduro here is its most popular model and one of a few tyres that experienced riders seem to choose in preference to leading brand Maxxis.

Made for racing, the distinctive blue and yellow Racing Line sidewalls tell you the tyres are speed-optimised. Tread blocks here are made from sticky Magi X rubber and the casing technology is also shared with Michelin’s downhill tyres (albeit with a folding, rather than wire bead like on the DH34 and 22).

The 4-ply construction sees puncture defence layers, snakebite bumpers and high-density wraparound fabrics to prevent anything piercing it. Like the other ‘DH shield’ tyres that are virtually impenetrable, this spikier front Wild Enduro proved pretty bombproof. Being so tough comes with a substantial weight penalty though, with almost 1.5kg of rotating mass added your front wheel. 

This translates to heft that’s clearly felt climbing and also at speed where the tyre is hard to deflect, and even harder to lean over. Michelin does offer a 150g or so lighter ‘Gravity Shield’ version, but that has a different, less slow-rebounding rubber blend.

The Wild Enduro tread has broad gaps between toothy edge blocks and pointy cubes in the centre strip. The pattern clears mud ok, cuts well into loose surfaces and is sticky, super-damped and slow rebounding with tons of friction against soil and rocks. Compared to blends like MaxxGrip or Spesh’s T9, there’s a slightly more solid, duller ‘slap’ against hard surfaces, compared to the other brands’ ‘squish’. And, ultimately, if you prefer this ‘deadening’ characteristic, you’ll get on better with Michelin’s vibe.

Those spread-out edge blocks mean less rubber connecting with the ground at high lean angles and, with less surface area to push against in turns, there’s a sense dirt fits through the gaps and the edge can break away faster. This sensation only lasts a nano-second mid-turn or when the bike is leant over going light over crests or flat turns and nothing too drastic happens when the grippy rubber reconnects, so it’s more of a ‘hesitation’ than a total loss of grip. 

We have another couple of bugbears though; the super-slow rolling speed and draggy feel combined with the very high weight are a real effort to pedal and turn over and there’s also noticeably less comfort and compliance than thinner skinned, more flexible tyres too. It’s obvious Michelin’s Magi X really doesn’t like colder temperatures either, so if the trails are partly frozen or mud is frigid, grip and damping seriously suffers and the tyre becomes much sketchier than rivals.

Check out our guide to the best mountain bike tyres to see which ones we’ve rated after extensive testing. Pair your tyres with the best mountain bike wheels for the ultimate rolling setup for your riding preferences.