Terrene Wazia Tire

Terrene Wazia Tire

Stated Width: 4.6”

Measured Dimensions (on a 82 mm internal width rim):

• Knob Width: 4.25 in (108 mm)
• Casing Width: 4.0625 in (103 mm)

Casing: Ultralight

Rubber Compound: 60a

Recommended Rim Width: 65-110 mm

Blister’s Measured Weight: 1610 & 1620 grams

Mounted to: Surly Ice Cream Truck / Surly Rollling Darryl

MSRP: $120

Test Location: Whitefish, MT

Test Duration: 6 Months

Intro

Terrene is a fairly new player in the world of bike tires, and so far they offer just a few products, with the Wazia being their all-season, fat bike model (Noah Bodman also reviewed their knobby Trail tire, the Chunk). I’ve used the Wazia in a variety of snow conditions, as well as mud and dirt in order to get an idea of how versatile this knobby, fat tire really is, and who it would work for best.

Sizes, Specs, and Tread

Terrene offers the Wazia in both a “Light” and “Tough” version. The Light comes with Terrene’s 120 tpi “Ultralight” casing (with a stated weight of 1550 g in a 4.6”), while the Tough comes with a 60 tpi “TekShield” casing (stated weight: 1770 g in a 4.6”). Both are currently available only for 26” fat wheels, with 4” or 4.6” width options. The Light version is available with or without studs, but the Tough is only available studless. I tested the Light, non-studded version in a 4.6” width.

In terms of the tread itself, the Wazia has a fairly open center and intermediate tread, which helps keep the tire free of snow buildup while also helping it dig in for climbing traction. The side knobs are a bit more tightly spaced, and seem to help the tire lock into corners.

Setup

I set up the tires with tubes so I could swap back and forth easily, but the Wazia is a tubeless-ready tire. The Rolling Darryl rims are a royal pain to set up tubeless, and the Ice Cream Truck is already a hefty ride, so I wasn’t too concerned about trying to save weight. In terms of getting the tires on the rim, it was an easy process, which was a pleasant surprise.

The Ride

The Wazia’s traction is certainly its most noticeable feature. Slick, punchy climbs are much easier with this tire, so much so that I made it up a few tricky hills that my husband had to walk. Needless to say, I was pretty excited about that.

I tested the Wazia in a variety of snow conditions including slush, ice, hard pack, and crust. The Wazia did best on hardpack, and was surprisingly tacky even on icier snow. Without studs, though, I was still sliding around and crashing when the snow actually became sheer ice. The Wazia did well on crusty snow and as good as any tire in slush. It’s worth noting that Terrene also makes a snow-specific fat bike tire, called the Cake Eater, that’s more oriented specifically toward winter use.

The Surly Rolling Darryl rims that I had the Wazias mounted to are 82mm-wide, and with that rim width, the Wazia holds corners well thanks to its aggressive side knobs. Running the Wazia on a wider rim might improve the cornering traction even further, but might also slow the tire down a bit by squaring off the profile.

The Wazia isn’t super fast when it comes to rolling speed, but I wouldn’t say it’s significantly slower than other similarly knobby fat tires. Other tires that have taller knobs, like the 45 North Dunderbeist, tend to roll a bit slower, and I’d say the Wazia does a pretty good job of balancing traction and rolling resistance. Overall, the ride is about as smooth as can be expected (my Surly Ice Cream Truck is fully rigid, so the only suspension I get is the undamped bounce of big tires).

On dry land, the Wazia offers a ton of traction — perhaps too much. I personally prefer to use a less beefy, 4.0” tire with smaller knobs for dry ground since they’re a bit more efficient.

Durability

The Wazia has held up great so far, with minimal wear from my months of snow riding. Since I didn’t often need the extra traction of the 4.6” Wazia, I didn’t take it out all that often on rocks and gravel. That said, from what dryland action they have seen, the Wazia haven’t worn down.

Bottom Line

With the Wazia, Terrene delivers a quality fat bike tire that’s great on the uphills and is a good all-around performer. The Wazia has an aggressive tread pattern, but at least compared to other knobby fat bike tires, it offers a good compromise between rolling speed and grip. However, if I were to do more fat biking on dirt, I might choose the 4.0” version to roll faster. Overall, the Wazia is a solid snow tire, and I’d recommend it to anyone.