Vee Tyre Co is relatively new to the scene compared to the likes of Maxxis, Continental and Schwalbe, but that’s where the differences end.
I’ve said time and time again that tire choice is personal, but the quality is not.
For the last month or so I’ve been riding a gravity version of the Vee Flow Rumba up front and an enduro version of the Vee Crown Gem on the back. They’ve seen bike parks, trail centres and natural riding in the wet and dry – here’s how I found the Crown Gem.
Vee Tyre Crown Gem
As rear tyres go, this is outstanding. It has all the grip you could possibly want without *that* much drag when compared to the likes of a Maxxis Minion or HR2 and at around the 800g mark it isn’t incomparable on weight either.
It went up tubeless on my superstar wheels with no issues at all and has stayed up very well. With 27mm internals and a 2.35″ tire the Crown Gem comes up big – really big!
This does mean that whatever tire pressure you normally run is completely wrong. I used to have the 2.25″ HR at around 28psi on the rear but putting the same in the Crown Gem made it come up really hard. In fact, I struggle to drop the pressure enough! Riding some loose natural stuff the other day I dropped the pressure down to 22psi and it was plush as hell and grippier than anything.
Overall Review of the Crown Gem
I’ve spent a little while on these tyres now and neither show much sign of wear, which is great considering how hard I’ve been riding them.
Considering how faithful I’ve been to Maxxis in the past, this is the first brand that’s made me rethink that.
For the price, the quality and the support I’ve found Vee to be excellent. You do have to relearn all your tire pressure preferences but it’s a price worth paying for such good tread.
If you’re looking for something a little bit different I’d definitely recommend giving these a go.
