CX/Gravel Tire Test: WTB Byway TCS Light SG2 40

The WTB Byway TCS Light/Fast Rolling is one of the winners of last month's voting round. We want to thank our members again for signing up, supporting the site, and submitting their votes to steer us in the right direction. We've decided to test the latest SG2 version of the Byway TCS Light/Fast Rolling as this looks like the way forward at WTB -the non-SG2 version of the Byway has been discontinued.

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We've already tested both the TCS Light/Fast Rolling (non-SG2) versions of the WTB Riddler (read our review) and WTB Nano (read our review) a couple of months back. We found them to be reasonably fast tires but performance in the puncture tests was below par for both the tread and sidewalls. We can understand WTB's choice to beef up their tires with an extra layer of bead to bead puncture resistance material (SG2 - Slash Guard 2) as gravel tires need to handle very harsh conditions in some parts of the world.

Other than the new SG2 puncture resistance layer, there do not appear to be many changes when we compare this tire to the older non-SG2 version of the Byway. It still uses the tubeless-compatible 120 TPI casing and dual-compound "dual DNA Fast Rolling compound" that WTB uses on nearly all of their CX/Gravel tires.

The TCS Light/Fast Rolling is available in both a 40-622 and 44-622 version and also a 47-584 version. As our CX/Gravel section covers tires from 32-622 up to the 42-622 size, this is a test of the 40-622 version.

Manufacturer Specifications

Manufacturer Specs
Brand	WTB
Model	Byway TCS Light SG2
Year	2020
Supplied By	Bought in store
New or Used	New
Mileage	0 km
Price Range	High
Buy At	Ad Amazon.com
Manufacturer part number	W010-0840
TPI	120
Compound	Dual DNA
Bead	Folding
ETRTO	40-622
Specified Weight	463 grams
Max Air Pressure (psi)	60
Made In	Members Only
Available Sizes	40-622 (700x40c) 44-622 (700x44c) 47-584 (650x47b)

WTB Byway TCS Light SG2 40 Test Results

Size, Weight, and Thickness Measurements

Size, Weight, and Thickness Measurements
Specified Weight	463 grams
Measured Weight	462 grams
Measured Width Casing	36 mm (un-round)
Measured Width Tread	34 mm
Measured Height	32 mm (un-round)
Measured Knob Height Center	0.0 mm
Measured Knob Height Edge	1.8 mm
Measured Total Thickness Center (excluding knobs)	3.10 mm
Measured Total Thickness Sidewall	Members Only
All size measurements are taken at low air pressure on a 17.8 mm inner width rim.

Rolling Resistance Test Results

Rolling Resistance Test Results
Inner Tube	None (30 ml sealant) (current protocol)	Conti Cross28 (160 gr) (test protocol)
Measured Width	36 mm	36 mm
Rolling Resistance Real tire width in mm: 30-32 = 66 psi/4.6 bar 33-35 = 60 psi/4.1 bar 36-38 = 54 psi/3.7 bar 39-42 = 50 psi/3.4 bar 43-46 = 46 psi/3.2 bar 47-50 = 42 psi/2.9 barHigh Air Pressure (54 psi / 3.7 bar)	Members Only	Members Only
Rolling Resistance Real tire width in mm: 30-32 = 55 psi/3.8 bar 33-35 = 50 psi/3.4 bar 36-38 = 45 psi/3.1 bar 39-42 = 42 psi/2.9 bar 43-46 = 38 psi/2.6 bar 47-50 = 35 psi/2.4 barMedium Air Pressure (45 psi / 3.1 bar)	Members Only	Members Only
Rolling Resistance Real tire width in mm: 30-32 = 44 psi/3.0 bar 33-35 = 40 psi/2.8 bar 36-38 = 36 psi/2.6 bar 39-42 = 33 psi/2.3 bar 43-46 = 31 psi/2.1 bar 47-50 = 28 psi/1.9 barLow Air Pressure (36 psi / 2.6 bar)	26.6 Watts CRR: 0.00797	30.4 Watts CRR: 0.00911
Rolling Resistance Real tire width in mm: 30-32 = 33 psi/2.3 bar 33-35 = 30 psi/2.1 bar 36-38 = 27 psi/1.9 bar 39-42 = 25 psi/1.7 bar 43-46 = 23 psi/1.6 bar 47-50 = 21 psi/1.4 barExtra Low Air Pressure (27 psi / 1.9 bar)	29.7 Watts CRR: 0.00890	34.7 Watts CRR: 0.01040
The CX/Gravel section is a multi tire size section, air pressures have been adjusted to the measured casing width. All numbers are for a single tire at a speed of 29 km/h / 18 mph and a load of 42.5 kg / 94 lbs. Use the formula: RR (Watts) = CRR * speed (m/s) * load (N) to calculate rolling resistance at a given speed and load.

Puncture Resistance Test Results

Puncture Resistance Test Results (higher is better)
Total Puncture Score Tread	49 Points
Total Puncture Score Sidewall	Members Only
Tread Puncture Force Sharp Needle	10
Tread Puncture Force Blunt Needle	Members Only
Tread Total Tire Thickness	3.10 mm
Sidewall Puncture Force Sharp Needle	Members Only
Sidewall Puncture Force Blunt Needle	Members Only
Sidewall Total Tire Thickness	Members Only

Hard Surface Static Grip Test Results

Static Grip Test Results
Wet Grip Average	66 Points
Wet Grip Center	Members Only
Wet Grip Edge	Members Only
Measured Knob Height Center	0.0 mm
Measured Knob Height Edge	1.8 mm
Grip in points = coefficient of friction * 100 CX/Gravel grip test rim width = 23.0 mm
Wet Grip Test and Off-Road Tires (info)

Conclusion

The latest SG2 version of the WTB Byway TCS Light/Fast Rolling performs much better in the puncture tests of both the tread and sidewall when compared to the non-SG2 version of the WTB Riddler (read our review) and Nano (read our review) that use the same 120 TPI casing. The bad part is that the performance in the rolling resistance tests has been hit hard. We don't consider the WTB Byway a "Fast Rolling" tire especially when we take into consideration that this tire has a slick center tread which attracts riders that want a fast-rolling tire.

We're also confused by the size of this tire, the 40-622 version of the WTB Nano measured 39.6 mm wide on our 17.8 mm inner width test rim, yet the 40-622 version of the Byway SG2 only measures 35.7 mm wide. It looks like this is more of a 37-622 tire than a true 40-622. We're not sure if the Byway has always been this small or if WTB downsized the SG2 version. WTB indicates an optimal rim width of between 19 and 24 mm, and even on a 24 mm rim, this tire won't come close to 40 mm. Get the 44-622 version if you need volume.

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RATING: 2.5 / 5
TEST VERDICT: Not Recommended

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