Enduro21 takes a closer look at “The Beast”, Plews Tyres’ enduro/trail hybrid which just won a round of the British Extreme Enduro Championship with Mario Roman, proving deep tread and stiffer construction sometimes beats super-soft and sticky for hard enduro.

The dark arts of tyres and mousses for enduro, specifically hard enduro, fascinates most of us who ride. What compound are you using? How much have you drilled the mousse? What tyre has [insert pro rider name here] fitted? The paddock talk is consistent.

Breaking the norms at round one of the British Extreme Enduro Championship, the Ballbreaker, Mario Roman and his new MR74 Racing Team opted for an enduro/trail hybrid tyre.

This bucks the trend massively against the usual choices of super-soft tyres and mousses. It’s harder for a start, standing up on its sidewalls and not sagging massively like a tube-type with a puncture.

It also has wide and tall tread blocks, 18mm, designed to cut into the muddy conditions and this is why Mario and his tyre sponsor, Plews Tyres, went with it at the Ballbreaker: more grip in the mud.

They say:

The Beast Enduro/Trail hybrid is a “super-aggressive, deep tread pattern for soft terrain domination.”

The Beast has an 18mm tread height and a wide-spread block pattern, which means it is designed and built to dig through deep mud, soft forest ground and boggy conditions to find grip and keep driving forward.

We’re pretty sure they couldn’t have found a better location to highlight that than the Ballbreaker Extreme, with Mario showing the benefits of it multiple times to find grip in horrible mud conditions. That included a couple of laps being one of just two riders to make the “Double Trouble” hillclimb in one shot.

We say:

The first lesson here is don’t just think soft and super-soft tyres and mousses are the only way for hard enduro; sometimes a deep tread pattern can win the day.

Looking at Mario’s tyre at the finish (pictured), the reality was a tyre ready to go again for another race. That means, unlike many super-soft options, this one will last more than one Sunday and that is obviously a good thing for most of us.

It’s also true to say The Beast bites harder and the drive grip was clear at times – although we naturally take into account Mario’s riding skills.

Mario’s team told us they used a half mousse and drilled it “a little”, but the sidewalls of The Beast were still ‘standing’ up, not collapsed like you might be used to seeing with a hard enduro set-up. That means it’s keeping its shape and the tyre boffins will tell you that’s a good thing when it comes to biting and clearing in mud.

Tread depth regulations

For some enduro events, notably any FIM race like a Hard Enduro World Championship round, you must run FIM-approved tyres which means a maximum of 13mm. These bad boys have 5mm more than that.

British Enduro rules don’t state a maximum tread depth and in fact allow most tyre types, including motocross if you wish. Roman and Plews took advantage of that at round one of the British Extreme series by using The Beast.

It’s worth pointing out the Plews range extends beyond The Beast, which sits in the Hybrid range (more details below). Adventure, Enduro and Hard Enduro ranges include The Tough One, which took Mitch Brightmore to his Junior Hard Enduro World Championship title.

Enduro21 hasn’t tested The Beast, or any Plews tyre. We have got experience of a major rival to it in the Dunlop AT81EX which we tested here and felt the benefits of the deeper tread blocks in hard enduro.  

Plews Hybrid off-road tyre range details:

Plews explain their Beast is a hybrid tyre that blends enduro and trail. That means it is stable under fast and slow speed riding and copes with soft and hard terrain: “With our new Hybrid Range, we’ve engineered tyres to handle everything you might face when riding, offering maximum versatility with zero compromise.”

The hybrid range of all-rounders has three rear patterns, each with a distinct purpose – so you can choose the perfect tyre for your riding style or terrain. Those are The Beast, The Monster and The American Dream.

Key Features

CCT Technology (Chipping and Chunking Tread):
A specialised tread design approach aimed at reducing chipping and chunking for consistent performance and durability.

CCRC Technology (Compound Chipping and Chunking Resistant):
A compound development philosophy that reinforces the rubber to minimise tearing and block damage – extending life and grip.

LFC Technology (Lateral Flex Control):
Our proprietary carcass stabilisation system that controls sidewall flex under load, ensuring constant forward drive without excessive rolling or traction loss.

UTAC (Ultra Tacky Advanced Compound):
A secret blend of high-grade polymers, silica and oils that delivers exceptional wet grip and long-lasting performance across all conditions.

Available Compounds: EXTREME / TRAIL
Trail Homologation: ECE / DOT

Rear Tyre Sizes:
110/100-18
120/90-18
120/100-18

More information: www.plewstyres.com

Plews own video highlights from this race: 

Photo Credit: Enduro21 + Plews | Chris Hudson