VEE FLOW SNAP 27.5 TIRES

Vee Tire Co. has been manufacturing tires for longer than most cycling companies have been in business. This eastern-based company makes tires for everything ranging from cars to bicycles. Vee has an extensive lineup of cycling tires that are largely focused on cross-country riding, but the Flow Snap was designed for enduro and gravity riders looking for a solid all-around tread to rip. We rode the Flow Snap for several months through different terrain to see how well it could hook up.

Tech info: The Flow Snap is available in 27.5- and 29-inch diameters in a 2.35 width for both wheel sizes. Vee designed the Flow Snap as a gravity-oriented tire with two different casings, depending on rider preference. The lighter Enduro Core (tested) uses a 72-tpi casing that is stiff and has reinforced sidewalls for extra protection. Vee does offer the Flow Snap in a heavier Gravity Core for riders who want all the protection they can get. 

Vee designed the Flow Snap with a burly yet simple tread pattern with stout shoulder knobs that are tightly spaced for maximum grip when cornering. Down the center of the tire are knobs with alternating spacing. The space between the center and shoulder knobs offers plenty of room to shed mud, but the knobs are not spread out so far that riders lose tire feel when transitioning in and out of corners. We tested the Enduro Core version of the Flow Snap that uses Vee’s Tackee compound and has a weight of 953 grams. Retail price on our tires is set at $55 per tire. 

On the trail: We installed our tires on a pair of Mavic Deemax wheels with an internal rim width of 28mm that gave the Flow Snap a nice, rounded profile with the shoulder knobs sticking out comfortably. The stiff sidewalls made the tires difficult to mount and seat on our rims, which led to a couple of broken tire levers. Once they were seated on the rims, however, we didn’t have any issues with the tires burping or with air leaks. 

Vee recommended running tire pressures between 22 and 50 psi. On smoother trails, our test riders ran the tires a touch lower (around 23–24 psi) and on rockier trails around 25–27 psi. At these pressures, the tires were stiff and held their shape comfortably. Hitting the dirt, our test riders were impressed with the amount of grip that the Flow Snaps provided, especially when hitting corners. Leaning the Vees over, the stout shoulder knobs hooked up confidently and the tires behaved predictably through corners. Given the burly tread pattern and tacky compound, the Vees were surprisingly fast-rolling tires, even over rocks and technical bits of trail. The Flow Snap does offer quite a bit of bite when braking, even on steeper technical sections of trail, which allowed our test riders to effectively control their speeds. 

The Vee Flow Snap tire is a tread we didn’t really expect with a versatile and durable design. With only a 2.35-inch-wide option, we would probably look for something a touch wider for gravity and downhill riding. Overall, the Flow Snap can be run comfortably as a front or rear tire and will suit your trail or enduro riding needs at a somewhat affordable price.

HITS

• Good traction in various conditions 

• Stiff shoulder knobs

• Fairly affordable

MISSES

• Difficult to mount and dismount

• Limited widths currently available

STAR RATING

4 out of 5 stars

www.veetireco.com

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