Goodyear’s four-tyre range from pure XC models up to these Goodyear Newton Premium tyres, more suitable for trail and enduro riding.

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We mounted the £60 Goodyears to a long travel 29-er, with the blocky, Minion-a-like, Newton rear, and slightly more open-treaded Newton ST up front. Both seated easily with a track pump and inflated quite squared off and skinny (under 2.3in on a 31mm internal rim). These Premium versions are £10 cheaper than the Ultimates with a 1.5-ply, 60 threads-per-inch casing, rather than a 120tpi one (that should be more supple).

The first outing for the Newtons was at Revolution, a steep uplifted Welsh DH bikepark that can be a harsh test for equipment. Sunny weather meant a good mix of dusty, blown out hardpack, together with sniper roots and wet dirt in the dark forests.

Braking traction felt good and the Dynamic RT (there’s also a softer RS/T compound) rolls well, but the tyres felt nervous and more chattery than others we’re used to, with a tendency to bounce sharply off angled tree roots and move on embedded rocks in deep berms. After a couple of runs, we dropped pressures by around 4psi and the stiff-feeling tyres felt more composed.

For a direct comparison, we switched to Minion DHR IIs in standard EXO casing, and also a super-soft E13 TRSr/+ combo, with both performing significantly better in terms of damping and grip. Later, we tried even lower pressures on familiar trails and rode lose dirt and loam, but these mid-tier Newtons never totally convinced in terms of either grip, comfort, or confidence in the wet, especially considering the cost.

We’re going to put some more time in the softer rubber, pricier casing models soon and will report back.