Maxxis High Roller
| Configuration: | Hammerhead 100X with Magura/Mavic 717 wheelset |
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| Pros: | Aggressive knob pattern |
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| Cons: | Deep tread channel is loose in turns |
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| Test Location: | Barton Creek Greenbelt and Walnut Creek |
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| Review: | I have had several people rave about these tires so I decided to try them. They are good in some circumstances, but I found their performance to be inconsistent, which is why I would not recommend them. The first ride that I had on them was at the BArton Creek Greenbelt, a trail that is rocky, with a lot of hard pack trails. The tires performed fine there. On rocks and roots they had plenty of grip. The traction is what I would have expected from the tires, not as good as the Kenda (Nevegal or Blue Groove) but good enough to merit the tires a passable grade. However, taking the tires to Walnut Creek yielded a completely different outcome. Walnut Creek's trail surface is much looser. There is a lot of dust, a lot of loose soil and much sharper banked, loose curves. The Maxxis has what I call a "tread channel" down the center sides of the tire. There is a set of knobs down the middle for your main riding, and a set of aggressive knobs along the side for cornering. However, between the two, there is essentially a large open area. This gap creates an environment in loose soil that leads to lost traction. I slid out in the turns all night as the sharp banked turn with dusty/loose soil provided no surface for gripping and holding. The sharper the turn, the worse the sliding was. With cornering being so tricky, I found myself decelerating ahead of the turn, not the situation you want to be in. I sold the tires to someone after 2 rides and he has been happy with them, so it might have just been me. But his bike is a more aggressive, longer travel bike. Perhaps they're fine for that style of riding, but for regular XC riding, I recommend Kenda tires here in Austin.
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| Verdict: |
Score: C- Probably fine for some uses, but for XC riding, especially in looser conditions, they don't give good enough traction in the turns. |
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Copyright 2009, John Fruehe |
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