Semi-slick tires aren't a new concept in mountain biking, but they've experienced a resurgence over the past year or so, with Schwalbe's Rock Razor and Specialized's Slaughter tires being the two most prominent examples, and now it looks like Maxxis is getting ready to join the fray. The growth of enduro racing is certainly part of the reason this style of tread patten is gaining in popularity, along with the fact that companies are now using much taller outer knobs compared to what was done in the past, which improves cornering and expands the range of conditions the tire is usable in, especially when matched with a wide, aggressive tire in the front.
We recently spotted a prototype 27.5” tire from Maxxis being tested in the woods of the Pacific Northwest, and were able to
snap a few shots of the new tread patten. The pronounced side knobs are identical to those found on Maxxis' Minion, using an alternating pattern of a rectangular knob that's siped down its center, followed by an L-shaped lug around the tire's perimeter. Miniature versions of those L-shaped lugs are found on the borders of the tire's low-profile center portion, along with a row of ramped knobs running down the very middle.
So far Maxxis is keeping quiet about the tire's specifics, but with the Andes Pacifico and the first round of the Enduro World Series fast approaching, it wouldn't be surprising to see the new tire start appearing on the bikes of Maxxis' sponsored riders.
MENTIONS @Maxxis
m.youtube.com/watch?v=5ucgx_6ZqoM
Pic Semi related
www.pinkbike.com/photo/10650221
NOBODEEEE!!!! gasps, vein bulges, house lights fade to black>
As for the black chilli compound, I have der kaisers and mud kings and I'm really impressed with the grip and carcass strength. Although my am bike came with trail kings which are very draggy and don't offer desireable grip and inflate super wide so mud clearance is poor. I find the maxxis 3c an equally good compound but I got my first puncture (a snake bite at 25psi - I run anything from 20psi to 45psi) for a year and a half with the bonty. It's worth it for the grip though, especially for the price.
Have you tried se's? Are they the same but with a stronger carcass? Have you tried any of their mud tyres?
Bonty are definately an overlooked tyre. Mountain Biking UK magazine did a tyre test the other month and the xr4 won it (test included HR2, magic Mary, mavix charge etc.) they even admitted that they wouldn't have tested the bonty had it not been on a test bike. They were impressed by it on the bike so they decided to take it off and put it in the test.
When I had a punture the other day, it was a pinch flat so rapidly deflated to 0psi (obviously with a tube) and the tyre was still properly rooted into the tubeless grove of the rim (e13 trs+). So I bet tubeless set ups are a piece of p*** for the xr4 too.
I also had the issue with 60a high rollers wearing out after a couple of hard pack / loamy rides. If I'm honest I wasn't overly impressed with high rollers. I found they're grip predictable but not inspiring. I wasn't hitting the off camber lines. And the rolling speed wasn't great either. Despite their name.
I now run black chilli contis on my dh bike (der kaiser and mud king combos) and they have lasted for a solid few months without showing much wear. I will definately get a year of riding out of them. But in the summer I might put a worn out high roller on the back because it doesn't look dissimilar to the picture in the article
I recently bought a maxxis shorty 3c which is my first maxxis tyre since my high rollers. Fingers crossed it will last a lot better. It is on the front after all.
@nekmtb I think the 2.4 650b ardent is quite a bit bigger than the 2.3 minion...check my profile pic..Thats a 2.4Hr2 up front and a 2.25 Ardent in the back...the 2.3 minion is quite a bit smaller than the 2.4 HR2
Larsen is the best cause you can´t get this fast rolling and braking power in one like this one... in steep enduros you don´t want to relay on the breaking power of the front tire so much so it´s much risky and have a big braking power at the back is a guarantee for not crashing in long runs...
www.backcountry.com/hutchinson-piranha-tubeless-light-mountain-bike-tire
I´ll try to explain it using a example:
Lets say you ride a roadrace on your Nomad, and you choose to run full on slick tyres, your average speed i 30mph
Now lets say the use of a single Nobby Nic reduces your average speed by 2mph, and a Rocket Ron reduces your average speed by 1mph.
Switch your rear slick tyre with a Nobby Nic --> your average speed will now be 28mph
Now switch your front slick tyre with a Nobby Nic --> new average speed is 26mph
Switch both Nobby Nic with Rocket Rons --> your average speed will go back up to 28mph
My theory is that each tyre reduce your speed, as both tyres add rolling resistance. This way running a semi slick(Rocket Ron in the example) in the back, and a aggressive thread-pattern up front(Nooby Nic in the example), will reduce your speed less than running two agressive tyres.
Then there is the weight aspect; a semi-slick will normally be lighter than a full-on mud tyre, so by running 1 semi-slick and 1 mud tyre, you reduce the rotational weight compared to running 2 mud tyres.
With the new semi-slick that Spesh, Schwalbe and now Maxxis are offering, you don´t loose any cornering grip as the side knobs are still huge, you only sacrifice your "center-tyre-grip" - something I´m very willing to do.
www.google.co.uk/search?q=maxxis+semi+slick+tires&biw=1170&bih=875&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=jD_TVIywBIm27gaN64CADQ&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAg&dpr=1#imgdii=_&imgrc=SwEpnAgOE7Z4JM%253A%3BIZSU57YFU_FRhM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.camposlorca.com%252Fimages%252Fcubiertasbtt-maxxis-highroller-rigida-26X2.35-semi-slick.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.pinkbike.com%252Fforum%252Flistcomments%252F%253Fthreadid%253D92908%2526pagenum%253D2360%3B260%3B260
when youre going in a straight line, its very smooth compared to a proper knobbly tyre, but as soon as you lean over it grips just like any other tyre, in fact i looked at the skid marks and you would not have seen the difference between the semi slick any a magic mary, because only the big side lugs were in contact of the ground
overall if was a big improvement over the high roller i had on before (maxxis people dont get pissed, it was the super cheap wire bead hard compound, its not going to compete with a SG razor)
having gone through the experience of having a fancy rear tyre, id say spend all your money on a front tyre and just swap it to the back whenever it wears too low, and then put a fresh tyre on the front!
I had a "close one" when riding Moab...semi slick tire washed out when I made an abrupt turn on dry sandy stuff along with some hidden slick rock...could have been a costly error if it weren't for my cat like reflexes. ...Moab's sorta an easy trail system but if you F up...you're dead.
Mike, since you're new to mountain biking, you should know Maxxis had the HR SS about decade ago. ;-)
(Can still find them on Dunbar too! Albeit in that antiquated 26" size we used before your time)
FTFY
Teehee (I'm just teasing, because you probably owned a pair of HRSS's at some point)
That said, how did you find the transition to side lugs? With the HRSS the lugs were fairly low so it felt similar to a HR worn a bit, but these look a lot taller, so curious to know how it feels. Regardless it's been a long time coming for us who ride harder packed trails.
I want it in super tacky UST 2.2 please and also send me some minion dhf super tacky UST 2.4 for upfront!
my CC is... oh maybe not here...
PRO-CORE!!
PRO-CORE!!!
PRO_CORE!!!
#maxxiswannabeschwalbe
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Fill your boots!
*short lifespan.