First Look: Maxxis Tires, AClass Wheels, HT Pedals - Taipei Show

Mar 21, 2013
by Mike Kazimer  
Maxxis DHF 29x2.5 Highroller II 27.5x2.4 Ardent 27.5.

Maxxis' race-proven and hugely popular tread patterns remain unchanged, but the company is expanding their offerings to include more widths and sizes. In addition, many of their tires are now tubeless ready - the inner casing has been modified to make them compatible with sealant. The Minion DHF in a 29x2.5" version with a DH casing caught our eye - this could be a good match for the latest crop of long-travel 29ers entering the market. For those on the in-between wheel size, the Minion DHR II, DHF, Highroller II, and the Ardent will all be available in 27.5 versions, with delivery expected by mid-April. Final pricing is still to be determined.

www.maxxis.com


AClass Wheels AXT3

photo

The AXT3 is AClass Wheels' new tubeless ready all-mountain wheelset that uses what the company calls their "T-Bar" design. In this design, the spoke nipples are held in an aluminum cylinder that is sandwiched between two raised sections of the rim. The intention is to allow for a better spoke angle from the hub to the rim, theoretically increasing wheel strength and stiffness. The aluminum sleeves can be anodized, allowing manufacturers that spec the wheels to offer different color options. Both the front and rear wheels use a 24 hole, two cross lacing pattern, and rotate on Japanese sealed cartridge bearings. The AXT3 will be available in all three wheel sizes and with QR/15/20mm options available for the front and 135 QR or 142x12 thru-axle versions for the rear. Claimed weight of the AXT3 is 1682 grams for the 26" version. Price: TBD.

www.aclass-wheels.com


HT Components pedals

HT Pedals - ME02 ME03 Kevin Aiello model.

The weight, or lack of it, is the most noticeable feature when picking up HT Component's ME02 pedal (left). The pedal body is cut away to expose the spindle, a weight reducing tactic that brings it down to a featherweight 200 grams per pair. HT's new ME03 EVO pedal (center) has a magnesium body, a titanium spindle, and weighs in at 218 grams for the pair. MSRP is $285. A prototype version (pictured on right without pins) of the pedal DH racer Kevin Aiello had a hand in designing was also on display. The pedal is 11mm thick and has a 110x105mm platform. Multiple color options will be available, and pricing is expected to be around $190. A titanium spindled option will also be available. All three of the aforementioned pedals use two bushing inside the pedal body, and a patented, external roller bearing.

ht-compontents.com

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Reviews and Tech First Looks Pedals Tires Maxxis


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97 Comments
  • 79 1
 How much mud think will fit in rim
  • 51 1
 All of it? All the mud from the trail will be in your rim. People later will be like "I am sure this is more rocky than last time I rode here."
  • 49 1
 And the award for the company trying and failing to reinvent the wheel is....

Will end up with more muck in that rim that jenna jamesons rim///
  • 1 0
 "The intention is to allow for a better spoke angle from the hub to the rim"

If that's really a problem, why not look at the hub specific drilling of the Rigidia Andra for the Rohloff? Sure, it's a pretty far out comparison but it's still doable with a traditional rim.
  • 7 0
 After one ride that rim would need an enema.
  • 8 1
 Thats a really badly over looked design flaw, I cant believe it, its terrible. After a rip in the mud the wheels would clog and become so heavy and uneven in weight it would throw the handling and braking completely off and it would be like pedaling a motorbike......Unless the company know something we dont, or are these "dry weather" wheels.:O
  • 9 1
 how much "creaking" is that rim going to make where those cylinders interface with the rim? i bet it will be quite noisy... look cool tho...
  • 3 1
 that wheels look strong
  • 2 0
 what if im already riding tubeless with maxis highroller II?
  • 2 1
 That wheel designer must ride where I do. I haven't hit a muddy trail in two years. Its all dust all the time in Utah.
  • 1 0
 ME03...They are expensive, but awesome!! My favorite platform so far. The size and grip are perfect for my taste.
  • 1 0
 Not the mud, but the cylinders appear to "float" inline. Looks like 3mm's of free space before the nipple would stop the rim from moving. Meaning the rim could "deflect" causing it to give a loose feel. Like riding a strong rim with loose spokes. It might not actually do that. It's a cool design for spoke issues, if you frequently have that problem..
  • 1 0
 As much as a gimmick I think they are I would love to see a set in the flesh.
  • 57 0
 $285 for pedals. $285 for pedals!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!???????????
  • 31 5
 But you don't have to be the top 3% so who cares
  • 27 0
 The world's gone mad, it's a square platform of metal that spins on a stick of metal - I think it's pretty safe to say we've cracked that engineering problem. £30 Superstar pedals - yes please!
  • 6 0
 Superstars ain't £30 no more buddy Wink
  • 3 0
 Superstar Components and HT Components are the same catalog company. Most sets of Superstar pedals I've bought arrive in HT packaging!
  • 8 12
flag ParkCityPlush (Mar 22, 2013 at 8:28) (Below Threshold)
 I'll stick to my $15 bmx plastics in any color I want... And lightweight
  • 1 1
 Those HT pedals get all loosey goosey after a while, like the barrings start to kinda seperate from the platform itself. good show pedals tho.
  • 2 0
 yeah but at 218gr for the pair they are way lighter 90% of the other platform pedals out there. Most pedals weigh 200-250gr per pedal, not per pair. If you are going for a light weight build thats actually a fairly cheap and easy way to lose 1/2lb or more depending on your pedals.
  • 3 0
 sorfast, let me repeat "$285 for pedals. $285 for pedals!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!???????????" for how much weight saving?
  • 8 7
 So the neg prop chorines are out... Well chew on this ... If you spend more than $50 on platform pedals you are an idiot..
  • 5 1
 your words do not hurt me^
  • 2 4
 $285 is an awful lot of money for a MAGNESIUM pedal. If I'm correct, magnesium is pretty flammable, so in theory, if you hit those pedals on one rock the wrong way, you could have a very bright and painful crash...
  • 1 0
 that'd be a thin strip, if you nailed um good and got some to come off the stuff that hit and got scrapped off would light up but not the whole body, it's like steel, you can light up steel wool no problem, but you weld steel with a torch (among other things)...


but yeahh screw $285 i can't even justify dropping that on a new fork, I've paied $5 on a used pair that i rode till the molded pins wore down, $15 for a pair of old beaters off of here, and $20 for some cheapies at the LBS...
  • 1 0
 These pedals look sick, and are probably the lightest platform pedal you can get. However, that external bearing is crap. Took my ht's apart one day, and the whole bearing exploded. Popped and nylon washer in there and they were back in business. Way too pricey to have a little part like that break so easily.
  • 1 0
 Ahh, right! Forgot that about metals... Stupid of me, but regardless, that is a h**l of a lot of money for something that's going to be inevitably smashed off a few rocks.
  • 26 7
 I never thought I'd see an 'ugly' wheel. But fuck me...
  • 19 1
 I actually like the way it looks..
  • 27 1
 "I never thought I'd see an 'ugly' wheel. Butt f*ck me..." - Jack Clark
  • 2 1
 i actually agree wi ya "sol-gh" here minted man, i love the design as it take the stress of the nipple and directs the tightness from rim to hub Smile i like to see these applied to DH like Smile
  • 3 1
 "take the stress of the nipple and directs the tightness from rim to hub"

words fail me at your fail
  • 1 0
 well is does ya noob, if ya know how a wheel works insted of just insulting people you would know hoe benificial this setup is Smile
  • 10 1
 as long as maxxis still make the high roller and the advantage in 26 inch ill be a happy bunny Smile they can make whatever tyres they want in other sizes, it wont affect me for the foreseeable future
  • 3 0
 +1 on the Advantages. Alot of people don't know this but they are MASSIVE. I use them as a front tire and they smash through everything.
  • 2 0
 the idea of a 2.5 29r is making me hurl
  • 7 1
 I am so sick of hearing about 29ers.......
  • 3 0
 Orientdave, there are a couple of reasons I can think of, the first being rotational weight. More weight at the rim is harder to turn over. It also makes the bike more difficult to maneuver due to gyroscopic effects. Having moving parts at the rim, (aluminum sleeves) is unnecessary because most spoke nipples allow the spoke to sit at the proper angle, plus it's just another part to fail. Then when it does fail you will be charged more for hard to find parts and labor due to the convoluted system. If they wanted to make the wheel stiffer they should have added more spokes or tried a 2 to1 lacing pattern. I would rather shell out the money for some industry 9 wheels. Lighter, better looking, and they use technology that makes sense.
  • 7 0
 Those wheel - form over the function. That's it.
  • 2 0
 I looked at those wheels and like most comments thought..
A bit of a gimick
What about mud?
With that shape manufacturing expense will be high so expensive wheels.
Is it solving a problem that isn't much of a problem?

Then I thought there are a lot of comments about these wheels, I wonder how many people at the show are visiting the Maxxis stand because people are talking about it? Perhaps this is a brilliant move by Maxxis to encourage footfall to their stand. Maybe I am cynical?
  • 1 0
 Yeah I think those wheels will go the way of the Dodo but I think you've got a bit mixed up. The wheels are made by A-class not Maxxis.
  • 1 0
 Good point that's an embarrassing typo, when i was typing i was still thinking about a 29x2.5 minion steamroller going down a hill so had maxxis on my mind. Really should read what ive typed first. The points still valid though i expect A-Class's stand got a lot of footfall because of those wheels. I think your spot on though they will definitely go the way of the dodo.
  • 7 1
 Those wheels look crappy and good luck finding a spare if you break them
  • 5 0
 Those Maxxis tires look pretty sweet. Not sure why you would want a minion DH on a 29er but.... Whatever floats your boat..
  • 3 0
 I know a couple of the guys I worked with in Whistler gave a collective cheer when the minion dh 29er tires came out. Super-agressive/rocky riding requires a dependable, durable tire; the minion fits the bill perfectly
  • 2 0
 Agreed ^^^^. Brace yourselves for the long-travel 29ers, coming soon to a trail near you.
  • 2 0
 29x2.5 DH casing? Wow that's gonna be something like 1500-1600g. That will not help make a 29er fun, and I'm not even talking about the uphills... Look forward to see DH bikes wheel size for next season though. Mixed 29 and 27.5? 27.5 alone? Surely still a large majority of 26" rigs, but I find it interesting!
  • 1 0
 It's actually at 1255g, claimed: www.maxxis.com/Bicycle/Downhill/Minion-DHF.aspx The reason for the low weight is that it's tubeless ready, with folding beads and a fabric sidewall insert instead of the typical butyl insert. The only 27.5 Maxxis DH tire is the High Roller II, for now. You should see some on the World Cup circuit this year.
  • 1 0
 Check out the Spec Butcher 29er. Claimed to be 810 grams and 50a compound, sounds like the perfect 29er AM?enduro tyre.
  • 4 0
 IMHO: That wheel looks like it will not be as light as the claimed weight... Also putting more weight at the rim seems counter-intuitive.
  • 3 1
 Pity the fool that buys those wheels.
  • 5 3
 Maxxis should make The Crossmark in a downhill tyre, those things are amazing. Low weight, fast rolling and for the amount of tread the grip is freakishly good. I run them on both ends and have done since I got a set on a Cannondale Rush years ago and have never changed. In all weathers except really wet and muddy they stick to everything.
  • 2 0
 Agreed. I raced TranRockies on a Rush with those tires set up tubeless. Incredibly fast, and lucky for me, no punctures.
  • 2 0
 Ive got a pair of 2.35's on my All Mountain bike and they are awsome. Who ever gave negative props (yawn) has obviously not tried them.
  • 3 1
 ht's me02 pedal looks almost identical to the point one podium pedal... pointoneracing.myshopify.com/collections/products/products/podium-pedal

point one podium = $179, made in usa & it's benchmark made it the first thin platform pedal targeted to the gravity market.

ht me02 = $285, most likely made in taiwan & just another copy cat market.
  • 2 0
 one weighs 200grams and the other weighs a lot more.
  • 1 0
 I agree with jaydawg, 200 grams compared to 350 grams makes a big difference. especially on pedals. and for an extra 100 bucks you get the sickest, lightest(probably) flat pedal.
  • 4 0
 I wouldn't call it copycatting, if the design with an open spindle saves weight, companies would be crazy not to use it. If there's a better way to do something, then it will be done regardless of who made it first.
  • 1 0
 but no one will copy the tioga external bearing pedal lol
  • 1 0
 I got some wellgo pedals for 35 quid and low and behold 325 grams for the pair as advertised. They have taken a real battering as well. Who says you need to pay an arm and a leg for light pedals.
  • 4 0
 They are like mud mills generating resistance against you .
  • 3 0
 i love how completely wacky those wheels look but there's only about a million reasons why they are impractical Frown
  • 1 1
 Enlighten me...
  • 14 0
 They'll shred the brake blocks on your cantelevers
  • 1 1
 Thank boo86, Nice one. Is there anyone who could actually answer the question though...
Available in all three wheel sizes does lend one to think that your reasoning is, how can I put it, ...off.

So, any advance on the other 999,999 reasons?
  • 3 0
 Well, it looks to me like under a heavy side load there could be a chance of those cylinders holding the spokes popping out of the raised portion of the rim....

Just an observation, I could easily be wrong...

So, is that 999,998 reasons to go???
  • 7 1
 Difficult to clean.
  • 6 5
 they look gay ?
That's a good reason
  • 2 0
 Cause of weight reduction? I got Mavic SLR and Crosstrail, and these wheels got almost the same shape between spokes. Mavic actually made their rims with this shape to get rid of some extra weight. The design on these look a bit more complex, and like Joseph said, they it look pretty difficult to clean up...
  • 3 0
 29x2.5 DH Casing... could this mean some of the DH boys are testing 29er DH bikes?
  • 2 0
 Soon enough
  • 2 0
 Google "Intense 2951"
  • 2 0
 I think we'll see 650B DH bikes well before 29ers.
  • 2 0
 I hope, but i've already seen a 29er prototype dh with a dorado.
  • 3 0
 $200 plus pedals!
Help, im in Cyprus and I cant get money out of my atm to buy em!
  • 1 0
 Aclass is Alex rims I did not realise this until I checked out their website,that name always sounded a bit off to me. To much mud over the years has given me a dirty mind.
  • 2 0
 Can I still use V-Brakes with that rim ?? lol
  • 1 0
 who the hell still uses v-brakes?
  • 1 0
 there a few of us retro fans
  • 2 0
 Please tell me there's also an EXO version of the 29er Minion coming.
  • 1 0
 There is: www.maxxis.com/Bicycle/Mountain/Minion-DHF.aspx
  • 1 0
 Those prototype HTs (on the right) look like a superking bed mattress. They are HUGE!
  • 1 0
 check out the website, they are super thin and awesome.
  • 1 0
 In my opinion, new 'inventions', or tecnologies as we can see in those new wheels are just pointless....
  • 1 0
 I see everyone's point in the rims. But what if they were on a dirt jumper that doesn't see mud? I think I'd rock em on mine
  • 1 0
 Ht pedals are the only pedals i will ever buy since I picked up a pair last season.. amazing.
  • 1 0
 Ive heard HT also has a SPD clipless pedal prototype in development, does anyone know if that is true????
  • 1 0
 Still waiting on a HighRoller2 UST 2.5 42a tyre to be included in Maxxis Range ??????????????
  • 1 0
 those pedals look exactly like point1 podiums
  • 1 0
 a-class needs to bring back those revolt wheels....
  • 1 0
 Those wheels look cool. They also look expensive.
  • 2 0
 29x2.5 lulz
  • 1 0
 Pedals for 285??!! "Give me wellgo or give me death"
  • 1 0
 Haha mud slingers!!
  • 1 1
 worst thread about show so far...
  • 1 1
 Love the 29" Minions.







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