Quiz: Can You Guess All of These Tire Treads?

May 24, 2023
by Matt Beer  
Every so often in mountain bike tire tread design there seems to be a dominant pattern; from the Panaracer Smoke and Dart combo, to Michelin's DH Comp 14, and then the Maxxis Minion DHF. When it comes to trail and gravity mountain biking, the latter brand is also leading the charge with their Assegai tire that uses a 3-2a-3-2b block pattern. Heaps of other tire brands have followed suit and created look-a-likes, while a few have held strong with a more rectangular block pattern that also bares a similar resemblance to the equally popular Maxxis DHR II, but there are subtle differences.

When you come across tire imprints on your trails, are you savvy enough to decipher which model it might be?

Below are 20 tire treads from various companies - some are popular designs that you're guaranteed to see at your local trail network, while others are much more obscure.

Let us know how well you know your tire treads in the poll at the bottom of the article.


1.
Vee Flow Snap

Click here for the answer



2.
Versus All Mountain

Click here for the answer



3.
Vitorria Mazza

Click here for the answer



4.
WTB Vigilante

Click here for the answer



5.
Pirelli Scorpion Enduro M

Click here for the answer



6.
Schwalbe Magic Mary

Click here for the answer



7.
Specialized Eliminator

Click here for the answer



8.
Tervail Warwick

Click here for the answer


9.
Kenda Hellkat

Click here for the answer



10.
Maxxis Assegai

Click here for the answer



11.
Michelin DH22

Click here for the answer



12.
Onza Aquila

Click here for the answer



13.
Deluim Rugged

Click here for the answer



14.
E thirteen Grappler

Click here for the answer



15.
Goodyear MTF

Click here for the answer



16.
Hutchinson Griffus 2.5

Click here for the answer



17.
American Classic Tectonite

Click here for the answer


18.
Continental Kryptotal Front

Click here for the answer



How many tire treads could you identify?



Posted In:
Reviews and Tech Quiz


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149 Comments

  • 254 1
 "Corporate needs you to find the difference between this tire and this tire"
  • 1 0
 LOL
  • 15 0
 but it's the same tire..
  • 68 0
 They're both a DHF
  • 28 0
 Isn't the guy who designed the Vittoria Mazza literally also the designer of the Minion DHF? Kinda like how Continentals BlackChili, Specializeds Gripton and some of Schwalbes compounds were also made by the same guy?
  • 3 1
 @Muscovir: Ah so other brand users understand the “Gripton effect”? That’s where the tire is so sticky it sprays your legs with dirt in downhill corners and berms.
  • 2 0
 @Muscovir: and i think he then started his own tyre company
  • 12 0
 @jonbrady85: Yes was thinking similar. They are all either a dhf, dhr, or magic mary.
  • 4 0
 @LAT2: Wolfpack. Insanely grippy, fast rolling and light tires, but with flimsy carcasses.
  • 9 0
 Looks like a Minion.
  • 1 0
 I need those tire reports by Sunday.
  • 223 0
 A lot of the answers aren't very answer-y
  • 63 1
 here is the whole line up of wtb tires as an answer!
  • 55 0
 Apparently one of the tires is Levy's stump jumper Evo
  • 7 0
 @adrennan: I bet AI is responsible here.

Please insert a PB link that has a picture of a tire that exactly matches this tread pattern, but for the love of god make them increasingly obscure and unhelpful!"
  • 9 0
 This. Come on Pinkbike, develop a feature to reveal a text box in the current page when clicked, or just link to the manufacturer's product page.
  • 6 0
 You have to be a "tire detective" to find the "answer" on some of the answer pages.
  • 4 0
 I like when you click for the answer - and it just links to a bike review.
  • 4 0
 Links to articles that haven’t been clicked on in a while… I see what you did there Pinkbike
  • 1 0
 @Ososmash: click on the picture and it brings up the photo with the name in the description.
  • 128 0
 Was feeling deflated after getting the first few wrong, quickly got tired of guessing
  • 6 8
 Underrated comment
  • 25 0
 @fmogan77: underinflated comment
  • 6 0
 A mountain biker walks into the emergency room after swallowing a tire.
The doctor looks at his chart, looks at the man, and tells him, “Oh my god, you really swallowed a whole tire?”
“Wheely,” says the rider
  • 6 0
 I blew it. Not even worth patching up.
  • 4 0
 I got them all right, I'm pumped.
  • 119 1
 I love identifying MTB tire tracks when I'm on the occasional hike with friends. They are extremely impressed with me in my mind.
  • 16 11
 The sniff test works wonders as well. Also the ladies are usually pretty dang impressed with my nasal knowledge. Feel free to use that move any time of the day or night Wink

Thank,
Carl
  • 1 0
 i do the same
  • 4 5
 @mior: Mior my good man! Hello times 1000! Good to hear from you, you old satch. Tell Babs and the gang to come aorund for afternoon tea every now and again.

Regards,
Carl Wheezer of Gethosington
  • 4 1
 @carlwheezer69: nah m8 lets go to my hood of east luton me an my roadmen will take you to the kebab shop by the council flats.
  • 4 0
 @carlwheezer69: I usually do the lick test. Tried it here too but it miraculously didn't work out, just some minor electrocution. Either they were all Eddy Current, or the PB editor built in some anti-tamper features.
  • 1 0
 Back when there were only a handful of fat bike tires, I used to be able to tell when one of my friends had ridden by as he was the only person with Big Fat Larrys in our neck of the woods.
  • 50 0
 Honestly the answer format needs to be reviewed. Was it pretty hard just to put the name of the tread? instead of linking different articles and random pictures?
  • 61 0
 How else will they generate those click through numbers on stale articles for corporate to show to advertisers?
  • 3 0
 @Murder-One: yup.... got about 3 out of me.
  • 2 0
 @Murder-One: This page will have the highest clicks of the year, 100%
  • 8 0
 The Outside overlords demand higher clicks because Pinkbike editorial is now completely beholder to advertisers and needs to prove that people are looking at the swooning advertorials that now plague the site - how can we drive the views? the editors cry - brainstorming session comes up with the tired trope of a 'quiz' where to see the answer you are dumped in a fawning insipid - AI could do it better - pigswill of a word dump
  • 2 0
 yeah, what's up with that @mattbeer ?
  • 6 0
 @Puddings: After question one I realised this was less a quiz and more a means to boost click stats.
  • 36 1
 I grow tired of these quizzes.
  • 8 0
 On the flip side, these quizzes might pump up other people.
  • 4 17
flag carlwheezer69 (May 24, 2023 at 13:21) (Below Threshold)
 Tire tire tire tire. Did I play the game right? Or shall I retire from these puns? See what I did there? AHAHAHAHAAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHAH
  • 12 0
 Tread lightly. Puns often fall flat in the comments.
  • 4 0
 Doing a tire test tread test is so deflating to the ego
  • 28 1
 Wtf are the answers. who made this article and utterly failed to provide clear answers for what the tires actually were. I dont wanna have to scroll through a SECOND article to figure out what tire i'm looking at lmao
  • 27 0
 Ok but can we make the quizzes a bit more buzfeedy. I want to know which pro xc racer is my spirit animal. Or what my suspension settings say about my sex life
  • 3 0
 "The length of your shock tells you something about your..."
  • 2 0
 At any rate, bottoming out too often is not a good sign
  • 3 0
 lol. I have one thats which type of mtbr are you
  • 25 0
 I feel like this is satire.
  • 23 1
 This would be more fun as a "Spot the Maxxis" game, where one is a Minion/Assegai/other and the other is a random company's knockoff version of it. As a bonus, we might actually get a few right.
  • 18 0
 I correctly identified the tire that the first two copied.
  • 1 0
 But Maxxis is also a copy. The first was Michelin and his soft C16 and C24 in 2001. Highroller and Minnion DHF was just copies of them.
  • 19 0
 I guess those articles had rookies numbers and pinkbike wanted to pump them up
  • 17 0
 Maxxis, Maxxis, Maxxis, Maxxis, Maxxis, Maxxis, Maxxis, Maxxis, Maxxis, Maxxis, Maxxis, Maxxis, and Maxxis.
  • 17 1
 Maxxis with a Continental patch, Maxxis with a Goodyear patch, Maxxis with an E13 patch...
  • 16 0
 All I ever see in these Rorschachs is my father's disappointment.
  • 1 1
 @GhostRing. Amazing
  • 15 0
 Just being honest... after I clicked on the first one I went... what is this... I'm not clicking on 17 more of these...
  • 1 0
 yup
  • 13 0
 They all look like DHF and DHR2 to me...
  • 28 0
 Hey now, some look like an Assegai and one even looked like a high roller!
  • 10 1
 1. Minion 2. Minion 3. Minion 4. Minion 5. Minion 6. Minion 7. Minion 8. Minion 9. Minion 10. Minion 11. Minion 12. Minion 13. Minion 14. Minion 15. Minion 16. Minion 17. Minion
  • 8 0
 If the tread is side to side I guessed DHR, was wrong most of the time. If the tread was knobby I guessed Assegai, was wrong most of the time. If the tread was more V like I guessed DHF, was wrong all of the time.
  • 10 0
 This, kids. Is what it looks like when you fax a tire!
  • 7 0
 I stopped this quiz immediately after realizing it was just clickbait BS. Would've been actually a cool idea if you took down everyone's results so we could see how people did. How they actually did.
  • 9 0
 pinkbike or buzzfeed?
  • 2 0
 I'm sure there's a way to make those pictures harder to look at if you try.... also, some of the links to answers actually have tires (though most don't). If you really want to piss us off, just have them all link to pinkgravel.com
  • 2 0
 Its amazing how similar the tread pattern is on the Eliminator, Hellkat and DH22.

All of them have the inverted triangle shape of 3 - 2 - 2- 1.

The Assegai/Grappler/Rugged/Kryptotal Fr were also hard to tell apart in this sort of photo.

I think I got 6.
  • 5 0
 Realised after one click that this "quiz" is just designed to get you to go to different pages.
  • 5 0
 They all looked like minions to me... except the assegai.
  • 4 0
 Honestly, I was expecting Rick Astley to be behind one of the links. Its a let down he wasnt.
  • 1 0
 All the tire treads look the same. I pretty much said they're either all Maxxis DHF/DHR or Schwalbe Magic Magic Mary. The only way you can tell it's not Maxxis is that the tire width won't be as narrow from the other manufactures when they're installed on the rim.
  • 3 0
 Pick which grouping of rectangular blocks is the best or most original and argue about it.
  • 2 0
 "I know what tires are the best, this tread pattern is amazing"

I think I got 2 or 3 correct and only one was a tire I have used.
  • 2 0
 What a great reminder that imitation is the highest form of flattery. That and is the rubber compound and how it is used that really matters.
  • 3 0
 Not hating, that's a creative way of generating view counts on those individual pages :-)
  • 3 0
 Is the whole purpose of this "quiz" to highlight how hopelessly outdated the content management system of this site is?
  • 1 0
 I was only able to pick out the Pirelli. Unnessary pointiness in the lugs to make it more "Scorpion". The Pirelli Scorpion Trail soft is the most disapointing tire I've owned. They should have just done a Maxxis clone.
  • 3 0
 Dont have time to release a fantasy enduro but have time to create quizzes like this. Good one Pinkbike.
  • 2 0
 my non-biker friends would kill me if I was nerdy enough to identify tires by tread pattern
  • 1 0
 So does that mean they are all making of fun you?
  • 2 0
 I can guess at least the pattern the knock offs were inspired by. It's a trick-poll.
  • 3 0
 Is tread blindness a recognized disability? Asking for a friend.
  • 3 0
 No Hookworms? I'm disappointed.
  • 3 0
 Maxxis Maxxis Maxxis Maxxis Maxxis Maxxis Etc...
  • 3 0
 They're all Minions - I don't need your opinions.
  • 3 0
 No Tioga Psycho. Disappointed.....
  • 2 1
 @PastizziBoy--agreed, no FJs or FJCs either...
  • 2 0
 Easy!! 1. Minion DHR 2. Minion ,...DHR 3. Minion maybe DHF 4. Minion DHR definitely 5. Hmmm. I see a pattern here....
  • 3 0
 This is a horrible content format.
  • 1 0
 With so many DHF/DHR/Assegai clones it becomes hard to tell tyres apart. The Assegai in particular seems to be the most immitated tread during the last couple of years.
  • 3 0
 Easy:
Answer 1 = Maxxis DHR
Answer 2 = Maxxis DHF
  • 1 0
 Was joking about with a make while ago that were there a dozen assgai look-alikes, iirc got to 14 different tyres that followed same pattern was near enough same shape
  • 3 0
 Looks like a Maxxis
  • 2 0
 Nearly every guess haha
  • 2 0
 No I can't and whats more i'm not going to try
  • 2 0
 I guessed Minion for all of them.
  • 1 0
 I couldn't tell what size tire any of them were. Was that not the question?
  • 1 0
 They're all derivative of Franklin Augustus Seiberling's DHK (Down Hill Killer) design.
  • 2 0
 Worst quiz ever, doesn't hold air to other tests.
  • 2 0
 Whoever wrote this article. Please, born again.
  • 2 0
 They all look like that tire that's marked as on sale for $79.99 Razz
  • 1 0
 "Oh this one is the actual Minion... oh damn.. ok it must be this one then... nope...."
  • 2 0
 But everything looks like a DHF, DHR or Magic Mary?
  • 1 2
 The amount of people that bitch about their free to read website having to pay the bills somehow is...well it's a lot. Surely you'd all be OK with PB becoming pay to view so you wouldn't have to see ads. Right?
  • 2 0
 Click to reveal did not work for me ‍♀️
  • 2 0
 Only got 6 right, embarrassing.
  • 2 0
 They all look like Minions lol
  • 2 0
 ...all look like Minions to me
  • 1 0
 Although Mr Daniel got most of those by secret discount through the og bike n bean, maybe nobody else got to try one?
  • 2 0
 I guessed Assegai for every one. That means I get 1 right.
  • 1 0
 i guess they're not all minions
  • 2 0
 Nevegals 4 Lyfe!
  • 1 0
 Could've done if it was cross country treads
  • 1 0
 Matt Beer had too many beers writing this one.
  • 1 0
 Maxxis or nothing...no replicas allowed Razz
  • 1 0
 Got the Vigilante no problem. Rest all look like DHRs to me.
  • 1 0
 If it's not in the Outside Gear Guide I don't know it
  • 1 0
 Minion Minion Minion Minion Minion Minion
  • 1 0
 "looks like a maxxis" is the new "looks like a session"
  • 1 0
 All of them look like a Maxxis
  • 2 0
 Wannnabe minions
  • 1 0
 Cheap way to get a metric f*ckton of "clicks"
  • 1 0
 Pinkbike simply post too much bullshit
  • 1 0
 A retro tire quiz would be more interesting.
  • 1 0
 Mannnn the se6 and delium rugged are basically identical
  • 1 0
 Who gives af really PB!! Stfu and pedal
  • 1 0
 I wasn't aware any tire existed other than the Minion. Weird!
  • 1 0
 This seems like a way to generate clicks for other articles....hmmmmm
  • 1 0
 Literally all of them are Maxxis knock-offs.
  • 1 0
 I got the Assegai...and I was sure that like 12 others were DHRs
  • 1 0
 Where is the Smoke and Dart for the OG MTB bros.
  • 1 0
 Tioga yellow kirin. Mkay?
  • 1 0
 Or desert raptor from wtb for the Sedona shredding back in the 26in days.
  • 1 0
 Came here looking for an Onza Porcupine. The old spiky one.
  • 1 0
 Nope, sure can't.
  • 1 0
 *Michelin Comp 16!!
  • 1 0
 Tired of this
  • 6 3
 ...tyred of you North Amerycans mysspellyng everythyng!
  • 1 0
 DHR2 and DHF's...
  • 3 1
 Yes, but are they 650b or 29er? And what width? Razz
  • 1 0
 I failed miserably
  • 1 0
 All Maxxis Everything
  • 1 0
 yawwwwwn
  • 1 0
 Poor show PB
  • 1 0
 No XC tires?
  • 1 0
 Looks like a session





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