I’ve been watching RU-vid videos for well over a decade, this is the first comment I’ve ever bothered to leave. This is a fantastic video, a great balance of being informative yet light-hearted and entertaining. Great work
I switched from Assegai/Dissector to Forekaster/Rekon for my local trails in Indiana (Brown County) and while sometimes I miss the ultimate bite, this is a way better setup for around here. Lighter, rolls significantly better, still corners very well and predictable. I switched based on an earlier video from the Syd and Macky channel. Thanks guys!
Have you considerd Dual forekasters? I've been running this on my Enduro bike for the local trails and they are fantastic, They can get kinda caught out when your riding soft dirt but harder pack they are awesome. pedal waay easier than my normal DH tyre setup.
Rode a “trail” on Mt. St. Helens using knobbies. It was untracked pumice fields. Once we turned around at the climb’s end, a strong wind was at our backs. The knobs would pick up pumice gravel, sort of like flinging mud, to head height. Being light due to the air pockets, and with the wind at our backs, the pumice gravel would seem to float around our bodies as we rode. Supremely surreal.
So happy this series is back. Loved how you explained the logic for picking the various Maxxis tires to address different trail conditions. Thought I knew it all about Maxxis tires; but, still got some great info. You two rock!
For general trail riding, rear tire is about rolling resistance and weight/pinch flat protection. The front tire is for cornering and braking. If the trail conditions are consistent ex. all hardpack, loose over hard, mud you could run the same tire front and rear. However for variable conditions say mostly hardpack with some loose conditions you may run a tire with lower rolling resistance in back for easier faster pedaling (Rekon/Dissector)paired with a more aggressive tread up front (Forekaster/DHF) for better braking and cornering in the loose sections of the trail.
Good stuff ... I prefer being under-tired (and under-biked for that matter) as it makes the majority of trails I ride more fun. (100m Hardtail and 2.25 Pirelli XC RCs) ... that said, I also run Cushcore XC as I like low pressure but good sidewall support for extra leanage. I kind of wish you had talked about size choices, staggering front/rear sizes, etc ...
I'd like to hear a deep dive into tires. I've never thought much about all the possibilities. I had no clue that the tread set up at an angle down the center is ment to pack the dirt in to help stop. It was like an ah-ha moment!
Fun fact: if the Maxxis branding on the tyre is white, the tyre are the original tyres that came with the bike. If they are yellow, they are aftermarket.
You know, I’ve heard this for years as well. But then my Yeti came stock with yellow-badged Maxxis tires, and I bought a new Rekon the other day in retail packaging that is badged in white .. so I’m not sure this is still true ?? 🤔
@@sevenninthsfabmachine the white tires are for manufacturers who are getting an OEM deal. It's possible that yeti is either buying the tires at regular wholesale, or they may even spec yellow letters for marketing reasons. Now the white letters in retail packaging is weird, I wonder if someone reused retail packaging and put it on OEM tires.
@@sevenninthsfabmachineI've noticed that Maxxis oem tires are mostly white, and retail Maxxis, is yellow. You can find white online but it's a little harder to find, especially in the variety that yellow come in.
Did you know those colorful stripes on the treads of Schwalbe tires helps with installing? Yeah, the strip goes on the non-drive side of your bike. No more analyzing the tread pattern or looking for the arrow on the side wall. :)
Speaking of big tall knobs, I've been running continental kryptotal rear, front and back. I tested tons of tires and these brake super hard and corner insane. Prefer open channel to intermediary for a hard bite, and having both the same is efficient to swap a bit worn front to back. Really good everything tire with taller knobs spaced enough for occasional mud and work great on loose steep dry terrain with chunky knobs that don't deform on rocks and rolls pretty fast.
Love it--Can you help me understand how talking about tires seems to defy time and space / how no matter what's already been said or done, there's always more to say about tires? Peace! Heart!
What’s not fun is flatting 5 miles out cuz you’re using light duty tires. Both of you guys are lighter riders and can get away with more lighter duty tires. Bigger riders like me prefer more beefier tread and casings to handle abuse, ok maybe it rolls a little slower but it can’t be so bad it’s like antigravity…people say it’s such a huge difference, I’ve tried both and feel it’s not so night and day difference. I just noticed how frail they are!
Don't know where to start with this. This was actually sooooo interesting, and I'm a Maxxis kinda guy so the specifics of your video are great. However I don't have the benefit of swapping tyres out for very ride condition but this will definitely give me a better understanding of what to look at / think about (ie, rewatch this video) when I need to replace my current tyres. I had no idea about the tyre pattern sipes either so that was a great learning. Well done on another great video!!!! allan
I was just watching your brake bleed video and was wondering when you would post the next vid here. Then I saw this waiting at the top of the list. Perfect timing!
Can confirm as someone who rides both the shorty and assegai. The Shorty rolls absurdly slow and is torure to peddal in anything other than loose and wet. I use them in the winter as a snow tire for the same reasons it's a good mud tire. The assegai is by far my favorite front, but peddling it with a DHR on pavement is torture compared to my Vittoria Mezcals on my XC
Hell yeah, awesome job. For those who use mtb for commutes or long adventures: schwalbe studded winter tires and schwalbe 2022 touring. 2,695 days living off a bicycle. Keep riding
We've been trying out the iGS800. Been pretty pleased with it so far and the battery life is incredible! If you're in the market: amzn.to/3Xg1okM (use code "10SMiGS800" for 10% off)
Jim (Syd's dad) really likes the Ardent but it isn't one we've tried, so can't speak to it. Bentonville trails are generally pretty hard packed so something like the Rekon would be good. If you wanted a bit more tread than that, you could go Forekaster on the front. Would be a good setup for Fruita too where is a bit looser (this the Forekaster up front) but still fairly hard packed.
I know it won't help your video to bag on Maxxis. As a Midwest rider, I really feel they need to rework there XC racing line up. Vittoria seems to have found the sweet spot of low rolling resistance, durability, and traction. Maxxis always seems skewed with a disadvantage in rolling. Maxxis seems to think low rolling resistance only comes from a lack of tread. They quicky become a better option as sharp rocks and other tire eating features become more prelevant. I'm glad you guys have a solid sponsor.
Yeah, I prefer both Vittoria and Bontrager trail/enduro tires over than their Maxxis counterparts for similar reasons. Plus, I never had wobbly tires from Vittoria or Bontrager, but I have had wobbly tires from Maxxis and Continental.
For xc riding to run a tire that is good for dry to wet terrain in the front and in the something in the back that that runs faster and has less treads.
Really enjoy this video. While I mix and match tyre brands between fwd and aft wheels, I have friends who prefer same brand on both ends, so yes, it's all personal preferences. Thank you!
Probably the best one stop discussion of tire options I’ve seen. Great video, will be my go to reference to get folks up to speed on tire choice. Thoughts on Forekaster vs Aggressor vs Dissector?
Forekaster is more of a trail tire than the other two according to Maxxis, but if you get the "ebike version" it has an EXO+ casing which puts it solidly in line with those others in my opinion.
@@sydfixesbikes I'm loving the Dissector as a trail tire with the low profile center knobs and taller cornering knobs. I'll run it on the front with a fast rolling rear tire in the dry season and throw it on the rear in the winter with something aggressive up front. Of course, I'm not trying to win races, just keep-up with my riding buddies and keep the rubber side down, so ymmv, but the MaxxTerra EXO version seems quite similar to the new Forecaster (which is high on my list to try next).
Hey Syd... i did mtb race in the past.. i am back on track after 10 years i am riding a 26 wheel mtb.. do you think it is a good choice getting back on track with a well known mtb? i will be switching to the newer one (29er) in the future.. have you got an opinion about that?
Great information! Personally I choose trail tires and sometimes XC tires but my rims are wide, i30,i35 and i40 too. Plus I always have Cushcore inserts. I really feel tire inserts in high volume tires are perfect for me.
Thanks for your description of breaking edges and rolling ramps. I often wondered if I flip my rear tire around for edgy traction to climb and leave my front normally mounted (keeping the nice rolling ramps), then I could have maximum grip for power bursts in the back and the lowest rolling resistance and edgy breaking surface on the front. This would apply to punchy climbs where I’m spinning out in the rear tire. Question: are MTB tires one-direction fiber or dual? Like the old car tires that had to be mounted one-way or they would fail (unwind the fibers and tear the side walls).
How do you combat maxxis tire wobble? I've seen this on the dbh tires. Folding tubeless ones specifically. The bead is seated. The wheel is true. But there's a huge wobble in them assuming from levering them onto the rim.
Glad to see this channel back on. I follow your other channel too and make a point to watch all the adds. I learned quite a bit from this video. So definitely IQ +1. Thanks
Great topic and perfect timing (I'm looking at some seriously worn knobs :) ) Thank you...I had no idea about any of this. Waiting anxiously for the next hour video on inserts...😅
Another great and informative video, thanks! So funny, last night I was thinking about how much I missed Sid fixes bikes, in fact I was going to send you a note this morning when viola you posted a new vid! Now that winter is here I hope we see a few more of this series. Cheers
It’s a question of how much can I get away with the aspen. The best tyres I ever rode were one of the cheapest. I used to get a flat per week and when I switched to the cheap tyres it blew the competition away. Fast rolling less effort more top speed very rare puncher. The tyres looked like junk but were awesome. The had a thick bead continuous along the middle non stop. Quick acceleration and easily maintained top speed. I’ve road old aspens and they surprised me but I’m yet to see a tread pattern close to what I desire.
we should make AI predictive real-time adaptive deformation tyres, where it can morph the shape of the knobs and treads on teh tyre in real time, and adapt best to the terrain based on AI vision, and predictive of what best tread pattern and knobs to morph into for the next patch of mud/ dirt etc
One thing I had to get to grips with now compared to when I started mtb was the evolution in tyre widths. An XC tyre in the 90’s would be 1.9 to 2.1. Now my new bike came with 2.5 recon race which look massive by comparison. I can’t honestly say they feel like a revolution in grip or roll compared to what came before but that’s just a gut feeling. I haven’t made a comparison but would be interested to know the weight variation over those different sidewall configs which for more XC rides would be a consideration for me.
I typically run Assegai & Aggressor. I’m interested in your opinion between the DHR and Aggressor. To me, it seems the Agressor seems to roll better for me, it definitely isn’t as grippy as the DHR but when it breaks traction it’s very predictable. What are your thoughts?
Yup, same that I would've said. Agressor is not as grippy and rolls a bit better. We often use it as a rear tire, but probably wouldn't use as a front whereas the DHR works great on the front.
I have been puzzling over what to use for a while. My trail bike came with an assegai up front and a dissector in the back in an exo casing. I like the tread for downhill but I can’t help but think it’s a bit much for my slow and awkward riding. On the flip side maybe the extra grip is good as I make bad choices and can lose grip on a flat trail. I rarely flat so I don’t feel like a heavier casing is absolutely necessary.
You could move the dissector to the front and stick something like a rekon on the rear. That would be a noticeably faster and lighter combination that still gives a decent amount of grip.
@@bjornfongern4850 I actually tried that but the rekon I had was from a budget bike and the compound was very hard and didn’t do well at all in the wet. I suspect with a proper version it would have performed a lot better.
Yeah, I agree Dissector on the front would be better. And then maybe something like the Forekaster on the rear. More tread and traction than the Rekon but still rolls well!
Newbie here. I notice that when you choose a different tire for front than for the back, the front tire seems to have a more aggressive tread than the back. Did I interpret that right, and if so, can you explain the reasons.
That's correct. And it's because you care about traction on the front tire more than the rear because you get more of your braking power and cornering traction from the front.
I just got some new tyres, 1st pair in about 5 years, feels 100 times better, Proper accurate I got rapid rob that German brand ,K guard , kevlar in the sides
The word you are looking for is pliability not flexibility , we also use this for C4 explosives; the quality of being easily bent without breaking; flexibility: Sweet grass was favored by Native American basket makers for its sweet smell, pliability, and durability.
I’ve been genuinely surprised how well GT Smoothies have performed. I expected them to perform well on clean, dry pavement. For my riding style they have. But they have also done well on some wet pavement, and gravel park trails. I was quite surprised when I discovered a new to me, local mountain bike trail. They performed quite well when I hit a couple hidden mud holes in the grass. They did start to be ineffective when hitting sections with lots of roots. Most of the nitpicking about tread patterns is beyond my skill level. But I have several bikes that have come with various brands of tires and various treads. I ride several miles usually with a mix of pavement and off-road. Most have performed quite well, even beyond what they were designed for. I have also been quite pleased with my Maxxis Recons both on pavement and off.
rolling resistance can be a significant thing and 120tpi will tend to be less, and as well as being faster it makes the tire more comfortable. the weight isn’t the point. as i type this they just mentioned the suppleness :)
heading to Utah for a 5-day supported mtb/camping tour of Kokopelli trail - I'm on a Santa Cruz Tallboy with 2.4 Forecaster 3C MaxTerra on the front and 2.4 Rekon 3C MaxTerra on the rear. Sturdy but not toooo heavy for long days in the saddle
It is my nature to go overkill or frivolously upgrade my toys. I bought a decent Norco hardtail with pretty nice components, it's an XC bike so it has pretty normal 2.25 tires on it, so naturally I started trying to find out how much wider I can go ... Not that I do anything at all that approaches the limits of these tires. Fortunately this time I resisted the impulse and didn't de-optimize my bike just because.
Maxxis Aspen 2.4 WT all year round for me. I live in a place with only sand (which is wet in winter, but doesnt really turn into mud) and a lot of small rounded stones. I used to ride with aggressive (aggressive for XC) Forekaster-like tires front and back in winter and faster tires in summer. But changing tubeless tires ist just such a nuisance and you learn to ride with a less grippier tread patern through fall/winter.
I’m in Southern California and ride mostly fire roads with climbs/descents of semi hard pack, rocky with occasional stream crossings, but not a lot of mud. if you had one tire combination to choose, what width and tires would you pick?
Very informative. So, Macky ran Forekaster front and Rekon rear at Rev Enduro, assume in 2.4. Heard the Forekaster is much more narrow than 2.4, Rekon truer to 2.4. Is this true? If so seemed to work fine though
Assegai worst grip when it’s a little muddy (mud clogs between knobs/lugs). We did what 90 percent did and buy them because every video review raved about them. Seems the old DHF is still the best all rounder front tire combo
The one riding surface y'all didn't cover was snow. I commute by bike. A mountain bike platform, for the sturdy frame for transportation of groceries and whatnot. And, I run Blackburn tires.
I prefer to overtire because crashing is the last thing desired for this old body and I’m in it for the exercise anyway on varying terrains. If I just rode bike parks, I would choose differently.
Great info and good you are talking about Maxxis as that is what I run. My other half thinks its funny that I change the tires from summer to winter (he is a roadie so its all fast tires for him!). I normally ride XC and go with Ardent front, Ardent race rear for summer and Forekaster front and ardent rear for winter for all the glorious mud! Turns out not to be that bad on sand to (been doing some Cyclocross races for fun) but now I can see why they werent that keen on the rocky bits. I do have a High roller on another bike but found that one just a bit too much. I might look at the Aspens to see what they are like. i do have some Rekon Race tires that came with the bike but always felt I needed a bit more grip than they give, though might try them out again as the Ardents are getting worn. Unfortunately Maxxis are more expensive than some other tires we have, like the Rocket Rons.
At the Leadville 100 race? Or just riding in Leadville? Assuming the race, depends if you're trying to win or just finish. If win, pretty much the lightest, fastest thing you can (we'd probably go Aspen front, Aspen ST rear, or even double STs). If the goal is finishing, probably double Rekons (or maybe a Rekon Race on the back).
Moulds have a short life span before they start wearing away at important details sometimes its repairable but most times the moulds will be redone after so many moulds have been done this i do know from working in an injection moulding factory for a few years, depending on the plastics and rubbers to glass etc higher the heat and the relise agents being used theu wear down fast! Cant see maxxis having moulds from years ago also they wouldn't be safe we wouldn't use a mould over 3 years old, we don't know what conditions its been stored at and sure not taking the chance of it shattering into shrapllnal from applying moulting heat through them they could be so brittle with poor cold storage
I’ve always wanted to try Maxxis but they don’t seem to have tire that fit my bike or my body build. I have a trail bike I use as a XC bike. I run 27.5x3” because I’m a big dude. It would be impossible to go smaller I think because I’m also running a 45mm internal diameter rim. Anybody have any thoughts on this I’d appreciate some input. Thanks
I find it incredibly tough getting good traction on very hard pack that has loose (dry) dirt on top. Have heard that a large number of very small knobs can be the best. Is this a best choice? It seems counter to the info at 13:40.
It depends how deep the dirt on top is. If it's just a really thin layer, then a bunch of small knobs would probably work well. If it's at all deep, taller knobs will provide better traction. That being said, it depends a lot on the type of riding you're doing -- if you don't care at all about the rolling speed or weight of the tire, a MaxxGrip compound tire is going to provide the need traction (but also roll slow and wear out more quickly).
Hi 🥸👋SYD and MACKY it's one of the rares channels over the world that's sends deep informative content for mtb's community 🏆 keep going on for the community wish both an impressive, marvelous and happy rest of 2024 and a beautyfull future 🚵 even your are sponsered from maxxis, when you can test for you Pirelli & e'thirteen - tires 🙏 🥷 ride fast - don't last 🥷
Hello you 2. Thanks for this presentation. I’m a bike repairer in France and sell mostly german brand tyres. What kind of Maxxis tyre would you recommend for a basic/hard tail MTB? Same question for a commuting bike ? Thank you. 😉
Probably something like Rekons for the MTB. Not sure about the commuter bike, but I think Maxxis has some commuter-specific tires (basically road tires with extra puncture protection and maybe light tread)
Great video and information. Feel free to be a sponsor whore and offer opinions on the full line of Maxxis tires. Those of us who aren't chasing seconds but know the feeling of getting bogged down in the sandy pine straw and watching our riding buddies disappear when we're rocking the double DHRs, are often mxing and matching those middleground tires (Rekon, Ardent, their race versions, Dissector, Forecaster) to find the right combination for our favored terrain. It would be great if you could get Maxxis to send you a selection of tires and get out there in the wet and dry and hard and loose and see which of these compromise tires excite and/or scare you.
That was really good video! I would really like to know what tires you were using on your last video where you were trying to do to 95 mile ride. Just a thought for a new video. Maybe you could talk about rim width and tire pressures
Here's how we'd determine our tire choice in a similar situation: how long those are these muddy/wet sections and are they rideable on set conditions tires? If I'm going to lose a lot of time if I can't ride through them, I'll prioritize those sections and try to choose something that is at least okay for the rest of the course. so maybe some Severes. If those sections aren't going to matter much, I'll prioritize the rest of the course and just get through those sections however I can (slowly, sketchily, maybe running). Hope that helps.
I just got a brand new Emtb it came new with Front Schwalbe magic Mary and a Big Betty on the rear the evo line super trails so going to stick with them for now as never ran a set of these ment to be awesome combo! Great to see ebikes coming with tyres like this
I think a lot of people are not just over-tired, but also wrong-tired. I think it is a common misconception that bigger taller knobs are always grippier. The trails around me have a lot of hard pack dirt with a thin layer of loose dirt or small rocks on top. Large tall knobs are not as ideal in this situation. On one of my bikes I have Bontrager XR4 tires, they have great cornering grip when I lean them over, but on this loose over hard, they slip a lot on loose over hard when not leaned as much or when I'm braking. On my other bike I am running Specialized Ground Control T7/T5 front/rear. They have smaller, shorter, closer spaced knobs. They don't have quite the cornering grip that the XR4's do, but they slip a lot less when I am not leaning as much into corners. As a more extreme example, I fat bike in the winter. I run Surly Bud/Lou tires front/rear with 1/2" or taller knobs. These are amazing in fresh deep or loose snow, but are terrible when the snow gets icy. I think this is because the larger knobs provide less contact and don't conform as well. Friends I ride with run Terren Cake Eaters, Schwalbe Jumbo Jims and other snow tires with knobs that are still big, but but shorter than the Surly's. They can't break trail as well as I can but they can ride on much slicker snow than I can. Fortunately, we don't get icy conditions as often as fresh snow.
I like Maxis tires I run maxes hookworm on my one of my mom bikes, and my other one has Maxis icon. It’s hard to find Max access tires around here around by me.
