Buyer's guide to Maxxis tyres: XC, trail and enduro tyres explained

Oct 01, 2023

Catering for all disciplines, we take you through the full Maxxis mountain bike tyre range

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By Nick Clark

Published: April 27, 2023 at 5:00 pm

Maxxis is one of the leading manufacturers of mountain bike tyres of all disciplines. Known primarily for its downhill and enduro tyres, Maxxis also offers top-level cross-country tyres.

The brand has a large range of mountain bike tyres with varying technologies, so it can be difficult to know what the best Maxxis tyre is for your type of riding.

Maxxis also produces a wide range of road bike tyres, gravel tyres and options for commuting.

In this guide, we focus on Maxxis’ range of mountain bike tyres, including an overview of its tyre technologies, compounds and casings.

Maxxis offers a variety of MTB tyre casings to suit different types of riding. Tyre casings impact how a tyre feels and the level of protection it provides.

All else being equal, a thinner casing is usually more supple than a thicker casing, but offers less protection on gnarly terrain.

Maxxis uses a range of different options across its tyre range, from lightweight casings to heavy-duty casings for gravity riding:

Even the best mountain bike tyres can be punctured by thorns, lacerations and snake bites. Maxxis offers four types of puncture protection to deal with these problems:

Rubber compounds can have a big impact on the grip, longevity and handling of a tyre. Maxxis uses different combinations of rubber compounds for different ride characteristics:

The Ardent Race is designed for technical cross-country courses. Borrowing the tread pattern from the full-fat Ardent trail tyre, a smaller tread height is used to achieve faster rolling speeds.

The Aspen is a lightweight cross-country racing tyre designed with low rolling resistance and straight-line grip in mind. It's a go-to choice for many racers, because the large shoulder knobs find traction in a variety of conditions, while the rounded-off crown helps maintain speed.

The Crossmark II is a fast-rolling tyre designed for maximum straight-line speed. Its low rolling resistance and sharp cornering bite ensure the tyre excels in dry conditions, and the reinforced sidewall shrugs off rocks and knocks well.

The Forekaster is a wet-weather tyre for XC racing and light trail riding. Working well as a front tyre in sloppy conditions, it's more aggressive than other cross-country tyres and lends itself well to downcountry riding.

The Maxxis Severe is the latest addition to the Maxxis cross-country line-up and is designed to tackle wet and muddy XC racecourses. The narrow 2.25in profile and spiky tread help it to cut through soft ground and clear mud quickly. It features the new, silica-infused MaxxSpeed compound for ultimate rolling speed.

The Ikon is a lightweight tyre designed for speed and reliability, utilising the 3C Maxx compound. A tightly packed tread pattern with squared-off shoulder knobs makes the tyre fast-rolling but grippy in dry conditions.

The Pace is one of Maxxis’ fastest cross-country tyres. The low-profile tread and narrow width offer little rolling resistance, but do limit the tyre on wet, gnarlier terrain.

The Rekon Race features a similar tread pattern to the standard Rekon. It has a shallower tread, making the tyre a good choice for dry conditions, where grip can be substituted for straight-line speed.

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The Aggressor is a good all-rounder, offering great cornering ability and puncture resistance in dry, rocky terrain as well as ample grip in looser conditions. The tyre struggles with wet-weather grip, and the aggressive tread pattern affects rolling speed.

The Ardent is lightweight trail tyre that offers bite in the corners, with high rolling speeds. It's a great choice if you’re looking for a fast and tough tyre for mixed conditions, perfect for downcountry riding.

The High Roller II offers high levels of grip even on the loosest of trails, with predictable slip-to-grip cornering characteristics. This grip comes at the cost of fast wear, though the tyre deals well with rocky terrain. Its high duro crown makes the High Roller II fast in a straight line, considering its heft.

The Tomahawk features aggressive side knobs that dig deep into the terrain to find grip in all conditions. A rounded-off crown offers good rolling performance, making this tyre a good all-rounder.

The Assegai is one of the grippiest, most controlled front tyres on the market. Maxxis describes this as a downhill tyre, but it's equally at home on enduro trails if you’re pushing hard.

The Dissector is designed for high-speed downhill courses, but it's also suited to general fair-weather cycling. This zippy tyre can be pushed hard downhill and features slip-to-grip cornering characteristics that may be off-putting to some on wet trails.

The Minion DHF provides grip in the sloppiest conditions. Its predictability on various terrain has seen it remain virtually unchanged for over a decade.

The Minion DHR II is the Yin to the Minion DHF's Yang, providing excellent braking and cornering traction, as well as fast rolling speeds. It's widely considered one of the best rear tyres on the market, offering excellent all-around traction.

The Shorty performs well on wet, muddy trails, thanks to its mid-spike tread design. The tyre continues to roll well even when the trails dry up, and offers high levels of comfort.

This spike tyre will find you grip on off-camber pistes where other tyres would have you in a pile at the bottom. Drag is the penalty for this, making the Wetscream a niche option for the muddiest of conditions.

The Minion SS offers high rolling speed thanks to its semi-slick crown, while the large side knobs offer high levels of grip in dry conditions. Braking ability does suffer due to the shallow tread pattern in wet conditions.

Designed for trail rides and bikepacking expeditions, the Chronicle is a versatile plus tyre with a tightly packed tread pattern.

The Minion FBF offers high levels of cornering ability and low rolling resistance. It's recommended only as a front tyre.

The Minion FBR features a rear-specific tread pattern designed to minimise rolling resistance and maximise traction in all conditions. It's designed to be paired with a Minion FBF on the front.

Digital Writer

Nick Clark is a digital writer for BikeRadar, focusing on all things mountain bikes. Having raced XC for most of his youth, he has a deep understanding of the sport and loves bounding around the UK to spectate at events. A mountain biker at heart, Nick helped create a community of trail builders in his local forest in North Wales. Nick also loves road cycling, where he has completed the holy trinity of spectating at all three grand tours in their host countries. Described as having a good engine in his racing days, it's now common to see Nick wheel-sucking on club rides and sprinting for town signs. He also enjoys bike touring and has completed numerous travels on the west coast of Europe, most recently riding from Lisbon to Roscoff. Nick has built many of his bikes from the frame up and has a keen eye for technical detail. He is currently riding a YT Capra on the trails and a Focus Izalco Max for the road.

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