Maxxis Ardent 29er 29er Tire

4.57/5

(23 Reviews)

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MSRP : $82.00

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The Ardent SC is an all around high volumeTire withTraction beingThe main objective. Aggressive side knobs giveThe Ardent aggressive corneringTraction andThe ramped center knobs minimize rolling resistance but still has enoughTraction for quick acceleration and braking. 60TPI Long Wear Low Rolling Resistance 60a Rubber Compound Max PSI 65 Manufacturers claim 755 grams (29x2.25)

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Submitted by Bryan1113 a Cross Country Rider

Date Reviewed: April 21, 2013

Strengths:    Traction, traction, traction

Weaknesses:    None

Bottom Line:

Put these bad boys on my bike about 4 months ago and seriously changed my riding confidence! Grip is incredible on desert singletrack i ride on. If you're going to upgrade anything make sure to start with the tires....Maxxis rocks

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Favorite Trail:   Bell Mountain Loop

Duration Product Used:   4 months

Purchased At:   Art's

Bike Setup:   Cannondale SL4 29er HT

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Submitted by Russell

Date Reviewed: September 8, 2012

Strengths:    GRIP in everything

Weaknesses:    none yet

Bottom Line:

I replaced my stock front tire (maxxis aspen) to the ardent 2.25 and it is a very grippy tire, it even saved me from a crash, I was riding too hard into a turn with mud and slid sideways and the side knobs grabbed and brought me back up. I will be buying these again.

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Submitted by FallDownGoBoom a All Mountain Rider

Date Reviewed: June 14, 2012

Strengths:    Strong casing, great tread pattern

Weaknesses:    The 2.4 NEEDS a WIDE rim to get the most out of cornering blocks, more a comment than a weakness.

Bottom Line:

So, I have a few rides on the 29 x 2.4" tire, so this may be a bit premature, but I'm enjoying this tire quite a bit. The majority of my riding is in NorCal and Tahoe, with a lot of dry rocks and very limited mud.

First ride, I had to drop the PSI a few times to get the sweet spot. Compared to my previous Rampage tires, this has a much stiffer casing. That's a good/bad thing, as the stiffness will supposedly prevent slashes (never a problem with Rampage) and reduce the tire flop at lower pressures, BUT you really need a low PSI to get these to conform over 3-4" obstacles. That's not a bad thing, but I am always concerned about setting my rig for optimum ride over smaller bumps (99% of all the things I ride over) when that last 1% of bigger hits comes along and wails my rim.

After dropping almost 3-5PSI compared to the Rampage tires, these really improved, and so far I have yet to bang my rim.

*** These are big tires, and a big rim is needed. Running these on a 21mm (crest) or smaller rim will not get you the profile you want. I just switched to the Flow EX (awesome, but that's another story) really helped flare out the corner knobs, and the tire really performs now (1 ride so far, so take that for what it's worth).

Other notable differences, substantially lower rolling resistance compared to the Rampage, and similar grip on the ups and cornering. The side knobs on the Ardent seem to be even more capable handling off-camber riding than anything I've tried.

Riding in dust or soft soil these tires have absolute control (so did the Rampage), these really shine in this dept. I just wish I had more soft loamy stuff to play in.

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Similar Products Used: Rampage
Geax Gato, Saguaro

Bike Setup: Niner RIP, 140mm fork

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Submitted by Team Rourke

Date Reviewed: May 27, 2012

Strengths:    Grips in everything, Durable, Great all-around tire.

Weaknesses:    If you want speed and lower weight..... don't buy this tire.

Bottom Line:

I've used tires from the Ardent family for two years. Often running them on the front and back. I've used the 2.4 on my rigid KM and 2.25 on my 2012 SF. This tire, simply put, gets the job done. For a tire that offers a fairly aggressive bite it also delivers speed (tubeless, 28psi). I cannot say a bad thing about these tires. I've ridden them all over our trails in Upper Michigan (Marquette, Copper Harbor) also in Traverse City (sandy) and Wisconsin (Camba Trail system) and they have never let me down. Never gashed a sidewall. In a very dry conditions with loose on top of hard pack I have had some interesting moments going into and through corners fast...... but the tire lets you know its letting go in time for you to adjust before you end up on your head. I've ridden them in races - great tire..... Not the fastest but I never purchased them for speed/racing.... I purchased them for an all-purpose go do everything tire. Which they have done!

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Submitted by classrc a Weekend Warrior

Date Reviewed: April 27, 2012

Strengths:    Great Cornering Traction, Large Air Volume (2.4"), Low-ish Rolling Resistance, puncture resistance

Weaknesses:    Heavy-ish,

Bottom Line:

The Maxxis Ardent 29r 2.4" is a LARGE tire. It has a high volume casing, but a not-so supple casing. I've found that, to maximize traction and compliance, that I have to run it down at 18 psi (not a bad thing). I am running this tire tubeless, mounted on a Stans Flow Rim. I am using a Niner Carbon fork and have PLENTY of room for the 2.4" tire. I have yet to flat or burp at these low pressures.

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Price Paid:    $65.00

Purchased At:   JensonUSA

Similar Products Used:   WTB Wierwolf LT, Kenda Karma

Bike Setup:   Full RIgid Canfield Nimble 9

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Submitted by dblspeed

Date Reviewed: April 25, 2012

Strengths:    Excellent weight to volume to grip to rolling resistance to puncture resistance to price ratio!

Weaknesses:    Weak in the wet.

Bottom Line:

Truly great dry weather tire, I use it as rear tire on my Scandal ( I guess it's one of the few frames where it will fi, if not the only one). In my opinion it is ideal in the back of a hardtail where it adds a nice cushioning effect while keeping rolling resistance to a reasonable level (less than a WTB stout for example). I would use something smaller and more aggressive up front where the suspension forks makes it unnecessary to have such a big tire.

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Submitted by pelotoner a Weekend Warrior

Date Reviewed: April 22, 2012

Strengths:    Great traction for the Colorado front range riding conditions.
Mounts up tubeless with little trouble.

Weaknesses:    Nothing to think of.

Bottom Line:

I am running a 2.4 EXO Ardent up front and a 2.25 Ardent in the rear tubeless on my Giant Talon and they hook up great. You do need to trust them and lean into turns, but overall they work great.

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Submitted by rob1035 a Cross Country Rider from Charlotte, NC, USA

Date Reviewed: February 14, 2012

Strengths:    Big Volume, beefy, durable sidewalls, great traction, easy tubeless setup.

Weaknesses:    Weight

Bottom Line:

My favorite front tire. Hooks up super easy tubeless, both on the current Stans Crest rims, and my previous WTB Laserdisc Trail hoops. Voume is great, after few days of riding the casing is true to size. The knobs are beefy, and the tire hooks up great in all the conditions I ride in. Rolls decently for something that grips as well as it does, fast enough for occasional racing (I'm a backmarker, just doing it for fun). The sidewalls feel beefy and have proved durable on rockier tracks. Absolutely a must for rigid riding in my opinion, the size and grip makes for a comfortable, precise ride, really easy to hold lines, where other tires might give up. I will buy another after this one wears out, and will probably run one in the rear as well for winter (ie wetter) conditions. It could be lighter, but its worth the tradeoff

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Favorite Trail:   BYT

Duration Product Used:   1 Year

Price Paid:    $74.00

Purchased At:   Ultimate Bike on Sar

Similar Products Used:   Bonty 29-3 Front, WTB Weirwolf LT 2.55, Stans Crow, Maxxis Ignitor

Bike Setup:   Misfit Dissent singlespeed, Niner Carbon rigid fork (occasionally use a Reba), Stans Crest wheelset, Magura Marta brakes

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Submitted by ihaveagibsonsg a Cross Country Rider from San Diego,CA

Date Reviewed: January 12, 2012

Strengths: Rolls Fast, Tough side walls, Awesome Grip, Mounts easy tubeless

Bottom Line:

This tire was a huge surprise to me. I thought that it couldn't get any better than the rampage 29er for a front tire but the ardent delivers. It took only 2 minutes to mount this tire tubeless compared to 3 hours to mount my exiwolf. It rolls exceptionally fast for a 2.4 knobby tire, it's as fast as an XC tire but grips more than any other tire I've used. I run it at 22 PSI and I weigh 140 pounds. It's really comfy and performs great in all conditions. Just buy it and try it, if you don't like it PM me and I'll gladly use it ;-)

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Favorite Trail:   Iron Mountain

Duration Product Used:   6 months

Similar Products Used:   Rampage 29er, Kenda Nevegal, WTB Stout

Bike Setup:   GT Sensor 9r Expert

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Submitted by Phil Jones a Racer from Canada

Date Reviewed: October 16, 2011

Strengths:    Sidewalls on the LUST version are indestructible. Rolls unbelieveably fast at >25psi, traction is magnificent in a wide variety of conditions. Works anywhere, anytime, any condition.

Weaknesses:    Heavyish if you're racing, there are better tires for hardpack... but it's not a hardpack tire is it? Also, it's on the pricey side for the LUST version (which I'm using)

Bottom Line:

If all you care about is weight then this isn't it. That said if you care about durability, traction, handling, ease of mounting, longevity, fast rolling-ness, and making others tire choice look foolish... this wins. I thought it was good at 28psi with tubes but I wanted to try it tubeless. put stans universal tape and valve on my rims, put the tire on and pumped it up with a floor pump effortlessly. What was mind blowing about this? 3 months of hard trail abuse with tubes, and there were NO LEAKS before I put the sealant in!! Anyhow 3oz of stans and that was 100 hours of training, 4 XC races (all podiums), and a solid belief that the LUST 2.25 is the greatest all purpose tire ever made!

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Duration Product Used:   6 months

Price Paid:    $85.00

Similar Products Used:   Nevegals, ignitors, geax akas,

Bike Setup:   Trek Hi-fi 2011, Bontrager Mustang factory wheels. xt 2x10,

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Submitted by Packrat a Cross Country Rider from US

Date Reviewed: August 29, 2011

Strengths:    I am using it in the front. Runs great at a lower pressure (25 psi) and I think I could go even lower. Very sturdy, better than expected grip on hard pack and muddy areas. I mounted on a tubeless rim and it took 2 minutes, which it was wonderful coming from a set of Stan's rim (impossible to mount some tires).

Weaknesses:    I am not an expert, but it is a little heavier than some other tires I had in the past. A little pricey for the UST version.

Bottom Line:

I would absolutely recommend this tire. I used it on a very rocky terrain and it performed flawlessly going quite fast on some downhills (possibly too fast for my abilities but never a moment of fear at all). It was dry at first but it became very muddy while under a thunderstorm, and as well never had any hesitation or unexpected behavior. Very happy with this tire. No loss of air, no sealant leakage .

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Duration Product Used:   Less than 1 month

Similar Products Used:   Maxxis Ignitor, Geax Saguaro, Continental Race King

Bike Setup:   Tallboy Carbon, Easton EA90 XC wheels, Sram XX, Thompson post and stem.

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Submitted by RatchAttack a Cross Country Rider from Ontario Canada

Date Reviewed: July 28, 2011

Strengths:    -Rolls fast for a full knobby
-Traction everywhere

Weaknesses:    -bit of a weight penalty compared to other tires

Bottom Line:

I have this tire in a 2.25 mounted to the front of my Cannondale with a CrossMark 2.1 in the rear. Its rolls surprising fast for a full knobby and gets traction everywhere, I've put it through everything and it just hooks up no matter what. It has a super high volume casing that lets you run nice low pressures. I'm 250lbs and run between 25-28psi as a front tire. The only drawback of this tire is that its a bit (not much) heavier than some other 29er tires, but the traction and volume are well worth the added weight.

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Duration Product Used: 6 months

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Submitted by riiz a Weekend Warrior from San Bernardino, CA

Date Reviewed: June 26, 2011

Strengths:    Quick rolling tire that pretty much works where ever. I've used on the street with the psi at 60, and knocked it down to 25-30psi on loose dry sandy trails to loose over hardpack in the So Cal deserts. It works everywhere.

Weaknesses:    The only weakness might be its weight, it weighs a bit more than a Small Block 8 or Crossmark but those are true XC tires, and cannot do what the Ardent does so well.

Bottom Line:

One of the finest tires that tackles everything.

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Duration Product Used:   1 Year

Price Paid:    $45.00

Purchased At:   JensonUSA

Similar Products Used:   Kenda Small Block 8s, Maxxis Crossmarks, WTB Exiwolfs 2.3.

Bike Setup:   Surly Karate Monkey w/ Rigid Fork. 1x9 Drivetrain, BB7s for brakes.

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Submitted by attaboy a Weekend Warrior from Centex

Date Reviewed: May 13, 2011

Strengths:    I am rating the 2.4 with EXO sidewalls. Great grip in dry conditions. Easy to setup tubeless. Holds air in tubeless setup. Tough sidewalls. Low rolling resistance for high volume tire. Wearing well.

Weaknesses:    Grip so-so in wet conditions. A bit heavy, but expected. Think new Nobby Nics may be lighter and potentially as good.

Bottom Line:

Very pleased with these tires. I'm coming from Nevegals which many use here is Centex for rocky limstone. These setup much more easily on Stan's rims than Nevegals and rollling resistance is much improved. Sidewalls are much more substantial and sorely needed. Grip is every bit as good as Nevegals probably influenced by jump in diameter as much as anything else. However, I believe the extra row of nobs from 2.25 to 2.4 makes a BIG difference. Check reviews and see which volume is being reviewed. I will likely go with these again but I'm curious about new Schwalbe Nobby Nic Tubless Ready 29er in 2.35.

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Favorite Trail:   Yes

Duration Product Used:   6 months

Price Paid:    $60.00

Purchased At:   Tree Fort

Similar Products Used:   Nevegals (26") 2.35

Bike Setup:   RIP 9, Flow rims

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Submitted by BruceBrown a Cross Country Rider from Iowa

Date Reviewed: January 23, 2011

Strengths:    Rather than write 2 separate reviews, I will write just one which is reviewing the Ardent 2.4 and the Ardent 2.25 LUST tires. The strengths that stand out for me is amazing grip, yet an excellent balance of rolling resistance that makes this tire fast. The 2.25 LUST is 840g and is a very durable tubeless specific tire where the sidewalls are a huge strength for this product.

Weaknesses:    None that I have noticed to date.

Bottom Line:

The 2.4's are simply a fun, large volume tire with sure footed grip and can be run tubeless with no problems. That large of volume certainly makes for a good front tire, but if you are looking for some nice rear suspension on a rigid - it's a fun rear tire as well.

The 2.25 Ardent in the UST (or LUST as Maxxis calls it) is a true UST tire that can be run at a ridiculously low psi (I run mine in the teens) and not suffer any squirm. Grip is like Velcro with it, the sidewalls are very sturdy and have not even blinked at whatever I've thrown at it. I've raced the tire a few times up front and had good results. I realize a UST tire is not for everyone due to the weight, but I have been very pleased with its abilities and sturdy sidewalls. I would pick the LUST version over the non-tubeless Ardent 2.25 any day if you are on terrain that sidewall tears can happen. The extra 100g is worth it for that.

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Duration Product Used:   1 Year

Purchased At:   Maxxis

Similar Products Used:   Grip wise, Fire XC Pro. Volume wise, Racing Ralphs (2.4's and 2.25's).

Bike Setup:   2.25 LUST is on the front of my RIP (with a Crossmark LUST on the rear). 2.4's are front and rear on my SS Karate Monkey. But I've ridden the 2.4's front and rear on my RIP as well for a nice monster truck ride. That set up just rails the corners and due to the traction and bit, when needed at high speed - braking is excellent. Grin producing on the descents, but a bit more effort required for climbs running that much big meat front and rear.

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Maxxis Ardent 29er 29er Tire

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