Maxxis CrossMark 29 x 2.10 Tire. The CrossMark is the dramatic evolution of the cross country racing tire. The nearly continuous center ridge flies on hardpack, yet has enough spacing to grab wet roots and rocks. The slightly raised ridge of side knobs of
Submitted by
p0wp0wJunky
a Cross Country Rider
from Sandy, UT
Date Reviewed: October 19, 2011
Strengths: Tire hooks up extremely well
Weaknesses: Side Walls are WEAK. Third ride out rolled over a softball size rock and ripped my sidewall.
Bottom Line:
Very disappointed with the tear considering the rock that caused it. There is no reason the tire should have ripped so easy. I am not going to be buying this tire- ever.
Bike Setup: 2012 Santa Cruz Tallboy Carbon with XTR kit
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Submitted by
Packrat
a Cross Country Rider
from US
Date Reviewed: August 29, 2011
Strengths: Extremely easy to mount on a tubeless rim, less than 5 minutes and no air nor sealant leakage. Tough sidewalls, very noticeable rolling characteristics compared to other tires. Can ride it at low pressures (28-30 psi) with no problems.
Weaknesses: None that I can think of. Perhaps not the grippiest tire in the back in some instances, but overall still plenty for what I need. A little pricey for the UST model.
Bottom Line:
I am very happy with this tire. After reading some of the posts, I was a little hesitant to use it as a rear tire since some comments were toward the lack of grip. So I mounted it backward and never had any issues. I am not an expert but for my needs it is a great tire. I last used it in very rocky conditions and the terrain went form dry to muddy due to a storm. No issues there either. The mud cleared quite well and plenty of traction. I would definitely recommend this tire.
Similar Products Used: Maxxis Ardent and Ignitor, Geax Saguaro, continental Race King
Bike Setup: Tallboy carbon, Sram XX, Easton EC90 XC wheels, Thompson stem and post.
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Submitted by
IndianaXC
a Racer
from Milford, Indiana. U.S.
Date Reviewed: August 8, 2011
Strengths: FAST, Great climbing traction in the rear when run backwards, Light, High volume, Last forever.
Weaknesses: A little sketchy at times in the front, im running 23 PSI and dont have to many problems.
Bottom Line:
I love these tires. For the people that say they grip bad for climbing, try running them backwards, this way the in-between knobs bite alot better, made a huuuge difference. I just raced an extremely muddy race on them and i was getting through the muddy corners and climbs faster than anyone else. They really surprised me since i was expecting them to be horrible in the mud. My theory is the almost continuous center ridge helps guide them through the mud. Its a great tire, im picky about cornering traction and these things do really well for how fast they are. I have about 200 miles on them and They still have the little flaps from thew mold on the center tread, im expecting these things to last at least 2000 miles.
Favorite Trail: fort custer state park in michigan
Duration Product Used: 3 months
Price Paid:
$30.00
Purchased At: Came on new bike
Similar Products Used: Kenda Karma (same weight, terrible grip) Continental mountain king 2.2 (horrible) Maxxis Ignitor (decent) Maxxis ADvantage on 26" (best rear tire i have used except for this.)
Bike Setup: Giant anthem X 29er 3. Stock for now until i get money to upgrade.
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Submitted by
RatchAttack
a Cross Country Rider
from Ontario Canada
Date Reviewed: July 28, 2011
Strengths: -Fast Rolling
-Good traction on hardpack to intermediate terrain
-High Volume
Weaknesses: -No good in the mud, but its no mud tire anyways
Bottom Line:
I swapped out the stock Small Block 8's on my Cannondale and am running the CrossMark 29x2.1 in the rear with an Ardent 29x2.25 in the front. The CrossMark works great as a rear tire for the conditions I usually ride in which range from hardpack clay, loam, and sand. They also hook up great on rocks and roots and offer excellent climbing traction. It comes up short in mud or beach sand but its not made for that terrain anyways. It rolls fast and is light for a 29er tire. The high volume casing makes running lower pressures and gaining added traction a breeze while keeping the tire stable, the tire says its a 2.1 but its bigger than the 2.2 Conti's I had on my 26er. I'm 250lbs and run 28-30psi in the rear depending on terrain. Very good value too as they are readily available online and usually at a good discount off MSRP.
Submitted by
Dan
a Cross Country Rider
from SLC, UT
Date Reviewed: July 22, 2011
Strengths: Nothing
Weaknesses: Worthless
Bottom Line:
Worthless, they came stock on my Anthem 29er and I put about 10 miles on them before they hit the trash can.
On lose pack they have the ability to dive deeper and quicker than any tire I have ever used. They inspire zero confidence when at speed which is the first thing I want out of a 29er.
Maybe if you were to be riding directly behind a steam roller or on pavement they would be a quality tire. However, if you attempt to take these onto a single track you will instantly regret your decision.
Submitted by
XC Ryder
a Cross Country Rider
from Blacksburg, VA, US
Date Reviewed: June 18, 2011
Strengths: Fast, low profile tire
Weaknesses: Sand, loose soil
Bottom Line:
I purchased 2 tires and was very surprised when I was taking a turn with sandy spots and nearly wrecked because my tires immediately washed out. I am changing my front tire back to my Panaracer-Rampage, but keeping the rear tire as is. The tires have great traction on roots and rocks while having low rolling resistance.
Submitted by
Mojo Troll
a Cross Country Rider
from AR
Date Reviewed: May 15, 2011
Strengths: Roll fast, wear rahter slow.
Weaknesses: As a front it can be a little sketchy at times.
Bottom Line:
Nice fast tire. I really like it on the back. It can be a little scetchy on ocassion on the front. Will try and Ikon on the front and see if that helps. Maxxis tires always seem to wear rather slow, which is good with tire prices these days. The tires mount easily tubeless with Stans. Higher air preasure on the pavement and these tires are scary fast with the continous center rubber.
Would deffinatly buy this tire again for the rear. For the front I would try something with a little more bite. MAybe and Ikon or Ignitor.
Submitted by
xcbarny
a Cross Country Rider
from Brisbane Australia
Date Reviewed: October 4, 2010
Strengths: Rolls well, good grip in loose over hard conditions, light - mine were about 600g.
Weaknesses: Sidewalls not great for tubeless
Bottom Line:
When are Maxxis going to make tires with tougher sidewalls? What use is a sub 600g tire to race on, if it doesn't last the race?
These are fast tires, with grip in the corners, but I've had to sew and patch them up so many times.
29ers need to run lower pressures, so tubeless is the way to go, but they need tires that don't tear at the mear sight of a rock. I'll wont buy Maxxis tires again until they improve their side walls.
Bike Setup: Orbea Alma, Sram XO, Chris King hubs w/stans 355 rims
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Submitted by
dosman45
a Cross Country Rider
from Tucson, AZ USA
Date Reviewed: August 21, 2010
Strengths: Awesome tires, super easy to make tubeless with my Flow's. Very grippy and work great in the Arizona loose/hardpack that we have around here
Weaknesses: Price, Maxxis is pretty damn proud of them
Bottom Line:
Probably the best tred I have used so far from Maxxis. I thought the same of the Larsen TT's, and they wore like iron (2000 + miles out of them. I hope to get the same mileage out of these, we will see!
Strengths: Long tread life. Low rolling resistance. High volume
Weaknesses: Limited traction
Bottom Line:
I've run the Crossmark as a front (not recommended) and a rear (much better) tire. IMO, this is a good tire for racing (or commuting). It's very fast and will last forever. Loose soil is the Crossmark's Achilles' heel. Because of the tire's fast rolling center tread, it tends to spin out. Consequently, this tire has forced me to pick better lines and balance my weight over the rear tire while climbing. Also, this tire is VERY pressure sensitive and works WAY better tubeless. If you are looking for a long lasting race tire you will likely be very happy with the Crossmark. If you want an all weather, all-mountain, climb anything tire then try something else.
Similar Products Used: Maxxis Ardent, Maxxis Ignitor, Specialized Fast Trak, Conti Mountain King, Bontrager ACX Jones, and Michelin AT
Bike Setup: GF Ferrous (run SS and with gears). Ardent front and Bontrager ACX rear
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Submitted by
jaghouse
a Cross Country Rider
from Iowa
Date Reviewed: July 21, 2009
Strengths: Super low rolling resistance
Longevity
Weaknesses: Mud/sand traction
Bottom Line:
I have used these tires for a year now and they have been very solid all around for the hard pack dirt trails I ride. Braking and climbing traction on the rear could be a bit better so I am going to try a Geax Saguaro next but I will be keeping the Crossmark on the front. The front hardly has any wear which has me thinking this tire will last at least 2 years.
Submitted by
AK47
a Cross Country Rider
from Folsom, CA
Date Reviewed: June 17, 2009
Strengths: Grip, low rolling resistance, cornering traction, climbing traction
Weaknesses: None
Bottom Line:
I have only run the Crossmark as a rear tire. For that application, it has worked very well. It rolls fast, corners great and climbs way better than you think it would. I have only used these in dry summer conditions, but it's suprising how well it grips even during hard, out of the saddle climbs. I don't know about running it front and rear. I like the Ignitor front/Crossmark rear combo.
Submitted by
Roby
a Cross Country Rider
from MT HOOD,OR USA
Date Reviewed: February 9, 2009
Strengths: large volume ,fast rolling tread design,light
Weaknesses: pack up in the mud
Bottom Line:
I have good luck with these tires running them tubeless with stans, large volume casing and almost as light as my kenda karma 1.9 , no flats good traction ,I will buys these agian
Similar Products Used: kenda karma,wtb nanoraptor and motoraptor
Bike Setup: voodoo azian ,reba race xt drivetrain stans ztr wheels chris king hubs
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Submitted by
Ryder1
a Cross Country Rider
from Phoenix, Arizona
Date Reviewed: December 9, 2008
Strengths: Rolls really fast, lightweight, good rear climbing traction, cushy for its size/weight, strong enough. The near-continuous center knobs not only make it roll fast, but smooth too.
Weaknesses: Can suddenly bottom out or pinch flat on a hardtail/rigid if you're not paying attention. Never tried it up front, but I'd guess it would wash out in the turns too easily, especially in loose terrain.
Bottom Line:
I wrote this review because I was surprised at the luke-warm reviews. For a fast rear tire, this tire satisfies me 100%. After 1+ years of running it tubed and loving it, I now have two rides tubeless and love it even more because I can run it at lower psi with confidence that I won't pinch flat. I run it with an Ignitor up front for a fast trail tire combo. I tried a Nanoraptor in the back, but I didn't find one thing I liked better than the Crossmark. Ignitor in back was ok, but felt slower than the Crossmark and there was no distinct advantage that I could tell.
Similar Products Used: Ignitor, Nanoraptor, Motoraptor, Resolution, Exiwolf, Rampage
Bike Setup: SS 29er hardtail
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Submitted by
Lurch98
a Cross Country Rider
from Montgomery, AL
Date Reviewed: October 8, 2008
Strengths: Fast! Light.
Weaknesses: Front traction, climbing traction.
Bottom Line:
I want to love these tires! They roll fast, and they're light. They scare me in front when i push the corners on loose over hardpack trails. I had to take it off and replace it with something more confidence inspiring.
In the rear, they are awesome, minus roots and loose climbs. I found myself spinning out and having to pay serious attention to my weight balance. I'm going to try some Saguros in the rear to see if I like them better.
Overall, fun race tire! Great if you want to roll fast and have more skills then I do. I'm going to play with some nobier tires, but I will be keeping these in my garage just in case.
