Submitted by
jackspade
a Weekend Warrior
from West Java
Date Reviewed: November 20, 2011
Strengths: This is for 2.40
Big diameter, fast rolling tire on road/dry, good climbing traction on rear.
Weaknesses: I am not sure this tire made for off-road.
Bottom Line:
This tire is perfect for on road, Fast rolling, big diameter and narrow thread runs like 700c except this looks better, bigger, fatter so you'll get bigger gear per inch on 26" bikes.
Because of bigger diameter this tire good for climb against obstacle, bigger diameter also give bigger momentum so the more you pedal the more momentum push you forward.
I only use this tire for onroad and uphill race, when it comes to offroad this tire doesn't give good confidence at all - it scares me to wash out since the sidewall is tall makes easy to slips on rockgarden.
5 chilis because this is a great onroad/asphalt tire.
Submitted by
bucnasti_AT
a Weekend Warrior
from scottsdale
Date Reviewed: November 5, 2011
Strengths: Superior traction on AZ terrain, sandy mud, gravel, rocks etc. Easy tubeless setup
Weaknesses: Bit heavy for the 29 2.4. But im a 205lb hoss so it not abig deal
Bottom Line:
I just swapped in these ardents to replace my stock 29 2.2s Bontargers 0n the front and rears. These tires are monsters. I got the 29 2.4s and the have a serious presence looking at them on my bike. Ive been riding for 6 years so ive seen alot of tires come and go. Even still I was blown away at how well these tires performed in som3 or of AZs worst weather. We just had a serious rain storm that turned all of the tails i hit today to sandy mud holes, loose terrain,Water ditches and hard packed run-offs. These tires didnt seem to care. Running 35psi tubless, these tires held on to everything like glue. In sand patches it was very hard to lose traction anywhere. Runn8ng thre the soft mud and ditches was a piece of cake. I didnt once feel as if i was going to lose it at any point along the pb trail at McDowell mnt. Park here in AZ, for the entiire 15+ miles. Best $100 i spent so far on my rig, and i will gladly do it again when they wearout.
Im 6'0 200lbs so the extra wieght from these wheels go unnoticed when i ride. They roll so easy over rough terrain its sells itself. If your a simular size the extra wight from these tire will never be an issue.
I would recommend thse tires for any mountain terrain wheres there's mud, sand, gravel and rocks to the extreme. I dont do any street riding so i cant comment on that, but these tires will def give you a new-found confidence it your terrain negotiation skills.
Submitted by
nc35442a
a Weekend Warrior
from Portugal
Date Reviewed: October 27, 2011
Strengths: 2,40 version ST is a great tire, it rolls very well, anf it grips perfectly, I love't. I used HR and Minion those are great tyre also, but for enduro Ardent is th most poli used
Weaknesses: Side wall´s
Bottom Line:
Great tyres maxxis ardent is, they can do anything
Bike Setup: Spec Enduro 2008 with E150 fork with some upgrades
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
crisco
a Cross Country Rider
from Santa Fe, NM
Date Reviewed: October 23, 2011
Strengths: 26 x 2.25 Exo used in rear: excellent traction while climbing, great cornering. Very consistent grip. No burping, sidewall seems tough.
Weaknesses: Non-UST is difficult to get started when run tubeless compared to other Maxxis tires (no lost ratings, just mentioning it!).
Bottom Line:
Really great tire. Bought it to replace my minion 2.5 in the rear because it rubbed too much. Traction is, incredibly, about the same. Sticks like hell for climbing and corners beautifully. Pretty light and has a good volume. My trails are very scrabbly and it works well in this environment. Was a little difficult to set up tubeless compared to my minions (much stiffer sidewalls) but seems to be holding up just fine now that it's seated. Highly recommend! Have yet to be let down by a Maxxis tire.
Bike Setup: Blur 1.0, Ardent 2.25 rear, Minion DHF 2.5 front
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Eric Waldron
a Cross Country Rider
from Nederland,co,usa
Date Reviewed: September 11, 2011
Strengths: Rolls fast, corners well,Strong breaking, large and light.
Weaknesses: Thin sidewalls
Bottom Line:
I really dig this tire. most of my local trails are full of loose rocks and gravel. I am running it up front in the 2.4 non exo version. It rolls fast, rails corners, brakes hard. I like it better than the maxxis advantage as a front tire. I suspect it will roll faster in the rear as well. I'm planning to run this out back when my current rear tire dies.I don't expect it to survive long in the rear. I tore open 3 adavantage 2.4's befor I quit buying them.I would love to compare this with the 2.5 minion single ply up front. I think the extra sidewall protection on an exo model would make this even more killer! Rocky mountain speced it stock on the 2011 slayer. nuf said?
Similar Products Used: Conti, kenda, maxxis, panaracer...
Bike Setup: Nomad, 36 talas ,race face, jopplin post, Stans ZTR Flow wheels and hubs , hayes brakes, xt.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
igor
a Cross Country Rider
from Vancouver
Date Reviewed: August 17, 2011
Strengths: Rolls very well. Turns on a dime
Weaknesses: Unstable and slides. Bad on loose gravel on downhill. Drifts unpredictably
Bottom Line:
The review is for Ardent 2.4 EXO front wheel tire. Did not try to use it tubeless yet but with 40 psi or so I need to steer in a much more active way to stay on top of it. I will swap it for the Maxxis Advantage which is very predictable.
Submitted by
Steve Mowle
a Cross Country Rider
from Sydney, Australia
Date Reviewed: November 25, 2010
Strengths: Decent cornering grip in dry conditions with help of good raised tread on sides.
Weaknesses: Absolutely discracefull sidewall strength and life. After 2 months the weak, thin sidewalls had started to shread and I had a 1cm tear appear and become a marble sized tube hole, without any rock contact - just wear.
In wet conditions the tread pattern simply did not shed the mud, it stuck into the grooves, forming an almost slick tyre which was hopeless at cornering or braking.
Bottom Line:
Did I get a badly manufactured tyre from a bad bunch?
Maybe so, but I will never buy another. I am now running a set of Kenda Nevagal 2.1" tubeless Front & Rear and they are so much better. They may be slighty heavier, but the extra thickness & strength in the sidewalls gives me the confidence to ride hard and they last.
Similar Products Used: Kenda Nevagal - SOOOOOOOO MUCH BETTER
Bike Setup: Giant Reign 6", All mountain bike.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
watertight
a Cross Country Rider
from Gunnison
Date Reviewed: October 19, 2010
Bottom Line:
Went to this tire from a crossmark and am very disappointed. I ride in western CO and UT and this tire is the worst performing unit I've ridden on. I believe the crossmark is the best tire I've ever ridden but wanted a thicker sidewall so went with the ardent but it feels like I am riding on road slicks compared to the crossmark. If you ride decomposed granite/sand/rock i.e. typical western trails this is not the tire for you.
Submitted by
Ericmopar
a Cross Country Rider
from Henderson NV
Date Reviewed: June 28, 2010
Strengths: Tracks strait in sandy washes.
Fast.
Light weight.
Easy mounting. (folding version)
Works best on front.
Weaknesses: Less braking traction than similar Advantage or Minion DHF.
Squirly intermediate traction. (common issue with Maxxis tires)
Terribly weak side walls. They have an overly thin layer of rubber on the sidewalls. They grind through in a month or less of riding in rocky terrain, when mounted on the rear.
Bottom Line:
This review is for the 2.25 60a folding version.
It's a good tire, but not great here in the desert.
Mostly it's the lack of sidewall rubber that is the problem here.
The sidewall rubber is so thin, that you can see the texture of the casing, even before it starts to wear down in a few weeks.
I've never had a problem with the older heavy duty 2.35 tires like the Hansventure or Minion DHF. It's these new ultra lite tires that have the sidewall issues.
If Maxxis would double the sidewall rubber, and add some more intermediate knobs, this tire would be great.
I only recommend these to people that need a high volume XC tire and don't drag tires around rocky basalt terrain.
Similar Products Used: Advantage, Minion, Geax Sturdy, Kenda Kinectics.
Bike Setup: All Mountain, Mountain Cycle Fury.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
pinknz
a Weekend Warrior
from New Zealand
Date Reviewed: May 29, 2010
Strengths: Weight, grip, fastish
Weaknesses: bugger all
Bottom Line:
Changed over form my worn out nevgals in summer...Ardents good and fast in the dry clay, and fire roads and ran fast.
Now in winter here and they are good in the mud and grip well on tree roots etc
No colpalints at all.
I have them on DT swiss Rims with stans and they sealled up no problems.
Similar Products Used: Nevegal dpc 2.35, vert ppos's, Geax arrojo (great tyre)
Bike Setup: Yeti 575 06 race
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Horacek
a Weekend Warrior
from Manchester, UK
Date Reviewed: May 12, 2010
Strengths: Light, perfect width. predictable; Basically great for a nervous rider who wants fast rolling but not a tall tyre. Looking at the tyre you think 'no it looks like it will be squirrelly/suffer etc.
Weaknesses: Obviously not great when you come across a mud patch in dark woods but then its not a mud tyre is it?
Bottom Line:
I love my Swampthings, absolutely crackers about them. Not good outside winter though.
I found the High Rollers too tall, didn't like the Advantage at all- strange as the tread looks more confidence inspiring but I found them unpredictable and they did wash out etc.
Larsen - just too fast rolling.
Ardent is a cracking compromise. A sort of Summer partner to the Swampthing.
Winter = Swampthing front and rear.
Spring = Ardent rear, Swampthing front
Summer/Autumn = Ardent front and rear.
Submitted by
rico
a Downhiller
from Vancouver, BC, Canada
Date Reviewed: May 5, 2010
Strengths: Super grippy, fast rolling, decent sidewall strength
Weaknesses: Can be a little squirrely in corners
Bottom Line:
I've been riding these tires for a couple of very wet months and they have been amazing (2.6" 3C). They grip everything: rocks, roots and wood work. Like other reviewers have commented, they require aggressive cornering to bite properly. Time will tell how they are in the terrain park and how quickly they wear. Overall I think these tires are fantastic.
Similar Products Used: Kenda Nevagal, Maxxis Minnion
Bike Setup: 2007 Brodie Diablo
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
adamantane
a Downhiller
from desert, california, usa
Date Reviewed: April 9, 2010
Strengths: it was cheap, many sizes to choose from 2.2, 2.4, 2.6
Weaknesses: these came in 3C DH casing...well, the sidewalls aren't as stong as other dh tires...and the 3c stuff is way soft prolly 40 durometer or something...i did not know that when i bought these..i'll stick to 60A in the future
Bottom Line:
i switched these off my aggro bike to my xc commuter bike...they were alright, but i could tell they just weren't strong enough for mountain park
Similar Products Used: maxxis mobster which sadly they dont make anymore, panaracer fire FR, nevegal, etceter
Bike Setup: prophet set up for light FR and DH
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
ScubaAdam
a Weekend Warrior
from Auburn, CA
Date Reviewed: March 16, 2010
Strengths: Fast rolling, handles all kind of conditions. Super traction. very quite
Weaknesses: None
Bottom Line:
The guys at my LBS all recommended these tires and I don't normally write reviews but these tires are awesome. I was tired of pinch flats and the sketchy traction I was getting with the Kenda Nevegals so I made the switch and the only complaint I have is that I didn't do it sooner. When I'm going down single tracks on my bike it no longer feels like I'm going to break loose at any second. I've also noticed how much faster these tires role. I have used them in all conditions and they are great. I would highly recommend these tires to anybody.
Submitted by
Nick
a Weekend Warrior
from Solvang, CA, USA
Date Reviewed: February 6, 2010
Strengths: Rolls fast, hooks up well on steep corners, true to size.
Weaknesses: Squirms a bit over rocks, doesn't climb so well in loose gravel.
Bottom Line:
I plan to circle back to this review next week and again next month. I have only ridden these tires once, running my dog across the way. The loop is a surprisingly good product test with a nice descent, a rocky climb, some out-of-the-saddle fire roads and a few nice, sharp corners. I have a 2.4 in front and 2.25 in back, both tubeless with Stan's. My initial impression is that this is a very good all around tire, especially in front, that hooks up well around tight turns. Other reviewers have mentioned that you need to lean this tire over for traction, and my experience was very similar. When I dug in deep, the bike railed nicely without any over steer. When I tried to finesse a corner, I slid out and had my dog barking at me with my back to the dirt. Climbing over gravel did not work out so well. I didn't spin out so much as bogged down in the rocks; whereas my Weirwolves would have scooted along just fine. So, as far as I can tell, this seems to be a tire that wants to be ridden aggressively and without hesitation. I'll be interested to run some technical trails and see how they perform, but for hot descents on twisty singletrack, I have a hunch they will ride great. Four flamers for both categories because I am not sure how I'll feel about them at my next review.
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