Maxxis Hard Drive Tire

3.19/5

(31 Reviews)

Write a review

MSRP : $40.00

Where To Buy

Store	Price

Product Description

Race inspired knob design is direction specific when front mounted. Rear bi-directional design rolls fast in one direction, climbs hard in other. Low knob height excels in dry conditions.

Review Options: Sorted by Latest Review | Sort by Best Rating

Reviews 1 - 15 (31 Reviews Total)

| Next 15

User Reviews

Overall Rating:

Value Rating:

Submitted by Kathryn

Date Reviewed: December 2, 2012

Strengths:    Ultra grippy on steep, rocky climbs. Fast rolling.

Weaknesses:    Unavailable to buy new :-(

Bottom Line:

If I could still get hold of these tires I would never use anything else for my back.

Overall Rating:

Value Rating:

Submitted by tonkota a Weekend Warrior from Spokane, WA, USA

Date Reviewed: July 16, 2008

Strengths:    sticky in the rocks and hard pack, bi-directional depending on what you want (fast or traction)

Weaknesses:    a little narrow, not for pavement

Bottom Line:

I like these in the rocks (basalt and river rocks) and hard pack we have here in Eastern Washington. They were very grippy (I had them on the traction direction). On the short section of pavement, you could hear them sticking. What a drag on pavement. I wouldn't commute with these. The Ignitors are better for that. I like these tires, but I think they are a specialty tire, not all around great.

Expand full review >>

Favorite Trail:   a rocky mess

Duration Product Used:   Less than 1 month

Price Paid:    $7.00

Purchased At:   ebay

Similar Products Used:   Maxxis Ignitor, Jones ACX

Bike Setup:   stock Kona Cinder Cone

Overall Rating:

Value Rating:

Submitted by Tom Basic a Weekend Warrior from Atlanta, GA, US

Date Reviewed: September 21, 2007

Strengths:    Very fast, great cornering, light

Weaknesses:    Narrow, not a wet-conditions tire

Bottom Line:

I have discovered that speed is king for the type of trail riding I do. If I did pure gravity riding, I'd get bigger/more aggressive treads. For trail riding, though, traction actually takes a back seat to my need for speed. Being able to pedal faster allows me to clean sections and maintain a higher, overall rhythym to busting the trail. The only thing I'd fault these tires on is their narrow/low volume size. Otherwise, they are the fastest tires I've ever had, they're fast on the street and dirt, they have great grip in dry conditions, and they're tough. No wear problems.

I'm 195 lbs. with riding gear and am running Stan's. I run about 28 psi front and rear. I ride light and fast.

All tires are a compromise. Nothing out there can give you excellent grip in wet and dry and be fast and light all at once. This tire matches my style.

Expand full review >>

Duration Product Used:   3 months

Similar Products Used:   Rithchey Z-Max 2.35 (best combination of speed and cornering, phenomenal front tire), Motorapter 2.4 (monster traction and volume, but not fast), IRC Backcountry (slow, poor volume, DO NOT USE ON FRONT), Onza Aggro/Honch (roll off the rim easily), Velociraptors (rear 1.9 has unacceptable volume for anyone over 150 lbs.), and many others.

Bike Setup:   KHS AM1000, WTB SpeedDisc rims, Manitou Minute 1:00, Fox Vanilla R, Avid BB7's.

Overall Rating:

Value Rating:

Submitted by Donovan K. a Cross Country Rider from Rochester

Date Reviewed: June 29, 2007

Strengths:    Went on surprisingly easily. I like the fact that you can flip it either way. Hooked up well on the trail with some hard pack and loose-over-hard pack.

Weaknesses:    Climbing, if you're going to use the tire on your rear wheel, make sure it's flipped into the "Climb" direction.

Bottom Line:

The bottom line: good tires for a good price. I'm not sure what crawled up the other reviewers butts, but these tires work well for me at least. The best thing to do is just buy 'em and try 'em.

Expand full review >>

Favorite Trail:   Tryon Park

Duration Product Used:   Less than 1 month

Price Paid:    $36.00

Purchased At:   iCyclesusa.com

Similar Products Used:   Mythos XC

Bike Setup:   Iron Horse Warrior

Overall Rating:

Value Rating:

Submitted by Diggs a Cross Country Rider from Midwest

Date Reviewed: October 28, 2006

Strengths:    Fantastic grip, rolls well.

Weaknesses:    Knobs tear easily due to soft compound

Bottom Line:

This tire grips anything and is probably the best all weather, all condition trail tire I've used. It rolls reasonably well due to the ramped knobs, making it a good dry weather tire also. Compared to the Panaracer Fire XC it has much less rolling resistance. Cornering is excellent and predictable and wet corners are not as sketchy as the Fire's. Casing is very soft due to the center soft compound, so you will need tire liners if you ride around thorns.

These tires would have a short life if you ride on rocky trails, but would grip the rock extremely well. But that is the tradeoff with soft compound tires.

Mud cleanout is average. Pavement riding is acceptable for a full knob tire. Gravel is very good. Where these are best is in damp to dry soil. I've never pinch flatted these even with low pressure.

Overall I'd give these 4 flaming turds. Still the Michelin Jet S in the green compound remains the best xc tire of all time in my book.

Expand full review >>

Favorite Trail:   Vasa

Duration Product Used:   1 Year

Price Paid:    $14.00

Purchased At:   mail order

Similar Products Used:   Fire XCPro, Mythos,

Bike Setup:   Rocky Mountain Thin Air, XTR, Avid, Manitou Black Elite

Overall Rating:

Value Rating:

Submitted by Brian G. a Cross Country Rider from cebu, philippines

Date Reviewed: October 17, 2006

Strengths:    the tire is light and rolls fast.

Weaknesses:    this tire has low side knobs resulting in not-so-stellar cornering performance.

Bottom Line:

i bought these at a LBS for $20 (cheap for a folding tire).the first thing i noticed when i put these on my bike is how fast it rolls, its lighter than my fireXC and less noisy when i'm road riding. i've been using this tire for a month and i'm satisfied with its performance. it rolls fast on any terrain and climbs reasonably well, you can mount the rear on high traction mode for better grip on climbing. despite the 2.1 marking this tire looks like a 1.9. this is a good race tire but definitely not for the inexperienced rider especially when riding on wet and muddy terrain and with low side knobs, cornering on gnarly terrain can be tricky. i'm giving the hard drive 4 chillis for value and performance.

Expand full review >>

Duration Product Used:   Less than 1 month

Price Paid:    $20.00

Purchased At:   LBS

Similar Products Used:   panaracer fireXC pro (my fave tire)

Bike Setup:   hard tail

Overall Rating:

Value Rating:

Submitted by joshie chu a Cross Country Rider from oaktown, biotch

Date Reviewed: October 6, 2006

Strengths:    cheap, light, reasonable traction

Weaknesses:    small -- seems more like a 1.9; harsh ride quality

Bottom Line:

I put this on my XC FS rig thinking that with rear suspension, the smallness of this tire wouldn't matter much. I was dissappointed to with the rate at which this tire deflected off of just about anything. At just under 40 lbs, this tire felt like it was made of plastic. I'd have been better off riding my ol' Green Machine down the trail -- well, almost. Back to my Mutano 2.14 within 5 rides.

Cheap, but you get what you pay for.

Expand full review >>

Duration Product Used:   Less than 1 month

Price Paid:    $5.00

Purchased At:   veloswap

Similar Products Used:   lots, and most were better

Bike Setup:   yes, set up just the way I like it. Full susp. XC -- all that matters here

Overall Rating:

Value Rating:

Submitted by charlie a Cross Country Rider from sunnyvale, ca, usa

Date Reviewed: June 6, 2005

Strengths:    grip as well as most everything else in general conditions. Rires with a tighter block spacing will do better on hard pack, but the HD does better in gravel and mud. I've had no problem with them except maybe buzz on pavement, but who cares about how well a mt bike tire does on pavement?

Weaknesses:    I replaced a Bontrager ACX 2.0 with the HD 2.1. The Bontrager was a lot lighter (480 gm) and did very well. The HD 2.1 is 560 gm and I can notice the added weight. The "fast rolling" tread direction has little ramps on the knobs which cause the tire to slip on steep uphills. Of course, braking is better this way. If you will run the tire on the rear, use the "high traction" direction.

Bottom Line:

I think the bad reviews came before 2003 and the good reviews came afterward. I wonder if Maxxis changed the design or the rubber compound in 2003 and improved performance. These work as well in mud, rock, loam and gravel as well as you could expect. They are quite tough and long-wearing. This alone is a good reason to buy them.
I use mine on the back because the 2.1 HD is really about a 2.0 and I like a wider tire up front.
I got mine as the San Francisco Velo Swap at the Maxxis booth for US$10 - apparently because the multi-color labels - sprayed on in layers - did not match up and so the tire are "cosmetically challenged." But they are worth even $35.

Expand full review >>

Favorite Trail:   tractor

Duration Product Used:   6 months

Price Paid:    $10.00

Purchased At:   SF Velo Swap

Similar Products Used:   too many to say

Bike Setup:   Santa Cruz Superlight with Marz MXR 85 mm fork, Fox Float RL shock, Avid SD 7 brakes with ceramic rims. (it's not an "all mt" bike and of course this affects my impression of tires). I have one tire and run it on the back with a WTB Mutanoraptor "2.4" up front (which is actually a genuine 2.1 inches wide, making it about the widest tire you can get for less than 600 gm -that won't pop on 30 mph rocky descents).

Overall Rating:

Value Rating:

Submitted by Chris N a Downhiller from Austin, Tx

Date Reviewed: May 12, 2005

Strengths:    Cheap knock-off of Michelin HotS tread, light for wire bead, tough rubber compound, fast rolling. Best in hardpack with loose on top, dry conditions.

Weaknesses:    Bit narrow for 2.0.

Bottom Line:

Excellent, tough tire for the money. I tried a new pair of Continental Explorer Pros, 127 TPI, kevlar bead. They a great tire, but Ft. Hood trail has lots of sharp edged rocks which ripped the knobs off. Not good with No-tubes! So, tried these Maxxis, they are tough, no torn knobs, and fairly fast rolling. Wire beaded ones are reasonable weight. Needed compressor to install with No-tubes. Highly recommended for trail tire. This review really sums it up: http://www.maxxis.com/media/gallery/item_14251.jpg

Expand full review >>

Favorite Trail:   Fort Hood

Duration Product Used:   3 months

Price Paid:    $12.00

Purchased At:   CBO mail order

Similar Products Used:   Continentals, WTB, Kendas.

Bike Setup:   Turner Burner with Stans No-tubes.

Overall Rating:

Value Rating:

Submitted by Johannes Gerber a Racer from Port Elizabeth, South Africa

Date Reviewed: April 19, 2005

Strengths:    Strong compound, very few punctures, can be abused, good climbing. They perform very well in South African conditions, singletrack, rocks and gravel.

Weaknesses:    Can wash out in very loose gravel, at speed.

Bottom Line:

It's a very good race tyre. Mine were about 630g per tyre, for wire bead, running tubeless. Can be run at various preassures. Lasted me one season of racing and about 150km per week. I totally trashed these tires through rocks and they have never let me down. There are some small cuts noticable in the thread. Good value for money.

Expand full review >>

Favorite Trail:   Longmore Forest, Winterhoek Mountains

Duration Product Used:   1 Year

Price Paid:    $45.00

Purchased At:   Penford Cycles

Similar Products Used:   Panaracer Fire XC, Larsen TT, Ignitor, Worm Drive, Pythons.

Bike Setup:   Amp B4, Noleen fork.

Overall Rating:

Value Rating:

Submitted by Geoff a Cross Country Rider from UK

Date Reviewed: October 20, 2004

Strengths:    Grip, stability and predictability on all dry surfaces including loose stuff!

Weaknesses:    Cloggy mud, but then they are a summer tyre, not designed for this.

Bottom Line:

These are the best summer tyres I've ever had. I cannot believe some of the reviews below. They excelled on everything I tried them on, they give you a lot of confidence. I also had no problems in the wet.
Even in mud they are not that bad, still rideable in all but the cloggy stuff. I recommend these to anyone, just put the muds on when winter comes.

Expand full review >>

Duration Product Used:   6 months

Price Paid:    $35.00

Similar Products Used:   Loads of different tyres

Bike Setup:   Intense Spider XVP, XT gear + Mini Hope brakes

Overall Rating:

Value Rating:

Submitted by DHbiker~ a Cross Country Rider from USA

Date Reviewed: September 28, 2004

Strengths:    -Looks Cool
-Cheap
-Good for the money
-Better than a lot of stock tires
-Fast tire
-Light

Weaknesses:    -Washes out on steep loose stuff
-Could use more traction

Bottom Line:

This is a great tire for the money. It is the 2.1 version and I personally like it. It is light and strng too. The only thing I don't really like about it is that it is kind of weak when it comes to doing switchback turns and the wheel may become washed out.

Expand full review >>

Favorite Trail:   Wompatuck

Duration Product Used:   3 months

Price Paid:    $12.00

Purchased At:   Attitash

Similar Products Used:   Everything

Bike Setup:   2003 K2 Attack 1.0 (Great Bike!!!)

Overall Rating:

Value Rating:

Submitted by Big Boy Truck a Cross Country Rider from Seoul, Korea (FL)

Date Reviewed: September 19, 2004

Strengths:    Fast rolling, grip, looks

Weaknesses:    None so far

Bottom Line:

I read the other reviews about this tire, but went ahead and brought them anyway, just cause they looked cool, little did I know I was in for a treat. As soon as I put them on and got on my bike, I immediately noticed the difference, they rolled way better than the Mythos(1.95) that I took off, and when I hit the trail... oh what a feeling. It was wet from the recent rain and these gripped like they were holding on to drugs. I have mine mounted front and rear on the climbing side, so maybe that may make a difference. I like them so much that I'm getting 2 more of them. So read the reviews, make your own choices, and get out and ride, that's the only way to find out how they do.

Expand full review >>

Favorite Trail:   Any Mt in Korea

Duration Product Used:   Less than 1 month

Price Paid:    $25.00

Purchased At:   Ebay

Similar Products Used:   Mythos XC, TrailBear, Pythons, Specialized Enduro, HardDrive 2.1

Bike Setup:   Kikapu Deluxe, Easton, HardDrive 2.1

Overall Rating:

Value Rating:

Submitted by Gabriel Medeiros from Rio de Janeiro - Brazil

Date Reviewed: January 5, 2004

Strengths:    The specific rolling direction enables you to increase the tires performance for hard - climbing or asphalt/downhill fast - rolling. The tire can make good corners under dry conditions.

Weaknesses:    The design is too specific and doesn't works well on gravel or on wet.

Bottom Line:

It's a good tire for using on asphalt and dry trails. I don't recommend this tire for beginners because it's very specific and should not be used for every kind of ride. This tire don't perform good on gravel.

Expand full review >>

Duration Product Used:   1 Year

Similar Products Used:   Maxxis Helter/Skelter 2.1

Bike Setup:   GT Palomar with deore/deore xt transmission, Rst Aerosa fork, and Maxxis Instinct and Skelter 2.35 tires.

Overall Rating:

Value Rating:

Submitted by Andrew Gillespie a Weekend Warrior from Port Elizabeth

Date Reviewed: October 28, 2003

Strengths:    Inexpensive, fairly light, performs well and wears slowly

Weaknesses:    none

Bottom Line:

I love these tires. I have not had any problems with them at all. They corner great, they roll fast, they climb well and I have no trouble getting them onto or off of my Mavic X221 rims unlike some other posters.

Expand full review >>

Favorite Trail:   Any trail as long as i'm riding

Duration Product Used:   1 Year

Bike Setup:   Orbea, Meore, Manitou, Harddrive 2.1

Reviews 1 - 15 (31 Reviews Total)

| Next 15

Review Options: Sorted by Latest Review | Sort by Best Rating

Maxxis Hard Drive Tire

Where To Buy

Product Description

User Reviews

Related Hard Drive Forum Posts

Sun Ringle Black Flag:

Hutchinson Python: