Submitted by
bigjp
a Weekend Warrior
from Cedar Hills, Utah, USA
Date Reviewed: September 12, 2011
Strengths: Rolls and hooks up great on PAVEMENT! (what a SAD SAD statement for a mtb tire) I also found the reviews that said it hooks up decent on hard-packed trails but breaks loose in corners. What tire doesn't hook up reasonably on hard-packed trails (even a compleetly bald tire will hook up on hard packed trails and break loose on corners!!!)
Weaknesses: The out side cornering nobs are almost non existent (they are actually smaller then the center nobs!!), so attempting to lean the bike over on the side knobs results in an instant rear wheel drift. If you like to lean your bike as you should when turning this is not the tire for you! They are squirley at 32 psi, and bounce and deflect off of the slightest bump at 34 psi.
Bottom Line:
I have never disliked a tire more then this one! This review is for the 2.35 60a version of this tire, and all my testing was on an extremely hard-packed dirt, with a tiny amount of loose gravel in a few spots (should have been perfect conditions for these tires). I picked this tire up on clearance intending to run it on the rear of my DJ hard-tail, but it was just a hair too tall fit without rubbing. I decided to try it on the back of my 160mm travel trail bike. On very smooth hard packed trails while going in a straight line this tire did OK (note a completely bald tire would also do OK on this type of terrain) But any type of bump at speed caused the tire to bounce and deflect, and any type of cornering at speed caused the back end to break loose and drift. On wide fire roads this was kind of fun as I had lots of room to deal with the drifting but, but I had to cut my normal speed in half on tight single track and they still broke loose more then any other tire I have ever used. It also bounced all over the place. Bottom line is their are faster rolling similarly priced tires that corner much much better and don't bounce all over the place (Mutano 2.4 comes to mind, also if you clip or wear down the center nobs on a high roller it will roll just as well and rail any corner you throw it into). In the end I put this tire where it belongs on my 10 year old sons Walmart bike that only sees road use, as it was a small step above the tires it came with!
Strengths: Low rolling resistance, excellent traction and longevity, excellent feedback from the ground
Weaknesses: Availability, they sell fast so shop in advance. Not as light weight as simmilar tyres, but the performance makes up for it.
Bottom Line:
Excellent performance, gives the rider the edge. The 26 X 2.35 gives the traction and tracking of a wide tire, feel of a medium tire and rolling resitance of a narrow tire....great combination
Similar Products Used: Maxiss Cross mark, Specialized resolution
Bike Setup: Specializes XC Pro - Fox Float RL & RP23, Shram. Larsen TT LUST 26 X 2.35 front and 26 X 2.2 rear
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
photoBear
a Cross Country Rider
from Bendigo,Victoria,Australia
Date Reviewed: February 17, 2011
Strengths: Fast rolling
Fairly light
good as both front & rear
great on hardpack, fast grippy lateral and up hill
great on rock due to softness
good on dry roots (wet not tested yet)
great on loose gravel over hardpack
good in shallow sand
Exelent stopping power
Takes a lot to make it wash out (for me)
Good price
Looks good to my tastes
Weaknesses: Not very good in mud
might wear quickly on the rod to my favorite tracks (time will tell)
I'd like them in 2.1
Bottom Line:
Where I ride is a lot of dry hardpack, some loose gravel over hardpack, rocky, exposed roots, some sand and sometimes deep leaf litter but not much mud. Allmost always hilly.
I ride long distances cross country nearly every day, I'm probably not not the most agressive rider but plenty of hard slogging up hills. The Larsens seem to be Ideal to my style and terrain.
I can not fault them on hardpack, rock or when there is a bit of loose gravel, they climb well roll fast, mot quite as fast as the small blocks but fast enough, much better when its loose and less tendancy to wash out.
The only trouble I've encountered is with mud but for me that's a non issue. I'd have liked them as 2.1s like the small blocks but 2.0 seems fine.
I'll have to wait and see how they wear
I would rate them at a 5 for my own use but taking into concideration that other people will ride in mud and deep sand id have to give them a 4, a high 4
Submitted by
mmmolchan
a Cross Country Rider
from granite bay, ca, usa
Date Reviewed: November 20, 2010
Strengths: fast roller, great braking, reasonable weight 520g
Weaknesses: none
Bottom Line:
i will not put anything else on my bike. i know exactly what these can do. i run the exception 2.0 non-tubeless on stans rims TUBELESS @ 28-30psi. i weigh 155 lbs on a 24 lb bike. ridden in the sand in monterey, lava rock in the high desert in sparks, and around tahoe and sierra foothills. been using them for over 4 years. those who wash out with them push too hard or don't weight the bike correctly. they do work better with good finesse and riding skills and lower pressure. one pair will last me several years of 1 or 2 rides a week. originally bought them because kabush raced them.
Submitted by
Bill Gill
a Cross Country Rider
from Sydney Australia
Date Reviewed: September 29, 2010
Strengths: great accelaration,stable feel when at speed.good sidewall protection, go well in sand.
Weaknesses: not confidence inspiring on loose corners, once it breaks loose on climbs hard to stop/save and still stay on the gas to maintain speed and momentum
Bottom Line:
I run these tires pretty hard (tire pressure) both on the front and back of bike. The speed of the mark is great, accelerate well, hold a good line at speed downhill, recover well when deflected of roots,rocks etc. I'm not keen to corner to hard on the loose stuff.Climb well in the saddle but don't standup because they will break loose in the blink of an eye.Will be playing with tire presures to see what I can achieve in the near future.Good XC tire but still not inspiring me to corner hard on loose stuff. Keen to try the Continental 2.2 Trail Kings when I get sick of playing around with these.
Weaknesses: Thin (light) sidewalls (not an issue). Not great in mud (duh!).
Bottom Line:
Love this tire (Larsen TT Exception version). Good volume for a 26" 2.0 tire, in fact it seems like a larger tire (well, it is really) than the 2.1 Mythos IRC or 2.0 Hutchison Python. Great balance of weight, grip and rolling. I prefer these over Kenda's SB8 and have used them for several XC and 6 Hr events. Just rear for XC, both tires for Endurance races. Mine were a steal at $20 ea. Not a perfect tire, but one of the best I have tried (hoping to try Conti's and Schwalbe's when I get a raise).
Similar Products Used: Mythos IRC XC (I & II), Kenda Klimax Lites, Hutchison Python Air Lites
Bike Setup: Single Speed Baby!
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
tonyliverpool
a Cross Country Rider
from Liverpool UK
Date Reviewed: July 13, 2010
Strengths: no really sure, they will be off the bike when my arm works again. No flats on UST
Weaknesses: Terrible in loose corners
Bottom Line:
I dont know if it was tyre pressure or wrong conditions, but these tyres let me down.
Cornering on loose gravel traveling at approx 15mls per hour. Turned and front wheel went one way and I went the other. Broken collar bone and 2 months off work a very expensive pair of tyres considering I am self employed.
I dont really blame maxxis, probably just the wrong tyre for the conditions. However I will be selling them on ebay when I can get them off the wheels.
Similar Products Used: High rollers, conti diesel, halo choir master
Bike Setup: Mainly Xt and xtr
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Submitted by
alcase1
a Weekend Warrior
from Geelong, Victoria, Australia
Date Reviewed: April 18, 2010
Strengths: reasonably light and low rolling resistance for mtb tyre
Weaknesses: thin sidewall - although that's why its light and hasn't given any dramas
Bottom Line:
these are a mainly xc tyre. around the geelong are they seem to be the tyre of choice. every second person seems to be running them at forrest and you yangs. and no wonder, they are a great xc hardpack tyre. if you want a little more braking performance you can try running them the opposite to the recommended way this creates a square edge on the centre blocks rather than a ramped edge which gives a bit more bite. i have never tried them in the wet but i can't imagine they would be that great.
Strengths: low rolling resistance, comfort for size 2.0
Weaknesses: grip on soft surfaces
Bottom Line:
If you ride mostly on harder surfaces like fire road, pavement etc. and also want a comfort tire I would recommend it. But if you want to use in for forest trails, look somewhere else.
Similar Products Used: WTB moto raptor, Maxxis harddrive, Tioga Yellow Kirin
Bike Setup: GT Avalanche 0.5 2005 - now sold for about a year
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
karfiol135
a Weekend Warrior
from Slovakia
Date Reviewed: January 2, 2010
Strengths: i dont remember any...
Weaknesses: i used 2.0 version
weak sidewalls, realy nasty cornering DO NOT use it as front tire!!! rear can be ok for smooth light xc trails but I had many many pinchflats on rocks so thats not good for me... o i nearly forgot, it doesnt brake
Bottom Line:
there are many much better tires on market so dont waste your money
Submitted by
Titan Mack
a Weekend Warrior
from God's Country
Date Reviewed: November 1, 2009
Strengths: Light weight. Best stregnth is training, if you want to train staying up right. I have yet to flat these.
Weaknesses: No grip on anything but hardpack and loose over hard pack. Totally looses grip on sandy corners, and esepcially when roots and bridges get wet. Many corner numbs on front and rear are pealing off after one 6 hour endurance race.
Bottom Line:
By far, the worse Maxxis tire I have used to date. Current set-up is 2.0 Exception front and 1.9 Execption Rear. By no means are my trails considered rocky, and both tires have a significant number of side numbs that have been sheared off, and several of the top numbs are the same, after 75 miles....50 of which were under race conditions.
The tires are horrible on sandy corners, and even worse on anything wood that is damp (roots, bridges, etc.) The Maxxlite's have more traction in the wet then these do.
I so wanted to like this set-up for racing, but boo...these are aweful. 2 chilis for value cause I got them cheap.
Similar Products Used: Maxxis Ardent, CrossMark, MaxxLITE, High Roller, Minion, Kenda Small Block 8 and Nevegal
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
redderek
a Cross Country Rider
from Thousand Oaks, CA
Date Reviewed: September 28, 2009
Strengths: Light weight, high volume, rounded surface, good roll out, grippy
Weaknesses: None so far other than the fact that it is a little pricey
Bottom Line:
I was looking for a front tire to handle the myriad Southern California trail conditions. Rocky, Hardpack, Loose over Hardpack, Sandy, Gravel etc... LBS employee (also an avid rider) told me to try the Larsen TT.. I was skeptical at first (I never thought much of the small block 8 type designs) but the Maxxis TT has larger knobs and a bit deeper tread than the Small Block. In any event, this tire has been very good all summer long. I have yet to get a flat running the tire at 25 to 55 psi depending on trail conditions. Hooks up like a champ on hardpack, floats on sand extremely well, nice controlled carving of turns on loose over hardpack and has only washed out one time on a gravel laden turn. The rounded tread profile allows you to lean hard into the turns with good confidence. I just purchased two new front tires to try (Maxxis DHF Single Ply and the Maxxis Ardent) so I'm going to put the Larsen TT on the rear whell for a bit. I have a couple of friends who run them on the rear and they swear by them. I highly recommend this tire as a great versatile all mountain tire for Southern California summer time riding. I don't think it would be so good in the mud but we get so little rain here so as not to matter. I'm still liking this tire a whole lot. Will follow up with a review as a rear tire in a few weeks when I have tried it out.
Similar Products Used: Continental, Kenda, Michelin, IRC, Tioga, Specialized
Bike Setup: Santa Cruz, Blur LT
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Schmurtz
a Weekend Warrior
from Srbija
Date Reviewed: April 13, 2009
Strengths: -devilishly FAST
-light
-hooks up perfectly to almost anything
-braking performance is unmatched by any tire i've tried
-respectable cornering grip
-puncture resistant
Weaknesses: -durability
-sidewalls are way to thin and vulnerable
-tarmac is killing them, stay away from it, put it in the mud, dirt and rocks, where it belongs...
Bottom Line:
this rewiew is for 2.0 TT
it's curently on my front wheel. it's not performing perfectly, but it's way much better than anything i've mentioned above.
last season it was in the back and i was amazed by amount of traction i got from it even in snowy conditions. however, it started to wear out quickly. i decided that i want to keep it for a little longer so i moved it in front.
my rear tire is michelin xc dry 2.0 (not a bad tire but cornerinhg grip is HORRIBLE!)
as soon as i get some money, i'm moving TT back to the rear, and going for a more aggresive Ardent in the front.
my curent TT is not completly worn out and i think it wil do about another 500 miles before replaced. two or threee of them (including curent) will do this season...
Maxxis has you covered, whatever your style is, just pick the right model acording to your needs.
anywhere from xc racing to all mountain, you won't go wrong with larsen TT.
Similar Products Used: crossmark, ignitor, older larsen mimo, continental explorer, ritchey z,... ,nearly every single michelin there is, racing ralph (good tire), nooby nic (stinkin' pile of crap, nerly got me killed)
Submitted by
dubdryver
a Cross Country Rider
from Pembroke Pines, FL USA
Date Reviewed: March 14, 2009
Strengths: Very Versitile Tire, Long Lasting, smooth ride on hardpack, unlimited grip. Tread Contact patch is more than sufficient.
Weaknesses: tread on the outside could be a little bit harder durameter compount to wear evenly with the rest of the tire.
Bottom Line:
I dont like making a review if I have not used the item for a justifiable length of time. I bought this tire to run on the rear, UST Version w/ Stan's and have not lost the seal, and only had to adjust the tire pressure for riding conditions. They have a solid sidewall, These tires rock! I rode them in the medium to wet hardpack and mud and snow in belgium to the roots and rocks hardpack/loose hardpack of the technical singletrack in S. Florida.
I have recommended this tire to run in the rear to everyone enquiring and those looking for tire advice. I do not think this tire would work for a front, the tread pattern wont fit the part for hard cornering and the grip you need for hard cornering. Use a High Roller or something more aggressive for that job.
I have been riding the same larson TT for approx. 3yrs and probably 2,000 miles and they have only shown wear on the outside knobby tread but has not caused any problems with the performance. I ride fairly light on my bike even at 185 lb. so that maybe the reason for extended wear performance but then again, I have beat the High Rollers up and they are needing replaced and they were mounted at the same time as the TT's.
Looking to try a new set of fast rolling tires for the local trails and some races.
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