Submitted by
João Esteves
a Cross Country Rider
from Lisbon - Portugal
Date Reviewed: July 24, 2009
Strengths: Full traction on wet/muddy conditions
Also not entirely bad on dry/dusty tracks
Low volume and lightweight
Weaknesses: You will need a lot of effort/strenght from your legs to go arround in asphalt.
Consider severe interference between tire knobs and flat asphalted roads.
Not a fast tire.
Bottom Line:
I found this tires extremely good for what they are designed for: MUD and general wet terrain.
I use it on the aft wheel all year arround. I don't agree with people that say that this tire is not suitable for summer conditions.
The only weakness i found is related with cornering (if used on the front wheel) and interference with asphalt.
Submitted by
Nick
a Racer
from Melbourne, Australia
Date Reviewed: June 24, 2007
Strengths: In extremely muddy conditions, these tyres shed mud like nothing I have ever experienced. They are also reasonably light (my wire bead tyres came in at under 600g per tyre which is good at the price) and provide such good traction in muddy conditions. In terms of rocks and roots I haven't had too many issues thus far but my local trails aren't particularly rocky. These tyres have made rainy day mountain biking fun again!
Weaknesses: I would obviously question the life of the tyres for non-muddy conditions. Also, on bitumen riding to and from trails it could be a bit treacherous but obviously this isn't part of the design brief for this product. Trail damage may also be a concern, given the amount of mud that they shed.
Bottom Line:
Don't expect any wonders from these tyres in the dry. However, when the heavens open up and all the other girly men stay inside on the wind trainer, put on a pair of these and go hammer some trails! Excellent traction under acceleration and braking.
Similar Products Used: A range of Conti tyres, Scott generic tyres, other Maxxis tyres
Bike Setup: Scott Genius MC40, Fox Talas, DT Ex5.1d on 340s, SRAM X9, Avid Juicy 5
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Ben Dawson
a Racer
from Peterborough, ON, CAN
Date Reviewed: September 27, 2006
Strengths: Wet, deep mud, loose, wet wet wet! Knobs are firm and dont roll over. Braking and cornering is supreme.
Weaknesses: Rocky/rooty extreme technical
Bottom Line:
These tires are insane. I love riding in crazy wet weather now cause these tires give you a huge advantage. Since they are only a 1.8 you have to run higher pressures so they dont grip roots/rocks very well. They are very specific to wet conditions. They roll fast and never pack up with mud. They also leave a large amount of frame clearance for excess mud on the bike. For deep soft mud and torrential downpours look no futher than this tire. They are cheap too.
Submitted by
Oswald
a Cross Country Rider
from Belgium
Date Reviewed: June 4, 2006
Strengths: Lot's of grip in mud, not too heavy, very cheap.
Weaknesses: Rolling resistance on hardpack sections. Only comes in 1.8 and 2.1
Bottom Line:
These tires are amazing in muddy XC races!
I had heard about how good these were, but couldn't believe their grip when I did my first race on them. There was some pavement in the race (only a few hundred meters), where they felt slow, but it was doable. There was also a rock garden downhill which had me worried (pinchflatted both front and rear Scorpion 1.75 while checking out the course) but the Maxxis held up fine. I wouldn't use these in anything but mud, since they have a low air volume and high rolling resistance. But in the mud they were unbelievable. Both traction uphill and cornering in descents was perfect. I used it as a rear tire in combination with a Larsen 1.9 up front. (The Larsen felt predictable in corners, and even when the centre knobs packed up with mud, the side knobs still provided cornering grip)
I'm a bit worried about pinchflats when using the Medusa 1.8 for marathon racing in Les Ardennes, and think the 2.1 is a bit too much on the other hand. So a 1.95 would seem perfect for marathon racing to me. Although the weight should be very close between the two, according to the Maxxis site.
The Maxxis tires are very affordable too, so 5 Chilis for Value. I give them 5 overall and recommend them, IF you know WHEN to use them (mud specific, remember)
Submitted by
AngryAsian
a
from Melbourne, Australia
Date Reviewed: May 10, 2006
Strengths: Fantastic grip in damp conditions Light! - these spin up very quickly Clears well - don't pack up with mud Lots of clearance for chain and seat stays exception rubber
Weaknesses: Widely spaced knobs increase rolling resistance when riding to the trail - offset by specific use and light weight Soft rubber
Bottom Line:
Fantastic as a wet conditions tire. The cornering grip is fantastic. I expected the side knobs to either fold, or not to be enough but on wet/gravel/mud mix it corners on rails.
I used these tires as race tires and they definately help in wet conditions. I'd much rather trade the confidence that these tires give you, over and small speed increase on the flats. These tires are still very light at 500g.
It's nice watching riders in front make little slips on mud that sap their energy. With these tires, you can just sit on their wheel and smoothly round the corners and out accelerate them. Fantastic grip!
Cheap! with most tires averaging around $80 Australian, these are relatively cheap at $60 per end.
The only downside is the soft rubber and wide knobs do suffer on roads. On the ride home from racing a pedestrian stepped onto the road and i locked ther ear tire in an effort to avoid running him over. I managed to rip/grind down about 6 knobs worth. Most half ripped or ground up.
That said - this was an exceptional circumstance and ANY mud knobby would suffer the same. But just a warning nonetheless..
Similar Products Used: No other mud specific tires
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Timmy
a Weekend Warrior
from Sydney, Australia
Date Reviewed: May 6, 2006
Strengths: This tyre is absolutly awsome... this tyre absolutly grips on soil mud off camber corners. as said " races are won and lost in corners" then this tyre would be a winner. The first time i test rode these tyres on grass note.. grass... i literally tried to make my front slide. but instead the tyre rips the groung into shreds. This tyre greips like crazy its unbeleiable a first.
Weaknesses: Wears rather fast but still on my first pair as these are my racing tyres. ( i am very cheap when it comes to tyres)
Bottom Line:
The best tyre i think i will ever will get and for 30 bucks a pair off ebay!! .. what a steal.. I HIGHLY recommend... great tyre
Similar Products Used: Scopions ( rather low end all rounder tyre ) Richy elevader ( my first decent tyre) Tioga Red Phoenix ( absolutly useless!!! , i am drifting on any slight turn i go into )
Bike Setup: kona kula 05 stock ( need to cut bars down )
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Alex K
a Cross Country Rider
from Newcastle, N.S.W., Australia
Date Reviewed: March 20, 2006
Strengths: Fantastic grip in a wide variety of trail conditions including: loose gravel over hardpack, hardpack & loose dusty soil. Excellent cornering, especially in loose soil conditions. Excellent mud clearing ability. Good traction on tree roots and rocks, improves rider confidence.
Weaknesses: Fast wearing due to a very open tread pattern, mainly an issue if you have to ride on the road/cyclepath to the start of your favourite trail. Also may contribute to some rolling resistance on hardpack & pavement.
Bottom Line:
I used the limited number of reviews posted here in making the decision to buy a pair of these tyres and I'm really glad I bought them, at $US30 ($AU42) for a pair it was a steal. These are the standard wire bead in 2.1 width and I inflate them at 40psi for front and rear. Rider weight is 165lb.
Although the Maxxis web site describes them as a mud specific tyre I found that they excelled in really loose soil conditions and I would rate them as the best tyre that I've ridden in regards to secure cornering and great traction when there is a ~1" layer of loose gravel over hardpack. I've found the Geax Sturdy tyres to be a bit skittish (tested back to back over the same trail circuit) in these conditions and not as predictable and I think the Medusas seem to have an extra edge over the Velociraptors in regards to traction in that type of trail condition. Also the Medusas seem to be able to find traction when climbing a trail that is covered in leaf litter, something I've struggled with when using the other tyres listed.
When used in clayey goopy mud conditions these tyres outperform all the others I've previously used, awesome self clearing ability (you certainly know if you're not wearing sunglasses) and again just grip on muddy uphills where other tyres clog up and slip and slide. They also feel very secure on downhills under braking and when cornering especially on off camber type corners in mud and in dry loose soil conditions.
I would certainly recommend the 2.1 tyres to any XC rider for a good all round tyre especially when riding in a variety of trail conditions and it's quite difficult to find a tyre that performs predictably and consistently over a wide range of conditions. The Maxxis Medusas are a tyre that has improved my confidence when riding in loose dusty conditions and in the occasional mud ride and I'm certainly more aggressive when cornering knowing the tyre will just hold the desired line. Highly recommended!
Similar Products Used: Geax Sturdy, Panaracer Smoke and Dart, WTB Velociraptors
Bike Setup: 1996 Diamond Back Axis (Richey Logic cro-mo) hardtail, Shimano XT hubs, derailleurs, shifters, WTB Powerbeam rims, Avid Ti V-brakes and speed dial brake levers, Control Tech stem with Titec titanium handlebars and bar ends, Selle Italia Flite saddle with Syncros seatpost and a Marzocchi Marathon S 105mm travel suspension fork.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Pavel Šejnoha
a Cross Country Rider
from UL, Czech Republic
Date Reviewed: January 6, 2005
Strengths: Good grip, low rolling resistance. Very, very good self cleanig.
Weaknesses: They slide very fast on the wet rock. I lose control over bike much faster then with 2,1" tires.
Bottom Line:
Good tires for mudy terrain. They are thin and so mud can´t block rear wheel and V brake. It is not universal tire. Is only for mud terrain. For dry surface Maxxis sell others tires :-)))
im suprise not many people use these tires. theyre excellent all around tires. sheds mud like magic, handles wet logs and rocks pretty well, takes corners like a high end product. A+
Submitted by
Pablo T
a Cross Country Rider
from Costa Rica
Date Reviewed: October 22, 2004
Strengths: Great grip in the mud, ok on the dirt, low rolling resistance. Great all around tire.
Bottom Line:
Before this tire I've tried maxxis before, now I wanna try all their products! This tire is great when it gets wet, I've been using them throughout rainy season, and they just rule. I can go downhill through muddy sections much faster, and I can focus on outputting power on the way up. Very predictable tire, great grip, low drag. It preforms ok when it's dry, but is not as greak as hardpack specific tires.
I'll be running this tire whenever there's rain on the forecast.
If you have to handle mud and hardpack on the same ride, this is the tire for you. If you live in the middle of the dessert, you may not love it, but it'll get you through.
For races where mud is overwhelming, this is a great tire! If you can keep pedaling, the tire clears mud. My highest finishes, age group and overall this year and last have been in races where mud was insane. Where other tires were packing up with mud, and slipping and sliding all over, these tires stayed clean, and the 1.8 profile allowed them to dig in and find traction in firmer stuff below
I used it for the rear in the XC race. Front tire was panaracer "fire mud pro". That race was a muddy condition in the first half, the latter half was dry. Medusa provided high traction in all conditions. It's very nobby, but rolling resistance is low. Medusa is useful, not only in muddy but in dry. Unsuitable for a high speed course, since tire width is narrow.
