Submitted by
coke
a Cross Country Rider
from quezon city, philippines
Date Reviewed: February 19, 2008
Strengths: durable,superb traction on the road and dry trails
Weaknesses: too heavy,has no mud shredding properties,front tires aren't good on muddy,slippery trails
Bottom Line:
a very durable tire,but not too good on descending slippery and wet trails..it is however perfect for arid cross country riding if you are not too meticulous about the bike's weight
Strengths: Width(not to bulky). Wears great. Pince resistance. Great traction.
Weaknesses: May not be best in gravel or loose hardpack.
Bottom Line:
I am an avid rider\free rider and have thrown everything at these tires for the last 2 years. Rocky climbs, fast downhillls,dirtjumps,pavement,rocky branch sections, anything you can think of, these tires have seen it. And the back tire now has noticable wear but is still dishing out the traction. I may ride them for 1 more season unless traction is drastictly lost(need snow tires). In the mud yesterday they still held their ground.
For 2 years I have never had a flat with even doing drops and stairs. They are tough.
When I first got the bike and tires, they did seem to slide out on loose hardpack and gravel. It scared me. But now being comfortable with both, they are perdictable and I can fly down trails at top speed with full confidence in them. Going from a 2.1 to a wider tire, the extra width handles great but you don't get the excess bulkage of the wider tires.
These are great allround tires, just be carefull in the loose sections.
Submitted by
James
a Cross Country Rider
from Vancouver
Date Reviewed: March 6, 2004
Strengths: the back tire has good traction
Weaknesses: the front tire loves to slide out in corners- I have no idea why but suspect is has something to do with the way maxxis curved it. THESE TIRES ARE THIN AND WEAK! I GOT A PUNCTURE THROUGH THE TOP OF MY BACK TIRE JUST RIDING ON THE ROAD THROUGH SOME THORNS. IT PUT A HUGE RIP IN THE TIRE AND I FLATTED DUE TO THIS AND NOW HAVE TO THROW A PRETTY NEW TIRE OUT. Even though they say DH on them they are weak and could never be used for DH. Alternatively they are heavy and aren't ideal for xc for this reason....
Bottom Line:
I wouldn't buy them. Too heavy for xc and too thin and weak for DH/Freeride, also the grip on the front is TERRIBLE. It looks good but it sucks. Don't buy them. Recommend panaracer fire xc's as you can get them cheaper (the wire version) and they grab alot better (even though they are 2.1 and the maxxis are 2.35).
Similar Products Used: panaracer smoke/dart/fire xc pro (all of these are awesome), wtb velociraptor (awesome tire), kona tires (alright)
Bike Setup: brodie bruzza
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
C
a Cross Country Rider
from Gunnison, Colorado
Date Reviewed: August 8, 2003
Weaknesses: Terrible in sand.
Bottom Line:
Just an update to my previous review. Mofo's are terrible in sand.
I discovered some new trails with sandy turns. I felt the front tire give a few a times but didn't think much of it. The other day I tried keeping up with a faster rider when I hit a small patch of sand. It stopped me completely. I busted my knee on a rock, banged my shins on the frame and twisted my ankle.
I'll be switching tires shortly, something along the lines of Panaracer Fires, Irc Mythos, or Hutchinson Pythons.
Mofo's are great if you go sraight down hill with minimal turning. But I wouldn't recommend them for single track curves with sand. You'll eat dirt like I did.
Submitted by
C
a Cross Country Rider
from Colorado
Date Reviewed: August 2, 2003
Strengths: Real beefy tire. Gets good grip. I don't get pinch flats any more, even when psi is lower then recomended settings. Takes a long time for them to wear out.
Weaknesses: Only thing I don't like about 'em is the weight. They're about twice as heavy as a normal XC tire.
Bottom Line:
Great tires for the money. I use them even though I'm an XC rider. Only bad thing is the weight but these are DH specific tires. The rear tire grips realy good on rocky climbs and the front tire improves braking.
Bike Setup: Fork Marzocchi Z4, Frame Identiti Dr. Jekyl, Alivio/Deore/Deore XT, Disc Front & Rear, Vuelta Excalibur Front, Mavic D321 Rear.
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Bruce Edge
a Cross Country Rider
from Calabasas, CA
Date Reviewed: July 1, 2003
Strengths: big knobs, no flats. It's OK in soft stuff.
Weaknesses: Side knobs tear and fold over, causing you to eat it. This happens any time you pull hard lateral Gs on hardpack or slickrock. The worst thing about it is that you can't tell when it's going to let go. It just happens without warning.
Bottom Line:
The look better than they work. Admittedly, I was only using it in front, but I can't see how having one in the back would have helped. 3 value chilis because they were dirt cheap.
Strengths: Good DH stability, will roll over anything at the right speed.
Weaknesses: Traction basically sucks for climbing in anything but perfect conditions. I could not get these tires to hook up the way they should (and the way a lot of other people here seem to have been able to). I've tried all kinds of pressures but they still slip, ruining many otherwise excellent climbs. In mud, they WILL NOT CLEAR even after going out on a fire road and riding fast to try & clear them! they really like to pack with mud and stay that way.
Bottom Line:
I can't recommend these tires because I've lost traction too many times, front and rear. I've had the front end slide out on me on corners as well as spinning out on climbs that other riders (with other tires) had no problems on. They are good if you are ONLY interested in pointing the bike downhill and bombing. the first week I had them I had 3 flats...on close inspection I found that each time, like a hundred thorns had penetrated & stuck into the casing in between the knobbies. I had ridden this particular area with other tires & not had any problems...ended up having to run the tire with a superthick puncture-resistant tube after replacing the tube a bunch of times. The tires came stock on my bike, and they are no longer on my bike, enough said. I still give them a 2 because...I guess it could be worse, they might have exploded off the rims or something.
Submitted by
Mangker
a Downhiller
from Manila, Philippines
Date Reviewed: May 8, 2002
Strengths: Dirt cheap (they are here in my country) Bad ass looks. rides well.
Weaknesses: the front seems loose on really "dusty" downhill areas.
Bottom Line:
This tire is way better than the swapthings ive been using for almost a year and way way better than the f#$@ass WTB velociraptors. Havent got a flat since i used it. with the WTB, ive had 5 flats in one month, and it aint from downhilling but simply riding urban trails.
Similar Products Used: Maxxis Swapthing, WTB Velociraptor
Bike Setup: GT Hardtail
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
matt
a Downhiller
from VIenna, Virginia, USA
Date Reviewed: March 8, 2002
Strengths: Rear has good traction
Weaknesses: seriously lacks in pinch flat resistance. I flatened two nokian dh tubes in two days. I was not happy but riding down stairs does that i geuss. Front sucks.
Bottom Line:
If they come stock on your bike dont worry about it... there not that bad. But never buy them.
Bike Setup: 01 rm6, 99 boxxer, rhyno lites, hayes w/ 8in rotors, irc kujo 2.65 front, tioga 2.3 dh rear, race face turbine dh cranks, MRP dual slalom, azonic bar, hehehe i love my bike.
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Submitted by
Perry Graham
a Weekend Warrior
from Tempe, AZ, US
Date Reviewed: January 31, 2002
Strengths: Price, traction. Can run lower pressures without fear of pinch flats. Relatively light for size of tire
Weaknesses: None found yet
Bottom Line:
I've been climbing and bombing back down Mormon/National trail for > 1year with no problems. Tread gettting low now. Probably due for a replacement in the next couple of months. Good thing I bought spares
Bike Setup: Mountain Cycle San Andreas with all high end components, Chris King, Race Face, Thompson, XTR Hayes Hydro
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Dan Kasper
a Weekend Warrior
from Annandale,NJ
Date Reviewed: December 3, 2001
Strengths: Outstanding traction, tough tires good looks, aggressive tread.
Weaknesses: None
Bottom Line:
Out standing tire, anything I throw at them they will take, I would highly recommend this tire to another person. It goes through sand without a problem, the feel when running on the road is outstanding, and you got to love the orange stripe.
Submitted by
Tom Foose
a Cross Country Rider
from Sapporo, Japan
Date Reviewed: October 20, 2001
Strengths: Suckers rule in climbing/descending in the fall mud. Got'em as a seasonal tire for that hard to rage in generally wet fal/spring stuff. 1st rainy day out had to do the muddiest climb just to see; yep they made it like a champ.
Weaknesses: Could inspire reckless abandon on downhills, I'm doing s##t faster now in the mud than I was doing in summer, going with the force kinda stuff.
Bottom Line:
SO they're not as lite but YOU WILL climb better, and LAUGH on the Descents like never before. HIghly Recommend for spring/fall riding, They're wide tires so you may want to re-route your derailler cables if your Cannondale has the old parrellel route to the newer style cross over route.
