At 430 grams, the WormDrive 430 is the lightest 26 x 1.90 semi-slick tire available for high-performance mountain bike racing on hard pack terrain. The WormDrive 430 is an example of Maxxis' commitment to constantly develop our tire and tube products. The popular WormDrive tread pattern has been enhanced by Maxxis' low-density compound* which provides superior traction and low weight. Kevlar bead only.
*Please note that WormDrive 430's are engineered for racing only. The low-density, high traction compound used in 430's wears & rides faster than traditional tires. For training & recreational riding, we recommend the original hard compound (70a) WormDrive kevlar bead tires
Strengths: Impressed with climbing ability, very fast rolling, good cornering.
Weaknesses: lateral play climbing with front wheel, Lateral play comming down hill quickly.
Bottom Line:
Comming from an all mountain arena, then an slightly more aggressive XC tire I am really impressed with these semi slicks. I tackled everything from loose gravel on steep grades to BFRs and roots on steep grades, to rough narrow downhills and did so with minimal slippage of my rear wheel. My complaint would be that while climbing I really felt like my front tire was all over the place. I felt like I had to focus a lot on my front tires movement. Also when cruising fast down hill I got a lot of lateral play with my tires sliding off side to side. look at the tread and its easy to see why. Overall I like these tires, they roll fast and I feel pretty comfortable riding these 1.9ers pretty hard.
Favorite Trail: mountains of leyte, palanog, kauswagan
Duration Product Used: Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$9.00
Purchased At: young's marketing
Similar Products Used: ritchey speed max
Bike Setup: custom alloy hardtail xc racer
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Rikki Griffin
a Racer
from Dunedin, New Zealand
Date Reviewed: October 19, 2005
Strengths: really light and fast, grippy on dry or moist hard pack
Weaknesses: gravel, no teeth to bite into the firm stuff underneath - but no getting 'round that with a semi!
Bottom Line:
I won this tire in a race and chucked it on the front of my bike for my next training ride. I rode 80Km mixed ground including road, gravel, dry grass, wet clay, rubble. I have also now ridden it on dry hardpack single track. I'm really impressed with it. Definately faster than the old tioga terra firma (duh!). It even held on wet clay better than the terra firmer I still had on the back. I'm running it at just over 40 psi which feels right for most conditions. I've just put a Ranchero on the back wheel to complete the 'dry day'package. People who are racing on hard stuff without wet roots and rocks and without technical gravel should put one or two of these worm-drives on to boost their av speed.
Strengths: Pretty cheap for such a high-end racing tire. Very grippy. Super light, rolls wonderfully.
Weaknesses: Can't handle thick mud (duh). Not enough traction for anything but normal XC. I've been getting flats recently, but it's been on my front and rear tire. Maybe it's just thorn season.
Bottom Line:
These will blow your mind. I'm so sad to hear that they don't make them any more. I already have one extra, maybe I'll buy another one anyways. I got mine for super-cheap, so I was a little suspicious at first. I tried to take them up the roughest stuff around on my first ride to confirm that they were crappy tires, but they did everything I asked. They never slipped going uphill, they hammered on the flats, and I could turn crazy fast on them too. They have outlasted one chain so far, so they should have at least a couple hundred miles on them. The only real wear issue I have is the tiny nubbs did disappear pretty fast. It's only 9/10ths the tire without those, but its still the best semi-slick I've ridden. Gotta give it a 5/5 for overall rating, but the value should be much higher. This outperforms other $50+ tires. 5 is an understatement.
Similar Products Used: Michelin wildgripper, conti explorer pro, conti twister pro, some nice specialized something-or-others, some Kenda semi-slick, etc.
Bike Setup: Stock Specialized Stumpjumper Pro, but with XT cranks, XTR rear hub, and Thompson stem and seat post. Conti Explorer Pro up front, Maxxis Worm Drive on the rear.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Sugufish
a Weekend Warrior
from Malaysia
Date Reviewed: September 14, 2004
Strengths: Fast.... really fast
Weaknesses: Wears out reasonably quickly but can't really complain since its reasonably light and fast.
Bottom Line:
Versatile tyres. Good for ppl who dun go too extreme. Good grip on road and light XC. But sad to say, its not here nor there...
Similar Products Used: I only use Maxxis and Michelin
Bike Setup: Giant NRS, Trigon Carbon seatpost and Handle bar, Selle Italia SLK, Truvativ Stylo Team, XT here and there, Formula Xero wheelset,
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Jay Johnson
a Weekend Warrior
from Salisbury
Date Reviewed: November 4, 2003
Strengths: I took this tire on it's first run today. Fantastic! I set my bike up with a Maxxis Wormdrive on the front with a Maxxis Larsen Oriflamme on the rear. Man is my bike FAST now! These 2 tires combined work super well together. I'm definately keeping a spare of each for later. These tires hook up to the trail so well. I was averaging 15-25 mph on the trail that I normally only average 10-15 mph. Turns were no problem what so ever. BUY THESE TIRES MAN!
Strengths: Surprising grip. No rolling resistance. Extremely lightweight. Seem durable. Grips even on wet dirt and grass as long as you put your weight back.
Weaknesses: Climbing out of the saddle sometimes causes sliping on wet surfaces. Slips while braking until you get on the edges or off camber. Off camber uncontrollability / unpredictable.
Bottom Line:
Running on rear only. This tire surprised the bajesus out of me because I never, ever, imagined riding on semi-slick off road but it actually grips just like a knobby and in some cases it grips better as long as the surface is dry. It rolls extremely fast. I like to "brake slide" around sharp corners and discovered that this tire grips too well to allow that. It's quite surprising. I am running a Minotaur in the front which grips extremely well...I can't image running a Wormdrive on the front with one on the rear becuase straight line braking will require at least 1 tire that hooks deep into the ground...I might be just as surprised. For $20, I got this tire and flywight tube...great value. I do agree that this is probably for racing only because the side knobs tear up quickly on sharp rocks...otherwise it rocks.
Bike Setup: Titus Racer-X w/ King Mavic 517, King HS, Thomson, Maxm bars.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Josh
a Weekend Warrior
from Des Moines, IA
Date Reviewed: August 23, 2003
Strengths: These tires are great for the right conditions. Hardpack, smooth trails, etc. Need more traction, buy other Maxxis tires.
Weaknesses: Can't think of any
Bottom Line:
I have used these tires (2) sets for well over 2 years and at $17 direct from Maxxis.com on closeout are one heack og a buy. I asked Maxxis why they were scraping the design and they said tires come and go and the Wormdrive, although it has its strong supporters, just is not selling as good as it used to. If your looking for a great semi-slick check out the maxxis.com website and buy a couple of sets.
Submitted by
Dan
a Cross Country Rider
from Grand Rapids, MI, USA
Date Reviewed: June 4, 2003
Strengths: Fast and good traction
Weaknesses: None
Bottom Line:
Excellent. I have rear specific tire and it does great. Huge diffence in rolling resistance from previous full knobby tire. Excellent traction in corners. Only says this tire is 1.9 but looks and rides like a 2.0 or bigger. I haven't noticed any sacrifice in traction. Riding with a flyweight 490 on the front and that hooks up great. I couldn't be happier with this setup. Ridden in sandy areas and works out as good or better than other tires used. I would definitely buy this tire again especially at the cost of only $17.
Submitted by
Francis Fowler
a Cross Country Rider
from Wellington, New Zealand
Date Reviewed: May 26, 2003
Strengths: Low rolling resistance, I imagine they would be light but I haven't weighed them.
Weaknesses: I just don't understand these tyres, dangerous off road, OK on road but prone to flats.
Bottom Line:
I just don't understand these tyres, everyone seems to think they grip well but my ones are near useless offroad especially in loose rocky sections. I don't think mine are the race version as they haven't worn that quick and don't have the kevlar bead but they are a semi slick design and they say "Maxxis Worm Drive" so I suppose that's what they are. They are OK on the road but are prone to flats. From my experience I wouldn't recommend these tyres as they have next to no grip off road. Keep in mind though that my worm drive tyres seem to be different to everyone else's on this site. Once I changed to knobblies I don't know why I put up with these tyres for so long. 1 chilli (why does everyone call them turds?)
Strengths: Very very low rolling resistance. Soft compound really sticks to the pavement. The knobs on the shoulders dig in while cornering in dirt. Climbs very well for a semislick. Very light, you will feel the differenece. Quiet tire.
Weaknesses: These things have no drawbacks except they puncture very easily. The fact that there are no knobs to protect the tire and tube means you may get flats if you're not careful. I've had 2 puncture flats myself already.
Bottom Line:
This is the best semi slick out there. Great design, great compound. Worm drive is great!!
Strengths: light, race-only hardpack tire that delivers
Weaknesses: mud/wet performance poor, expansive
Bottom Line:
430 grams version, rear: good race tire for fast rolling hardpack, better than expected on dry technical sections, slips when climbing in the wet. Could feel the lightness and low resistance when climbing during races. Will continue to use it in appropriate conditions.
Submitted by
Gerard
a Cross Country Rider
from Waitara, NSW, Australia
Date Reviewed: February 7, 2002
Strengths: Really low rolling resistance with suprisingly good grip off road, increased my on road avg speed by about 6 kmh. Wear seems pretty good to date.
Weaknesses: Didnt fill me with confidence on road when wet, not to bad though.
Bottom Line:
These tires are fantastic for anyone who rides 50% on road and 50% off road, particularly where the off road component is hard packed trails. I have used them once in wet conditions they showed a little slippage during on road cornering, however they where still very good in off road wet conditions which included a reasonably steep uphill climb. Overall these tires are great and i havent seen any quick wearing characteristics yet and thats after about 150km use.
Submitted by
cal
a Cross Country Rider
from glendora
Date Reviewed: September 20, 2001
Strengths: low rolling resistance - when tire pressure is high, great "hook-up"- when tire pressure is low, very tuff for a lightweight tire. Rides with reduced tire pressure - no pinch flats etc. Front tire can be used for rear also.
Weaknesses: none
Bottom Line:
I love these tires. For optimal performance I use as follows: pavment or fire rd. 60psi front 50psi back, as the trail become more technical, I reduce tire pressure, on the way down I'am running 30psi or lower. (Tire pressure is the only front suspension I have on 2 of my bikes), wormdrive soaks it up. These are very good tires for XC riding.
Anyone ride this tire on the rear.I ride mostly hardpack,loose over,desert type riding with some rocks.I have ridden pythons air lites,intense systems 2 and 3,larsen tt,weirwolf ra Read More »
I have published half of my Drive train innovations feature on my 2008 Taipei Cycle Show blog: [URL="http://blog.taiwaneditorial.com"]blog.taiwaneditorial.com[/URL]
I described Read More »
