Submitted by
mikes8590
a Cross Country Rider
from Romanshorn, Switzerland Date Reviewed: August 6, 2009
Favorite Trail:
The Gäbris
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$55.00
Purchased At:
bike-parts.ch
Strengths:
Grip Grip Grip. These tyres are right up there with the best i've ever ridden if not THE best. Sure they hold a bit of mud but it's no big deal. You just gotta ride fast so that it spins off!! :- )
Weaknesses:
A tad narrow? For CC or marathon events they're great!
Similar Products Used:
panaracer, schwalbe nobby nic, continental
Bike Setup:
Cannondale M800 Hardtail (old), Ghost AMR Lector 9500 (new)
Bottom Line:
I'm going to replace the Nobby Nics on my Ghost with these. I raced these tyres on my hard tail with Michelin Latex tubes in the 09 Swiss Bike Masters. They performed flawlessly and I saved a heap of weight from my old Continental Vapours (which aren't a patch on these tyres for grip!).
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
richsto
a Cross Country Rider
from reno, nv Date Reviewed: May 5, 2009
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$69.00
Purchased At:
Online
Strengths:
Great tread pattern (see all the great reviews on the Z-max Millenium)
Weaknesses:
-Soooooooo Small (doesn't stretch much)....
-Did not work well tubeless (lots of pinholes, didn't hold air, old Milleniums were great tubeless)
Diamond Back Ascent, XT Drivetrain, Mavic 717 Non Disc Rims, SD7 Brakes
Bottom Line:
Great tire if you don't mind the small size (maybe try a 2.35 Z-Max classic?) and run tubes. These things are so, so much smaller than a 2.1, I don't understand what Ritchey is thinking. Amazing. They did not stretch much at all for me - just too small. I think Ritchey has changed manufacturers or something, these tires simply are not up to the quality I'm used to from them. I ran them for a bit, then off they came. Very dissapointing. Three Chilis, perhaps four if you like skinny and want to run with tubes.
Running Maxxis Ignitor UST and am happy. Still the Z-max design has some advantages and so much potential, seemed wasted here though. Perhaps I just got a bad batch.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
SinneSpinner
a Racer
from NW WA Date Reviewed: November 27, 2008
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Strengths:
THIS REVIEW IS FOR THE Z-MAX "EVOLUTION" 2.1
round profile, widely-spaced knobs, low mass, mud, mud, mud.
Weaknesses:
marketing. Ritchey still has the best XC tread/semi-slick designs. Too bad their marketing $ go toward supporting their extremely average cockpit components.
The casing stretches! These 2.1's measure 1.8 out of the box (literally). 70psi overnight brings them up to full size. If you prefer the high-end(WCS) ZMax offerings, than this is your current option. The "Millenium" version is no longer available in WCS. While this newer "Evolution" series is a better mud tire than previous ZMax's, it is a bit less of a "big loose rock" tire. Still the best "no-brakes" cornering tire. 4 Stars for value due to price/wear ratio.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
kavevey
a Cross Country Rider
from Vevey Suisse Date Reviewed: August 31, 2008
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
Price, all condition, weight. Surprisingly good on asphalt as well.
Weaknesses:
Not clear mud quickly. Give strange feeling on asphalt but still hold like a pro. I am not sure how it will work on wet asphalt personally i don't feel confidence on asphalt but maybe it is personal.
Similar Products Used:
Python, Enduro pro, velocity raptore
Bike Setup:
Hard tail, double XT/LX
Bottom Line:
Superb for all condition. Excellent for fire roads, single track with roots, confidence in forest trail.
I was using these tires after a recommendation of a friend who is a bicycle technician who hate the showoff with bikes equipments.
I was using it on several bikes i have some for 2 years period without any problem.
I am using the Z-Max 1.9 classic rear and the 2.1 pro front. Simply amazing.
I will recommend it for anyone who likes riding bikes.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Barkleyfan
a Cross Country Rider
from Iowa Date Reviewed: August 11, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Shirley Meadows
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Price Paid:
$20.00
Purchased At:
www.cosmiccycles.com
Strengths:
Everything
Weaknesses:
Price
Similar Products Used:
Hutchinson Mosquitos, IRC Mythos, Panaracer Smoke/Dart, Panaracer Fire XC, some old grey Kendas
Bike Setup:
Gary Fisher HK2, LX/XT drivetrain, Zac19 rims, topline cranks, rigid
Bottom Line:
Great tire. Mud, hardpack, gravel, singletrack, fire road, this tire eats it all up. It did have some problems with slick roots as a rear tire. Best combo I tried was a 2.0 Smoke on the rear and a 2.325 Z Max on the front.
First ran the Z Max in 1993 on the trails behind Buffalo Park in flagstaff. I liked this tire better than anything I've tried since. Price is the only reason I'm not still running it. I can buy a pair of good CC tires for the same price as 1 Z Max.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
muzza
a Weekend Warrior
from dallas busharagua Date Reviewed: November 4, 2007
Favorite Trail:
tranquility base
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$23.00
Purchased At:
front at LBS rear on eBay
Strengths:
Light weight, fast rolling, flickable, predictable breakaway points
Weaknesses:
None yet.
Similar Products Used:
Panaracers & GEAX & some others
Bike Setup:
06 Santa Cruz Superlight. Rockshox Reba Race. Thompson post & stem. XTR crank. Deore XT googly bits. Monkeylite bars.Tioga Spyder seat.Danger Boy brake levers. Customized "Hoon Racing" kangaroo stickers. 1.9 Ritchey tires front & back
Bottom Line:
Avoided getting these because other posts said some Ritchey products weren't so great in mud. Mud happens here in Oregon. Local experts 'round here also say real men ride 2.1 (or preferably WAY bigger), because size matters in the great Northwest. Well, I like light and finally flung a 1.9 Ritchey on the rear and stayed with a 2.1 Panaracer on the front for a few months. The combo worked a lot better than the 2.0 GEAXs (front and rear) which were slipperier than a jellied french man creek crawlin thru the horsie poo, especially in the slick kind of poo & urine hoof bowl soup you find at Tranquility Base the soppin wet day after a rainy two day equestrian event. A fall there has certain consequences. Anyway the lightweight bug bit again and I slapped a 1.9 Ritchey on the front to match the rear and I still love this thin full Ritchey combo. Size does matter. Bigger than you need is stupider. I'm no expert but the shallow treads & relatively wide spacing of them seems to throw the mud OFF easier. More agressive tread patterns seem to HOLD the mud tightly and quickly turn themselves into slicks. This is my experience, anyway. This is not to say these tires don't slide around some in mud, but when they do they're wholly predictable. You have to think about how much stomp to put thru the crank and calculate when to do it. This is a thing called skill, or alternately finesse. And the front end on the Ritchey seems far easier to flick about. The precise steering available from these lightweight tires can be your friend in muddy conditions. Often I've slogged thru mud that clogs the fork & rear triangle braces....but oddly the actual treads on the Ritcheys were still clean and grabby. In drier conditions these thinnies corner flawlessy, float over the babyheads (ocassionally spitting one out sideways, which is trippie) and they generally go like hell... because size matters.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
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