tag
The Maxxis Assegai is one of the most aggressive front tires on the market, but you don’t necessarily have to be aggressive to enjoy it. Its adaptability to multiple riding styles and multiple terrains has gained the Assegai quite the following, including from competing tire brands. American Classic, Delium, and Bontrager have launched lower-priced tires clearly inspired by the Assegai, and Travis Engel is here to tell us how how they stacked up against his favorite front rubber.
Our Radar Roundup compiles products and videos from the ‘net in an easy-to-digest format. Read on below for today’s findings…
Maxxis has a new gravel tire in their lineup. The semi-slick Receptor is a 650 x 47mm, 120 TPI, 484g tire that is designed to roll fast over pavement and hardpack while having bite on loose corners. See more at Maxxis.
We may have a lot of coverage from the Western United States here at the Radavist, but North Carolina is my home state and I personally grew up mountain biking in the Pisgah. It was a lot different back then and all the improvements I’ve seen over the years keep pulling at my heartstrings to return and ride there, especially with projects like this!
Keep reading for information on the fourth consecutive year of the Pisgah Project raffle…
XC tires usually make great tires for bikepacking or touring bikes. Their tread patterns usually roll quite fast on many surfaces but in my experience, it’s the width that keeps many people from mounting them up. Maxxis looked at two tires and plumped them up for trail use, designed for use on wider rims, resulting in the Aspen and Rekon Race tires measuring 2.40″ wide.
The Rekon Race, in particular, has been a favorite pattern of mine and this new width makes them even more appealing. See more at Maxxis.
Back in the summer of 2011, Dario took off on a solo tour, from his home town to Rome and back. This tour totaled over 2072.7km and changed the way he looked at the world. Tours and long rides on a bike are like that. Those long hours pedaling can really bring out the creative juices. The endorphins, the sights, sounds, smells, and the people you meet on the road broaden your perspective. You’ll often hear of these experiences as being life-altering and for good reason.
While in Rome, Dario met the team at Associazione Ex-Lavanderia, a bicycle frame building school and when he returned home, be began welding. Many hours were spent perfecting the art and over the past few years, Dario has had many teachers to aid his torch. Mattia (Legor), Dario Pegoretti, Gianni Gilardi and Preda, Stucchi and Perego have all passed down their knowledge to Dario.
When the time was ready, he launched Bice Bicycles where Dario builds road, all-road, gravel, touring, and mountain bikes. I was set up with a review of his most interesting offering, the Wandrian, through Biciclista, the US distributor for Bice Bicycles and Ingrid Components.
This year at Grinduro, eight frame builders presented bikes in partnership with Maxxis, Sram/Zipp, Columbus, and Hope Tech. The theme? What is your ideal Grinduro bike? In the first post, we’ll look at BTCHN Bikes’ gravel bike.
Maxxis’ Rubber Side Down video series ain’t always about pro MTB racers. In this episode they feature Danny Summerhill, cyclocross extraordinaire.
Maxxis put together a video showcasing the events from their recent Appalachian Summit in Georgia. It was a hell of a weekend, and if you haven’t checked out the Gallery from the event, be sure to do so.
With a title like that, there isn’t much more to the story, yet there is so much more to the story.
Press camps are fun. Bike launches are fun, yet Maxxis wanted to try something a little different in their recent Appalachian Summit. With the popularity of their tires and only a few new models on the horizon, this “launch” was more of an immersion. Not so much into their product but into the dirt and riding that inspires all their tires, from gravel to downhill, the mountains of Northern Georgia are in Maxxis‘ back yard. PR&D for new tires begins and ends in these mountains. The team of designers conceive of a pattern that would excel in a certain condition, then the product designers work on the tread pattern, samples are made, athletes are seeded these samples, feedback comes in and before too long, a new tire emerges from the already plump lineup. This is all pretty standard for most component companies and honestly, is interesting but the purpose of this press camp was far deeper than that.
Look. The South doesn’t get a whole lotta love. Maybe it’s the wayward political system, or the fact that it’s perceived to be flat. The Appalachian mountains are some of the oldest in the USA, meaning after millions of years of erosion, aren’t as high as the Western US’s offerings but don’t be mistaken. There’s a lotta elevation change happening below the Mason Dixon line.
This past weekend we were in Georgia with Maxxis for their Appalachian Summit, a three-day trip nestled in Northern Georgia at the Mulberry Gap MTB getaway. We rode trails, drank, tested new tires, drank, ate, hot tub’d and drank more. It was one of the most fun press camps I’ve been to, partially because it took place in a very unique and unexpected location. There’s more to come as I sift through photos and try to recover the data off my laptop that has apparently decided to quit working… Yikes!
When it comes to my mountain bike, I’m pretty loyal to Maxxis’ tire offerings but on my ‘cross bike, I’ve been loyal to the WTB Nano for so long that I forget to look at other options out there. This year at Interbike, Maxxis unveiled a few 40mm tires, marketed at the “gravel” crowd: the Rambler, with a minimal, tightly-packed, fast-rolling tread (pictured) and the Re-fuse, a slick. Both tires are tubeless-ready and seem to be solid options for those wanting a little more cushion for dirty rides.
Yesterday I installed the Rambler on my Firefly and while they took a bit to get seated on my tubeless rims, I like what I see so far. While they are called a 40mm tire, mine measured 38mm on the ENVE M50 rims, which are actually quite wide. Side by side to the Nano, which measure 41mm on the same rims, they’re not nearly as plump, but the light tread pattern looks like it’ll roll fast on pavement while offering a good amount of traction on dusty corners. Maxxis calls the Rambler a racing tire.
Time will tell which I’ll prefer (the Nano or the Rambler) for this bike in particular but after a few quick rides, I’m enjoying what the Rambler has to offer. You can order these tires from your local Rambler dealer, or through Maxxis direct if your local shop doesn’t carry them.
