Description:Sizes: 26x1.80 and 26x2.00, both in Kevlar and wire bead. Front or rear. Designed by Steve Larsen for hardpack, loose-over-hardpack, or medium soil conditions. The ramped knob technology on the leading edge is coupled with close knob spacing to permit the small square knobs to roll fast. The trailing edges give good climbing and braking power.
Submitted by
leadphinger
a Cross Country Rider
from Lincoln Date Reviewed: September 15, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Swanson
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Price Paid:
$35.00
Purchased At:
Ebay/LBS
Strengths:
Fast rolling, suppior traction in loose dirt
Weaknesses:
Like a semi-slick in wet conditions...riding these in mud is suicidal.
Similar Products Used:
WTB Velocoraptors, Panaracer Fire XC, Panaracer Piranas, various continentals
Bike Setup:
Cannondale f2000, Sobe Edition - converted to SS
Bottom Line:
Great tire for any price. These babies make my fly-weight racing hardtail feel lighter, more predictable, and far easier to control. They stick beautifully in loose dirt, sand, and scream through hardpack. Definitely one of the best tires I've ever ridden.
CAUTION: These are nothing short of hazardous in wet conditions. If the trail is at all muddy these babies are worthless...but that's not what they're made for so can't fault the tires.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jonathan
a Weekend Warrior
from Tel Aviv, Israel Date Reviewed: August 26, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Mt. Ofer
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$30.00
Purchased At:
JoyRide bike store
Strengths:
strong traction, fast rolling, great for turns (nice round tire shape), great for hardpacked dry conditions, relatively good on loose terrain, light weight, relatively cheap, pattern is pretty.
Weaknesses:
I have a feeling it has a bit too much traction over speed. Not the best speed for roads and concrete. Perhaps it balances out once the tire get worn a bit more.
Similar Products Used:
many tires; maxxis, kenda, richey, panaracer....
Bike Setup:
2005 GT Avalanche 1, Kenda Karma in front, flat pedals.
Bottom Line:
An excellent rear XC tire, good overall performance, most suitable for fast singles and for technical handling.
The pattern is very good - the many small knobs are designed to hug the ground and roll it off to the next knob very quickly.
Superior turning traction, making turns a bit boring...
wouldn't use it as a front tire, it just doesn't have a front tire pattern.
Great price / value for a Maxxis
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Alias Pauly
a Weekend Warrior
from Melbourne, Australia Date Reviewed: August 14, 2008
Favorite Trail:
You Yangs
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$35.00
Purchased At:
Local bike joint
Strengths:
Awesome for loose over hardpack, resonably fast rolling, seem to be lasting very well
Weaknesses:
Don't like mud, or anything loose.
Similar Products Used:
Nevegals, hutchinson scorpions, maxis highrollers
Bike Setup:
Well spec'd hardtail, go anywhere machine.
Bottom Line:
This is the only tyre that will grip at the you yangs here in Victoria. The trails are very fine gravel over hardpack and are slippery as hell. I went through several tyres trying to find something that would grip and the Larsen TT was the only one that would do it. I use them front and back on loose-over-hard and on the back for everything else, except really muddy conditions.
They are a specialised tyre for loose-over-hard or hardpack in my opinion, when the trails are wet or loose fit something else.
These rock.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Greg
a Cross Country Rider
from Cedarburg, WI, USA Date Reviewed: July 7, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Firecracker
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$33.00
Purchased At:
Universalcycles.com
Strengths:
Great cornering, clears dirt surprisingly well, Rolls fast, extremely good grip up technical climbs, good price.
Weaknesses:
None!
Similar Products Used:
Ignitors, bontrager, continental
Bike Setup:
kona kula supreme
Bottom Line:
These tires are perfect for the all around cross country rider. I recently had a race that was very dry and dust and it cleared the sand out of the tire right away and just cut through it. And there was several creek crossings and very technical sharp turns and I never lost my grip once on a turn. I can also say the same up the rooty climbs. They just latched onto the roots and didn't slip once. They aren't half bad in the mud either. If you're looking for a good all around tire this is it. I have the 1.9's and they look great on the bike too. We'll see how fast they wear but by the looks of it they are pretty long lasting. Bottom line Maxxis makes a mean tire.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Cyclogenesis
a Weekend Warrior
from Melbourne, Vic, Australia Date Reviewed: July 3, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Yarra
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$30.00
Purchased At:
BSC
Strengths:
Low rolling resistance
Weaknesses:
Thin sidewall, *seemed* easy to get punctures, clogged with mud
Similar Products Used:
Maxxis ignators
Bike Setup:
These were used on a Kona Kula (2007 kit, XTR shadow RD, XTR rear shifters added) Now stolen :(
Bottom Line:
I used this bike for some commuting use as well as weekend rides on the Yarra singletrack (windy twisty muddy fun) and the occasional (ok once) dirt crit.
Very low rolling resistance, so great for tracks and tar. Now I seemed to get far more punctures on these than on the Ignators.. I think because there is less thick rubber with all those knobbies... When the mud got quite sticky they also got caked pretty easy...
So I do recomend these as a good all purpose tyre... but take plenty of spare tubes (all opinion of course)
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jon
a Cross Country Rider
from Brisbane, Australia Date Reviewed: May 3, 2008
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$37.00
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
Fast rolling. Great on loose dirt when you put the power down. Price is better than many competing tyres
Weaknesses:
Loses traction unpredictably. Not a big drama on the back, but on the front it's potentially disastrous! As a result I have it on the back with a Geax Saguaro on the front for far superior handling and cornering. Also clogs up with crud surprisingly quickly for a knobby tyre.
Similar Products Used:
Geax Saguaro, generic knobbies
Bike Setup:
1997 Gemini Echo Beach, Deore FD, Deore XT RD, Alivio cranks and shifters.
Bottom Line:
Keep it on the rear wheel! Loose dirt these tyres don't mind, but loose gravel is its major weakness. Surprisingly sand isn't a drama with them. As most of the terrain around here is gravelly hardpack, it's on the rear.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Joe
a Racer
from OC Date Reviewed: April 1, 2008
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Strengths:
Light weight
Weaknesses:
Durability
Similar Products Used:
Specialized Fast Trak, Captain, Eskar
Bottom Line:
I have put about 40 hours on these tires and the sidewalls are pretty much toast at this point. Good option for hard-pack XC racing, but not a good every-day tire. Love the light weight, but durability is a big issue. Not worth the risk of puncture to to sidewall failure. Tread pattern not great for anything but smooth hard pack. I'll stick with Specialized S-Works lineup going forward...
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Lew
a Cross Country Rider
from Shandong, China Date Reviewed: March 24, 2008
Favorite Trail:
local hills
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$20.00
Strengths:
Grip on roads in wet, low rolling resistance, great on hard dry mountain trails and over boulders
Weaknesses:
Very weak, too many punctures, spits dirt and sand onto frame downtube, road noise
Similar Products Used:
Various Kenda, continental avenue
Bike Setup:
Giant hardtail frame, with various reasonable quality sram and shimano parts fitted
Bottom Line:
Love these tires........Hate these tires too!
I love the handling and wet grip on road, give me control on dry hard-pack trails great fun make you feel confident.
SUCK badly on mud, slip and clog.
Puncture more often than I can count, the amount of inner tubes and patches I've used is stupid! Thorns puncture them and and sharp rocks slash them. I killed a tire in 3 weeks, riding 5 days a week. Sharp rock slashed rear :-(
Wish the tires were much tougher, but love them. I couldn't recommend these tires because they are so weak. Maxxis make tougher versions please add a few grams stop me using my puncture repair kit!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Antonio
a Weekend Warrior
from Madrid(Spain) Date Reviewed: December 28, 2007
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$30.00
Strengths:
This tyre is a good tire for cross countery riding, I think It's best rear. Fast rolling Light
Weaknesses:
Low grip Bad breaking Bad traction
Similar Products Used:
Continental Vapor Continental Vertical Kenda Nevegal Swaltchbe Fat Albert
Bike Setup:
Trek 4300
Bottom Line:
I think It's a xc only tyre. Only for rear wheel.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Tyrel
a Weekend Warrior
from Coeur d alene, Idaho Date Reviewed: December 9, 2007
Favorite Trail:
URBAN-CITY!
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Purchased At:
ridding buddy 4 christmas!
Strengths:
awesome traction, rain, or summer hot asphalt! They track very well on the 4x track corner like your on rails and no worries your not going to slide out!
Weaknesses:
NONE!
Similar Products Used:
Tioga Yellow Kirren, K-Rad, Holly Rollers!
Bike Setup:
Black Market Riot frame "Raw", Red Profile SE cranks, Profile Titanium spindal, Red Dangerboy pedale, Odyssey MDS 25t sprocket, KHE halflink chain, FSA Impact sealed Headset, Thomson X4 50mm stem, Ea70 high rise bars, Bmx Odi grips, Red lock ons, Dangerboy Skull caps, Juicy 7's with Red Dangerboy Shorty levers, Hope head doctor, Rock shox PIKE team, Profile Red seat collar, Thomson Post, Odyssey SR saddle, KHE Geisha Freecoaster hub 11t, Atomlab trailpimp 36h rims, Red Atomlab Torx nipples, Black DT swiss spokes, Atomlab Aircorp 20mm front hub, Maxxis Larson tt 2.35 tires, red shrader valve covers! SICK BIKE!
Bottom Line:
AWESOME TIRE!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Tom Skelding
a Cross Country Rider
from Wagga Wagga, NSW, Australia Date Reviewed: November 11, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Pomiglarna
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$33.00
Purchased At:
Torpedo7.com.au (Online store)
Strengths:
Obscenely light Fast Predictable
Weaknesses:
Clogs with mud easily, noisy, understeer on first few uses. Very weak sidewall on folding bead model
Bike Setup:
Hardtail, 4" travel.
Bottom Line:
An extremely good tyre that rolls and pulls up quickly. Has a very good footprint (I managed to stop on a very steep mossy hill without damaging the moss). It does however have a very thin sidewall and on rocky tracks you could end up tearing the tyre before wearing down the tread.
I reccomend this tyre on the rear as it only seems to react to corners, as opposed to acting. Once you know the tyre it's no longer a problem.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Dennis
a
from Santa Cruz, CA USA Date Reviewed: November 8, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Mailboxes
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$45.00
Purchased At:
CycleWorks
Strengths:
Very light and low rolling resistance. They're ideal for hillclimbs on hardpack trails, but work well on some XC courses too. The soft rubber grips firm surfaces well.
Weaknesses:
I don't care for these on sand, gravel or any loose surface, as they tend to sink and grab, making it very hard to steer. And rocks tend to tear the soft rubber knobs off easily. Not cheap either.
Similar Products Used:
Panaracer Trailblaster, IRC Mythos XC, etc.
Bike Setup:
Rebuilt 1998 Stumpjumper with XT and LX stuff.
Bottom Line:
This tire is designed for pretty specific race courses, such as smooth hardpack dirt. Not an everyday tire, but good to have for some race courses. My 4-chilis rating assumes you use these for the right course.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
cciprian
a Weekend Warrior
from Apuseni Mountains, Romania Date Reviewed: October 8, 2007
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$35.00
Purchased At:
net bike shop
Strengths:
-awesome braking power -fast rolling -light
Weaknesses:
-acumulate mud -low side grip(shift sideway on low speed) -noisy on road
Bike Setup:
hardtail, 80 front travel
Bottom Line:
Very fast tyre, excel on hardpacks trails, takes corners fast, and allow sharp brakes. This tyre do his job very well on hardpacks but on heavy rocky terain bike becomes hard to control. On wet and lose soil will acumulate mud very fast and won't grip at all.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
cj tomkosky
a Weekend Warrior
from Johnstown,PA,United States Date Reviewed: September 10, 2007
Favorite Trail:
pa state game lands
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$30.00
Purchased At:
local shop
Strengths:
good on or off road,nice long lasting tyre, looks good
Weaknesses:
collects excess mud in tread,only works in good non muddy conditions, if you dont run the rear tyre backwards it feels like riding on ice.
Similar Products Used:
kenda
Bike Setup:
Columbia Taconic, fox racing shox, front disk brakes
Bottom Line:
good tyres for the price and work well on and off road. they run well with low rolling resistance. if you are intrested in a good looking tyre that preformes well on and off road then this is the tyre for you.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Doug C
a Weekend Warrior
from Flagstaff, AZ Date Reviewed: September 3, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Schultz
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$25.00
Purchased At:
rage cycles
Strengths:
Long Wearing, predictable, tough.
Weaknesses:
They suited there purpose of hardpack trail riding, dirt jumping and bombing around town very well. No complaints.
Similar Products Used:
specialized tires Irc mythos
Bike Setup:
Specialized Hardrock SS. marz comp 130mm fork or Instigator.
Bottom Line:
After nearly two years the rear tire is getting bald. I rode many miles on the tires and the front, which is a Laarsen soft compound, is still holding strong. It is a perfect all round tire. It may not be perfect for any single riding discipline but it great for most.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Raphaël Bolduc
a Weekend Warrior
from Val-d'Or, QC, Canada Date Reviewed: August 1, 2007
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$60.00
Strengths:
-Easy to fit in place -Ligth
Weaknesses:
-Doesn't grip on anything, feels like I'm riding on snow and ice -High rolling resistance compared to what I'm used to
Similar Products Used:
Kenda, GEAX, Hutchinson
Bike Setup:
Giant iguana disc 2003
Bottom Line:
Got the 1.9 version and I think it's the biggest part of the problem. Maybe if the ruber wasn't that soft it would be better. Maxxis make great tires in normal times but this one is a failure in it's 1.9 version.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Alan
a
from Monteggio, Switzerland Date Reviewed: July 28, 2007
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$30.00
Strengths:
Low Rolling resistance Looks very very good "Light"
Weaknesses:
NONE
Similar Products Used:
Specialized Pro Schwalbe Nobby Nic Schwalbe Albert
Bike Setup:
Stumpjumper Expert FSR 2006
Bottom Line:
Very good tire.I get the 2.35 x 26. No more punctures for the moment...
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Johannes Erasmus
a Weekend Warrior
from Geoge, South Africa Date Reviewed: July 26, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Cross Country
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$40.00
Purchased At:
Local Bike Shop
Strengths:
Reasonably priced, Good Quality, Good tyre wear
Weaknesses:
Doesn't grip as good as some tyres but better than most
Similar Products Used:
Kenda Karma, Bontrager Revolution X
Bike Setup:
Giant NRS1, Mavic 819 UST rims,
Bottom Line:
Good valuefor money as an everyday training tyre. Probably a good idea to fit a TT in the back and a better gripping tyre in the front. Will give good mileage consistantly. Using Stans tubeless - not one puncture or a flat in 6 months. If you are a weekend warrior and just want to ride every opportunity without worrying about your tires and the conditoins you can't go wrog with these tyres. Wouldn't run TT's front and rear however unless you are sure about the conditions being perfect.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Johannes Erasmus
a Weekend Warrior
from Geoge, South Africa Date Reviewed: July 26, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Cross Country
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$40.00
Purchased At:
Local Bike Shop
Strengths:
Reasonably priced, Good Quality, Good tyre wear
Weaknesses:
Doesn't grip as good as some tyres but better than most
Similar Products Used:
Kenda Karma, Bontrager Revolution X
Bike Setup:
Giant NRS1, Mavic 819 UST rims,
Bottom Line:
Good valuefor money as an everyday training tyre. Probably a good idea to fit a TT in the back and a better gripping tyre in the front. Will give good mileage consistantly. Using Stans tubeless - not one puncture or a flat in 6 months. If you are a weekend warrior and just want to ride every opportunity without worrying about your tires and the conditoins you can't go wrog with these tyres. Wouldn't run TT's front and rear however unless you are sure about the conditions being perfect.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Vinnie Gaynor
a Cross Country Rider
from Binghamton Date Reviewed: June 14, 2007
Favorite Trail:
chenango valley state park
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$38.00
Purchased At:
universalcycles
Strengths:
very light, low rolling resistance, good breaking
Weaknesses:
wears out fast and is a little skctchy in wet/ loose conditions
Similar Products Used:
panaracer fire xc pro
Bike Setup:
cannondale rush 5 ,Avid juicy sevens, stans tubeless system
Bottom Line:
These tires a good trail tires but are at home on racing trails.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Ethan
a Cross Country Rider
from Mission Viejo, CA, USA Date Reviewed: May 21, 2007
hardtail w/ Marzocchi 4X, V-brake rear, disc front
Bottom Line:
I've been using the 26" x 2.35" 60a version for the last six months. The tire still works as new. I've been using it on my hardtail 1x9. Perfect tire of XC, 4X, BMX racing, and I also use it as a rear at Southridge DH races. The more I use this tire the more I like it. It's really nice to use the same rear tire every ride. Really positive response and it never feels flat like some other tires!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Nick
a Racer
from Melbourne Date Reviewed: April 24, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Beechworth MTB Park
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Strengths:
This tyre is very fast rolling on the front, and corners great on dusty and hardpack corners. I used these at the recent Beechworth Six Hour and found that they cornered very well on the course. I run the tyre backwards on the rear, and it doesn't slip out even on out of the saddle singletrack climbs.
Weaknesses:
It does have a tendency to wear faster on bitumen, which I guess is the trade-off for better traction. No massive problems so far, but only time will tell. Does tend to spit gravel into the downtube on loose fine gravel, but if this is the majority of your conditions then dish out for a fender. Hard to break traction on for driftin at the old school yard - but as an XC racer this cornering traction is its best feature, but for freeriders running the 2.35" version perhaps this is a weakness.
Similar Products Used:
Continental Explorer, Continental Vertical ProTection, Scott OXYD.
Bike Setup:
Scott Genius MC40, Fox Talas RL, SRAM X9, Avid Juicy 5s, Dt Ex5.1d rims on 340 hubs w/ Alpine Spokes, Truvativ, Scott generic trimmings.
Bottom Line:
This tyre is very well priced for the quality of it. It is much cheaper than my previous Conti tyres and is way lighter too (though I run the 26x2.0 eXCeption tyres w/ flyweight tubes...). Im sure that in about a months time here in Oz it will suffer in the mud so time to swap them then, but for dry dusty conditions I think it can't be beaten. I know of someone who runs one of these on the back for climbing and braking traction, but runs the faster Maxxis Crossmark on the front - probably a good idea. Enjoy them during summer, but probably best to avoid using them for muddy winter conditions.
$ 27.99
Overall Rating:
Overall Rating: