[Closed] Maxxis Larsen TT v Crossmark

where?

Woods, hardpack, gravelly stuff, loose stuff, the off muddy section - just wondering how they compare and if I could get away with putting on a Larsen before the Crossmark would usually go on. For the rear wheel BTW.

could you get away with it? of course you could! but if you mean will it work in wet conditions better than a crossmark? just take a look at the two treads, what do you think?

The Larsen remains the s***test tyre I've ever used... Terrible things. Good in sandy soil apparently... But it couldn't even deal with glentress in the rain.

If you like the idea of the Larsen the Kenda Small Block actually does the same job except that it works.

But [b]I[/b] couldn't even deal with [b]it at[/b] glentress in the rain.

fixed that for ya 😉

Bugger off 🙂 Somehow I manage just fine on every other tyre I've used there, but these things just didn't grip on anything. Rocks, hardpack, aargh a root! I know some people like them on the rear for exactly this reason, they slide all over the place under no provocation.

They're a bit like the tioga factory XCs my kraken came with, in that they're like a little time machine back to the early 90s.

Does anyone else rate the Kenda small blocks over the larsens ?

Northwind - cheers, nice to hear about your experiences with them.

GW - in my experience it's never been as simple to look at the tread and predict how it will handle certain conditions, hence my question as to how they compare in reality.

I dunno... I've got Larsens front and rear that came with my Supernormal. I find them pretty much [i]okay[/i]. I wouldn't say they were awesomely confidence inspiring, but they seem to hook up pretty well on anything that does not contain organic matter (brown stuff), or clay. So that leaves - gritty soil, gravelly soil, rocks, stones and sand. Water doesn't seem to bother them. Basically, for example, they work well-ish in the dark Peak at this time of the year, so long as you don't try to go over any peat-laden, mud-infested moorland. I run the rear backwards, for some reason. Oh yes, that's because I don't trust the ramped blocks to provide any forward grip whatsoever.

On the road they are as draggy as hell, in fact I often find people on the streets turning around in surprise, expecting to see a convoy of Hummers bearing down on them.

After reading this now, I think I've almost convinced myself they must not be a good tyre! They're not bad, really! Quite light too..

Never used crossmark's but larsen on the rear is fine in everything except
thick mud, faster on the back than a high roller or minion.

i run a 2.3 larsen on the rear and love it. Put it on as a summer tyre but it copes very well in the scottish forests around these parts. Not good at braking or gloop but forewarned is fore armed as they say. Mine's ghetto'd which i believe makes a difference.

Larsen was suicidal in loose terrain when I ran them

I've tried both and reckon the Crossmark is better than the Larsen, but the small block 8 is certainly worth a look, I was supprised how predictable it was.

There is no better tyre when the Ben A singletrack is dry 😉

Yeah, I like the Crossmark having used it last summer. Nice and quick and grippier than it looks. Perhaps I'll just stick with one for the back - I would always want something a little more aggressive for the the front.

i run either a high roller or a crossmark up front, and a larsen on the rear.

Been using that combo for a while now, rode glentress in the wet and it was mint. The larsens not a great front tyre because of it's lack of any shoulders

i'm continually suprised how well my rear Larsen deals with gloopy stuff, preditctable break away and amazing grippiness climbing in sloppy stuff if you use correct technique, opposite to above they worked really well at GT for me in the wet, maybe it's just my riding style, got a crossmark on the back of my 29er and it doesn't perform aswell as the TT
currently running panaracer fire xc on the front and TT on the back

SF - you're right, you can't always tell how a tyre will handle from simply looking at the tread but the two tyres you've chosen to compare are both made by the same company, both available in the same size, compound and casing and are a similar weight so all there is left to compare really is the tread design.
one has very closely spaced knobs with no real edge while the other has a slightly more open tread with a half decent edge. in a straight line there won't be a great deal of difference between the two but lean em over in anything loose and take a guess which one will shine?

happysv - Member
Does anyone else rate the Kenda small blocks over the larsens ?

Well just done 43 mile around Cannock with a small block(29" version) on the back & it wasn't half the tyre of the Bonty ACX that it replaced - slower rolling,virtually no grip what-so-ever in anything that looked like mud & as for anything off camber ! The Bonty will be going back on very soon .....

Huh, I've ridden ACXs and they're certainly better in mud but they don't come anywhere near the pace of a small block. Maybe the 26er and 29er ones act differently. I thought the ACX was a decent enough tyre (though I'd sooner have my nevegals tbh) but pretty different in intent and function to the small blocks.

I ride a Larsen 2.35 (maxxpro) on the rear and a high roller 2.35 ST on the front of my chameleon.
I've also ridden this combo at sherwood pines in the gloopiest conditions and i'll be honest I had no probs.
When its dry I find this combo awesome both in speed and grip but then i guess its also down to a bit of rider skill too 😉

Not a fan of kenda's and would plump for Maxxis anytime.