After many people praising these tyres I took the plunge and bought a set of 2.35 single ply maxxpro 60a. I have had these tyres for a couple of months now and have run them initially with tubes and now tubeless on stans flow rims. I have tried differing pressures both tubed and tubeless and this is what I have found:

They drag more than velcro
They grip less than riding on ice
They are rubbish in mud
They are rubbish on roots

Is there a secret like running them the wrong way round or do I need to go sub 30psi on front and back (I am 16 stone so this may cause me to damage the rims) or should I go back to the tyres I used before that I liked?

They are draggy but I don’t agree with the rest of it. I am 16 stone too – ran them at about 35 psi.

Too draggy for the rear IMO

Great front tyre if run at low pressure [tubeless <30psi]

If you don’t like them then change them, but I have used them for a while now, albeit a Super Tacky upfront, and love them.

If your not getting enough traction try the rear the wrong way around.

what were you running before then Votchy?!

i do find that the front corners better when you get the bike lent over – you need to be riding on the side knobs for them to grip.

Great front tyre if run at low pressure

I hate them on the front as they don’t track straight under hard braking. Much prefer a minion up front.

I found that at 30psi the front was rubbish.

at 5psi less it rocked!

I’ve got it paired up with a hollyroller at the back. Gives very little grip, but makes the whole thing handle like a big BMX which suits me as thats all i got to ride over the winter.

Although saying that the BMX runs almost complete slicks (although quite sticky) at 60psi.

I hate Highrollers but…

The 60as don’t really drag any more than any other soft compound 2.35 tyre – if you want faster rolling either try higher pressure (rear) a narrower tyre or a harder compound
if you think they grip less than riding on ice you could probably do with gaining some skills afterall grip isn’t just about your tyre choice, this seems to be highlighted in your next two comments. they are perfectly alright in mud upto the point where only a proper spike will cope (if you know how to ride mud) and they are fine on roots too.

I hate them on the front as they don’t track straight under hard braking.

Shouldn’t be using the front brake hard anyway!

I agree they are good on the front, prefer something faster rolling for the back.

After really liking 2.35″ SP Minions on 2 bikes I gave the Highrollers a go. I am now using them up as a rear only tyre as I also found them unpredictable on the front?
Still think the Minions are a better tyre & I’m loving the 2.25″ Advantages as long as its not Clwyds mud!

I agree that I need to gain skills (although 90% of my riding is in the wyre forest which everyone local knows is a mudfest for 363 days a year), however, I am the same person that found the Kenda Blue Groove front and Nevegal rear to be very good, never found them draggy even when riding tarmac at 30psi, found they gripped well in mud up to the point where I genuinely needed swampthings or similar. I have tried to like these tyres but just don’t seem to get on with them.

I like constructive criticism but was wondering if there was a set up secret, as after all, the only thing that I have changed and found not to my liking is the tyres, ability and how I ride is kind of irrelevant as I am doing a direct like for like comparison. If you get on with them then that’s fine, I don’t so it must be the tyre not suiting my riding style (jey core mince lite) then

grumm,

out of interest, why shouldn’t you be using the front brake hard? Most effective way of stopping quickly or scrubbing off a lot of speed in my experience.

apperently they come into their own when they are half worn.

North west mountain bikes used to offer a cut-down service where they used cutters to trim half the height off the central knobs.

Ive been personally loving swampthings but BOY do they grip on earth/warmer weather!!!!!!!!!!!!!

on the contrary, how you ride can actually make a considerable difference to whether you get on with a certain tyre or not.
for mincing in soft conditions, even at your weight I’d have thought you’d be able to run them pretty soft, just make sure they’re not so soft that the sidewalls start to fold over on hard cornering and you’re not contantly dinging your rim.. fnaarr :wink:. they will obviously drag more though.

@ votchy, thats what i thought too.
having re-read grumms comment perhaps he was referring to not braking hard on the front while cornering?

I really like them on the front. Run with a tube at just over 30psi. Not too draggy, corners well, stops well, grips in everything unless its proper mud tyre territory.

Felt very draggy on the rear though so I run a 2.1 advantage on the back. Not a fast combination but it rolls well enough if you aint racing and stays on the bike all year. Last time I put the advantage on the front and a crossmark on the rear it was fast but i really missed the bite of the HR in corners so changed back again.

what frame and fork do you have,how old is it,when were the fork and shock last serviced?

I run Highrollers and find them ok. A supertacky up front may aid grip at the front.

I tend to run my back tire hard since I ride a hardtail and dont like getting punctures. Grip isnt great but if you run the single ply ones at low pressures they feel all flexy and horrible if you go round a corner fast.

GW – glad you posted like that, having read other threads I thought we might get in to an argument over nothing, a bit of normality and understanding on here at last!

I do agree that technique can have a major effect on the way you judge things, and hence am agreeing that my not liking them is down to my riding style as my last tyres I found to be very good, the old adage horses for courses

Anyone want a pair of single ply wire bead 60a maxxpro 2.35’s? Approx 500 miles use but not showing signs of wear.

Yup I meant use the front brake hard while cornering. A good way I had it described to me is ‘back brake to slow you down, front brake to stop’. Using the front brake too much on anything steep or really technical, or when cornering hard, is a recipe for disaster imo, as you lose your steering.

I found the grip on high rollers didn’t live up to the hype neither.Had a 60a on the back.Dissappointed with the grip, especially when climbing, spun out way too much.
I’ve put a minion 60a on the rear and tons better for grip and don’t notice any difference in drag.

‘They grip less than riding on ice
They are rubbish in mud
They are rubbish on roots’

I suspect it might be you who is rubbish at those things. What are you expecting from them? Its only a 60a, you are running them ‘hardish’ and you want fast rolling.

Pity you dont get on with them, they are some of the most predictable (if draggy) tyres around. I run tubeless with supertacky on the front and a LUST (60a i think) on the back, considering the amount of DH racers that use high rollers they must work 😉

RHSno2

of course, it’s bound to be me because I don’t agree with the stw massive, sorry for asking a constructive question, I will not question the ability of the equipment I ride, only my own

martinxyz – 2 year old Orange 5, RP23 shock serviced every 12 months and Float 140 RLC serviced every 10 minutes as per Mojo/Fox advice (every 6 months, oil and seals changed actually)

As posted above, I don’t get on with them, my technique/style/ability isn’t a good match for them, however, I do match other tyres so will go back to those, incidentally I tried going back to Cinders from the Kendas earlier this year and having ridden them successfully 3 years ago I also found the Cinders lacking compared to the Kendas.

Maybe kendas are good for cr4p riders and Maxxis suit good riders, seems to be the case with some of the above posts 😉

Nah I’m crap and I have Maxxis on both my bikes

whooooooooooooooo there, no need to get aggressive (seems to be the default in STW for the minority oppinions at the moment).

They’r not a mud tyre, get swampthigns or wet screams for that.

Run them softer, no 60a tyre pumped up past 30psi is going to be grippy.

I’m 14st and run my front SPC one at 25-27psi, and could go lower without pinching or folding in the corners.

I’m running a hollyroller at 27-30psi out back, if your spinning highrollers then you need to pedal smoother rather than standing up and hammering up and down!

of course, it’s bound to be me because I don’t agree with the stw massive, sorry for asking a constructive question

Meh, I personally don’t think they’re as good as claimed, I’m luke warm about them at best.

I think there’s some truth in “how you ride relates to how you get on with a tyre” – I can go much faster and harder with a Kenda Blue Groove up front than just about any other tyre on the market – I’ve clearly just clicked with it and I now have a few in 2.1 and 2.35 sizes so I can run it on all bikes, it works most of the season for me (frankly if it’s so horrible that they won’t work, I’ll be at a trail centre anyway).

I must ride the fork hard because I can also run a Small Block 8 on the back for most of the year too and I find most other tyres on the front cause me to wash out… bad technique? Possibly, but the Blue Groove works and doesn’t seem to slow me down.

They come alive in the corners. If you are staying upright and are riding nervously or tentatively (sounds like it) then the grip will be very poor pretty irrespective of what pressure you run.

When you lean a bike into a corner at speed on HRs you are cornering on the side lugs. These give tons of lovely predictable grip and when they do break traction theres no fuss or drama and you still feel in control. On any surface. In virtually all conditions.

I run them (60a) front and rear on my hardtail at pretty high pressure and I don’t really struggle to keep up with most folk. First time I rode them (many years ago) I thought they were awful tyres and that the bloke in the shop had ripped me off so I replaced them with another set of tioga fatory dh. Looking back on it, I realise that I just couldn’t for toffee back then.

Minion, Nevegal upfront, except on south downs where Dry2 is fine,

Out back I use small block 8, razors or mountain kings (and mud x in winter).

No point putting a chunky tyre on the rear, unless you are on an uplift day. They just slow you down.
Run lower pressures upfront to aid grip and keep the rear quite firm, so it slides predictably rather than letting go before the apex of a turn.

I also agree that leaning the bike and not yourself will really help to use the bigger knobbly bits on the edge of a chunky tyre. Try it, it’s fun and really gets you out of the mire if you have over-cooked a corner.

Oh, and I hate tubeless, as I always end up in a heap on the floor looking like I just escaped from an industrial accident at a tippex factory, or Simon King after filming for the next riveting BBC-bird-poo-island-watch-VII

The choice of correct tyre totally confuses me.

I’m running 2.35″ Rampage SC’s front and rear. No idea what pressures, i’ll guess around 35psi each. They were recommended so I bought them.

i get on pretty well with high rollers, i dont find them draggy and think they are a good fit and forget tyre.

i run 60a kevlar single plys with a stans rimstrip on flow rims and my only gripe is i flat them quite regularly. im not sure if i pinch them, or burp some air out then pinch them but whenever i cane them through some rocks or whatever i seem to get a flat. i dont think im being to clumsy or whacking them, just getting a bit lairy maybe. i seem to either be tearing the knobbles or causing a small split by pinching but its hard to tell, does anyone else do this? i used to do it loads when i ran them sub 30 psi, now i do it less often at 35 psi. im 13st BTW.

Went from Ignitors which i hated to high rollers 2.5 which i love, just dont try doing a 26 mile charity ride on them cos on the tarmac its like someones pulling you backward. I run the rear slightly softer than front cos i find you get more bite in the corners that way. They only feel sketchy on loose dusty/gravel downhills. Which, lets face it, aren’t conditions you get for very long in Calderdale!!

thisisnotaspoon – apologies

Slowrider – whenever I run single plys on the rear of the hardtail I need to keep them at about 45 psi or more to avoid pinching on rock gardens. I weigh about the same as you and ride pretty much without finesse shall we say.

If you are pinch flatting HR single plys then any other single ply tire will be much much worse. Maxxis single ply tires are just about the only tires I’ve tried where the sidewalls dont flex like a flexy thing through tight steep tech sections. Well except for intense tires but they are total cack.

For big dh session days I’ll swap it over to a 2 ply in the rear, then I can pretty much forget about flats.

Just had a few months riding on some 60a compound and in my opinion they’re fantastic in the dry on all surfaces, but pretty poor when its wet, especially if you’re trying to ride anything technical/rooty. They’re also rubbish grip wise when climbing. Ive put the Nevegals back on for a bit and am enjoying the confidence they give on technical stuff even when its damp/wet. I’d use some high rollers again but probably buy a 42a single ply for the front.

I had a 42a on the front and a 60a on the back – found the grip fantastic in all weathers (great on wet lake district rocks), not too bad in mud, but they were pretty draggy. I also got quite a few punctures, especially when the tyres wore down a bit.

i’m sticking with my Highroller 2.35 60a up front and ADvantage 2.4 60a on the rear.

after one year both are wearing well despite being ridden on tarmac more than i would like. the front tyre comes in at 685gr.

they do me well in all conditions. wet roots and rocks are always a little more problematic but with these i find them to be less so.

same as grumm here

42a front and 60a rear both single ply and tubeless. 28 front and 30 rear.

I find the great, but i also loved my blue groove sticke front and nevegal DTC rear combo.

The only reason I havn’t used them is because I was led to believe they had very thin sidewalls and are no good for tubeless.

Try dropping the pressures a bit and see what they are like then.