Maxxis Ardent Race - 3C MaxxSpeed - Mountain Bike Tire - 26", 27.5", 29" - Tubeless Ready MTB Tire

So I'm a bike commuter and ride my full suspension MTB mostly on the roads lately , especially right now because I had a bad crash on my drop bar bike and it's out of commission. I replaced a set of cooked Maxxis iKons with these. I thought the ikons were fast. These smoke those tires and are even more quiet. It was a tight fit to get them mounted with tubes but I managed it with some clamps to keep the opposite side bead in the valley of my mavic wheels and got them on without popping the tubes. They roll straight with no wobble , are fast as hell in my opinion and even make hills easier to climb. I can't comment on durability since I just mounted them last weekend but I think they will hold up well. They get good traction on gravel, and great traction under heavy braking without skidding much. They are agile in cornering. I'm certain they would hold their own on mountain trails as well. These tires are fantastic.

No issues with Shipping and delivery.I have a 2013 Trek Marlin Gary Fisher X-Country bike (entry level). At the time I bought this bike I wasn’t doing any real mountain biking- mostly paved with some easy off-road.Now my husband and I are going more off trail and I decided I needed to upgrade my stock Bontrager tires as I keep slipping on roots and in mud. We live in Texas so only flat to moderately hilly areas here (except west Texas).I added Ardent (2.4 width) to the front and the Ardent Race (2.2 width) to the rear. The grip is definitely better than my last tires, I don’t slip as much on mud and leaves. Please note: These tires MUST face a certain way when you install them on the bike. They are directional- look for the arrow on the tire. Reviews from others who say the tires are really slow make sure me wonder if they have the tires on backwards.I didn’t notice getting any buildup going through mud and although grip is improved for me, the tire does still slip at times on roots and mud. But maybe anything would? I only notice a little more resistance during pedaling than my last tire. From what I understand, these are XCountry tires. My husband also added these to his 2013 Trek Mamba. His original Bontrager tire had larger knobs than mine and he says he notices better grip with these as well.

MAXXIS Ardent tire is a good option for the rear. Good quality, good cornering, good traction!

Excellent grip on loose and hard pack. Started at 25psi and seemed to instantly lock on the trails with tons of grip. I've used the 2.4 size and that's even more grippy and comfy but I found the 2.4 had a soft and kinda a slow with response. Almost like an old Oldsmobile. The 2.2 is more twitchy in response but has a better predictable feel when leaning in to a turn. Climbs great and the weight is manageable.Not great in soupy mud but does the job. I use this up front with a Ikon 2.2 in the back. Great cross country combo. A real good race set up.I've always had good luck with Maxxis tires holding up well and no flats run tubeless.

Excellent, fast-rolling tire, with grip and strong sidewalls to handle rocks and roots. Recently ran an XC Marathon race with one of these and had no problems. You can use it either as front or as a rear tire. My set up was: Front - Maxxis Ardent Race 2.2, Rear - Maxxis Ikon 2.2, both tubeless. For more trail-oriented setups, you can use it as a rear tire and put something more beefy as the front tire.

Side knobs are closer and more evenly spaced than on the standard ardent, which is nice. Also, the rolling resistance is noticeably lower, since I can hit significantly higher speeds on straight downhills. However, I think that some of that lower rolling resistance owes to a more supple casing, which makes these tires more susceptible to puncture on chunky stuff. I've had two of these tires fail in the same way: right above the bead, sort of like a pinch flat (but setup tubeless). The first I had to throw out, the second I was able to fix. Just make sure to run higher pressures than normal, and keep to smoother trails.More predictable traction and less rolling resistance. I might just be a better rider now than I was then though. I ride a lot of dry stuff, and gravel over harpack/rock.

I had an Ikon 27.5x2.2 for my rear tire and it did not perform as well. The Ardent Race 27.5x2.2 gripped better and last a lot longer. I had no issue with 29x2.2 Ikon but 27.5x2.2 slides quite a bit. I recommend the Ardent Race for the smaller wheel size to keep up with the 29 footprint.

I ride/race a rigid single speed and this is my favorite tire for the Colorado front range trails. Run tubeless (Stan's sealant) with absolutely no issues; mounts and seals easily. I haven't had any issues with sidewall leaks. I usually run an Ardent up front (2.35) and vary my rear tire; but tend to go with an Ardent. I'm currently running a Ground Control on the rear, but the sidewall is leaking like crazy.