Maxxis Aspen vs Monorail

[Woolf]

BTW Cycle house in PTA North has the Maxxis Crossmarks LUST for R360 and they are running a special on the Larsen TT LUST for R220. No stock on the Monorails however.

[Bos]

Bos if they make a tyre that grips on gravel over hardpack I'll take 10! My Ignitors used to do that to a degree better than Mt Kings. Seems that the most places where I almost see my...is on these surfaces. U know when your leaning into a turn and she grips and then looses it and hopefully grips again.

 

Haha, Its like people asking what grips on wet routes? mm, nothing, avoid those and learn to slide.

 

I was more refering to the odd lose patch that you do get on hardpack , maybe what I left out was the 2nd part of its detrement, the fact that there are large flat bits between the shallow knobs thats the real culprit because the gravel gets trapped between the knops and form a rollerball effect between your tire and the ground. But you knew what I meant.

 

I think im going to stop giving away my secrets cause no one seems to listen.. MAXXIS RENDEZ.. the thing grips like a cat on a couch! .. haha hows that I just made it up. It still rolls fast enough. Youll be laughing at how much grip it has. and you can buy 4 for the price of a Mtking. You do have to get them from CRC though..

[Flowta]

Just got myself a Maxxis Ardent 2.4 :-)

 

Nice big tyre, can't wait to try it out.

[covie]

I find the monorail useless (CPT) even in dry weather they slip of berms, cornering to me is awfull they let loose every time and I have absolutly no confidence in them at this stage. Also have monorail front / crossmark back combo.

 

Maybe its just me, but i dont like them at all, going to put the monorails at the back and try web werewolf's on the front.

[ichnusa]

maxxis ADvantage 2.25, non-tubeless, converted = awesome, cheap, strong and relatively light... 3 out of a possible 3!

[Santa C]

Personally like the monorails or conti race on the back and a ignitor or conti kings on the front.

 

find the monorail on the front not to stick in corners as much.

[gongmech]

I'm running Schwalbe Alberts on front and xmark at the rear. I like the grip in the corners and in gravel although it's a slightly heavier tyre.

[quickdraw]

I just put on a Spez The Captain (control) front and Sausserwind (control) rear and they seem to work pretty decently (thick sand and mud - and a reasonably dry Tokai.

 

I had a WTB epic wolf (1.95 - not UST, but running tubeless) on the rear and that was pretty decent as well.

[marshace]

CrossMark front and back has got me through 2 Epics and a Pioneer, They are good alround and UST are bullet proof !! Not the lightest tyre out but they give me confidence. See many argue Monoral on front is better but I have yet to be convinced. Go CrossMark !!!

[MaxUmis]

I'm running Schwalbe Alberts on front and xmark at the rear.

I run that setup when it's wet and muddy out. The knobs on the Albert are so big that they stick through the caking!

[Giant]

Well, report back time.

This weekends ride with a new tyre setup. (Front: New Aspen 2.25 non ust run tubeless at 1.8 bar; Back: pretty well used 2.1 Crossmark Lust @ 2 bar)

 

Ride 1: Xcountry nationals course at cascades pmb. Conditions are very dry and powdery in places. Very happy with the Aspen, rolls well, and does not dig in in the sandy stuff, honestly hooked up as well as the 2.1 nevegal it replaced, and better in some conditions. Started of enjoying the back end drift of the crossmark, it drifts a lot more than the Nevegal it replaces. then got into some steep stuff, and I just could not slow the bike down, using the same front back brake balance as i have for ever, I dont even think, just do, all that happened is that the back end would let go and I'd not slow down at all.

 

Ride 2: 20km race arround baynesfield estate, part of a multisort race, bone dry, not as technical, but lots of single trac, some rocks and lots of sandy single track near a river, and then cane roads. Fast combination, floated over the sand, again one or two scetcy corners when I just could not shrug off speed quickly enough.

 

Ride 3: Single track heven Hilton/Cedara, this is flowing and fast single track, some tracks had lots of gum twigs and leaves tyres were good. probably perfect in well used flowing single track, and seemed better than expected over the leaves and twigs.

 

My oppinion.

Maxis Aspen is a great tyre, it rolls well, has great volume, so can be run at low preasure, and has more than enough grip.

Crosmark is not my favourit tyre, under hard breaking it lets go too quickly, I preffered the Larsen TT

[Weight Weenie]

Thanks Giant, I love the Aspens as a light racing tyre, run them stans converted front and back on my stans race wheels.

The sidewalls are iffy for very rocky sharp terrain but they really grip when braking at the back and when leaned down into a corner hard.

Compound is too soft for tar though, wears really quick then

[Dubber88]

BTW Cycle house in PTA North has the Maxxis Crossmarks LUST for R360 and they are running a special on the Larsen TT LUST for R220. No stock on the Monorails however.

 

Any Comments on the larsens ?