Every mountain bike shop near decent trails in North America has an entire wall of Maxxis tires, in part because every other bike shop, near decent trails, in North America has an entire wall of Maxxis tires. 

They may have a sprinkling of other stuff too. Bontrager if they’re a Trek dealer. Specialized if they know Timothy in shipping. Maybe that one Michelin option for which everyone with an engineering degree is hot, hot, hot. A couple versions of the Schwalbe Magic Mary, but definitely not the right mix of rubber and sidewall options you’re seeking. 

Sometimes the purchaser will have taken a swinger on a few hooks of something the staff is really stoked on, even though it’s more work to sell. Like the sweet e13 MoPo tires. The shop probably sold a bunch of them too until the staff all decided that a MaxxGrip Assegai in the lightest EXO casing with a CushCore Pro insert is actually their jam only to pivot to Hutchinson’s latest rubber option because, heck, they’re the last company actually making bike tires in France.

It’s not to take away from Maxxis tires. The DHF is a classic for a reason, and while I think performance degrades as you go up in size from the excellent 2.3″ to the completely ‘meh’ 3″ model it’s still highly requested in all sizes. There are a host of great tires that have built off the DHF’s basic pattern, like the Bontrager G5 and Specialized Butcher. Admittedly the G5’s awesome rubber needs to be mated to a folding bead if it’s going to win many hearts and minds, but the new Butcher absolutely competes in terms of rubber, design, and durability and really gets ahead looking at the price. 

The Assegai may roll as slow as they come, but the front-end grip has won and is still winning, the hearts and minds of a lot of mountain bikers on the Shore. That’s from those mating the EXO version to their trail bike or hitting harder trails with the DD or DH casing. But is it a case of the Assegai being better than a host of other premium tires, or is it simply better than the DHF once scaled up to a 2.5″ size? When I hear someone waxing on about the end-all-be-all performance of the African Spear, I can’t help but wonder what other premium tires they’ve tried in the same category. For example, the Magic Mary in Schwalbe’s Addix Ultra Soft, or even Soft, compound is a wicked good tire. 

But, a wicked good tire for Maxxis money. What about the host of great tires at a lower cost?

I get asked fairly often about the WTB Vigilante. It’s a tire I’ve used a lot. I run the 29×2.8 High Grip / Tough casing on the front of my rigid single speed. I run the 29×2.6 High Grip / Light casing on the front of my full suspension bike. I’ll pair them with a variety of other tires in the back, including sometimes another Vigilante in the longer-lasting version. 

For pairings, currently, on the #1FG, I’m running a 29×2.6″ Specialized Purgatory outback. On my full suspension bike, I’m running a 27×2.6″ Specialized Butcher. 

For folks still chasing the promises of 29+ on janky trails, the Vigilante 2.8″ is the best game in town. An easy choice. The Maxxis 3″ options suck and there’s just nothing else on the market with the mix of features. For smaller tire volumes the decision gets much, much more difficult. 

On the one hand, the Vigilante is an awesome tire for a fair few bucks less than a similar Maxxis option – comparing SRP – but on the other hand, its an investment in the unknown, and that’s where Maxxis, with their OE spec and just sheer volume of riders on the product, win the repeat business. It’s the bicycle rubber equivalent to buy nice or buy twice. I wish there was a better scenario for testing tires than having to fork out for a fresh set, and then taking a risk on an expensive wear item you may dislike so much that it borders on red hot hate. Only then to get stuck buying tires you like again and disposing of the freshies. But there’s not. 

So when it comes time for that next set of bicycle shoes, the long odds are you’ll be buying Maxxis. Maybe what you had before, maybe your friends who’ve never tried anything else – or at least anything else good – are raving about it. Or, you could save a few bucks and try something else…