Maxxis Ardent Tire

Riding in my part of Northern California takes place 90% of the time on "cheesgrater": hard-baked clay imbedded w/ decomposed granite. This surface is merciless & quickly reveals which tires can go the distance.
Even in Maxxis' harder-wearing Dual Compound rubber, the 2.25" version of the Ardent is NOT that tire.
The Ardent's small knobs shred quickly: the staggered side knobs are the worst culprits, shredding visibly from first ride on due to poorly-placed sipes just a few mm from edge of knobs. Across the board, Ardents roll slower, corner worse on hardpack & loose soil, and offer less climbing traction than competing XC/Trail tires like Spec Ground Control. The revised "Ardent Race" version of this tire tries to address some of these flaws by reconfiguring side knobs into a more continuous row & trying to use Ikon-shaped center knobs to reduce rolling resistance, but aggressive XC / Trail riders looking for better durability, superior grip, & better rolling performance would do much better spending hard-earned cash on Purgatory or Aggressor up front paired with a Ground Control out back.

This is a great all around tire. I have a big list of positives I've listed and can't find a weakness. I'm riding Utah with sharp rocks and square edges and the 2.4 is on every bike from single speed rigid to Transition Covert 140mm FS.  The knobs roll well, off road hook up is perfect.  I'll go through a set every 700 miles and then they are some really nice handmedowns to my buddies.  One additional bonus for the weight weenie is that they are fairly light for a tire that can take some serious punishment at 695-805 gram depending on the model.  I've used the IKON and don't feel that the extra money is worth it.  Maxxis is my brand.   This review is only for the 29x2.4

This is the tire that can make the bike looks more solid and powerful and this tire performs the powerful style. Just a bit slippery on the muddy ground but rolling fast on the dry track.

But overall this is good product..

For a full on knobby tire, the Ardents (2.25" size)are definitely fast and transition from edge to edge quickly. I've ridden these on everything from dry hardpack to saturated moist soil and everything in between and the Ardents keep on digging in and gathering traction. The center row is fast and effective and offers great grip when climbing. The side knobs offer a great amount of cornering grip and never leave you wanting more. The transition knobs are spaced wide enough to allow a firm bite into the terrain and don't allow the tire to pack in debris too much. If the transision knobs were closer together, they would pack in and not be effective at all. I haven't ridden in super muddy conditions so I can't speak about how well it tracks in the muck, but  the cuts in the knobs and closely spaced knobs pack in with debris when its a slight bit wet, so I would assume that it would magnify when riding in mud.

All around its a great tire for varying terrain and has plenty of grip. There are better tires for specific terrain but for a stock set of tires, I'm not complaining one bit.

I have run through two sets of these tires.

I run the DH casing 60a. The 60a compound lasts incredibly well and still gives tons of grip. These tires won't benefit much from a softer compound because their specialty is digging in and getting bite. They roll super well and will have you keeping up with wierwolf clad XCers. As long as you can lean your bike over and dig into the terrain you're riding on these are going to be some of the best tires you could possibly ever run. However, if you can't dig into the soil and you're on hardpack summer condition trails with no loam or duff or gravel these aren't the tires for you.

If you plan on riding anything like desert terrain or gravel or loam these tires will kill it so hard!!!

Sometimes these tires have more grip than you can even reach in a corner at full speed. You can't out flow these tires, as long as you can dig into the soil.

Long story short, if you're looking for an AM tire and want to protect your wheels from rocks and run super low psi for tons of grip get yourself a pair of these in 60a 2.4 2 ply and get over the extra weight for the added shredability factor. Take a set out and run them tubeless over a stiff wheel and you won't have any problems EVER!! Just make sure to replace your tubeless sealant every 3 to 4 months.

These tires took me to Bootleg Canyon 1st Place Pro Super D and they will help you shred it to the next level. Get in and rip it!

Tom O'Brien

After a couple of seasons of using the Maxxis Minions I thought I would try something new, the reason for the change was mostly due to price of the Minions and also how quickly the sticky rubber wore out. Don’t get me wrong, the Minions are a great DH tire especially if you are a racer but for me I wanted something a little more durable and less expensive.

I stumbled upon the Adrents at JensonUSA and they were on clearance for $20, couldn’t go wrong with that price and after riding on them for a couple of months now I can say that they were a sweet deal for a great all around performing tire. I purchased the 2.6 size which I was a bit hesitant about the size but they are not that much larger than a 2.5 Maxxis tire. The weight of the tires for a 2.6 which is a 2ply is: 1,320g (as per Maxxis site).

So after a couple of months riding these tires I can say that they are a great all around tire for DH and freeriding, and I assume a smaller tire size would be great for trail/all mountain riding as well. I’ve been able to test them out in various conditions from loose loamy dirt to hardpacked jump trails and they work fantastic in all those conditions, I don’t really notice too much of a difference between these and the Minions. Just recently I took them on a couple of shuttle runs through some rocky descends and sharp rock gardens and I had no issues with traction or punctures due to sharp edges.

Last week I finally ran them in muddy conditions and noticed that mud didn’t seem to get stuck too bad between the knobs, so they performed pretty well in the mud. I did notice that I didn’t feel as confident in the wet, especially in the off camber sections or on corners but then again that could just be my lack of skill riding in the wet.

Pinch flats haven’t been a problem as I have cased several jumps fairly hard and landed flat on a couple of drops without any issues.

Rolling resistance, I found that these tires roll a lot better than the Minions, I assume this is due to the lack of sticky rubber on the Ardents. I found this to be a big benefit for those long days on the trails where you aren’t doing shuttle/lift runs.

Overall: I’ve been very happy with these tires especially at the price I paid for them, they work well in most conditions and the minimal rolling resistance is noticeable so it helps for long days in the mountains. The tires have held up to all kinds of trails including rocky descents and hardpacked trails. Overall I would definitely recommend this tire to anyone looking for a DH/freeride tire.

I use the 3C, 2.4 version of this tire on my trail bike. Yeah, it weighs quite a bit but I never really have to worry about getting a flat or ripping the sidewalls. These things are stout and they grip very well in dry conditions. The tread wear has also impressed me. I ride to some of my local trails via road, and while they do not roll well on pavement, they have not worn down on the pavement. Which is quite surprising to me.

That being said, if you ride in a lot of mud, this is probably not the tire for you. They get clogged up pretty easily.

I also rode the 3C, 2.6 version on my downhill bike and experienced the same thing. Good grip, good wearing tendancies etc. They also gripped quite well on those slippery East coast rock faces.

Good tire all around and can sometimes be found for a great price.