Our favourite rapid-rubber rated head to head for racing or just ripping up the trails.
Maxxis Ardent Race 3C Maxx Speed EXO TR 27.5x2.2in £63
The Ardent Race is an impressively versatile but efficiently swift sweet spot tyre that combines the best of the rich Maxxis rubber menu. For a start Maxxis tyres are our benchmark for easy tubeless fitting. While the bead and fit can seem slack on some wheels they almost always inflate even on the most frustrating rims and pop up first time on most wheels with just a track pump. The Exo carcass is usefully tough and point/impact puncture proof. There’s just enough tread wrap to mean it’s the side lugs that normally take the hits rather than the unprotected carcass. That means while hard use will eventually see the fibres of the carcass showing through it doesn’t go threadbare as fast as the Ikon. The 2.2in Ardent Race is lower in height/ volume than the 2.25in Ardent, so it’s a lot more stable and predictable under peak cornering loads, particularly on the narrow rims that lightweight wheels tend to have. The EXO carcass and triple compound topping still add a decent amount of float and damping over stutter bumps and rocky/rooty trails if you’re running a hardtail of firm compression tune on your full-sus.
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Head To Head
Our favourite rapid-rubber rated head to head for racing or just ripping up the trails.
Banshee Spitfire GX build
‎€3500 Big Fun Mind Travel ripper from ahead of the curve Canadians
Whyte 909
£2199 Full-gas aluminium trail hardtail
Cannondale Cujo 2
£950 A big tyred beast that strains to be let off the leash on fast trails
Vitus Sommet CRX
£3800 Lightweight trail/enduro shredder with a retro old-school feel.
Lapierre Overvolt AM 700 C
£5600 Does smart weight placement boost trail performance?
Seb's Pole Evolink 140 En €2350*
Long wheelbase copes admirably with slippery terrain.
How It Works Brakes
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Does Racing Still Improve The Breed?
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Nicolai Argon-GLF QLFLINE
€4749 The German hardcore making all other hardtails look PG.