PSA: Maxxis Shorty Tire - Often Overlooked but Totally Awesome.

[Damian Sanders]

It may come as a surprise to some people that Maxxis makes other tires besides the Minion DHF and that some of these tires don't suck. It did to me, I've been running DHF's for about 10 years.

I just started running a 26x2.5" WT Shorty 3C MaxxTerra TR/EXO front tire for spring season, combined with a 26x2.4" WT DHR2 3C MaxxTerra TR/EXO in the rear. Brand new Flow MK3 / Hadley wheelset too. Last year I ran 2.3 Minion DHF TR/EXO's, 3c front and DC rear, on 25mm internal rims, and will likely run a DHF/Aggressor combo on the Flow's in the summer.

The 26x2.5" shorty is huge, it's based on maxxis's new sizing standards. The width of the flow makes it even bigger. Was running about 22 / 26 psi. Compared to my normal DHF and previous rims, the new setup is only about 100g or so heaver per rim+tire, but far beefier. The shorty was right at it's claimed weight of 925g on my scale, only 50g heavier than my DHF 3C. Flows were about 460g, or 30-40g heavier per rim than my previous WTB KOM i25. Hubs are fractionally heavier and spokes/nipples were the same.

The shorty is supposed to be like a cut down mud spike, so it has relatively small, tall tread blocks with wide spacing. It also has the excellent MaxxTerra compound which is sticky but still has decent durability and rolling resistance. The tread pattern is very similar to the Schwable Magic Mary.

So far, the shorty has been great. It really hooks up on angled roots and claws into jagged edges. Anywhere there is a soft surface that needs to be punched into or through to gain traction, the shorty excels - loam, mud, fallen leaves, pine needles, soft dirt, loose dirt. Anything soft or with texture it sticks to like crazy. It seems to corner confidently but I haven't pushed its limits. One of the main concerns in reviews are that it doesn't stick well to anything smooth and wet very well, but that's debatable. I didn't have much issue with dry or damp rocks. Some people say it works great in the dry, and I had good performance on dry, softer sections of trail, but if it's dry out I want a faster rolling setup. In the loose and damp, it has far more grip than a DHF.

The rolling resistance is fair, barely passable as a front tire. It is what it is. Pairing it with the DHR2 in the rear helps, but the DHR2 is pretty slow too in the 2.4" 3C version. Definitely not a fast setup. They show a 26x2.3 Shorty 3C on their website, but it hasn't been released yet for sale. I may try this with a 26x2.3" DHF 3C (or DC, or DHR2) in the rear for mixed wet use, to get less rolling resistance.

Pretty stoked to ride them some more this spring. Don't overlook this tire if you ride somewhere with lots of loose/wet and don't care that much about rolling resistance.

Shorty in action:

[mntlion]

people still can ride 26" tires????

[Dee Hubbs]

It may come as a surprise to some people that Maxxis makes other tires besides the Minion DHF and that some of these tires don't suck. It did to me.
I just started running a 26x2.5"

and I'm out. You lost me at 26".

[Damian Sanders]

and I'm out. You lost me at 26".

It's not my fault you might be riding an inferior wheel size.

But Maxxis does offer these in 28.5" and 27" for those who aren't aware of the vast superiority of 26" wheels.

"Ridin' 26 minons, don't care about your opinons......"

[Dee Hubbs]

If only they offered it in a 27.5

[Damian Sanders]

If only they offered it in a 27.5

There's no such thing as a mountain bike 27.5" wheel/tire. Only 26", 650b (27") and 700c (28.5"). Sorry.

[summit]

26" is good to go for DH

[Dee Hubbs]

There's no such thing as a mountain bike 27.5" wheel/tire. Only 26", 650b (27") and 700c (28.5"). Sorry.

Funny my math works out to be 559mm, 584mm and 622mm. But lets not get into a metric vs imperial conversation, we all know there is only one winner in that argument.

[El Chupacabra]

So in other words, if you have some old half-worn-out 26" tires laying around, Damian will buy them off you.

[Damian Sanders]

HOW IS THIS A WHEEL SIZE DEBATE???

[mntlion]

https://www.pinkbike.com/news/felt-b...size-2014.html

[summit]

https://www.pinkbike.com/news/felt-b...size-2014.html

fucking awesome

[reckless toboggan]

Yes-Tubes

http://petefagerlin.com/yes_tubes/index.htm

Are you always fixing your "bullet proof" No Tubes tires like this poor sap while your buddies wait impatiently?

Have you been riding with folks using No Tubes and had to endure getting yourself, your gloves, and anything within ten yards coated in latex spooge from these No Tubes tires?

Are you unwilling to carry a compressor with you on rides to re-seat the bead on these No tubes tires?

Are you just plain tired of being an evangelist for a miraculous system that fails constantly?

SALVATION is at hand with Oliver's Yes Tubes system!

...

Oliver's Yes Tubes, in a nutshell.

Oliver's Yes Tubes Hop-Up Kit includes:

Two fully enclosed rubber tire filling devices with integrated valve stems (no need for "special" rimstrips!)

Detailed installtion instructions.

Easy do-it-yourself installation, without having to use an air compressor.


Oliver's Yes Tubes Hop-Up Kit does not include:

Noxious latex spooge, "special" rimstrips, and most importantly it doesn't include hours upon hours of headaches and delays for your riding buddies.

NEW PRODUCTS AVAILABLE NOW!
The same folks that originally brought you Yes Tubes now offer some exciting new products:

The Tricycle Hop Up kit.

Yes Tubes Emergency repair kit Innovative Easy-does-it repair kit fixes Yes Tubes, without the spooginess!

...

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What rim/tire combinations do Oliver's Yes Tubes work with?

A: One of the benefits of Oliver's Yes Tube system is that it is compatible with all rim/wheel combinations.

Q: How much weight do you save using Oliver's Yes TubeS?

A: That varies by application, but in our experience the wait savings would have been many minutes, if not hours, if our riding buddies had been using Oliver's Yes Tube system.



Q: Do Oliver's Yes Tubes work on Road bikes or Cross bikes?

A: YES! After years of testing, Oliver's Yes Tubes are finally available for 700c rims. At the same low price as Oliver's Yes Tubes for MTBs!

...

Ah yes, the testimonials.

Here are the words of some folks who have seen the Yes Tubes light (some names have been changed to protect them from reprisals from the No Tubes cabal).

Feedback received via the 'net.

"OK, OK. I hate to say it but I've been a victim of Stan's now too. They're great while they hold air, but as soon as that bubble bursts (pun intended) it's a serious PIA (yes, I said serious too - and I don't really like to be serious).

The handling at lower pressure was nice, but then when the pressure gets down around zero the handling really goes downhill (or doesn't when you wish it would). [Matt, somewhere in Colorado]

"This is great. I HAVE been living in Stan's "no-tubes hell" -- cost me 30 minutes on my lap time, and a brand new tire at SnowShoe 3 weeks ago.

So I shelled out the 65 bucks and got myself a kit and installed it and have been having nothing but problems with it since then. I hate no-tubes. I'll never race with them again after my suck-ass laps at SnowShoe" ["ERX" location unknown]

"I f'ing hate No Tubes. They could be more aptly marketed as: You're a Tube, No Air, Need More Air, More Pump or Pump 'a Chump, etc. I specifically removed them before my FFTF trip so that I did not have to bear the pain Jed so well evidenced. Flatted but once.

I spent $60 on the kit with s/h, an hour of my time drilling, soaping, installing kit and 5 minutes ripping it all apart and putting my Salsa "light" tubes back in. Oh yeah, I dropped another $125 on a (crappy) compressor at Home Depot just to install them. I may just wrap a piece of poo in my worthless rim strips, light on fire and ding-dong-ditch Senor Stan when next in his environs." [Sean, currently in witness protection program due to his Stan's comments] NOTE: these "Salsa" things he refers to are cheap knock-offs of Oliver's Yes Tubes.

[Damian Sanders]

Yes-Tubes

http://petefagerlin.com/yes_tubes/index.htm

Oh yeah, I'm running tubeless. It is 2017 afterall.

[grskier]

HOW IS THIS A WHEEL SIZE DEBATE???

It is YOUR thread.. how did you think this would go.

[skaredshtles]

Hmmm... as a front tire. Possibru.

[ill-advised strategy]

https://www.pinkbike.com/news/felt-b...size-2014.html

that's good stuff

[Damian Sanders]

I've got a couple more rides on this combo now. It's still good, but I'm not sure I entirely trust the consistency of the Shorty in rock gardens, like you can with a DHF. The setup rolls surprisingly well for what it is. Settled on 19 psi front, 23 psi rear, measured with a digital gauge, it reads a bit lower than my pump's gauge.

[funkendrenchman]

I would also check out the e*thirteen TRS tire. I rode them last night and they are amazingly grippy are give the bike some extra cushion. I probably wouldn't ride them everyday in Colorado, but in a slightly wetter climate, absolutely.

[DominicWilbrink]

I'm with you, the shorty is awesome. I'll take a hit to rolling resistance for gains in traction. I'm trying some other tires out now and the whole time I'm using them I keep thinking "man I can't wait to get back to the shorty tires."

[DominicWilbrink]

I liked the Shorty so much I made a video about it: