Vital Tests Greg Minnaar's Maxxis Tire - The Assegai 32
Big, burly and ready for descending, the new Maxxis Assegai gets ridden.
We're sitting here in our traveling garage and are thinking of where the new Maxxis Assegai tires would be perfect, or who they would be for. We’ve ridden them so far in rocky terrain in California, wet and tacky dirt in Colorado, hard pack in Nevada and now in Bellingham, Washington, where there is plenty of dirt loam. We originally thought these tires were terrible at rolling. We’d like to amend that: the Maxxis Assegai tires are the slowest rolling tires we have used other than a full-on mud spike on a downhill bike.
Review by Steve Wentz
Maxxis Assegai Specs
- 27.5 x 2.50 and 29 x 2.50 sizes
- Wide Trail casing optimized for 30-35mm wide rims
- Maxxis’ 3C MaxxGrip rubber compound
- Dual-ply DH casing with butyl sidewall inserts
- Tubeless compatibility
- Folding bead
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Price: $90 USD
Against all odds, we took the 29 x 2.5 Assegais up a 2500-foot climb. They were mounted to a Transition Sentinel which is equipped with a coil shock. Rallying down the subsequent descent, they were a ton of fun. We knew they descended well, but the constant climbing and then straight-down descending catered to this tire’s strengths more than other rides we'd done that included traverses or flatter sections. Of course, it is a heavy tire, over 1300 grams, but the DH casing is so stable on descents. Maxxis doesn’t offer the Assegai in anything other than a DH casing for now, so if you want to up your descent game on your trail bike, this is 100% the tire for you...if your descents are steep enough.
I wanted something that sounded sharp and aggressive, and that’s how I ended up calling my tire the Assegai! The Assegai is a traditional Zulu warrior spear, the Zulu being the traditional tribe of KwaZulu Natal, the region of South Africa where I was born and raised. -Greg Minnaar
The Assegai has been excellent in rocky terrain, the combination of the tread, rubber compound and casing damp terrain very well, and really made my bike feel like it has more travel than it does. If you shuttle to get to your descents, you're stoked. If not, you certainly won’t spin the tire out on the way up because of its incredible traction, so at least that won’t be wasted effort.
More than almost anything else, the Assegai is very predictable. Some other brands are starting the incorporate more knob placement in what has typically been reserved for a 'channel', and the new Maxxis follows that form. The transition to shoulder knobs is very seamless on the Assegai, which gives a great feeling of control and predictability. We can't say this is the perfect way to do things, as it might be a matter of preference or riding style, but with all that rubber on the ground, at all lean angles, this is doubling down on the predictability and sure-footed feeling that the Assegai gives.
Of course, the one bad thing about encroaching on the side knobs with intermediates is the lack of clearing that a tire can fall victim to. In some of our rides in the Pacific Northwest, the tire retained loam and dirt more than others, and did not perform as we'd come to expect based on our experience in other conditions. You could clip out that intermediate to get more of a channel, but why do that when a Maxxis DHR II would fit the bill without any work?
If you have one bike to do it all, and you’re taking it to Whistler, Queenstown or a tour of bike parks near you, the Assegai would be a good choice. It will protect your rims, it will grip everything in its path, and it will transform a "normal" trail bike into a more capable DH machine. You won’t be rolling as fast as others, but your day will not be interrupted because you chose to bring a knife to a gun fight. So yeah, in the end, this probably won't be a daily driver so to speak, but the burly Assegai is one of the best options for making a one-bike quiver lean a whole lot more into the descending spectrum.
Visit www.maxxis.com for more information on the Assegai
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millsr4
5/11/2018 6:33 PM
Your comments about the DHRII being a good choice in the northwest are spot on. I call Bellingham home and I run them front and back all year round, my favorite tire I've ridden to date. I'm disappointed to hear about the mud clearing issues though... This looked like a tire that would rival the Shorty in the slop during the winter but better on roots, so much for that thought...
Pinch Flat
5/10/2018 5:40 PM
Assuming you'd use this up front, with a faster rolling tyre on the rear..Would't use the Assegai as a rear tyre.
TRex
5/10/2018 7:59 PM
I used the tire as a front only after about a month of riding as both front and rear, and it is definitely better as a front in my opinion. I think it would pair well with a 2.3 DD casing tire in the rear, still tough, but not as grippy or heavy, and it would allow the front to track super well while the back end might slide a bit (in a good way)
Pinch Flat
5/10/2018 8:16 PM
Yeah, makes sense. Like the DHF, Aggressor combo i'm currently running
bman33
5/10/2018 9:12 PM
DHF Agressor, my go to for a while now. Love it.
That-Norco-Dude
5/11/2018 6:18 AM
I must be the only person who actually dislikes the aggressor
CuddlyToast
5/10/2018 5:15 PM
Vital reviews are so good. Nobody does it better. Lets be real, vital just does everything better...
paulcd
5/10/2018 5:14 PM
This tyre being at WT is designed for 30-35 mm internal width rims. Interesting that in the test video they were fitted to Arch Mk3's which have an internal width of 26 mm.
TRex
5/10/2018 8:13 PM
You are correct, this was tested on a 30mm width, 26mm internal Stans rim. I decided not to upgrade my wheelset just to do a tire review. There are many riders out there that have an existing setup, and might not want (or have the $$) the get a new rim or wheelset. I chose to test the tires as a 'normal rider' and see how they would perform on my standard ride.
The tire worked super well as far as grip is concerned, and I couldn't perceive any casing squirm, which is one of the only downfalls I could see in using a rim that is just a hair narrower than recommended. It is a DH casing, so it should be able to handle just about anything. Being that I've tested numerous wider rims from SRAM and other companies, I can say confidently the wider rims have consistently resulted in a more square tire profile (wouldn't be that bad on the Assegai), slower rolling (due to more rubber on the ground which wouldn't be that awesome on the Assegai) and increased sidewall stability (rather unnecessary on the Assegai in its current DH casing).
Not that this matters to some readers, but there are a finite amount of resources available to testing. I chose to spend more time riding in different states and dirt and conditions than swapping rims. I hope that is alright, as I believe many people might try the tire on their current setup to give it a bit more of a gravity oriented feel. Not coincidentally, that is also the best purpose we found for the tire. It can fill that role of beefing up your ride if you've only got one bike (and most likely one wheelset), and it will do it well, regardless of rim width.
Pinch Flat
5/10/2018 8:19 PM
I'm running 2.5 WTs on DT 25mmID rims and they're fine. Just can't go as low in the pressures as the wider rims, but I find 20psi front and 25psi rear is OK. I'm around 82kg kitted up.
paulcd
5/10/2018 9:58 PM
Thanks for response. That all makes sense to me. My 2017 Stumpy has the (pretty heavy stock) Traverse OEM wheelset with 29 mm internal width rims (currently shod with Nobby Nic 29 x 2.6) so I've looked at the Flows but they seem pretty heavy compared with the Arch Mk3. The Arches obviously can handle some serious trail riding having watched your video.
kidwoo
5/11/2018 8:42 PM
Whoa, 30mm tire on a 26mm rim!!?? That's fucked up! I'm calling Bat Man!!!
thom9719
5/10/2018 11:58 AM
Prediction: This will be the most sharpied tire
Poleczechy
4/20/2018 9:03 AM
Good to see a 2.5 fit out back of a Sentinel. How does the rear coil ride with how much progression the frame was designed around? The Sentinel just makes you a faster rider, every ride I am blown away about the speed you carry into everything.
TRex
4/20/2018 10:52 PM
I have used both the stock air shock and the coil on the Sentinel. I prefer the coil, but I run slightly less sag. Maybe 25% sag, and I think that helps it not bottom out too much. I feel it is really nice as far as being responsive, which is paramount for me. The air shock ramps up a little more with the .83 cubic inch volume reducer (maybe .6 is stock?), but I don't mind bottoming out on a bike, so long as it is predictable, which I feel the Sentinel is.
DubC
5/10/2018 12:15 PM
Running the elevensix?
sccc120
4/19/2018 1:30 PM
2.3 in EXO por favor
big bear
5/11/2018 8:44 PM
Why would you want a small, slow rolling tire? Seems redundant. Why not go all in for 2.5 and the most grip or just use another tread pattern altogether?
lister_yu
4/19/2018 2:34 PM
second that
Wagon650B
5/10/2018 10:19 PM
under 900g 27.5 x 2.5 please
kidwoo
4/19/2018 10:57 AM
Good framing at the end
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/n9rTORyUTRU/sddefault.jpg
adrennan
4/19/2018 9:09 AM
where the hell did you find wet, tacky dirt in colorado...
sspomer
4/19/2018 9:26 AM
he was in the eagle, colorado area i think building this - https://www.vitalmtb.com/videos/member/Take-the-Pumptrack-to-School-Eagle-Colorados-Singletrack-Sidewalks,35261/sspomer,2
adrennan
4/19/2018 9:29 AM
i always forget about eagle; i need to ride there this year. trails are already getting blown out and loose sandy here in the front range.
Dave_Camp
4/19/2018 9:05 AM
Sounds similar to DHF- good at everything but mud. What would you pick Steve?
jeff.brines
4/19/2018 9:40 AM
To add, what rolls faster? Guessing DHF? Compare/Contrast the two briefly for us?
sspomer
4/19/2018 9:50 AM
alright wentz is on the road but i called him. he said "i'd take a DHF for angel fire. if it was steeper and rougher like lenzerheide and where the corners weren't quite as rutty, i'd take the assegai." - he'll chime in soon. he thought DHF rolled faster for sure.
TRex
4/19/2018 11:29 AM
The DHF rolls faster and is better for punching corners (something Minnaar rarely does) the Assegai is consistent, good on any corner angle, but you pay for that grip with lack of rolling speed. Try it for a front tire first.
Mateusz_Gawecki
4/19/2018 4:15 PM
Punching corners? Never heard this before, could you tell me what does it mean?
jeff.brines
4/19/2018 4:20 PM
Guessing here - but Greg usually keeps his tires "within the traction circle" EG, he doesn't spray a lot of dirt changing direction. He usually carries speed. Lots of speed. But he doesn't break traction while turning too often.
...or maybe I'm totally wrong and Swentz was saying something totally different.
TRex
4/20/2018 10:55 PM
jeff.brines is right, I meant that corners where someone would spray a lot of dirt at one time might be 'punchy', as opposed to a smooth drift or gradual slide that happens on some of the faster tracks that I see on the world cup circuit. It could even be boiled down to shorter or longer radius corners. So the higher the average speed is, the better I feel this tire would do.
TRex
4/19/2018 11:26 AM
I think the DHF clears mud way better than the Assegai, and it rolls faster. But the Assegai would be king descending canyons and rocky stuff where you are not necessarily turning, but using those transition knobs well. You know those marbly, grainy sections of trail by you in the Springs, it would work well there.