I've always had a thing for meaty front tires. Big knobs, deep channels, unwavering bite. Sign me up. For years, I happily raced with Schwalbe's Magic Mary. Then the wave of transition knob tread designs came crashing down. And I too fell victim to believing that an Assegai-esque tire was the safest, surest route to consistent front end grip. While this may be true a lot of the time, they can also feel pretty vague. Traction isn't outstanding, but it's usually good enough.
Then Maxxis relaunched the High Roller last year, and it became my new go-to front tire. I forgot how good it felt to have some burly side knobs that can manage some energy. It was built for soft, loose, blown-out trails, and hot dang did it shine in those conditions. But as I ventured beyond the High Roller's bread-and-butter territory and into firmer, rockier terrain, I loved it. It was more than just a loam specialist.
When I discovered that Continental had a very similar-looking tire, the Argotal, I wanted to see how their spin on my new fave tread design compared. This article is equal parts an Argotal vs. High Roller comparison and an argument for why these tires are better all-around front tires than what you'd assume.
Maxxis High Roller Highlights | Continental Argotal Highlights |
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Knob-to-Knob Comparison
The Argotal and High Roller share a similar role in their respective product families, sliding between the do-everything and mud tire models. These are very aggressive tires made for loose, soft, deep, mixed conditions. So as you can probably guess, they roll slow, and wouldn't be my pick for a light XC bike or flat, rolling trails.
Their tread designs share many parallels. Generously spaced, blocked knobs sit in rows of two down the middle of the tire, creating channels that separate tall side lugs. Both tires attempt to reduce this gap by creating a sort of faux transition knob—the Argotal's center knobs point inward slightly, while the High Roller places every other pair of center knobs more outboard.
The open tread design and deeper side lugs allow the tires to penetrate through layers of soil and lock into the base below. This trait is what separates the High Roller and Argotal most from their Assegai and Kryptotal Fr counterparts, which tend to skate on top of unpredictable, soft soil.
The High Roller's rectangular side lugs flair slightly outward, and every other knob has an extra kick-out on the inside leading corner. I'd assume to give the outer edge of the tire a smidge more definition when leaning over. The Argotal's lugs are two-tiered, taller, and have a smaller perimeter. They also point towards the center of the tire, creating a wavy outer edge.
Center knobs are modestly ramped on the leading edge, more so on the Argotal than the High Roller. All knobs use closed siping.
Casing, Compound, Width & Sizing
I tested with Continental's Enduro and Maxxis' DoubleDown casing. These are the second burliest casings available from both brands, one notch below their DH casings. Both casings feature multiple carcass layers and an extra rubber insert in the sidewall to improve sidewall support and protect the rim.
I tested with Continental's SuperSoft and Maxxis' MaxxGrip compound—the grippiest, slowest-rebounding rubber concoctions both brands offer. Losing the front is the absolute worst, so I always run the softest rubber. Both tires have worn at an acceptable rate, and still have plenty of miles left in them.
I mounted the tires to DT Swiss EXC 1200 wheels with a 30mm inner rim width, 37.2mm outer width, and 22mm depth. Even though both tires had 2.4" stamped on the sidewall, the High Roller looked visibly narrower. Which turned out to be partially true when I measured the tires—the High Roller was 2mm narrower at the casing, but was 1.5mm wider from side lug to side lug—kind of interesting. I never thought about how much the sidewall ballooning outward visually affected my perception of a tire's width and performance.
The tires came within 20g of each other—the Argotal weighed 1,220g; the High Roller weighed 1,240g. Pretty standard for an enduro tire. The Argotal is available in all three Continental casing and compound options, plus a 2.6" width. Pricing varies depending on casing and compound. The Enduro/Super Soft 2.4" tire I tested goes for $104.95. You can get a High Roller in Maxxis' EXO+, DoubleDown, or DH casing, and only in a 2.4" width with MaxxGrip rubber. Again, pricing changes with casing and compound, but the DoubleDown/MaxxGrip tire I tested retails for $116.
On The Trail
The casing and compound of both tires were nearly indistinguishable. The Argotal felt stiffer out of the box, but seemed to stretch and settle after a few rides. Still, it was a more reactive tire that offered less damping than the High Roller, especially in rocky bits with a lot of baby heads. It just danced around more. This could be due to its casing layup or larger volume. In soft and loose soil, the tires felt much the same, and I'd pick either for gravity riding with a single-crown bike. They weren't far off the stiffness of a DH casing, and their mid-weight kept my bike from feeling too bogged down.
The main differences between the tires were how the side lugs performed. Because the High Roller's lugs create the widest part of the tire and are larger in diameter, the tire had a very definite limit to lean-angle traction, especially on firmer conditions. It felt solid when committing to lines and was easy to gauge when it was going to break free. The Argotal's taller, pointer lugs struggled to handle as much energy on hardpack. It was also a narrower tire from knob to knob. These two factors gave it a lower threshold at which the lugs would begin to tuck and fold, and a shallower lean-angle than the Higher Roller.
When trails were majority loose or loose over hardpack, the Argotal had the upper hand. That's when its lug depth shined, slicing through tricky conditions. The High Roller still worked well in these moments, but experienced more regular tucking and pushing as conditions became less certain.
As for the gap between the center and side knobs, both tires experienced a similar 'drop' when committing to a turn. You don't get constant traction as you lean over like you do with a transition knob tire. That said, it's not like you lose all grip during a portion of your turn. It's a subtle sensation. One that I only noticed every so often, and one that I bet some people won't notice—whether that's due to terrain or cornering ability. The only time I found the channel kind of sucked was when hitting bench cuts at just the right angle; you can end up leaning on the no-man's-land section of the tire. It was rare and terrifying every time. The softer the soil, the less of an issue this was, as the side lugs would usually dig in before the tire started to push.
The open tread design of both tires lent itself to molding onto rocks, roots, and other things littered in the trail. I didn't notice any excessive knob deflection. The rubber was blatantly pliable, adding to the snagging sensation. The simplicity of the square center knobs kept both tires from doing anything funky when riding in a straight(ish) line.
Which Tire Will I Keep Riding?
For the trails I ride in Southern California that tend to be sun-baked with pockets of sand-over-hardpack, I'm going to keep running the High Roller. Its knobs don't flex as much, which makes it feel more consistent more of the time.
If I were heading up Whistler, especially during a dry summer, I'd run the Argotal. It's got more meat on its bones and would fare better in the deep, rooty soil. The sid lugs and narrower tread profile let it cut through and engage the ground where the High Roller would struggle to lock in. I could also see Argotal providing better security in wet, sloppy conditions.
Why These Tires Over an Assegai-Esque Tire?
The ability to commit to turns and trust tires like the High Roller or Argotal in loose conditions is the main reason I'll continue running them up front over tread designs with a bunch of shallow knobs. They also work well on hardpack, broadening their use case. It's not hard to find a tire that feels good when conditions are consistent and grippy. It's when trails are unpredictable and slippery (whether that's due to being dry or wet/muddy) that my confidence is lowest and I need a front tire with support. Putting up with the occasional lull in grip due to the channel in the tread is worth the peace of mind knowing I won't push the front in a blown-out corner.
What's The Bottom Line?
The Argotal and High Roller look pretty much the same, and performed as such. No big surprise there. The High Roller is better in firmer, moderately deep soil. The Argotal is better in soft, deep soil. Both meet the requirements of a mixed-conditions tire.
Unless you are riding blue grooved clay or machine-built flow trails, I'd say give either tire a try. I think you'll be surprised and impressed by their versatility. And if you try them and think they suck and should only be ridden in the freshest, loamiest, deepest trails, come back and leave a comment.
Maxxis High Roller
| Where To Buy | |||
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Free U.S. shipping on everything.
International shipping available. Some exclusions apply. |
Free U.S. shipping on everything.
International shipping available. Some exclusions apply. $105.00
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Free shipping on orders over $50 (contiguous U.S. only).
International shipping available. Some exclusions apply. |
Free shipping on orders over $50 (contiguous U.S. only).
International shipping available. Some exclusions apply. $95.00
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Free shipping on orders over $49 (continental U.S. only).
International shipping available. Some exclusions apply. |
Free shipping on orders over $49 (continental U.S. only).
International shipping available. Some exclusions apply. $105.00
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Continental Argotal
| Where To Buy | |||
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Free U.S. shipping on everything.
International shipping available. Some exclusions apply. |
Free U.S. shipping on everything.
International shipping available. Some exclusions apply. $104.95
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Free shipping on orders over $50 (continental U.S. only).
International shipping available. Some exclusions apply. |
Free shipping on orders over $50 (continental U.S. only).
International shipping available. Some exclusions apply. $106.95
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Free shipping on orders over $49 (continental U.S. only).
International shipping available. Some exclusions apply. |
Free shipping on orders over $49 (continental U.S. only).
International shipping available. Some exclusions apply. $88.95
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1/6/2026 10:30am
View replies to: An Argument Against Transition Knobs | Continental Argotal vs. Maxxis High Roller Comparison Review
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