Ardent Race vs Assegai review

In this entry we are going to compare and review Maxxis Ardent Race vs Maxxis Assegai tyres. Both manufactured by the same brand Maxxis, these tyres have been designed to be used for the same purpose so that you can really enjoy your mountain activities.

Ardent Race

Assegai

A meaty XC tread

Greg Minnaar's signature tire

The Maxxis Ardent Race shares many features with the Ikon – small, ramped center tread – but offers improved cornering performance with more substantial side knobs.

Greg Minnaar’s signature tire – the Maxxis Assegai – provides tenacious, predictable grip across the entire profile no matter the lean angle. The Assegai can be used front and rear for a surefooted feel or as a front paired with a faster rolling rear tire.

Features

EXO sidewall protection
60 TPI or 120 TPI casing options
Dual compound or 3C MaxxSpeed options
Select specs are Tubeless Ready (TR), confirm in table below

Features

Dual compound, 3C MaxxTerra, or 3C MaxxGrip options
Select specs are Tubeless Ready (TR), confirm in table below
EXO or EXO+ puncture protection options
60 TPI, DoubleDown (2×120 TPI), or Downhill (2×60 TPI) casing options
Wide Trail (WT) sizes are optimized for 35mm inner width rims

Usage

XC (Cross Country)

Trail

Usage

Trail

Enduro

Downhill

Technologies

Tubeless Ready Tubeless tires provide the rider with many benefits: the ability to run lower air pressures, which improves traction; lower rolling resistance when compared to a tube-type tire; and less chance of flatting because there is no tube. Liquid sealants should only be used in the following types of tires: tubeless road, tubular, and tubeless ready. The use of liquid sealants in any other Maxxis tire will void the warranty.
EXO An extremely cut-resistant and abrasion-resistant material added to the sidewalls of select mountain tires. This densely woven fabric is also lightweight and highly flexible, ensuring that the performance of the tire remains unaffected. Choose EXO Protection for exceptionally rocky, treacherous trails where the chance of sidewall cuts and abrasions is high.
3C MaxxSpeed Used primarily in cross country and enduro tires, the two compounds in the outer layer are specially formulated to reduce rolling resistance and optimize treadwear and traction.

Technologies

3C MaxxTerra An intermediate compound configuration used in select mountain tires. 3C MaxxTerra is softer and offers more traction than 3C MaxxSpeed, yet provides better treadwear and less rolling resistance than MaxxGrip.
Tubeless Ready Tubeless tires provide the rider with many benefits: the ability to run lower air pressures, which improves traction; lower rolling resistance when compared to a tube-type tire; and less chance of flatting because there is no tube. Liquid sealants should only be used in the following types of tires: tubeless road, tubular, and tubeless ready. The use of liquid sealants in any other Maxxis tire will void the warranty.
Downhill (DH) Two layers of casing material are used from bead to bead, providing additional protection and sidewall stiffness for downhill applications.
Double Down (DD) DoubleDown (DD) is the next step in the evolution of the dual-ply tire casing for enduro racing. Two 120 TPI casing layers reinforced with a butyl insert provide the enduro racer with the support and protection of a downhill tire, but in a lighter package.
EXO An extremely cut-resistant and abrasion-resistant material added to the sidewalls of select mountain tires. This densely woven fabric is also lightweight and highly flexible, ensuring that the performance of the tire remains unaffected. Choose EXO Protection for exceptionally rocky, treacherous trails where the chance of sidewall cuts and abrasions is high.
3C MaxxGrip 3C MaxxGrip uses the softest rubber compounds to offer the ultimate in grip and slow rebound properties for unparalleled traction in downhill applications.
EXO+ Our EXO+ construction combines two of our best puncture protection materials: SilkShield and EXO. The SilkShield layer runs from bead-to-bead with a layer of EXO along the sidewalls. Combined, these two materials create EXO+ which improves tread puncture protection by 27%; sidewall durability by 51%; and resistance to pinch flats by 28%.
Wide Trail Wide Trail (WT) construction optimizes the tire’s tread layout and profile on today’s modern, wider rims. Traditional tires are designed around older, narrower rims and can create an overly square tire profile, leading to less than optimal performance. WT tires are optimized for a 35mm inner rim width but are proven to work over a range from 30-35mm inner rim widths, depending on the rider’s preference. Maxxis Wide Trail XC tires are optimized for use with 30mm internal width rims, but they will perform well on rims as narrow as 25mm. Maxxis does not recommend rims wider than 30mm or narrower than 25mm

Specifications

26

Part #: TB72374100
Size: 26X2.20 ETRTO: 56-559 TPI: 120 Bead: FOLDABLE Weight (g): 686 Compound: 3C MAXXSPEED Max PSI: 60 Tech: 3C/EXO/TR Color: BLACK Application: MOUNTAIN

27.5

Part #: TB85918100
Size: 27.5X2.20 ETRTO: 56-584 TPI: 120 Bead: FOLDABLE Weight (g): 714 Compound: 3C MAXXSPEED Max PSI: 60 Tech: 3C/EXO/TR Color: BLACK Application: MOUNTAIN

Part #: TB85945100
Size: 27.5X2.35 ETRTO: 60-584 TPI: 120 Bead: FOLDABLE Weight (g): 730 Compound: 3C MAXXSPEED Max PSI: 60 Tech: 3C/EXO/TR Color: BLACK Application: MOUNTAIN

29

Part #: TB96742100
Size: 29X2.20 ETRTO: 56-622 TPI: 120 Bead: FOLDABLE Weight (g): 767 Compound: 3C MAXXSPEED Max PSI: 60 Tech: 3C/EXO/TR Color: BLACK Application: MOUNTAIN

Part #: TB96726100
Size: 29X2.35 ETRTO: 60-622 TPI: 120 Bead: FOLDABLE Weight (g): 786 Compound: 3C MAXXSPEED Max PSI: 60 Tech: 3C/EXO/TR Color: BLACK Application: MOUNTAIN

Specifications

27.5

Part #: TB00163200
Size: 27.5X2.50WT ETRTO: 63-584 TPI: 60 Bead: FOLDABLE Weight (g): 1000 Compound: 3C MAXXTERRA Max PSI: 50 Tech: 3C/EXO/TR Color: BLACK Application: MOUNTAIN

Part #: TB00163300
Size: 27.5X2.50WT ETRTO: 63-584 TPI: 60 Bead: FOLDABLE Weight (g): 1067 Compound: DUAL Max PSI: 50 Tech: EXO/TR Color: BLACK Application: MOUNTAIN

Part #: TB00017200
Size: 27.5X2.50WT ETRTO: 63-584 TPI: 60X2 Bead: FOLDABLE Weight (g): 1356 Compound: 3C MAXXGRIP Max PSI: 50 Tech: 3C/DH/TR Color: BLACK Application: DOWNHILL

Part #: TB00172400
Size: 27.5X2.50WT ETRTO: 63-584 TPI: 120 Bead: FOLDABLE Weight (g): 1007 Compound: 3C MAXXTERRA Max PSI: 50 Tech: 3C/EXO+/TR Color: BLACK Application: MOUNTAIN

Part #: TB00308200
Size: 27.5X2.50WT ETRTO: 63-584 TPI: 120 Bead: FOLDABLE Weight (g): 1088 Compound: 3C MAXXGRIP Max PSI: 50 Tech: 3C/EXO+/TR Color: BLACK Application: MOUNTAIN

Part #: TB00097500
Size: 27.5X2.50WT ETRTO: 63-584 TPI: 120X2 Bead: FOLDABLE Weight (g): 1276 Compound: 3C MAXXGRIP Max PSI: 50 Tech: 3C/DD/TR Color: BLACK Application: DOWNHILL

Part #: TB00202400
Size: 27.5X2.60 ETRTO: 66-584 TPI: 60 Bead: FOLDABLE Weight (g): 1093 Compound: 3C MAXXTERRA Max PSI: 40 Tech: 3C/EXO/TR Color: BLACK Application: MOUNTAIN

Part #: TB00202700
Size: 27.5X2.60 ETRTO: 66-584 TPI: 120 Bead: FOLDABLE Weight (g): 1097 Compound: 3C MAXXTERRA Max PSI: 40 Tech: 3C/EXO+/TR Color: BLACK Application: MOUNTAIN

29

Part #: TB00163000
Size: 29X2.50WT ETRTO: 63-622 TPI: 60 Bead: FOLDABLE Weight (g): 1050 Compound: 3C MAXXTERRA Max PSI: 50 Tech: 3C/EXO/TR Color: BLACK Application: MOUNTAIN

Part #: TB00163100
Size: 29X2.50WT ETRTO: 63-622 TPI: 60 Bead: FOLDABLE Weight (g): 1121 Compound: DUAL Max PSI: 50 Tech: EXO/TR Color: BLACK Application: MOUNTAIN

Part #: TB00064500
Size: 29X2.50WT ETRTO: 63-622 TPI: 60X2 Bead: FOLDABLE Weight (g): 1444 Compound: 3C MAXXGRIP Max PSI: 50 Tech: 3C/DH/TR Color: BLACK Application: DOWNHILL

Part #: TB00172500
Size: 29X2.50WT ETRTO: 63-622 TPI: 120 Bead: FOLDABLE Weight (g): 1077 Compound: 3C MAXXTERRA Max PSI: 50 Tech: 3C/EXO+/TR Color: BLACK Application: MOUNTAIN

Part #: TB00308100
Size: 29X2.50WT ETRTO: 63-622 TPI: 120 Bead: FOLDABLE Weight (g): 1163 Compound: 3C MAXXGRIP Max PSI: 50 Tech: 3C/EXO+/TR Color: BLACK Application: MOUNTAIN

Part #: TB00097400
Size: 29X2.50WT ETRTO: 63-622 TPI: 120X2 Bead: FOLDABLE Weight (g): 1358 Compound: 3C MAXXGRIP Max PSI: 50 Tech: 3C/DD/TR Color: BLACK Application: DOWNHILL

Part #: TB00195600
Size: 29X2.60 ETRTO: 66-622 TPI: 60 Bead: FOLDABLE Weight (g): 1160 Compound: DUAL Max PSI: 40 Tech: EXO/TR Color: BLACK Application: MOUNTAIN

Part #: TB00203100
Size: 29X2.60 ETRTO: 66-622 TPI: 60 Bead: FOLDABLE Weight (g): 1169 Compound: 3C MAXXTERRA Max PSI: 40 Tech: 3C/EXO/TR Color: BLACK Application: MOUNTAIN

Part #: TB00202900
Size: 29X2.60 ETRTO: 66-622 TPI: 120 Bead: FOLDABLE Weight (g): 1173 Compound: 3C MAXXTERRA Max PSI: 40 Tech: 3C/EXO+/TR Color: BLACK Application: MOUNTAIN