Gator Hardshell vs Aspen review

In this entry we are going to compare and review Continental Gator Hardshell vs Maxxis Aspen tyres. Both manufactured by different brands, Continental and Maxxis respectively, these tyres have been designed to be used for different purposes. Whilst Continental Gator Hardshell is better for Race Tires activities, Maxxis Aspen is a great choice if your needs are more aligned to mountain activities.

Gator Hardshell

Aspen

Ideal when it comes to extremely long service life, for the next tour or the commute.Made for for rough surfaces and rugged tarmac.

Go Hardshell or go home

Our go-to XC race tire

Ideal when it comes to extremely long service life, for the next tour or the commute.Made for for rough surfaces and rugged tarmac.

The Maxxis Aspen is one of our premier XC race tires. A low center tread height allows the Aspen to roll quickly but substantial – for XC – side knobs provide cornering traction.

Features

Hardshell
More is what you get
Puncture protection and mileage are the strengths of Hardshell-ProTection. A wider PolyX Breaker®, the specialist against punctures under the tread centre and shoulders provides for great reliability. The threeply – each layer with 60 TPI – carcass covers the entyre tire and makes it a real bastion against urban detritus. The outer sidewalls of the tire are reinforced with DuraSkin® fabric providing even more reliablility due to the casing being so well protected. Hardshell tires are the puncture-resistant flagship amongst racing tires – produced exclusively in Germany.

Features

Wide Trail (WT) sizes optimized for 30mm inner width rims
EXO sidewall protection
60 TPI or 120 TPI casing options
Select specs are Tubeless Ready (TR), confirm in table below
Dual compound

Usage

XC (Cross Country)

Technologies

Wide Trail XC (WT XC) MAXXIS RECOMMENDS THAT YOU USE WIDE TRAIL XC TIRES WITH A 25-30MM WIDE RIM (30MM IS OPTIMAL). MAXXIS RECOMMENDS A MINIMUM OF 6MM CLEARANCE BETWEEN THE TIRE AND ALL PARTS OF THE BICYCLE FRAME AND FORK.
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.

Specifications

"27"

Article: 0100315
ETRTO: 32 - 630 Dimension: 27 X 1 1/4 Technology: Hardshell Color/Sidewall/Bead: black/black skin TPI: 3/180 g: 455 PSI: 102

"28"

Article: 0100640
ETRTO: 32 - 622 Dimension: 700 X 32C Technology: Hardshell Color/Sidewall/Bead: black/black skin foldable TPI: 3/180 g: 370 PSI: 102

Article: 0100435
ETRTO: 32 - 622 Dimension: 700 X 32C Technology: Hardshell Color/Sidewall/Bead: black/black skin TPI: 3/180 g: 445 PSI: 102

Article: 0100314
ETRTO: 28 - 622 Dimension: 700 X 28C Technology: Hardshell Color/Sidewall/Bead: black/black skin TPI: 3/180 g: 400 PSI: 116

Article: 0100639
ETRTO: 28 - 622 Dimension: 700 X 28C Technology: Hardshell Color/Sidewall/Bead: black/black skin foldable TPI: 3/180 g: 330 PSI: 116

Article: 0100312
ETRTO: 25 - 622 Dimension: 700 X 25C Technology: Hardshell Color/Sidewall/Bead: black/black skin TPI: 3/180 g: 340 PSI: 120

Article: 0100313
ETRTO: 25 - 622 Dimension: 700 X 25C Technology: Hardshell Color/Sidewall/Bead: black/black skin foldable TPI: 3/180 g: 270 PSI: 120

Article: 0100310
ETRTO: 23 - 622 Dimension: 700 X 23C Technology: Hardshell Color/Sidewall/Bead: black/black skin TPI: 3/180 g: 340 PSI: 120

Article: 0100311
ETRTO: 23 - 622 Dimension: 700 X 23C Technology: Hardshell Color/Sidewall/Bead: black/black skin foldable TPI: 3/180 g: 265 PSI: 120

Specifications

27.5

Part #: TB00144100
Size: 27.5X2.25 ETRTO: 57-584 TPI: 120 Bead: FOLDABLE Weight (g): 606 Compound: DUAL Max PSI: 60 Tech: EXO/TR Color: BLACK Application: MOUNTAIN

29

Part #: TB96895500
Size: 29X2.25 ETRTO: 57-622 TPI: 120 Bead: FOLDABLE Weight (g): 653 Compound: DUAL Max PSI: 60 Tech: EXO/TR Color: BLACK Application: MOUNTAIN

Part #: TB00211500
Size: 29X2.40WT ETRTO: 61-622 TPI: 120 Bead: FOLDABLE Weight (g): 721 Compound: DUAL Max PSI: 50 Tech: EXO/TR Color: BLACK Application: MOUNTAIN