Maxxis Crossmax, THOUGHTS?

[el_burras]

SO, I've been riding MAXXIS CROSSMAX for about 500 miles now, mainly because of low resistance and weight, 29 x 2.1 UST TUBELESS.
My cornering its not that precise, actually I don't feel comfortable cornering at high speeds, few times I've tried it's been nearly impossible to control the bike.
Same thing on technical climbs, tire does not hold on.

Been playing around with the tire pressure, no good results, the lowest I just went this weekend was 40 psi, don't know if I can go lower than that.

Any thoughts?

I think I'm swapping them, any recommendations? I usually do AM, XC riding

Need the new set to be TUBELESS

[bt]

yes

[DavidR1]

40 psi for a tubeless tire is way to much. Try something closer to 30psi and your results will be much better.


With that being said, I have found the Ikon works better for me. Again, at 30psi (or less) if your running tubeless. 40psi will just bump you around and not work, just like your Crossmark.

[Teton29er]

I've been using crossmarks all summer, but just went to a Ikon up front.

Cornering, side hilling, braking are all SLIGHTLY better. Not a huge change, but a nice small improvement while keeping about the same weight and rolling speed.

Under 30 psi unless I'm on pavement (which doesn't happen much in the summer...)

On rugged rocky sections, I'm always wishing I had more tire (like the Ardents). But the acceleration and speed on smoother parts of the trail make up for it on just about every ride.



-Steve

[SSINGA]

That UST version has such a thick sidewall you could probably drop to 28-29 psi.

Other fix: cut some of the tread blocks. For cornering you can remove the round edge blocks. And for climbing traction you can remove the two parallel bars between the square cross block in the center row.

[J Rod]

I love my crossmarks, except when its on the muddy side. As said before drop the psi to at least 30psi and they will grip a lot better.

[KirkC]

I've been using Crossmarks for about 1 year now and I really like them. 27 psi front and back. I weigh 160 lbs. I rarely ride in wet conditions but I suspect they don't work well when slippery (kind of basing this on my kenda smallblock 8 experience - fast roller).

[KirkC]

interesting I just read the Stans calculation on another thread (rider weight / 7) and it would result in me running 23 and 24 psi. I tried the Crossmarks that low before and I felt it wiggling which I didn't care for at all. I will experiment with it (yet) again.

[Mojo Man]

It blows my mind how much tire pressure people run. 40 psi? jeepers how much do you weight? Tire pressure should be based on terrain, condition of the single track and speed of riding, ie, dry/muddy, roots etc.

My rule of thumb is the least I can get away with without feeling my rim on the biggest hit. More pressure than that and you are wasting the tire design and plushness of running no tubes.

Mojo

[V-Tach]

I initially rode the tubed version and was fine with them (35psi F, 30psi R) but as I started riding faster and getting used to my new bike I found them very ordinary as a front with cornering washouts occurring several times every ride. Dropped the front to 30 and the rear to 28 and was marginally better. Swapped the front for a 2.4 Ardent. Worlds apart (as it should be) and now at least the rear loses it well before the front. The rear on hills is only so so as well. I would swap the rear out too if I wasn't so tight. They do roll fast though.

[p nut]

What's a Maxxis Crossmax? Crossmark? Lower the psi to 25-ish, where you'll find traction and comfort.

[robdeanhove]

I run my weigh/7-7.5 depending on conditions and they're great. Run them hard (40psi!) and the solid central rdige that allows good power transfer will have you sliding everywhere.

You also ned to lean them a good bit to get the good side knobe to kick inn, which won;t happen so well if they're too hard.

At 40psi they'll fly on the tarmac though! ;-)

[Timo]

I run Crossmarks non UST at 25 psi set up tubeless with no problem. 40 psi is very high.

[Jim311]

40 PSI? You got these setup on a road bike or something? With a UST setup you can run stupid low pressures if you want. I think the Crossmarks are a good tire for medium to hardpack conditions. They aren't good when it's wet, or when it's loose, especially as a front tire, but I like them a lot overall.

[BigWheeler]

I absolutely love the Crossmark on the rear. I weight 205 before adding gear and I run it at 30psi tubeless. I've considered running it on the front, but haven't actually tried it yet.

I think it's a pretty good all-rounder for the rear, though in particularly slick conditions you might want a little more grip. Like previous posters, I'd suggest your drop the pressure a bit and give it a whirl.

Good luck!

[osorio]

Agree with BigWheeler. Did a 3 hour ride last night with lots of Dry rooty and dusty trails with small rocks and only noticed one rear slippage on a short steep climb. Otherwise I can't say anything bad about the Crossmark. I still have a Bontrager Jones 29er up front so I can't say much as a front tire yet, nor have I seen wet muddy conditions yet this year with the Crossmark. I will say it hooks up better than the Bontrager Jones rear 29er tire I replaced on my Paragon. (On a Shallow note, the Big Yellow MAXXIS letters fit well with the gunboat grey/black of my 2011 Paragon)

Probably can sum it up with a "Just ride it and GO" unless it really gets wet or muddy and then be a bit cautious till you get it dialed in.

[LyNx]

I'd have to concur, 40 PSI is the lowest you've tried :eeK: I wouldn't expect many tyres to perform well at that high a PSI, especially with thick UST casing. I ran the originals with tubes, weigh about 185lbs geared and I found for the rear they gave massive traction, ran them about 32-35 PSI. On the front I went for a bit more knobbage and used an Ignitor. Definitely drop those pressures and I'm sure you'll be amazed at how much it changes how those tyres feel and grip.

[Mark16q]

I've run 40 when on the blacktop for a few miles to get to a ride and then drop down to around 30 on the trail and love them. With the hardpack dusty Socal conditions right now, they've been o.k. as high as 35 and roll on the fireroads pretty well. But as soon as the conditions get technical or bumpy drop to 30 or below and they work great. They definitely don't bite in like my Nevegals did, but a the lower pressure with a committed line they stick way better than I'd expect.

[Moozh]

I run 2.1" crossmarks on my rigid and I love them. I actually built the bike around the tires, they were the inspiration for putting this bike together. I suppose I ride within it's performance envelope because I have never had an issue. Rocky and rooty ascents and descents are okay, I suspect mine are not as radical as some of you others that have founds the tires limits, they roll very well also. I run my with tubes at about 32psi or so, so I've not experienced the nirvana of tubeless with them but they work superbly for me.

I dont purposely ride in the mud or rain (but have been caught in it), rode them for a spell at 25psi in the snow last winter. I'm not especially speedy I suppose with my SS gearing and rigid setup keeps me from going "balls-to-the-wall".

Overall a very satisfied user here.