2020-04-17 All-road tire test:
Subject: Maxxis Velocita AR, 622-40,120TPI, 380g, tubeless.
Setup: 50psi with Cushcore CX insert on both wheels, Orange Seal endurance. WTB KOM i25 rims. Tire width measures 42.25mm on the i25 rim.
Bike: PVD T-47 Airspeeder All-Road. 40/10-50 gearing.
Rider: PVD, 205 lbs, fat, out of shape, expert dirt.
Conditions: Dry but with moisture still in dirt. Just drier than hero dirt. Some small sections resembled late season dry skating conditions but generally fantastic.
Route:Deer Park FR to Bon Tempe Lake, Bullfrog TR to Fairfax/Bolinas RD, Ridgecrest RD to Laurel Dell FR, High Marsh Cutover to High Marsh TR, Kent TR, Lagoon Extension TR, Rocky Ridge FR to Bon Tempe Lake, Deer Park FR to Elliot TR, Five Corners, Bald Hill TR, Junction TR, Deer Park.
For those unfamiliar, this was a steeper fire road climb to flat trail, over one of the more aggressive roads and paved climbs in the area to one of the longest singletracks on Tam. Singletrack was authentic and raw hiking trail down the mountain. Dangerous, fast, and steep fire road sections included. Probably 20% fire road, 40% pavement, 40% singletrack.
Fairfax/Bolinas Road and Ridgecrest Road being closed to traffic has made this kind of route and bike use an amazing option. Spending an hour pedling and spacing out without worry of a car passing is just awesome.
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Conclusion: These tires are absolutely amazing. I ran them a little on the high side for good feel on pavement. 40psi would have been better on dirt and trail but not very good on the road. 50psi was the compromise. The core in the front was probably unnecessary. Traction on trail was superb considering the lack of knob. I was constantly tempted to ride faster and push harder.
With the tires at 80% of that pressure, 40 psi, the tires have a softer feel on the road. Actually nice but not crisp. I don’t think that they are slower in any way other than I’m not going to lay them over at 100% corner speed. On dirt, the feel is remarkably nice. Smooth and grippy. Certainly the prefered pressure for a ride that is less aggressively road.
The only issue was the size of the front tire. A 50mm version for the front would be prefered to take up some of the shock when in truly aggressive trail conditions. Hard smashing on rocks and drop-offs were painful on my 50 year old wrists. That is basically the only issue that I have with these, more larger size options needed.
I have other good tires for 90/10 and 10/90, The Velocita are the 50/50 tires to match without question. I can’t find anything else available in the class that comes close. For 90/10, The WTB Exposure 622-30 tires, for 10/90 the Michelin Wild Grip’R 2 Advanced 622-50 (NLA) Front and WTB Riddler 622-44 Rear. Generally using a CushCore CX in the rear at least for off road.
The observant reader will remember that I’ve used Maxxis Re-fuse 622-40, 60tpi tires in the past (before Cushcore). These are also excellent but much heavier (520g) but they are capable of downhill and very aggressive offroad use.
