Maxxis 29 inch Ignitor Tire Review

Here is the review of the Maxxis Ignitor tire, which I have finally replaced, as it is nearly worn out! This tire spent it's time on my Karate Monkey single speed. The picture shows the condition of the tire just before I switched it out for a Bontrager tire. First the pertinent info!

Tire: Ignitor folding bead 2.1" tire for 29 inch

Used from March '05 till September '05.

Type of use: Commuting, singletrack, gravel roads. Ridden in snow, rain, and dry conditions.
Used tire pressures of 28psi to 45psi. Average 35psi

Impressions: This tire did everything I wanted it to do without much problem. After some initial strange sensations, I never really noticed anthing unusal about this tire. It performed very well on most surfaces that I had an opportunity to try it on. In mud, it was average. In snow, it worked fine, but again average, nothing outstanding. It shined best in hardpacked dirt. It gave me the best results there. Tons of traction, climbing and cornering. Gravel was pretty good too. Never made the bike squirrely in the rear, even in marbley gravel. The wear characteristics were good. Most of the time, I used it to commute to work and back. I have some "curb hopping" and some dirt paths on the commute which I like the 29 inch wheels for. The Ignitor wore evenly, and in fact, I hadn't noticed how much of the tread was gone until I looked at my spare, new Ignitor. Whoa! I have about a third of the knob heigth left! I still have great offroad traction, plus the tire has been rolling better and better! I'm saving it for any fast, hardpacked courses I might encounter in the future!

Conclusion: Get this tire for your 29 inch wheeled bike if you have hard packed, soft dirt, or gravel courses to ride on. It hooks up well, and corners great as a rear tire. It wears evenly, but sort of quickly, so beware! Finally, I wish Maxxis would come out with a true race tire for a 29"er! My nearly worn out Ignitor is fast! How about a Mimo in 29 inch? Pleeeeeeease!!!

Thanks for reading, and have a great ride SOON!