The Pace is a fast MTB tyre made for speed. A popular combination for many riders.

SingleTrack magazine and Mountain Bike Action know this, which is why they reviewed the Maxxis Pace tyre with some excellent results.

“The Pace is the equivalent of a low-profile Ikon. I’m a big fan of the Ikon on the rear of my XC bike so I was looking forward to giving its faster little brother a go. On the rear the Pace performs brilliantly on dry, hard packed trails and is very, very fast. It rides with virtually no perceptible drag on fire roads and tarmac and it really suits high mileage missions of the low-tech variety.

For XC race-orientated tyres, both the Pace and Race TT have been solid and predictable performers. And with the EXO reinforcement, they’ve remained stable at lower pressures and so far (touch wood…) haven’t delivered me any sliced sidewalls. The tread and sidewalls are also showing little sign of wear despite some high mileage and ham-fisted use over the test period, which is a nice change from some of the more delicate race tyres on the market.

For a race-day tyre tackling hardpack and dry conditions, they are superbly fast tools for the job.” – Rachel Sokal, SingleTrackWorld.com, April 2017

“Cross-country tires are known for having a minimalist design to ensure the maximum amount of speed and efficiency. From tread patterns, casing thicknesses and rubber compounds, there is very little that a Maxxis tire design overlooks when creating their next podium slayer. Maxxis has been in the tire business for quite some time and knows their way around a set of wheels. They have designed some of the best tires on the trail and have been helping riders find glory aboard their fast tires.

Like most XC race tires, the Pace was designed to maintain maximum traction while having as minimal a tread pattern as possible. The Pace uses continuous side knobs for a little extra grip in the corners and a high-volume carcass.

The overall tread pattern is minimal, but reinforced in the sense that there are very few gaps between knobs, giving the tire extra grip.

We mounted these tires up to a set of SRAM Roam 50 wheels, and installation was pretty easy. The tires seated at about 30 psi and didn’t give us any struggles getting the bead to sit evenly. We started our tire pressures at 35 in the rear and 33 up front, but quickly dropped the pressure after our first ride. Our testers settled in the mid to high 20s for the duration of our testing.

First impressions were positive; the Pace is a seriously fast tire. We noticed right away the minimal rolling resistance and the easier effort to keep the wheels moving. With the right pressure, the rear tire gripped well during steep, hard climbs and didn’t yield any unnecessary spin-outs. We spent most of our time testing on loose or hardpack terrain and felt confident with the traction.” – MBAction.com