Aspen

Canyon Topeak XCM
Cross-country team Canyon Topeak choose the Maxxis Aspen as their go-to tyre for XC races in most weather conditions.

Worldwide Cyclery
“The Maxxis Aspen Dual Compound EXO casing tyre is a low profile and fast-rolling cross country/trail tyre that still provides nice cornering grip and excels in dry conditions. For me, the Aspen seems right at home mounted up to my Santa Cruz Blur. The tyre was fast accelerating, lightweight, easy to mount up and air up tubeless, and still comes in the EXO protection casing that we have all come to love from Maxxis. One of the few negatives to the Aspen is that it doesn’t excel in slippery and muddy conditions. That’s one of the tradeoffs to such a low profile and lightweight tread pattern design like we see on the Aspen.” – Max Morgan, WorldwideCyclery.com, January 2019

Bike Radar
BikeRadar.com reviewed the Maxxis Aspen and lovingly dubbed it “The Swiss Army Knife of tyres”, a better name than we could have come up with ourselves.

“The Aspen is a deceptive tyre. It’s sparsely populated with delicate-looking tread, and Maxxis make no bold claims about its performance. So why do we keep finishing rides on XC or trail bikes fitted with the tyres and marvelling at their ability to hook up, clean out and roll fast? We should point out that when we say fast, we mean faster than many other ‘pure-bred’ XC racing tyres.

It could be down to Maxxis’ good compounds, or the fact that the company listen to racers when it comes to tread patterns that roll and corner well rather than look pretty or aggressive. It could also be the sidewalls, which are thin and light but not as delicate as on some of the other high-end XC tyres we’ve experienced. The reality is that it’s a combination of all those elements. Aspens do well in the heat and dust of the June trails, and are surprisingly good in the wet too.” – Justin Loretz, BikeRadar.com, July 2010

Marathon MTB
Marathon MTB undertook a test of all the major Maxxis MTB tyres available at the time. Here’s their rider’s feedback on the Maxxis Aspen:

“I initially picked out the Maxxis Aspen for the Tour de Timor due to the tyre’s low tread profile and the predominantly road conditions of the race. This was an ace choice as I enjoyed carrying momentum with ease on the dirt and sealed roads. In a straight line on smooth surfaces, the Aspens are at an absolute advantage over most other MTB tyres. Coming back from the dry, dirt road conditions of the Tour de Timor I was apprehensive about running these on the far twistier, technical singletracks close to my home in Hobart. I kept them on to give them a run mentally preparing myself for an apprehensive session on the trails.

The more I rode these and as I dropped the pressure to below what I would normally run on an Ikon or Ardent, I was actually surprised at how grippy the Aspens were. There is aggressive tread profile on the sides of the tyre so when the bike is leant over cornering, these tyres actually pick up noticeably. So once the confidence is gained that these treads WILL pick up when leant over these are actually far more of an all-round tyre than they appear at first sight. 2.25” width and EXO protection on the sidewalls means these are very sturdy and can handle rocky, dusty, dry, twisty, tacky conditions without hesitation. I attempted one ride in muddy conditions where the Aspens expectedly were not in their element. But any other conditions I would confidently run the Aspens and be enjoying sustaining my speed with ease when the ride hits the road or fire trail.” – Mike Blewitt, MarathonMTB.com, July 2017

MB Action
“We mounted our test tyres to a pair of RideFast Racing Hotwire wheels with an internal rim width of 23mm. The 2.25mm-wide Aspen tested looked a touch narrower than other tyres we have ridden in this category but had a true, supported shape once mounted. On steep pitches that required more power out of the saddle, the rear tread hooked up confidently and was very dependable. The sidewalls were stiff and didn’t give us any unwanted flex or unpredictable moments. Dropping into our first descent, our test riders were surprised at just how much traction the Aspens provided. Rolling into corners, the shoulder knobs grabbed the dirt and held on until we transitioned out. On high-speed sections of trail, the Aspen was predictable and held a line confidently. The dual-compound that Maxxis uses in the Aspen proved to be durable and offered a comfortable combination of reduced rolling resistance and grip. The Aspen is a seriously fast tyre that can handle anything from groomed singletrack to rockier, more technical sections of trail. With its competitive price point and versatile tread design, this tyre is hard to beat for XC racers and riders.”  – MBAction.com

Rider, MTBR.com, November 2013:
“Fast on hardpack and sandy trails. I run with rubes at 30 psi and have had 0 issues for 100 miles. If you are looking for a fast, grippy, dry-use tyre this is it.” 

Rider, ChainReactionCycles.com, March 2014:
“Very grippy even on wet/muddy surfaces, even soaking wet tree roots. Does suffer from grip loss at higher pressures (over 50 psi).” 

 Rider, ChainReactionCycles.com, August 2013:
“These tyres feel like nothing in your hand, a welcome surprise for the rider, reducing the weight of the bike, and it gives you good grip on all surfaces!” 

Rider, ChainReactionCycles.com, May 2010:
“They roll like rockets and are really light. They grip much, much better than they look like they should, in a reasonably wide range of situations, mind you I’d recommend a softer pressure than you might be used to, as they can skip around a lot on rocks etc at anything about 35 psi. The high volume really works well here, spreading the tread over the terrain. They have a bit of a ‘slide before they bite’ mentality, and definitely take a few rides to get used to. Amazing in the dry on hardpack, roots and loose stuff, even when it’s a bit wet and slippery… Very good as a set of tyres in the right conditions, or as a rear with an advantage or other slightly beefier tyre upfront when you might need a bit more grunt in that compartment. All in all, a really quick high volume and comfy (when run soft) tyre that’ll grip tons better than they look like they should.”