Maxxis has officially discontinued the Wide Trail (WT) labeling on its mountain bike tires. This change affects all 2.40″ and 2.50″-width tires currently in production, which now meet the definition of a wide trail tire by default. As a result, the WT designation will no longer appear on packaging or sidewall labels.

The Wide Trail concept was originally introduced to help riders identify tires optimized for modern, wider rims—typically 30–35mm internal width. At the time, many legacy Maxxis tires in the 2.40″ and 2.50″ range were designed around narrower rim profiles. However, over the years, those older tread patterns have been phased out or redesigned to align with current rim standards. Today, all Maxxis tires in these widths are engineered for wide rims, making the WT label redundant.

Maxxis Bicycle Tire Manager Aaron Chamberlain clarified that this is purely a labeling update.

“Riders can be assured that the products themselves are not changing, merely the labeling,” he said. “There are no differences between a tire labeled as WT versus one that is not, because they come from the same molds and provide the same outstanding performance.”

For riders, this means continued compatibility with modern rim widths without any change in tire performance or construction.

• No performance changes: Tires labeled WT and those without the label are identical in construction and performance.
• Same molds, same ride: All current 2.40″ and 2.50″ tires are built using the same molds and materials.
• Packaging updates: New cardboard packaging and sidewall labels will no longer include the WT designation.

Maxxis recommends pairing its 2.40″ and 2.50″ tires with rims that have an internal width of 30–35mm for optimal performance. The vast majority of high-performance mountain bikes today are sold with rims in this range.

Have questions about tire labeling or compatibility? Contact us directly through our website, reach out to us on Instagram, or visit your local Maxxis dealer.