We just got our hands on the brand new Maxxis Griffin. The features include…
- “fast rolling DH tire for hard pack trails”
- Less aggressive tread design
- 3C Maxx Grip and Super Tacky available
- 26″ or 27.5″ available
What do we have here?
It’s the brand spanking new Maxxis Griffin tire, which was revealed at the end of 2014 at Eurobike alongside the new Shorty.
The Griffin is described as a “fast rolling DH tire for hard pack trails”. That means that it has been designed with a slightly less aggressive tread with more tightly spaced and smaller nobbles than you’d usually see on a DH tire.
The nobbles are – as you can see – ramped to help keep you rolling fast and reduce that draggy feeling when you’re laying down the hammer on pedaly tracks. Importantly, the Griffin doesn’t compromise on toughness and still boasts the same tough casing you’d see on Maxxis’ other DH tires. To add a few options it’s available in 3c (a hard base layer, and increasingly two softer layers on top) and Super Tacky (grippy as shit on a blanket and slow rebound) compounds.
So what does that all mean?
We haven’t ridden the Griffin yet (they literally just turned up) but we’re hoping it will do exactly what it says and offer a very aggressive, tough tire that can still cope with some pedaling and roll quick enough for “riding” rather than just DH racing.
It feels like quite a niche tire for downhill … It will obviously work well on specific tracks but it feels like it might be a once-in-a-while tire that’s saved for the most pedaly tracks. But for enduro racing or just gnarlier riding it could well be a great choice. As competitors realise that “enduro” doesn’t mean “less gnarly” and that components need to be pedaly-light but still downhill-tough tires like the Griffin are in high demand.
Time on the bike will tell … So we’re going to strap these on to a Scott Genius LT and head off to Bike Park Wales and then Madeira for a week to try them out. Stay tuned and we’ll keep you up to date.
The Griffins will be available in your local bike shop any day now.
