Review: Tires - Maxxis Detonator 26/1.5 Black

whiteheads?

From Maxxis webpage:

One of our most popular road training tires is now available for your 26" wheels.  With its Silkworm protection for puncture resistance and a lightweight, foldable bead, the Detonator provides great traction and durability.  Perfect for road training when you only have one bike available - or for daily commuting.

Mine: 26/1.5 black, foldable.

Single density compound - a bit soft, sands get lodged in the rubber compound and tears all along the tire surface.

Silkworm protection - not good enough. I get punctures from glasses (cuts) and staples.

Weight: about 1kg for a pair is good, but at the expense of puncture protection. Not good trade-off; I'd rather go for a weightier puncture resistant tires, which spares me the time consumed and stresses that come with flat tires.

First of all, they're road training tires. Period. I won't take them for daily commuting. Not for my normal RTW route which is a combination of tarmac, loose gravels, puddles, glass littered road shoulders and a short section of red earth.

Been using them for 4 months of daily commuting, about 1000km. Bought the pair for RM120 from LBS - way much cheaper than other commuter tires. Anyway, since these are the only ones available (and cheap at the same time), I grab them as a much needed replacement for RiBMos. So those are the reasons for me getting these softies - not much choice, cheap, and quick replacements.

Unfortunately, it is true that 'good things not cheap, cheap things not good'. I should have known better. The compound is soft, such that sands would be able to lodge on the surface like whiteheads on a person's face. Upon closer inspection, there are numerous tears on the tire surface which is quite scary. I had a few punctures during the last 3 weeks for the front and rear tires, but thankfully not at the same time. However, it is really frustrating that these can't be trusted for my daily commute.

Ride quality is good, as the soft compound absorbs a bit of the vibration from the road. I put on 60psi from the max 80. Any lower, the ride is painfully slow and a bit squishy.

Puncture resistance is not good, mainly due to the soft compound.

Grip is good, and for more than 1000km now, they are in still good condition. The tread wear is quite good. When bought new, they are noticeably tacky when I hold them, early indication of their good grip. Braking is good, however I don't do skids.

Verdict:

I won't go back to these for my RTW unless really, really desperate and would be using them only on nicest tarmac. And being very cautious. Well, sounds like not going to be a carefree ride.

Anyway, as they mentioned: 'for road training'. Don't believe the 'or for daily commuting' bit.

Note to local bike shops:

Please stock good tires for commuting. Pretty please.