Maxxis Aggressor Tire: 29 x 2.30: Rider Review

Is Double Down casing worth it for your next MTB tires? A lot of people consider this very question when it's too late and they're stuck trailside with a flat. Our friend Scott got himself a Maxxis Aggressor 29 x 2.30" Double Down and gives us the low down on how he has liked it so far. Check it out below!

Background

I've been mountain biking for a while (since 1989) and have therefore seen many tires come and go. I remember when any tire over 2.1 inches wide was considered "extreme". In fact, back in the day Specialized made a wide variant of their famous Ground Control tire and called it the Ground Control Extreme 2.5. The problem with that tire was not the performance but the fact that many of the steel frames at the time could not accommodate that width.

Ride Review

Obviously, much has changed since then and even in the last few years. Now with 29er wheels hitting the enduro circuit (and DH) in a big way, the options for 29er tires have never been better. When I bought my Yeti SB 5.5 in January 2018, it came stock with a Maxxis Aggressor 2.3 tire for the rear. My riding style favors long climbs and then very technical descents. I was very impressed at the performance of this tire for my riding style. The hook up on dry hardpack trails is fantastic and it handles a reasonable amount of muddy conditions. When pointing the bike downhill, the excellent performance continues giving confidence both in very sketchy and fast predictable conditions. The Maxxis Aggressor with Double Down is absolutely one of the best rear tires I have ridden.

Why Double Down?

The one disappointment I had with the original tire was the frequency I was cutting the sidewall from casing it on the rim. By the time I retired the first Maxxis tire, I think there were about 5 plugs in it. I thought that this was perhaps due to my not riding the bike as "lightly" as I should. Perhaps I was now going faster on this bike (likely) than I had on previous bikes and therefore needed to run more pressure to fend off the danger from pinching the tire on rocks. For the first replacement rear tire on my Yeti, I went with the same model and from recommendations of friends, went with Double Down casing. Wow, what a difference that has made! I have yet to cut the tire after the same amount of riding (1500 miles of single track riding in New Mexico and Arizona) and I have been running consistently less pressure which has made it ride better. And I haven't seen any Stan's tire sealant ooze through the sidewall. Yes, the Double Down casing makes it a bit heavier, but to me, the performance advantage of Double Down casing more than makes up for the weight penalty.