Maxxis Dissector 29 x 2.4 Tubeless Tire: Rider Review

Our "Rider Review" article series features honest reviews from verified purchasers of Worldwide Cyclery. They contain the photos, thoughts, feedback & overall review you are looking for. 

It's no mystery why tire upgrades are one of the first things people change on their mountain bikes. Being a relatively inexpensive upgrade it can still have a big impact on your ride. Our friend Adam shares his thoughts on the Maxxis Dissector 29 x 2.4 Tubeless 3C MaxxTerra EXO tire. Check it out!

Overview

A year ago, I got rid of my old 26er and joined the modern mountain bike era when I purchased an Ibis Ripmo. While I loved the rollover performance of the 29er, it took a while to get used to the heavier wheels and tires that felt sluggish compared to my old 26er when really mashing the pedals and trying to accelerate. The Ripmo came stock with a Maxxis Aggressor 2.5WT in the rear, which had excellent grip on my local loose-over-hard terrain. At 980g, it was no doubt part of the reason why acceleration felt so sluggish.

So, after several months on the Aggressor, I swung the pendulum pretty significantly in terms of tire choice and installed a Maxxis Forekaster 2.35, weighing in at 745g. The 1/2lb weight savings were immediately noticeable and acceleration was much snappier. However, there was also a noticeable decrease in cornering grip and when braking on downhills. On downhills, in particular, the rear tended to slide more than the Aggressor, which had remarkable traction on the powdery, slippery descents that are common in my area. Don’t get me wrong, the Forekaster is a good trail tire, but it didn’t hook up like the Aggressor and there was a pretty significant traction imbalance between front and rear when compared with the grip of the Minion DHF I was running up front.

Enter the new Maxxis Dissector 29 x 2.4 Tubeless tire… weighing in at 861g and built to be both fast-rolling and grippy in loose over hardpack terrain, I was excited to get my hands on one and take it for a spin. Let me just say, the Dissector delivers! Although it’s about 100g heavier than the Forekaster, acceleration is almost as good. And thanks to the Dissector’s center lug design, it rolls just as smoothly as either the Aggressor or Forekaster. Honestly, it feels almost XC-ish the way it glides over flat ground and carries momentum. In addition to its fast-rolling characteristics, the Dissector gives you great traction both braking and in corners. Actually, I think it’s the perfect complement to the Minion DHF I’ve got upfront. Both tires have aggressive side lugs and a small gap between the center lugs and side lugs. So, there is a bit of a “transition” you can feel between center lugs and side lugs when leaning the bike over. But once the side lugs bite, you’re locked into the corner and can push with a ton of confidence.

Final Thoughts

To sum it all up, the Maxxis Dissector is a Goldilocks tire for Trail/Enduro riding. It’s not much heavier than more trail-oriented tires like the Forekaster or Ardent while rolling almost as fast and offering A LOT more grip than those trail-oriented tires. So, if you love the grip of the Minion DHF as a front tire and want a not-too-heavy, fast-rolling compliment in the rear, the Dissector could be just what you’re looking for!