Maxxis Rekon Tire: Rider Review

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

The Maxxis Rekon Tire is a great all-around tire and can be used from XC racing to all-purpose Trail riding. Coming in a variety of widths from 2.25, 2.4 and 2.6. This rider review is for the largest size of a 29 x 2.6, making this a great tire to ride in all conditions. Check out the review to get the full scoop. 

Rider Review:

For me having the right tires can be the difference between having fun or fighting your bike the whole ride. In a perfect world you would have multiple tires to switch depending on the trails you are riding, but let's face it nobody wants to spend time changing tires before they go ride. The Maxxis Rekon tire is a great all-arounder and seems to blur the line between XC and trail tires. It looks like a mix between the Maxxis Ikon and the Maxxis High Roller II and would be considered as an aggressive cross-country/trail tire.

Setup:

This Maxxis Rekon tire is mounted on my Yeti SB4.5. This bike is a perfect lightweight trail bike for my local east coast trails which consist mostly of a sand/clay mix with roots.

I have the Maxxis Rekon 29 x 2.6 on the front paired with a Maxxis Ikon 29 x 2.35 rear, this is a good combo of grip and rolling resistance. Both tires have EXO sidewall protection and 3C compound, I find the EXO protection is a must even if you don't ride in rocky terrain. The tires are mounted to 29 mm internal width rims. Setup was easy and sealed perfectly the first time. After allowing the tire to stretch for a week and riding on it for a couple of days the casing measured out to be 2.5".

On the Trail Impressions:

In the past few months, I've been riding a Bontrager XR4 2.4" on the front. The first thing I noticed was how much lighter the Rekon felt compared to the XR4. It is a lot faster, less rolling resistance, and very little difference in grip. In the dry, the Rekon is very predictable and has a great cornering grip. Some tires like the Ardent seem to let loose in turns without warning but the Rekon has a predictable feel with nice transition nobbys. When the trails got wet the Rekon still seemed to do surprisingly well and didn't get packed with mud.

Conclusion:

Overall I would say the Rekon is a fast and lightweight trail tire that offers a great balance between grip and rolling resistance. If you are riding rougher terrain I would look more towards a Maxxis DHR II or DHF. I could work well as an aggressive XC tire if you don’t mind a little extra weight but is lighter and faster than a more traditional trail tire like the DHF. I like the predictability and rolling resistance so much so that I’ve recommended it to multiple friends now. - Ken Lake