Maxxis Rambler HYPR-X EXO 700×45

The Maxxis Rambler is the company’s most popular gravel tyre and it’s available in a huge range of sizes and builds for 700C wheels, as well as for 27.5in and 650B too. Maxxis says these new Ramblers with the recently launched HYPR-X tread compound have improved traction and lower rolling resistance, and in my experience they’re a good all-rounder for everything short of deep winter slop.

> Buy now: Maxxis Rambler HYPR-X tyre for £54.99 from Freewheel

The Rambler has a closely spaced central section with textured knobs, and it looks like it’s designed to aid fast rolling on tarmac and better-graded surfaces. Then there are some transitional knobs which lead into a set of more widely spaced and siped shoulder knobs for cornering traction. The shoulders of the tyre are more aggressive, and the height of the knobs is higher, which flattens the tread a bit, but overall it’s not a particularly aggressive tyre.

The rubber compound is new. According to Maxxis, HYPR-X combines ‘the best technology from two existing compounds, the low-rolling-resistance HYPR for road and the race-winning MaxxSpeed for mountain’. So it’s designed to sit in the middle of those two compounds, and you’ll be glad to know that there are some numbers: 19% better cornering traction and 25% less rolling resistance than the outgoing model.

Setting the Ramblers up tubeless was simple enough: I used a tyre booster (as I generally do) and both went up first time. I had to add more sealant than I expected to get the rear to seal, but that’s not necessarily because of the tyre. I mostly ran them at around 35psi, which for me (100kg) was a good compromise between grip/comfort and fast rolling on the road bits.

Traction with these tyres is very good in situations where it’s governed by sticky rubber on solid ground. The 45mm size I’m reviewing (lots of sizes are available with the older compound but this is currently the only HYPR-X tyre) can be run fairly soft and that allows the tyre to deform over obstacles, especially with the supple 120TPI casing; you can’t go full-gas down technical stuff but you can keep up a reasonable speed when things get a bit lumpy. I found the cornering to be predictable too, with plenty of grip, and even at fairly low pressures they keep their shape pretty well.

Riding gravel in the UK tends to mean spending a fair bit of time on tarmac, unless you’re lucky enough to be based in some remote part of the country, so a tyre that can cope with a mixture of surfaces is usually a good bet.

As the second most aggressive tyre of the four in Maxxis’ gravel range, the Rambler isn’t one you would necessarily expect to be particularly fast on tarmac, but it’s fine: not the quickest-feeling but not especially draggy either, especially if you can be bothered to tweak the tyre pressure up a bit for any long paved sections. It’s not as quick as, say, the Schwalbe G-One Allround on road, but they’re probably a more versatile tyre overall.

Once things start to get a bit wetter and traction is more about the knobs digging in, they’re not as good. They’re okay even when it’s really sloppy out, but on muddy sections you need to have your wits about you a bit – the tread isn’t the most aggressive out there, and the grip is about what you’d expect in those conditions. Grip on wet tarmac and wet rocks is good, and in most mud the tyres shed pretty well too. I’d say that as long as you’re prepared to tiptoe over some of the slippy bits you could run these tyres all year, although if you spend a lot of time in the mud over winter you’d benefit from saving them for drier conditions.

I’ve not punctured these tyres; I have pulled a big thorn out of the rear one which sealed immediately. The EXO sidewall protection (cut- and abrasion-resistant material in the sidewalls) has held up fine so far; I haven’t slammed them into any sharp rocks that I know of but it’s nice to know it’s there. Maxxis has upped the strength of the nylon in the casing too.

At not much over 50 quid an end these are not an especially expensive gravel tyre, and if you don’t do masses of winter riding then they’re a good all-year option.

I’d say that their strength is the fact that they’re pretty good in most conditions, and maybe a weakness is that they don’t necessarily excel at any one thing. You can get faster summer tyres like the Hutchinson Caracal Race and Maxxis’ own Reaver, and for wetter riding, tyres like the Vittoria Mezcal (also a great all-rounder) and Pirelli Cinturato Gravel. Check out more options in our guide to the best gravel bike tyres.

If you’re the kind to change your tyres with the seasons then they’re probably not the best tyres for you, but if – like me, and I guess the majority of people – you’re looking for an all-rounder that’ll work in most conditions, these are one for the list.

> Buy now: Maxxis Rambler HYPR-X tyre for £54.99 from Freewheel

Verdict

Very good all-rounder that performs well in most trail conditions

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