My first mountain bike was a 27.5″ wheel size that came with god-awful cheap Kenda tyres, and when they wore out I was on the hunt for trail capable tires that were also the best fasting rolling MTB tyre I could find for my budget. I landed on the Maxxis Ardent’s.
The Kenda’s (model unknown – on my entry level hardtail MTB) were absolutely atrocious and were not only horrible with grip on the trail, they weren’t fast rolling.. pretty much they gave me zero confidence. I rode those tires until they were completely bald because I didn’t know any better. I was still a novice rider – I really didn’t know the difference!
During my hunt for new tires I found and got to test a ride a few. I made a list and came up with 10 below.
UPDATE:// Check out which fast rolling tire I chose to ride for 2022 here.
Contents
10 Best Fast Rolling MTB Tyres For The Trail
It’s really hard to say which pick is the top fast rolling MTB tyre because everyone’s riding style is a little different and it’s all relative anyway – say, for example, you and I were on the same trail but you preferred the Minion SS to my Aggressor preference – it just depends! Your bike’s suspension and geometry might even make a difference in how the tire performs or feels.
So, in no particular order, below is the list of MTB tyres specifically designed to get you rolling FAST out on the trails. These are all highly rated tires acclaimed by riders of all types.
(As incredible as the Maxxis Minion DHF, DHR, or WTB Trail Boss and Schwalbe Nobby Nics are they are not fast rolling tires!)
| Tyre: | Weight (grams) | Available Tire Width Sizes | TPI | Compound | Bead | Tubeless Ready (TR) | Conditions | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maxxis Aggressor | 26" = 815 - 1005 27.5"= 885 - 1105 29" =900 - 1185 | 2.30, 2.50WT | 60 or 120 | DUAL | Foldable | YES | LOOSE LOOSE OVER HARD |
| 2 | Maxxis Minion SS | 26" = 745 - 940 27.5"= 745 - 975 29" = 795 - 1040 | 2.30 only | 60 or 120 | DUAL | Foldable | YES | HARD PACK LOOSE OVER HARD |
| 3 | Maxxis Ikon | 26" = 480 - 640 27.5"= 685 - 935 29" = 530 - 995 | 2.20, 2.35 | 60 or 120 | 3C MAXX SPEED or DUAL | Foldable | SELECT | HARD PACK LOOSE LOOSE OVER HARD |
| 4 | Maxxis Ardent | 26" = 695 - 830 27.5"= 620 - 785 29" = 700 - 895 | 2.25, 2.40 | 60 or 120 | SINGLE or DUAL | Foldable | SELECT | LOOSE LOOSE OVER HARD WET |
| 5 | WTB Trail Boss | 26" = 700 - 900 27.5"= 778 - 1099 29" = 917 - 1050 | 2.25, 2.40 | 60 | TCS or Comp Tube-Type | Wire | NO | Dry to Damp Hardpack to Loam |
| 6 | WTB Trailblazer | 27.5+ = 980 | 2.8 | 60 | DUAL DNA | Foldable | YES (first tubeless plus tire!) | Dry to Damp Sand to Loam |
| 7 | Continental Race King Protection | 26" = 545 27.5"= 570 29" = 605 | 2.2 | 4/240 | BlackChili | Foldable | YES | ALL AROUND |
| 8 | Schwalbe Racing Ralph (Evolution) | 26" = 560 27.5"= 550 - 595 29" = 525 - 705 | 2.10, 2.25, 2.35 | 67 | Addix Speed Addix SpeedGrip | Foldable | YES | HARD PACK Medium |
| 9 | Schwalbe Rock Razor (Evolution) | 27.5"= 695 - 965 29" = 740 | 2.35, 2.6 | 67 | Addix Speed Addix Soft | Foldable | YES | Fast and Dry |
| 10 | WTB Ranger | 26" = n/a 27.5"=635 - 762 29" = 700 - 870 | 2.0, 2.25 | 60 | TCS | Foldable | YES | Wet, Dry Hard-pack or Loam |
Below is a quick review of all the tires:
1. Maxxis Aggressor
It doesn’t look like it, but these tires roll faster than most would think. The Aggressors have been very popular and is quite the charmer as a common tire among mountain biking enthusiasts. The knobs are mean, but tame since they’re not “thick” in height, and are also tightly positioned which is characteristic for fast rolling. It’s cornering grip is fantastic, and being overall its a truly versatile tire. Great on loose climbs. Very competitive against tires with larger knobs giving them a run for their money. With this tire and a DHF in front… that’s an assassination combination! (I should trademark that 😉
Profile: Rounded to square
Casing: Maxxis offers in both the DoubleDown and EXO reinforced casings for durability on the trail. DoubleDown casing is incredibly durable – this tire just won’t die!
2. Maxxis Minion SS
Dang those side knobs are SO aggressive and the squared off profile, oh were they borrowed from the DHF and DHR?! Pretty much … which makes cornering phenomenal on these tires. For me it’s a hard pick between the Minion SS and the Aggressor as my every day riding rubber. The SS is just a beautiful tire. Who says that? I do, apparently, with my fast rolling hard rubber.
A buddy of mine in Colorado had these on his 29’er rig. He let me take his bike out for a couple runs and these tires blew my mind (or maybe it was his bike, maybe both). The handling, the grip, the low rolling resistance… I need these as my next tire. They’re not great in the muddy conditions though, which is okay by me. I’ve got a long way to go on my Ardents, but the day I get a new full squish mountain bike, these babies will be the first upgrade on my to do list!
Profile: More square than rounded
Casing: Maxxis offers this tire in both the DoubleDown and EXO reinforced casings for durability on the trail. DoubleDown casing durability is fantastic.
3. Maxxis Ikon
These are true cross country XC Racing tires that are both lightweight and does it all…except maybe wet It’s rolls so easily for sure. These don’t have the aggressive knobs but that’s not the point, they roll really fast for XC specifically and with a slight modification in tire pressure you could still get the traction if needed as many have tested.
Profile: More round
Casing: Maxxis offers different variations of casing depending on selection. 3C Maxspeed compound is the popular choice in with the Ikons.
4. Maxxis Ardent
The jack of all trades master of none. Do it all tire as Maxxis claims. This is currently on my ride and it’s proven to be a great choice. These aren’t all that expensive either, very affordable tire if you’re budget conscious. What I like most is that they are designed to get traction for all types of conditions from wet, dry, mud, loose, hard pack. Would I buy them again? Heck yeah. In a heart beat. The price I got them for was too good pass up too. Recommended because – well, I roll with Ardents!
Profile: Aggressive Round
Casing: Maxxis offers this tire in many different variations of casings: EXO, Lust, Skinwall, Shield
5. WTB Trail Boss (Light)
Tightly spaced, blocky tread minimizes rolling resistance to roll faster. Braking will get the knobs to truly dig in and slow you down. Side knobs are supportive and deliver the traction when things get a little sketchy trying to keep the bike upright on off-camber surfaces. It’s usage would be classified as an all arounder for: XC / Trail / All Mountain. It’s for conditions that are mostly dry to damp and hardpack dirt – a fast rolling summer tire.
Profile: Round and Staggered Knobs
Casing: TCS is WTB‘s choice for casing compound.
6. WTB Trailblazer
2.8″ Width ONLY. A “fat bike fast rolling” tire, wait.. what?! YEAP. Also, it’s the first tubeless ready plus size tire at 27.5″
WTB says it’s, “Small enough to sneak its way into existing 29″ frames yet voluptuous enough to provide the supple bounce fat tires are famous for. It has a centerline of long, smooth knobs that promote rotational momentum. Chunky outer knobs provide cornering traction in conditions ranging from dry to damp.”
Converting and/or trying something different with any regular 29’er is pretty exciting I think. I also think it’s innovative for WTB to specifically design the Trailblazer to fit onto most 29’er bikes, why not?! The more I see this tire, the more the Pivot Trail 429 calls my name…. oh man.
Profile: Fat Bike round
Casing: TCS is WTB’s choice for casing compound.
7. Continental Race King
This is a tire that has won lots of accolades, especially within the XC circle of riders. It has consistently been a top performer (if not THE top performer) for fast rolling mountain bike tyres. Check out the super light weight of just around 600g, blackchili compound, made in Germany. If I was a XC racer, these would be my tires – hands down. As fast as these tires are on the trail, don’t push them too hard in the wet or mud – the profile is just too shallow for the chunky stuff. But excellent for the racy stuff.
Profile: Rounded
Casing: ‘Protection’ from Continental is firm and durable against light punctures. Riding this tire with lower pressure is good for a bit more traction without feeling like it will give out.
8. Schwalbe Racing Ralph
Racing Ralph. Arguably noted as Schwalbe’s most successful competition tire. As assumed, it’s designed for racing with a low tread depth in the center line, and with slightly more aggressive knobs on the sides for cornering at speed. Schwalbe says, “It’s a perfect combo of speed and grip” which isn’t too bad actually…except the part about where they wear down pretty fast.
Profile: Rounded
Casing: Addix SpeedGrip compound, also known as Schwalbe’s do it all compound. The plain “Addix” compound is also available which greatly increases durability and versatility – at the sacrifice of slightly more additional weight.
9. Schwalbe Rock Razor
It’s like Schwalbe beefed up the Racing Ralph and out came the Rock Razor. It’s for fast and dry trails with it’s low rolling resistance and light weight design. The studs in the center tread allow it to be fast and the cornering grip is solid with sturdy lug knobs on the tire’s shoulders.
Profile: Rounded square
Casing: Addix SpeedGrip which is Schwalbe’s do it all compound for XC, trail, and all mountain. There’s also Addix Soft with Apex technology from Schwalbe which allows puncture durability and usage on tougher terrain in uses of enduro, downhill, and all mountain trail riding.
10. WTB Ranger (Light)
This is WTB’s jack of all trades do-it-all tyre. Optimized for all conditions ranging from wet and muddy to loose and hardpack. Tread knobs and lugs are strategically spaced the way they are to clear out quickly in wet conditions. It’s a lightweight tire with casing that doesn’t sap you of energy and feels quick to respond on the trail. Lots of grip if you can find the right tire pressure.
Profile: Rounded
Casing: TTCS is WTB’s choice for casing compound.
My “Fast Rolling” Story
As I mentioned, I had terrible Kenda’s and finally decided on a pair of dual-compound fast-rolling MTB tyres when the Kenda’s went completely bald: Maxxis Ardent. Oh yeah baby!
Hooooly. Cow. They were a.mazing compared to the cheap Kenda’s.
What a difference the Ardent’s made in my riding out on the trails and for grip .. and my sanity. I was literally blown away when I went on the 1st ride with the new rubber on.
The rear end just handled better and it felt like I was using less effort pedaling. Even the front felt better… which is saying a lot because fast rolling tires like the Maxxis Ardents are NOT preferred as a front tire. If I learned anything from those cheap Kenda’s, I learned that replacing the tires on a budget mountain bike as soon as possible definitely would make a world of difference.
The Maxxis Ardent’s are good fast rolling trail tyres (though, not top of the line), but for me it was night and day. Yin and yang. I went with the Ardent tires because, well, I like bang for the buck and they’re a great budget tire for sure. Although I would have liked to have a different tire out front and not another Ardent, it does just fine on the trails with a lower tire pressure. But for the rear it does really, really well… for me, and my bike.
I also got to test out a lot of bikes from friends who had different types of tyres equipped on their bike rigs. That was when I began to notice subtle but noticeable differences in tyres.
Five Traits of Fast Rolling MTB Tyres
After equipping my bike with Maxxis Ardents, I wished I never waited so long to get new tires… but then again I’m not one to splurge when I have a perfectly good set of BAD tires. You do what you gotta do!
Most mountain bikes come in 26″, 27.5″, or 29″ wheel sizes. For XC type riding, and for speed, the larger the diameter the more ground you can cover. 29″ wheels are typically the size of choice for XC racers. While 27.5″ and 26″ are typically chosen for downhill type riding. It actually doesn’t matter much because any wheel size can be used for any type of riding. It’s just the rider’s preference. So get whatever you like!
So going through the list of 10 tires up there, here’s the traits of what to look for in tires:
1. Tread Pattern
The pattern matters in terms of grip and rolling resistance.
The height, spacing, and size of “knobs” aka “lugs” determines what kind of terrain and conditions the tire can handle. For fast rolling tires, the height is usually low profile, with tightly packed spacing of knobs.
There’s so many different types of terrain: hardpacked, loose, rock, paved, etc. that choosing the right tire just means choosing the right tread pattern for the conditions you intend to ride. Fortunately, the tire manufacturer’s knows what makes a good fast rolling tire, or dirt tire, or gravel tire, etc. so they will usually point it out for you. Then it’s up to you to figure out if the tire’s suitable for your riding style.
2. Rubber Compound
The manufacturers spend a lot of time on this in terms of research and development. That part of it is way over our heads right now, but the good thing is we don’t have to worry about it.
We just need to know that harder rubber tires tend to roll faster, as is the case with the “center line” part of the tire on most of the tires on my list above. Manufacturer’s have been really innovating by making the center of the tire with “hard rubber” while the outsides are soft rubber for maximum grip during cornering situations and moisture rich situations. This is ideal for fast rolling tires.
Different compounds also make the casing which I’ll explain the casing section.
3. Mountain Bike Tire Width: Size and Profile Explained
Width of a tire and profile makes all the difference in cornering and grip. It’s commonly suggested that narrow tires are faster, but that gap is closing since wider MTB tires have come a long way in the compounds they use and their tread patterns.
The picture above shows a that the left tire is wider than the right tire. Most modern mountain bike tires widths are between 2.0 to 2.8 inches. Not all sizes will fit on a bike as that is determined by the bike’s geometry from the manufacturer.
The wider the width, the more grip – BUT at the sacrifice of increased rolling resistance.
Keep an eye on tire pressures, as increased rolling resistance comes with lower tire pressures (some riders like lower tire pressures for “absorbing” the trail – as if it worked like suspension).
PROFILE: When looking at the view of a tire like this: 
You’ll notice all tires are slightly “rounded” as you see at the top of the above picture. But the tire on the left (Maxxis Minion SS) is more “squared” because the knobs on the shoulders of this tire are very aggressive and along with its height . The tire on the right (Continental Race King) is more rounded.
Both tires are fast rolling, but serve a completely different purposes: typically square is used in trail riding, rounded for XC type riding.
Fat bikes equipped with super wide tires up to 4 inches can get through terrain such as sand and snow where tires like these can’t.
4. [TR] Tubeless Ready?
Basically, no more inner tubes! Just a bit of a sealant like Stans or Slime, and a pump and your good to go. Look for the TR type logos on the wheels.
Making your wheels and tires tubeless is much easier when the wheels and tires are both “tubeless ready.” Trying to go tubeless on a standard wheel and tire combo is going to make you more frustrated than not. Ask me how I know. Tubeless is also much more resistant to thorn punctures and small holes because of the ability of the solvent inside the wheel to “self heal.”
There’s also weight savings with TR because inner tubes are not part of the equation any more. Cutting weight is essential to rolling faster.
5. Tyre Casing and Durability
This is an important characteristic of the tire that is typically ignored. This is the layer beneath the tread knobs and lugs.
Casing type is also a factor in how rigid the tire feels.. especially at lower PSI where a weak reinforced tire can fold through a berm turn which, most of the time, will cause a crash. Essentially, a tire’s tread is built onto it’s casing. Snakeskin and EXO reinforcement are a few types. I only began to understand the importance of casing when tiny thorn piercing’s from the trail caused tiny leaks in my tire. It kind of ruins my next day of riding since I’ll wake up see a flat tire.
The more durable the casing, the heavier the tire.
Choosing the fastest rolling tire you’ll probably want something that is lighter, which in turn is less durable. BUT it depends on the type of trail you ride also. You don’t want knobby enduro tires on a XC race obviously, but if you’re somewhere in between getting an all purpose tire like the Ardents isn’t a bad idea.
The Best Mountain Bike Tyre Combination: Mix and Match
If I had a really nice bike (still looking forward to a 2019 Pivot Trail 429!), I would go with Maxxis Minion SS rear tire (as seen above), and a Maxxis Minion DHFII front tire (not on list – because it’s not “fast rolling tire).
The Best Maxxis Mountain Bike Tire Combination
My choice of front and rear tire combination are with currently with Maxxis tires, but any enthusiast today would most likely tell you they would go with Maxxis tires too for their ideal combination. The tried and true combination is: Maxxis Minion DHR in the rear, and a Maxxis Minion DHF in the front; it is like the gold standard and are spec’ed that way right out of the box on a lot of high end mountain trailbikes.
But that’s for trailbikes, what about XC bikes, or cyclocross, etc.? It depends. Do you want more grip or speed? Do you want durability and speed? Grip and durability?
The general rule of thumb is this:
- Front tire: More aggressive/grip, wider than rear
- Rear tire: Low rolling resistance
Many times, manufacturers will specify wider tyres in the front versus the rear. Plenty of different bike manufacturer’s specify their bikes with different front and rear tires. It’s no a big deal to have both tires that are different.
You want more grip in the front and to tame rolling resistance in the rear. Although there is more rolling resistance with wider tires, placing them in the front is a good thing because you don’t want to skid out on a turn.. you want to go in the direction you point the wheel and you want all the grip you can get. When going downhill you’ll be braking a lot which is also a big role in the front wheel’s purpose. Braking and grip go hand in hand – with the front wheel.
For the rear, you have a lot of bodyweight on that rear wheel as well as your pedaling power, so a low rolling resistance tire is best so you can keep going and not get robbed of momentum.
I’m really not biased with Maxxis, but they are the at the pinnacle of mountain bike tyres right now. Ask any mountain bike enthusiast and they will most likely have a positive opinion about Maxxis tires.
Their Minion DHF is absolutely phenomenal in the front (not fast rolling though – so it wasn’t on my list), and provide supreme grip in most conditions.
It all comes down to your preference. When I bought my Maxxis Ardent tires I bought the same for front and rear tire, and lowered tire pressure in the front.
Final Thoughts:
What do you like to ride? Ask yourself that and get the appropriate tire that suits your riding style.
Don’t think too much about all the different options and lingos for tires. They’re just tires after all. It’s the Rider! Not the Bike!
Til next time,
Get out there and Rider Up baby!