Shorty

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Bike Radar

BikeRadar.com tested the Maxxis Shorty and here’s their verdict:

“The Maxxis Shorty is an evolution of Maxxis’ uncompromising mud spike, the Wetscream, it’s a bit more of an all-rounder, with slightly shorter, broader tread blocks that don’t squirm as much on hard ground.

It still bears mud tyre DNA, with well-spaced, moto-esque centre tread and huge shoulder blocks that stick out at nearly 45 degrees. This means the Shorty digs really well into soft, muddy ground, while the gappy and outwardly angled tread cleared mud where others clogged up.

This means impressive braking and, in particular, cornering traction in the sloppiest, softest ground. Surprisingly, it performed pretty well in our roll-down tests too.

The 3C compound and siped centre tread generates decent grip on wet rocks and roots, and the well-supported tread blocks stand up to hard cornering loads well.”

Seb Scott, BikeRadar.com, February 2017

Mountain Bike Rider

MBR.co.uk spent a whole year of testing the Shorty and rated it an impressive 9/10:

“Maxxis’ superb 3C rubber formula is a big factor in the performance — it feels predictable everywhere and lasts reasonably well considering the grip on offer. The spaced-out Shorty knobs are noticeably slow rolling, and a tad lumpy on hard surfaces, but the 830g weight and mid-thickness casing, with EXO protection, add up to just about a perfect blend for most UK winter trail riding.

As a tough, versatile, aggressive trail tyre that can handle wet or dry conditions, the Shorty is 99 per cent sorted.”

James Smurthwaite, MBR.co.uk, January 2015

Pink Bike

PinkBike.com reviewed the Shorty with a positive result:

“Only a few days after our test set of tires were delivered the skies unleashed, dousing the trails with inches of rain, and turning them into a mucky loam soup,* the perfect conditions to see if the Shorty worked as promised. Luckily, they did, which was good news because the first trail that I dropped into was a steep brake burner that's tricky in the dry, and even more so in the wet. Traction, particularly when cornering, was excellent, with the square knobs clawing and churning up the ground to find grip in the slime. There's something deeply satisfying about the feeling of a tire hooking up in a sloppy berm when you were fully expected to slide out and get spit off the trail. The open tread pattern kept the tires from packing up with the mud, and no matter how nasty things got the tires never got fully covered enough to lose traction. Mounted up to rims with a 25mm inner width I was able to run between 20-25psi without any burping or blowing off the rim. Of course, conditions were on the squishier side for most of the testing - higher pressure may be necessary for harder packed terrain.

Despite its meaty tread pattern, climbing was tolerable with the Shorty, and when things were really greasy it was nice to have the traction to power through sections that would have had a less aggressive tire spinning in place. I wouldn't rush out to do hill repeats with them, but they did have less drag than their appearance suggests. Extra care does need to be taken on wet roots and rocks, and while they aren't quite as treacherous as a traditional mud spike can be, they'll still slide out quite suddenly if you lose focus on the task at hand. When it comes down to it, the Shorty is still a specialist, and although the range of conditions it works well in is broader than its full-spike relatives, for most riders it won't be a tire that they put on and forget about for the rest of the year like a Maxxis Minion or a High Roller II. On the other hand, when conditions warrant, the Shorty is an excellent choice for blasting through the muck and mire, and it remains usable even as the trail begins to dry out.”

Mike Kazimer, PinkBike.com, February 2015

Worldwide Cyclery

WorldCyclery.com said the “Shorty was able to handle anything we threw at it”:

“The Maxxis Shorty tires are some of the most versatile tires on the market. They seem to excel regardless of the trail conditions. Maxxis offers the Shortys in four different casings and multiple rubber compounds, making it possible to run this mid-spike tread pattern on anything from your light trail bike to a world cup downhill race bike. Here in this review, we rode the Maxxis Shorty 3C MaxxGrip downhill tire at Windrock Bike Park in Oliver Springs Tennessee. The Shorty was able to handle anything we threw at it. The open tread pattern shed enough mud to keep the tire clean and digging in to the trail. The shorter spike design keeps the knobs from squirming on rocks and roots. Maxxis killed it with the Shorty tire!”

Max Morgan, WorldCyclery.com, February 2018

Single Track World

Single Track Magazine’s, James Vincent, put the Shorty through its paces and here is his verdict:

“As befits its wet weather intentions, the Shorty 2.5in WT DD is constructed from Maxxis’ renowned 3C MaxxGrip triple compound, which is incredibly soft – the knobs are super squishy and slow to rebound, making for an exceptionally comfortable and forgiving ride.

So how does it ride? Really, really well actually. The tyre was delivered right at the start of a long dry spell, and I was initially concerned about testing it unfairly in conditions it wasn’t designed for. I needn’t have worried. The extra width in the carcass and increased knob size means this new tyre has a much wider operating range than the old, narrower Shorty, and quite frankly, it rocks! On loose, gravelly, dusty trails, it dug in and found grip

On chunkier rocky slabs and pieces of slate, the MaxxGrip compound stuck fast and found grip. On the hard packed trails at BikePark Wales, the larger knobs gave plenty of support and didn’t squirm out of the way. In fact, I struggled to find the limits of the tyre, and only begrudgingly took it off when I realised that A) I had other tyres to test, and B) it might be nice to save some of that outstanding grip until winter, rather than burning it all up in one glorious summer.”

James Vincent, SingleTrackWorld.com, March 2019

Dirt Mountain Bike

Dirt Mountain Bike dubbed the Shorty “a tyre that gives predictable and confident handling in both wet and mixed conditions”, here’s what else they had to say:

“Most wet weather tyre designs are narrower in width and lower in profile, usually around 2.0”or 2.1” in width, which can feel a touch to skinny for a longer travel bike. The larger 2.3”width of the Shorty translates well when switching from similar volume summer treads and this is a key point as with this tyre – it’s proved much more versatile that we had imagined.

The larger volume and tough sidewall casing (our choice is the reinforced EXO option), gives good support and control even at lower pressures. With a weight of just over 800g, these aren’t going to hold you back. They set up tubeless easily and the 3C compound gives great traction without wearing out too quickly.

…For off-piste natural riding when real grip is needed this Maxxis rubber is a great choice.”

Sean White, DirtBikeMountain.com, April 2017

Vital MTB

VitalMTB.com rated the Shorty a solid 4.5 stars out of 5:

“We spent a good amount of time in a variety of conditions on the freshly built trail, from damp, to wet and then bone dry, as well as on older trails in close proximity to the new line - the Shorty performed exceptionally well in all these situations.

For its intended purpose and conditions the Maxxis Shorty is a no brainer, allowing riders to get away with murder on the trail and ride out of some ridiculous lines with confidence. They're not the greatest in loose over hardpack, but this is not what they were intended for in the first place. If you're a park rider in Whistler or have similarly loose dust and hardpack conditions, there are more suitable options out there, but if you ride loam, muck or softer dirt, or if you race and need a cut spike, we highly recommend these tires for your collection. They will inspire confidence and see you push loose corners to new speeds and induce loads of sound-effects on your way down the trail!”

AJ Barlas, VitalMTB.com, June 2014

Find a Maxxis tyre fitter near you

Rider, ChainReactionCycles.com, March 2020:

“I've never bought winter tyres before. I've always just muddled through, saving cash. I now realise thats a false economy. These tyres offer great grip in a range of wet sloppy british conditions. I'm running these front and rear on my Whyte 130CRS which is a trail bike that I ride like an Enduro”

Rider, ChainReactionCycles.com, March 2020:

“Thanks to the mild german winters, trails become pretty funny from Dec - April. The shorty on the Front of the trail bike helps a lot to wallow in and thru the mud these days.”

Rider, ChainReactionCycles.com, September 2019:

“Had it fitted to the rear on my 29er and grabbed like crazy on everything from soaked roots to gravel berms.”

Rider, ChainReactionCycles.com, June 2019:

“What can I say about this tyre - it is simply awesome!

Grips like a boss on wet loam, roots, clay, etc. and clears quickly.

Rolling speed is surprising fast - faster than a DHR2 in my opinion.

Grip is more than respectable on dry hardback and rock although not as good as a DHF - but the second you get in the Forest or after a sprinkling of rain - the shorty is back in front.

The best UK all year front option out there!”

Rider, ChainReactionCycles.com, November 2018:

“Perfect tire for aggressive riding in all-weather conditions. Mounted tubeless without any issues on 20mm inner width rim even though it's a WT tire! I run it on a hardtail mounted front at 1.6-1.7 bars, paired with another Shorty 2.3 on the back at 1.9bar. Maxxterra 3C lasts for ages mounted front.”

Rider, ChainReactionCycles.com, July 2017:

“One of the best… Mud or dry it does the job”

Interested in the Shorty tyre for your mountain bike? Scroll down to use our dealer locator to find a tyre fitter near you.