Maxxis Ikon

http://www.maxxis.com/catalog/tire-278-121-ikon

Fast rolling XC/AM/Trail Tire.

Good bite climbing in most conditions....except sticky mud.

2.2 size makes a great rear tire, while the 2.35 makes a great front or rear tire.

Available in EXO sidewalls and TR.....fast rolling, lightweight, and durable.

The 2.2 is my go to rear tire on the SS and on the Tallboy....occasionally going with a 2.35 on the TB.

Not everyone needs monster truck tires on their mtn bikes. Only time i really have any issues with these tires is when they are about worn out. They do become pretty slippy. However, I have had them out on Palm Canyon, Noble Canyon and last weekend on the San Gabes ride...not once did I think they were not enough tire.

 

Just stuck a 2.35 on the front and the 2.2 on the rear and was only 5 seconds off of my best luge time.

 

I have a 2.2 for the rear on the Salsa. I lost confidence in it, as the knobs wore down, but it seems to work really well since my single speed conversion.

It's almost bald, but still had enough grip for most of the climbing on the San Gabes ride last week. As it wears a little more, I'll swap it out for the new Mountain King I have in the garage, but I wouldn't hesitate to get another Ikon.

Edit: The Ikon was also a great tire for the Catalina Gran Fondo with the 50 miles of fast fire roads.

 

Great for 29ers, but does not work that well on short chainstay bikes. Main weakness is lack of braking traction, which I find very noticeable when trying to race down fireroads and come to a corner. Took it through some mud and it actually performed really well... airs up tubeless very reliably (even the non-TR one), and is not flimsy like many other XC tires.

 

My Ardent 2.25 finally gave up the ghost...I've never seen a tire bleed Stan's through the casing threads. It was also getting worn on the treads after about 1,300 miles as a front tire; just switched it to the back for Rwanda. I wanted to get another one, but none in stock at BP Bikes so I picked up the Ikon 2.2" 3C MaxxSpeed EXC (120 tpi, but not designated EXO) TR for the rear wheel. Could not, even with my blaster pump pre-pressurized to 160 psi, seat the bead. It had been folded kind of weird, and was also very loose on the rim so I put a tube in it to be able to test it out this morning.

Set the pressure (with tube) at 22 psi, only about 2 psi higher than I run tubeless. Ran it on hardpack, loose over hard, 3-inch deep moon dust, slippery stuff somewhere between fine gravel and coarse sand, gravel over hardpack, and just plain deep gravel. No mud. That's the cool thing about the FLoop, you can find all conditions in one 15-mile ride . And it's close to the house.

The Ikon had great gription on everything. I wasn't trying for any PRs but I was pushing corners harder than usual in all the above. I also intentionally tried to get the tire to break loose and spin mashing up hills. It only broke loose once, for maybe a quarter revolution on a marble-y 15% grade. Not much in the way of skidding while braking, either.

Very, very good performance from the tire. Probably helps that I have a new Ardent Race on the front.

I'm impressed with the Ikon. If it keeps reasonable performance as it wears I'll stick with it in the future.

 

Stans bleed thru all my SpecialEd tires; Butcher, Slaughter, GCs... it bleeds thru where the sidewall gets flexed and
stressed even w/ lots of tread left. Nearly half of the sidewall surface area is wet. It prob doesn't help that I run 20psi front, 22psi rear.
Yet it doesn't lose any pressure.

 

I run about 20 psi in the back. Mine was going flat after every other ride. I got my money's worth out of it though.

 

Rode it on Monroe Truck Trail yesterday; took the tube out after - 2 days with tube to form the tire - and the bead seated right up. I did note a couple of holes in the sidewall big enough to hear and feel the air hissing out...but the Stan's took care of it. Didn't go flat overnight, but did lose some pressure. Looks like success!!

 

Said it before.....I'll say it again. It is worth the extra couple of grams and a few $ for the EXO version when it comes to Maxxis tires. They generally go tubeless easier and better....and they don't leak. Plus you can run lower pressure.

 

This tire is "EXC" according to the card it's folded and tie-wrapped to. 120 tpi. I cant fugure out the difference 'twixt EXC and EXO.

 

• eXCeption series tires use a 120 tpi casing to create a lightweight racing tire with exceptional traction
• EXO: additional densely woven, lightweight, flexible fabric added to casing for enhanced puncture protection

 

Curious what kind of mileage can I expect from the Ikon? Thinking of replacing my rear Forekaster with one.

 

About the same as any low knob tire. However, it will last way longer than any Schwalbe tire on the back.

 

Subscribed

 

Got about 2500 out of the ones on my hardtail. Could have gone farther but decided stopping was just as important as going. Not a lot of braking traction with them.

 

They last pretty well compared to other XC tires, but like Tom says, they aren’t the best for stopping... I’d put it similar to the Ardent Race.

I’m liking the Rekon a lot better, but it’s still only available in 2.25. Waiting impatiently on the 2.4!

 

Not too concerned with braking traction on the rear. A couple of guys today had them front and rear and they appeared to have plenty of traction.

 

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....on hero dirt.
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I've been running them since they came out. I have only had a handful of incidences where it wasn't enough tire.....then again, those instances probably required something more like a DHF/DHRII.

I've run mine down the Merril's, Sunset, El Prieto, Canell Plunge....it has also been my tire of choice for the True Grit.

 

The Ikon is my go-to tire.
2.2 Front and Back.

I'm a Maxxis guy. They offer the best value in tires IMO. I'm not sure if the Ikon is the best XC tires out there (many races ride Aspen), but who has the time and money to keep on switching tires, and do actual testing.

Yesterday I when out on a solo recon ride on my Trek (SS) up MS to Santiago Peak, and had great success with some leftover Bontrager tires: XR2 (2.2)up front and XR1 (2.2) in the rear (Team Issue).
I wouldn't hesitate to use that setup on any "XC race" type of a ride (in SoCal).

 

Ikon in the back, Ardent (not ardent race!) up front. Both Exo. Best combo IMO!

Of course, the above statement is if we're talking XC riding. For trail / enduro riding....Maxxis Aggressor rear and DHF or E*thirteen up top \oo/

 

I ordered the 2.35 Ikon for the rear. I think for the front I will give the 2.4 Ardent another chance when the Forekaster wears out. It was a great tire except at extreme lean angles.