Maxxis Crossmark?

I'm going to need some new sneakers for the bike soon, and I was just about to press the "Buy" button on a couple of new Ikons. But, in looking at the new color scheme for the Highball on the Santa Cruz homepage, I noticed that the aluminum Highball comes with Maxxis Crossmark tires in 2.1. The carbon versions of the bike all come with Ikons...

I did a search of the forum and read the few posts that mention the Crossmark, but there aren't many details. Anybody have more to offer?

Garbage? Stick with the Ikon? Overlooked diamond in the rough?

 

This looking to be a tire thread, do you wanna put it there?

 

Oops...

 

Silly man! No worries brothah!

 

The Crossmark is an underrated and unloved tire. But surprisingly it's a great tire. It hooks up and does the job well. I have a buddy who has them on all his bikes because people take them and give them to him, while replacing with other tires.

Give it a fair chance, it may not work well where you ride but overall it's a great tire.

 

Thanks, @Danmtchl ... Just to clarify, I don't have them. I was just wondering if I should order one for the back and give it a shot, as I see the new Highballs come with them from the factory.

 

it was sketchy on the front but OK on the back. I like the 2.1's on the rear when I ride smooth fire roads and when I have to connect rides with pavement or ride from home. seemed to have less rolling resistance compared to the ardents I have been using for the last year or so.

 

I have used them on the back. For me they did roll very well, maybe even better than the Ikon downside is that they are heavier. I had no complaints about the traction or performance.

 

I did not care for the 29 x 2.1

Seemed much to narrow for a 2.1

Wear is a bit quicker than the Ikon. It is a fast tire, just not as fast as the Ikon. Weight wise it was similar to the 2.2 Ikon. Too small to run up front.

They recently refreshed the tread pattern...especially the center tread. I have not tried it, but it looks like they are now offering a bigger 2.25 size. Might make a nicer rear tire now. As always, recommend the EXO/TR version.

 

Used them for a season on the rear of my Epic 29 x2.1

I have seen people run them on the front also but I don't recommend that. Personally I didn't like lack of traction because of the funky thread pattern.

 

The 2.1 Crossmark came installed on my XTC. I don't have them on the rims anymore. I thought they were a tad slow rolling and higher resistance. YMMV.