Maxxis Shorty 3C EXO tyre review
A refined mud muncher
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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.
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- Weight: 885g
- Width: 2.11
- Height: 2.07in
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 (but not the best) on wet rocks and roots, and the well-supported tread blocks stand up to hard cornering loads well.
Being the narrowest and lightest tyre on test, it feels comparatively sketchy and less planted when hitting rocky sections at speed. With little damping from the lightweight EXO casing, it can be a handful in the rough.
Conventional wisdom says that narrow tyres perform better in the mud, but we’re not entirely convinced given our results testing plus tyres in the slop.
The 2.3in Shorty is superb in muddy, soft ground, but the new 2.5in version could be a better bet for all-round aggro riding.
Authors
Seb Stott is a former technical writer for BikeRadar. Seb's been riding mountain bikes for more than half his life, ever since getting hooked on a tiny 24Seven Crosser aged 13. He's raced downhill, enduro and cross-country, and while no athlete, still enters the occasional race. Seb studied experimental physics at university, and he's now happily using his degree experimenting with and testing different mountain bike setups, trying to work out what works best and why. You'll often find him riding the same track ten times in a day, changing just one thing to pin down the differences. Seb has also been a regular contributor to the BikeRadar Podcast and BikeRadar YouTube channel, and written for MBUK magazine and Pinkbike.com.
