A certain South African mountain bike downhill legend’s signature tyre, the aggressive Maxxis Assegai is finally available to buy in the UK.

The best mountain bike tyres for 2018

Maxxis Assegai need to know

• Pronounced “ass-e-gai”
• Two versions: 27.5 x 2.50 and 29 x 2.50
• Wide Trail casing optimised for 30-35mm rim widths
• 3C MaxxGrip rubber compound only
• Tubeless ready
• Dual-ply casing
• SRP £70.00

Maxxis UK has announced that its Greg Minnaar collaboration tyre, Assegai, is now available in the UK.

The tyre features a tread pattern designed by Minnaar himself. The Assegai’s inspiration comes from years of Minnaar riding a variety of Maxxis tyres and tread patterns, creating a product that is built for a multitude of terrains and weather conditions. The tall knobs “punch through dust and loam to find traction, as well as offering support and confidence on wet roots and rocks.”

Commenting on the Assegai launch, Maxxis UK bicycle brand manager Stephen Robinson said: “We’re really proud of the tyre, which combines three decades of racing experience from a downhill legend, with Maxxis’ unrivalled engineering capabilities. We had a fantastic reception from dealers and interested buyers at trade and consumer events, so we’re excited for UK customers to get their hands on this high-performance product and ride it themselves.”

Full frontal shot for the rubber geeks out there…

Maxxis Assegai spearheaded Minnaar’s 2018 World Cup bid

Right before the start of last year’s World Cup opener in Croatia, Maxxis tyres and long standing athlete and all-round MTB legend Greg Minnaar announced an all new tyre. The new Maxxis Assegai (a Zulu warrior spear) is specifically a  downhill and aggressive enduro tyre, as befits the former DH world champion.

Explaining the inspiration behind the Maxxis Assegai, Minnaar said: “My idea was to design a tyre around some of Maxxis’ iconic tread patterns. I started in the centre by combining the Minion DHF and the Minion DHR II. The reasoning behind this was I felt the surface area of the DHF rolls well and gives you a good footprint on hardpack, greasy turns as well as confidence on wet roots and rocks.

“Maxxis engineers and I came up with a remodelled High Roller side knob with very similar characteristics to the original. But with the support the extra tooth gives you, you have the ultimate wingman when cutting hard on a flat turn. Finally, I took the height of the knobs from the Shorty. The knobs are well-supported, so the extra height aggressively bites into loam and dry, dusty conditions.”

A tyre two years in development, Maxxis UK’s managing director, Derek McMartin, was delighted to finally reveal the product to market: “Greg first approached us with this idea at the 2016 Mont Sainte Anne race, aiming to combine the cornering sensation he enjoyed from the original High Roller with the predictability of his current favourite, the Minion DHR II.

Greg likes his new tyre. Let’s hope it works well for him this year.

“To announce this partnership feels fantastic and is further testament to Maxxis’ commitment to delivering high quality, high performance tyres to both original equipment and aftermarket customer.”