High Roller 3 vs Maxxis Assegai: 15 Timed Runs

[RoJo]

Penultimate test in this series. Very surprising difference between the High Roller 3 and the Assegai even when run with the same MaxxGrip compound and similar DD casing!

Let me know your thoughts?


Raw data:

 

[RustyIron]

Please post the summary here. What is your conclusion?

 

[RoJo]

Please post the summary here. What is your conclusion?

Sure, here's the TLDR:

This video presents a detailed performance comparison between the Maxxis High Roller 3 and the Maxxis Assegai as front mountain bike tires (0:18). Using 15 timed runs at BikePark Wales split into eight specific sectors, the creator, RoJo DH, evaluates how each tire handles varying trail conditions.

Key Findings:

Smooth Sections: On flowy, less technical parts of the trail, the two tires performed almost identically, with only a marginal 0.06-second difference (0:51-1:05).
Technical/Rough Sections: As the trail became more demanding, the High Roller 3 struggled, feeling less damped and more prone to being deflected offline compared to the Assegai (1:12-1:40).
Cornering & Confidence: The Assegai consistently provided more confidence and grip. The High Roller 3 caused stability issues when pushing the bike aggressively, leading to a significant time loss (1:56-2:28).
Final Result: The High Roller 3 finished 2.11 seconds slower than the Assegai (2:28-2:32).
Potential Explanations for the Performance Gap:

Tread Pattern: The High Roller 3 features a distinct channel between center and side knobs, lacking an intermediate transition zone, which may not suit the rider's style (3:45-4:01).
Tire Width: The High Roller 3 is a 2.4-inch tire, whereas the Assegai is a 2.5-inch model; the creator suggests wider treads may be performing better on this terrain (4:12-4:22).
Pressure: The test was conducted at 23.5 PSI, and the creator speculates that the High Roller 3 might perform better at lower pressures, though notes that the Assegai would likely benefit as well (4:22-4:38).

Skip to the end of the video for leaderboard of relative timings (I have always compared one tyre versus another, to make it easier to compare across days, rather than reporting absolute laptimes which will be weather dependent).

 

[irie]

Southern UK: Last winter used rear High Roller 3's (DD, Maxxgrip) on both my and my wife's bikes (2022 alloy Trek Rails) inflated to 25psi. Worked great in damp/ wet/ muddy/ mucky conditions but absolutely NOT dry weather tyres. Also pretty draggy but that's to be expected.

Paired with front Shortys (DD, Maxxgrip) which work great in the above conditions.

As soon as it dried out a bit replaced the HR3's with Maxxgrip DD DHR2's and Shorty fronts with Maxxgrip EXO+ Assegais.

HR3's stashed in the garage for next winter but if reasonably dry won't bother with them. Oh, did I say they were draggy?

 

[RoJo]

Southern UK: Last winter used rear High Roller 3's (DD, Maxxgrip) on both my and my wife's bikes (2022 alloy Trek Rails) inflated to 25psi. Worked great in damp/ wet/ muddy/ mucky conditions but absolutely NOT dry weather tyres. Also pretty draggy but that's to be expected.

Paired with front Shortys (DD, Maxxgrip) which work great in the above conditions.

As soon as it dried out a bit replaced the HR3's with Maxxgrip DD DHR2's and Shorty fronts with Maxxgrip EXO+ Assegais.

HR3's stashed in the garage for next winter but if reasonably dry won't bother with them. Oh, did I say they were draggy?

Yeah, maybe just not soft or loose enough where I tested it. It was far from a glorious day starting 6C with a little snow at the side, but still fairly firm underneath. I imagine an Assegai rear would fill with mud during winter, but do you think the HR3 rear is noticeably better than DHR2 rear in this weather?

 

[RustyIron]

Smooth Sections: On flowy, less technical parts of the trail, the two tires performed almost identically, with only a marginal 0.06-second difference

Interesting. I would have thought the Assegai might have been slower on the smooth stuff. On the rough stuff, your results are as I would have expected. How does the High Roller recover after it starts to wash out? It's not that I'm going to give up my Assegai, but I'm curious.