Maxxis Shorty Tire: Product Review

Having a tire that performs in multiple trail conditions will keep you riding even when the weather goes downhill. Here in this review, we are taking a look at the Maxxis Shorty tires. Maxxis calls the Shorty a "mid-spike" and features shorter lower profile knobs compared to the Wetscream with full length spikes. Maxxis produces so many different tires designed for every type of bike and every type of terrain out there! They do a great job giving us so many different choices but sometimes having all of those options can seem overwhelming. Most of use want one or two different tread patterns to work in all conditions. Here we are going to break down why the Shorty should be in your arsenal of tires!

Tire Specifications

The Maxxis Shorty is a mid-spike designed to excel in loose or muddy conditions. The Shorty is an evolution of their Wetscream mud tire and is overall a more versatile tire when compared to the Wetscream. For riding on all different types of terrain, the Shorty can be used in everything from dry loamy conditions at your secret riding zone to rainy muddy world cup tracks. 

• Tire Tested: Maxxis Shorty 3C MaxxGrip, 27.5 x 2.4, Wire Bead, 1270 grams
• Large aggressive lugs
• Predominant lug spacing for better mud clearing abilities
• Dual ply casing with butyl insert
• 3C MaxxGrip compound available for Double Down and Downhill casings
• 3C MaxxTerra compound available for Single Ply and Exo Protection casings 

Riding and Performance

Here in this review, we are riding the Maxxis Shorty 3C MaxxGrip Wide Bead downhill tire in 27.5" x 2.4". The tires were mounted up front and rear on a set of Industry Nine Grade 300 wheels featuring a 30.0mm internal rim width. 

We were able to ride the Shortys at Windrock Bike Park in Oliver Springs, Tennessee on a Santa Cruz V10. Windrock's trails are demanding on both your skills and equipment. We got to chance to ride all of Windrock's trails but two stood out as our favorites: Middlefinger and Trail 1. 

Rider: Max Morgan | Photographer: Sean Leader

Pros

• When the Shorty was released, it immediately became a favorite among world cup downhill racers, and for good reason! I believe the Shorty to be one of the most versatile tires available today. This tire performs well in almost all conditions! When the trail conditions are as wet and muddy as they could be, the Shorty is in its element. At the same time, when things started to dry out, the Shorty didn't shy away from the challenge. If you ride bikes where the conditions are mixed, especially during winter months, the Shorty might just have to be your go to tire. 

• Depending on the conditions, what I found to work best is to run the Shorty both front and rear when the conditions get more greasy. As things start to dry out, another good combination is to run the Shorty up front paired with the Maxxis DHR II in the rear. This again hits on the fact the Shorty is so versatile. 

• The large spacing between both the side knobs and center knobs allow the tires to stay clean and shed mud when the trails are soft and extra muddy. The tires ability to shed mud properly keeps the tires digging in to the trail. This is something that seems to be overlooked on some tires. Maxxis killed it with this tread pattern!

• Because the Shorty isn't a full length spiked tire, in theory you should lose some performance in the most demanding muddy conditions, but I don't think that is the case. The Shorty would be my mud tire of choice that also happens to work great in dryer conditions as well. The "shorter" knobs don't squirm or wiggle on rocks and roots, leaving you with a tire that feels planted and solid on the trail. 

Maxxis Shorty mounted to Industry Nine Grade 300 wheels

Cons

• As much as we want tires to have great grip without ever wearing out, that just isn't the case. Tires are a wear item and depending on how much you ride, become disposable. As the Shortys began to wear, the side knobs started to break down a touch faster than the center knobs. This is mostly due to the aggressive angle the side knobs have that give you a locked in cornering feel. 

After plenty of abuse, this tire is starting to show some age

What's The Bottom Line?

The Maxxis Shorty tires are some of the most versatile tires on the market. They seem to excel regardless of the trail conditions. Maxxis offers the Shortys in four different casings and multiple rubber compounds, making it possible to run this mid-spike tread pattern on anything from your light trail bike to a world cup downhill race bike. Here in this review, we rode the Maxxis Shorty 3C MaxxGrip downhill tire at Windrock Bike Park in Oliver Springs Tennessee. The Shorty was able to handle anything we threw at it. The open tread pattern shed enough mud to keep the tire clean and digging in to the trail. The shorter spike design keeps the knobs from squirming on rocks and roots. Maxxis killed it with the Shorty tire!

About Me

Max Morgan is 25 years old, and lives in Brevard, North Carolina. Max grew up in Atlanta, Georgia and started racing downhill at the age of 15. He has now been racing professionally for the last 7 years, competing in the U.S. Pro GRT series and UCI World Cup series. Check out Max's rider spotlight here! 
Instagram: @mxmorgan77