User submitted reviews
Review by LiLynn
Since these tires came out, I have raced, trained, and just had pure fun on these. Tires keep evolving and I try them, but I keep coming back to the Ramblers. I have great traction on gnarly dirt roads, there is no change in tread so corning is smooth, and I have no problem with these slowing me down on paved roads. These are definitely not road tires but they roll just fine. I ride my gravel bike on lots of single track and these tires float over roots and rocks. I only take these off my rims when I wear a tire out. I have never had a flat as I run tubeless. Over the years the tread has not changed but the sidewall quality has! Why change perfect.
Review by Anonymous
Love the 40m Ramblers. The first set was bought about 2 weeks before the first DUSTBOWL gravel event in Indiana in 2021, about 70 of 100 miles of "driveway" gravel, this isn't Flint Hills sharp stuff, but it's got some volume... Tires were PERFECT! Ran them between 36-40 psi.
I rode those tires the rest of the season. When cold and wet conditions threatened the Rough Road 100k I decided to run them for that event too. Probably didn't need the tread for the mostly road event, but when the rain hit on a 9 mile dirt trail section, I was much more confident with more grip, rode them through last spring. Overall I put about 2000-2200 miles on them, rotating them once, ZERO flats, ZERO issues... perfect. The tread is pretty worn now, keeping them as backups. New pair is coming.
Review by Justin Lofton
I use these tires on my gravel bike for all terrains. This tire works decently well on anything but may not be aggressive enough if you plan on riding in extremely rough or muddy conditions. It can handle some mud in a pinch, however, and I've set PRs on segments with muddy patches.
They corner well on dusty gravel roads and don't slow me down much on pavement or asphalt when compared to smoother tires.
I like the option for tan sidewalls, and the aesthetics of the tire are great.
The value is completely adequate and comparable to other tires on the market. I can't speak to how long they last, although they appear sturdy, and I expect to get at least 3-4 years out of these tires.
Review by TomG
Replaced stock Bontrager tires on a Trek 920 ("Adventure Touring / Super Gravel Bike") for off-road/gravel/mixed surface/bike packing rides. LOVE these tires. Super quality you and I would expect from Maxxis. Rolling resistance on paved paths/roads is really great but the tread pattern gives enough bite for dirt and gravel. Excels at all-around, "multi-surface" rides. I run them tubeless with Stan's and they are flawless overall and easy to get on/off my DT Swiss rims. I purchased black wall, 120 TPI, SilkShield version. The 29x2.0 size may be a bit much for some "gravel bike" folks I get it but it is awesome for my bike and super clydesdale stature. Easily able to handle some low tech singletrack too. They were great on a recent multi-surface bike packing trip with 45+ lbs of extra gear/panniers front and rear. The tire's size at 700x50x is clearly a MTB sized tire but the extra "cush" and stability is superb IMHO. Highly recommend.
Review by Anonymous
I used these tires on a very easy mountain bike trail and they gripped very well. I took two sets of wheels to compare:
1. Maxxis Rambler 700x45
2. Schwalbe Rocket Ron 29x2.25
To my surprise the Ramblers hooked-up better than the Rocket Rons.
Review by bchains
Ran 38c Maxxis Ramblers with 60 TPI and silk shield sidewall protection at Unbound (100 mi), 38 psi f/b (I'm 160 lbs) . They were great - no flats, cuts, sidewall issues or anything. I rode smart - mostly in the smoothed out gravel part of the roads but also rode over the middle rougher and sharper stuff to pass people. Rolled fairly fast on pavement. Saw 10+ people on the side of the course with flats. They did pick up the legendary 2023 mud but so did every other tire people were riding. Would definitely use these tires again. FWIW these are the tires the local Emporia bike shop guys recommend; they also said that the Schwalbe G-One RS tires get shredded by the gravel (which is what I was planning to run).
Review by ktom
I use these tires on my gravel/cx bike. They are perfect all-around tires. I live in southern California so there is a lot of sand, loose dirt and rock. I also used them at the Trans-Rockies Gravel Royale race and they were excellent.
Review by Chuck
I ride gravel in the Flint Hills on some gnarly roads and have never had a flat riding the 42mm 120 TPI EXO tubeless at 30-40 PSI, depending on conditions. Just purchased my third set to ride a second Unbound Gravel 100 this year. The tires are easy to mount and seal, although I do use an air compressor to seat the bead. The tread provides good combination of traction and speed. Tire wear is probably average, but these came on my original gravel bike and I do not have anything to compare against.
Review by Anonymous
I like the tires , but the manufacturer is way off on claimed weight, my tires 700x40-120tpi weigh 470 grams. 75 more than claimed
Review by Ivanich
I have installed these tire 700X40 on Rolf Hyalite carbon wheels, internal width 23mm, for gravel/off road rides. I was very surprised how easy they are to install, with bare hands. Much more surprised how they hold air. I had them for about 2 weeks riding around neighborhood without any sealant and pressure did not go down. Finally, before going for a Trail ride, i decided to add sealant. Of course no air loss at all, even after 3 weeks.
Bike tires direct? No need to tell. Like always, The Best in customers service.
Review by mike
I got these tires to replace stock Kenda Happy Medium. I planned on racing and wanted a lighter tire. Read lots of reviews of gravel racing tires and for my purposes the Rambler is meeting and exceeding my expectations. I have ridden (I keep track of all my rides) 515 miles so far on these tires. Road, rotten granite, super rocky climbs and descents, loamy forest trails, full on mtb trails, gravel roads, snowymuddy conditions, sand, and some roots have been the surfaces.
The stick well in all conditions and are predictable on all reasonable surfaces.
I'm using 40mm tires, tubeless, on a Lynskey GR270 with Stans Grail rims. Loaded weight of me and bike is just under 200 lbs.
I'm using the 120TPI front and 60 TPI rear.
The tires are wearing great. No cuts or holes.
Price was reasonable and I have no complaints.
YMMV.
Review by oldultrarunner
I have an Argon Dark Matter gravel bike that I purchased in 2020. It came with Panracer gravel tires which I found to not be very durable. On advice from my best friend at the bike shop, I bought the Maxxis Rambler 700x40 gravel bike tires and the ride, durability and grip on gravel in corners was what I was looking for. I've since raced and done numerous gravel bike events on these tires for the past 2 years and they are the only gravel bike tires I use; currently on my 4th set.
Review by Anonymous
I have been using the 700x40 silk shield model for three years for training and some races. During that time I have had zero punctures in an estimated 5,000+ miles of riding. My riding is a mixture of pavement, smooth gravel, loose gravel, some dirt roads/paths, stream crossings and chunky gravel. Traction is very good except for very deep and loose conditions. These are not mud tires but they do handle sloppy surfaces fairly well. I have used these tires numerous times in races that were mostly gravel and felt that they were not holding me back. I have tried other tires for training but the silk shield Ramblers seem to be the best choice for my riding in MO and southern IL.
Review by Ihoogendam
These are a great tire for gravel and trails. Road these at the Heck of The North, which is a gravel race in Two Harbors, Mn. They were perfect. Supple, lightweight, decent rolling resistance, and most importantly, good traction in the mud.
Review by BCarl
Easily the best "set and forget" gravel tire out there. If you dont care about changing tires out pending the conditions, just run these Ramblers and be happy with the choice. Tired in various sizes 38c up to the 50c with the 40c the perfect size for comfort, speed and grip. Durability ive had only 1 tire fail after 3000 miles of rough singletrack and off-road use but able to plug the hole to make it home. Used other WTB, Panaracer, Vittoria, Schwalbe tires but keep coming back to the Maxxis Rambler because they are balanced across all type of terrain.
Review by Mad-Town Biker
Good tire - relatively easy to mount. Measured up at only 42mm on my 20mm internal width gravel rims unfortunately. Rolls pretty well on packed gravel/dirt and pavement. Good on chunkier gravel as well. Good, solid tire.
Review by markhandpdx
I have this tire in a 38 for my gravel bike and now a 47 for my wife's E-Bike. I have had five very challenging gravel races (40-60miles each) this year and ridden the same set of tires for all of them and had not mechanical issues, no failures, no leaks and no flats. The surfaces have varied from luxury gravel, to death defying riprap, to snow and mud. These tires have performed equally well on all surfaces. I can't speak highly enough about these and I recommend them to all of my teammates. You can't go wrong with a set of these Ramblers.
Review by dividebyzero
Trails in Utah vary from hard pack dirt to loose gravel to rock, rocks EVERYWHERE. I have come down gravel and loose switchbacks and am always impressed at the grip these give in the loose stuff. When bouncing off rocks, they have never failed; they can take a beating and keep rolling. The rubber is a bit soft (great for grip, not great for long-life), but I still get a good 1000 miles out of them I am using the (relatively) lightweight EXO version and when I compared them to other tires, the weight is surprising!
Review by Anonymous
I swap these tires in when I know I'll be riding on some rugged gravel roads. The only Issue I have is that while my frame can handle them my SRAM Red eTap front derailleur can't. The outermost drive side tire lugs are wearing a groove into my eTap battery. I ground down this row of lugs with a file, but they still rub so I leave the bike on the small chainring, remove the front battery, and ride my bike as a 1x11 when these are mounted. None of this is the tire's fault, but check the clearance on your bike before buying.
Review by Anonymous
These tires are working well for the gravel roads that I ride; wide and relatively flat with areas of densely packed poorly sorted 2 to 3 cm well rounded gravel fields. The extra volume provides good compliance, the tread seems to grip well in the turns. The only down side is due to the larger volume they are a little harder to spin up, but that means you have to get stronger.