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.
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!
I bought these mainly for the puncture resistance. But they roll surprisingly well on pavement too. Most of the gravel riding I do is mixed pavement and gravel, so that's an important aspect to me. I run these tires tubeless with sealant, and they haven't let me down over thousands of miles now.
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.
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.
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.
These tires were spec'd for my new ti gravel bike and they handle all the road conditions I ride without issue. I purchased a new set of tires expecting to change them both at the same time but the rear sidewall seat at the rim gave out on a ride after 2,000 miles so I put in a tube and continued home and replaced the rear tire. the front tire is still on the bike with plenty of tread left and I have no concern with riding it. I am a 255 lb rider and demand a lot from a bike and tire. I have been satisfied with the performance so far.
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.
I've been running Ramblers for a few years now and highly recommend them. I used a set of 40c EXO tires f/r for a couple years and am now on a 45c EXO front and 40c Silk Shield in the rear to get a little more "suspension" in the front and flat resistance in back. The lighter EXO model is a little more fragile, but they're light at around 375 grams, so a good tire for race days or lighter riders. The 45c is a good amount larger in volume than the 40c, and can be run several PSI lower. Ramblers roll decently on pavement, and don't feel like they give up a ton of watts over a smaller/smoother tire. And more importantly they have a consistent amount of grip when leaned over - the side knobs don't feel too squirmy on pavement, like WTB Nanos can, for comparison. On gravel these are in their element, and they can handle some trail use too, within reason.
They set up easily as tubeless. They're fast and have good traction is all the conditions I encountered (rain, snow, dry pavement, dirt, gravel). But they're insanely fragile. With less than 200 miles on them I'm throwing away the front tire; too many cuts to trust the tire anymore. On the second ride I had to call my wife to come pick me up because I had so many rear punctures my sealant was exhausted and my hands were too cold from messing with the pump to fit the tube I carry. (To be fair, they use cinders on the road around here for traction in winter, but this was <10 miles into the ride.) I love Maxxis tires and use them almost exclusively on my MTB. But these were a terrible disappointment. Won't recommend them. Won't buy them again.
I like Maxxis tires anyway and expected these to work well, which they do. After years of using Kendas as my winter tires I switched to these and have been very happy. They are lightweight but seem durable. They have great handling, especially in turns. Their rounded profiles are much preferred to the Kendas and their square-edged shoulders that resulted in sudden tip-in on turns. They mounted tubeless on my Stan's ZTR rims with minimal fuss. Traction is good wet or dry, upright or leaned into a turn. I particularly like that these Ramblers run so well on so many surfaces as most of my gravel rides are mixed-surface rides. One ride I do often transitions from asphalt to gravel and back again multiple times over the 35 or so miles and these tires handle those transitions without a blip. However, on really burly gravel these can get overwhelmed. I'm thinking here of gravel better negotiated with 2.4 or larger MTB tires. For everything else, though, the Ramblers excel and I'm willing to accept sketchy performance in extreme conditions for exceptional performance in all the other conditions I encounter.
Great tires, fast rolling and hooks up well in corners. They don't slow me down on road transitions either! Initial set up had some air leak from sidewalls but rest them on their side overnight with sealant in them and good to go.
Love these tires, they were a huge improvement over my old ones. They are 40mm, but seem to cling to the ground like they're a lot wider. I live in a dry area, so my experience has been on dry dirt paths, pea sized gravel, and forest floors with leaves and twigs. I don't have a reason to think the tires will perform poorly in mud, but I can't speak on that topic. One final thought: I haven't noticed much slowdown on paved roads. I do about 50/50% of dirt and pavement.
I have used a bunch of different tires on my gravel bikes. Tried this in a 45, but had too much rolling resistance on the road. The 40 seems to be perfect for me. I actually think I have a flatter sweet spot of contact on the gravel with the 40 as well. This is my go to tire.
A pretty dirt specific tire. I use as a 50/50 tire, and burn through the rear tire pretty fast climbing on pavement. I have done some moderate single track with plenty of rocks and roots, and have plenty of grip climbing and descending. Nice casing running 120 TPI in both the 40 and 45 widths. I'll buy again.
The Rambler are a nice addition to my old Trek of 20 years. i overhauled the entire bike stripping it down to the bare metal and rebuilding. the choice of the Rambler was a combination of fit, drive style, and changing conditions for winter commute. they work well with road commuting as well as trials along the Erie Canal. the tires look great on the bike and it is a wonderful addition. I have not set them up as TL but will plan to do that in the future.
Within the realm of gravel tires live almost too many options. Deciding where to go, what to select is challenging...
It doesn't need to be. Go with ramblers. It's really that simple. 60 tpi will be a slightly harsher ride, vs 120 tpi. But either are great depending on your needs.
This is a great tire for gravel riding and is perfectly at home with mixed surface (dirt and paved roads). Just purchased a set and was surprised that the 700 X 40mm - EXO/TR Black was listed at 375g per tire. Weighed at receipt and the tire masses were 442 g and 415g. This would not prevent me from purchasing another set in the future.
