ravenmore

Ok. First of off, lets start off with the ugly. WTF is up with Maxxis' names on their tires? First of all they have "The Detonator". What short bus riding marketing exec came up with that name? I mean seriously, do you want to name your tire after something that explodes? Next in line is the topic tire - the Maxxis Re-Fuse. As in Maxxis refuse...as in what? Maxxis 'trash'? Maxxis 'I refuse to use' your tires? WTH? People got paid to think this **** up. I'm not kiddng. I could do better after 3 margaritas and a gander at Austin's Leslie (google it *shudder*).

Ok, so we got the ugly outta the way. Great. Welcome to the rest of the review sparky. Now we're just up to 'the bad'. Weight. Good gawd, 270-80 grams each. Ladies and gentleman, that means per set you're at HALF A FREAKING POUND of ROTATING weight more than my current fave clincher the Schwalbe Ultremo. Not only is it rotating weight, but it is weight at the furthest out point which is about as bad a place to put increased weight as you possibly can (short of your girlfriend...eh, or boyfriend as the case may be...)

Now, this is where the review gets interesting.

The Good.

Price. You can get a set of these things for the price of 1, single, uno Ultremo...or probably even one of your precious Paris Hilton Pro Races (I don't know what that means either. It just sounded good at the time...)

Cut resistance. One word. Kevlar. I haven't tried shooting them with a gun yet but have done everything just shy of that. I currently have nearly an inch long gash in the front tire right in the middle that goes quite cleanly to the kevlar. Not only did the kevlar repulse that cut of doom, but I've ridden the tire in that condition for a couple hundred miles since with nary a peep.

Handling. This surprised the h3ll outta me. In the package the casing feels stiff, so you'd think they'd handle like bricks. Welcome to a great big boatload of 'incorrect'. I really want to pop my Ultremo's on for a quick comparison to be sure, but these darn things might grip corners better. I've had a couple of "OMG I'M GOING TO CLIP MY PEDALS AND DIE" moments hooking turns on these tires and the tires never for a second felt like they were going to lose it. They tracked extremely predictably and actually inspired confidence. (Hmmm - actually maybe that was the Enzyte talking... )

So, WTF (when the f) would you use these tires? Bad marks on the weight. Extremely good marks on handling, cut resistance, and price. Great training tire, and for those looking for a commuting tire that doesn't handle like a brick (or even worse a Gatorskin), these deserve a serious look. You could even race on these in a pinch, although I wouldn't want to do a lot of climbing with 'em.

Of course, you have to get past the name. WTF?

Mike V

Ok, thanks for the review. I guess.

ravenmore

You're welcome. Maybe.

ridethecliche

So Descartes walks into a McDonalds, and when his turn comes he walks up to the register to order a burger and a shake. When he's asked if he wants fries with that shake, he replies "I think not", and disappears.

zonatandem

Besides your 'WTF' and other unneccessary verbiage, a decent review on the Maxxis Re-Fuse tire. Am running those on our tandem with rather good luck, especially cut resistance + good mileage.
Had used Detonnators previously on tandem and actually had 3 of them detonnate . . . like in kaBOOM!
Using Maxxis Courchevel on my racing bike ( FYI: Courchevel is a ski resort in France).
So what's in a name? Ravenmore . . . like WTF does that mean . . .

ravenmore

"quoth the Raven..." ah nevermind. Too complicated I'm sure. Ever think of having a career in marketing?

Man, try to make a review more fun than a root canal (on a product that pleasantly surprised me) and this is what you get...

ravenmore

Ah, finally a thinking man...

ridethecliche

I thunk hard and black bar tape is coming. Next time I make a bad OCP decision, I hope the bike gods will let it pass without smacking me face first into the pavement to tell me about the error of my ways!

I had the maxxis fuse tires on my CAAD9 and use them on my training wheelset. They cut a little easy and are soft so I have to take glass shards out of them often, but I think they grip really well. They do weigh a bit though.

BarracksSi

It's the "Re-Fuse" because it's an updated version of the Fuse, which came OEM on my road bike.

ravenmore

^^^makes since, but an unfortunate play on words. Kind of like Ford selling the Nova in Mexico. (for those that don't know 'No Va' in spanish means 'doesn't go').

zowie

If Ford was trying to sell Chevrolets with any name that would have been pretty dumb.

ravenmore

wow, you're right with the ford/chevrolet thing but was it really worth dredging up a year and half old thread over?

zowie

I happened to be reading the thread. You wrote a helpful review.

mrvrsick

Wow, comeback thread of the year?

buggg

buddhist monk walks up to a hot dog stand, the vendor says "what would you like?" the monk says "make me one with everything."

snotrockets

Nah, it's only a year old.

BTW considering my experience with the Re-Fuse, ravenmore's tires probably has some wear to them still. Too bad they loose any grip they might had after the first 500km or so.

ravenmore

thanks - just surprised to see it pop up.

btw, am training on 25mm Michelins now. Might race 'em too - better control and handling in wet stuff, and more comfortable.

RichinPeoria

I was thinking about buying a pair of Maxxis "The CRAMPS".
"Cut Resistant And Multiple Puncture Safe"
I heard they are nearly flat proof but ride really well
"No flats if you have the cramps !"

carlfreddy

I've actually thought about doing this as well.

teiaperigosa

from a NYC courier who rides all weather, every day, and rolls over all types of glass, etc....

these are the most flat resistant tires I've come across, ever...

in fact...they're my favorite period. they handle well and have good grip in all conditions....great street tire.... much better than continental or any of the other heavy, supposedly tough tires

in fact...I don't think that I've ever puncture flatted on them. I've worn them down to the casing and ridden on raw casing without flatting, only to replace for purposes of grip and 'fuk it, I guess I should replace them' effect

for me, I only see good in these

Zap Hassellhoff

Bump*

pressed001

Just leave the glass in there. It won't cause any damage.

I love this review. Although, I see more good in Maxxis and especially the Re-Fuse than bad. I see so much good in the Re-Fuse that I wanted to write a review myself, but this one pretty much covers everything. Plus some humor, which is hilarious btw.

I just rotated my set of re-fuses for the second time. They lasted me all of 2015 on my all-weather bike and some of 2014. Honestly they have something around 2500km on them. Edit: And they are still usable for probably another 2000-2500!

They have sharp stuff stuck in the softer outer skin, all over the place. But they still roll great and do the job.

I really have to hand it to Maxxis for these masterful creations. Not for racing, for sure, but what a tire. I recently bought some Michelin Pro 4 Endurances, just to compare. So maybe next year, when the re-fuses need to finally be laid to rest, I will try out these Mich's for comparison purposes.

I also swear by Maxxis tubes. I think their quality control is great.

I have a pair of Detonators on my wife's bike. But they have seen probably a total of 5 miles in 2 years. I just installed a set on one of my good-weather bikes but we will have to wait for that good weather to see if they do any detonating, as I hear they so often do.

pressed001

exactly.

K.Katso

When I was a teenager riding my first motorcycles, my friends and I use to joke around about those really crappy, cheap Cheng-Shin tires that you could get for about $30 each. Cheng-Shin rebranded themselves sometime later as Maxxis, mostly to hide that reputation of cheapness and low quality, I believe. I have my doubts anything has changed, and those names are just a way to lure people into thinking that there is something "explosive" or otherwise exciting about their products.