Maxxis Xenith Equipe Legere

Price Paid:  $0.00 at buddy owns a shop

Bike Setup:
mounted to Mavic Ksyrium SL

Summary:
Long time mountain biker who got on the road 3 years ago.
Bike came with cheap Vittorias and they had 1 flat in 1.5 years and didn't wear too bad either.
Switched to mid-level Hutchisons and had good luck but pulled them because of the low PSI limit.
Went to Maxxis Xenith Equipe Legere in October or November.
They grip real well......soft and tacky with zero tread.
Rolling resistance is whay I'd call fairly good.
When they were brand new, I had a few flats in the first few months (wintertime with nasty roads). More flats than I'd experienced with the other tires, but not totally out of hand. Now, after 800-900 miles I am getting flats at a greater rate than I ever did on a mountain bike. For the last couple months, I've been flatting 1-2 times on practically every ride. I inspect the tires like a surgeon every time and they are clean. No burrs on the wheels. The tires do not show any wear like they're burned through. It's totally out of hand and I will never ride these again.
I would say these tires are great for a crit race on a cleaned road with a rider who won't spin or skid them. Aside from that, DO NOT RIDE THESE TIRES.

Now to play devil's advocate......
I know that any tire you can buy, you'll find people who love them and have never flatted and you'll find people who hate them and flat all the time......just read through this site.
I have a friend who rode a pair of Equipe Legere's all last year and had one flat. I trusted his judgement, and still do, but I won't ride these again.

Strengths:
Super light
Good grip
Good looks
Easy to mount

Weaknesses:
WAY WAY TOO MANY FLATS
you can puncture these by staring at them too hard
tires are paper thin

Similar Products Used:
Vittoria
Hutchison
trashing the Maxxix for Vredestein Fortezza Tricomp.....the ones on my wife's bike have never had a flat in 2 years.

Price Paid:  $0.00 at Bike shop

Favorite Ride:
Too many to single out one ...

Bike Setup:
Orbea Orca with Shimano Ultegra SL groupset.

Summary:
I've used the Maxxis Equipe Legere as my mainstay tires for both races and group rides for a number of years after going through some others. They perform very well in the dry or wet. They don't cost a bomb to replace and that is always good.

The Equipe Legere are probably not the best tires to use in a time trial as you would want a tire with a lower rolling resistance.

The Equipe Legere are reasonably long lasting. My rear tire last between 4,000km to 5,000km, while the front about will easily exceed 9,000km to 10,000km (sorry, we use the Metric system here).

I did get punctures from small glass and sharp tiny pebbles that got embedded but that happened because I was too lazy to check the tires after a ride and those crap worked its way through the casing and nicked the inner tube.

Generally, I am quite happy with these tires as they represent good value for money. I will continue to use them.

Strengths:
Value, light weight, grippy.

Weaknesses:
Nothing unexpected. The rolling resistance could be lower.

Similar Products Used:
Continental GP3000, Vittoria Rubino Pro, Maxxis Hors Catgorie.

Price Paid:  $18.00 at Pro Deal

Favorite Ride:
Alpine Dam

Bike Setup:
Dura Ace10 carbon fetish Cycles

Summary:
Great tire for racing. There is almost no sidewall, so you can really lay it down. The re is only on compound, so no going from soft, to hard, to soft in switch backs. The softness is great for corning; however doesn't provide the best rolling resistance. Great crit tire.

Strengths:
Light, 10/10 corning, fast, cheap, cool looking graphics

Weaknesses:
Race only, very soft. Like slicks for a racing car. Lasts about 3 months of race only.

Similar Products Used:
Pro race, Pro Race2, Ritchey pro slick, vitoria etc.

Price Paid:  $40.00 at mail order

Bike Setup:
Trek 5200, Rolf Vector Pro

Summary:
I would echo some of the other comments regarding these - not very durable and many pinch flats. They are light, corner well and provide a nice ride but the decreased weight sacrifices durability with the thin rubber. Only lasted about 1500 miles. If you use them, get in the habit of checking before every ride for cuts and tread wear.

Strengths:
Light, good cornering

Weaknesses:
Durability.

Similar Products Used:
Vredenstien Fortezza, Michilien Axel Pro, Conti 3000.

Price Paid:  $33.00 at Ebay

Summary:
These tires are great... if you like flats. You will become an expert at changing flats. The only tire that exceeds this one in more flats is the Maxxis Courchevel and Maxxis Xenith Hors Categorie. Don't buy Maxxis tires. They will flat on the main part of the tread, they will flat on the sidewall, you won't even start to develop a flat spot on the back before the casing is cut and you have to throw them out.

Strengths:
Very light weight. Lighter than any other tire I've owner. Are moderately more durable than the Maxxis Xenith Hors Categorie. And worlds more durable than the Maxxis Courchevel.

Weaknesses:
All three of the above Maxxis tires I've owned (and I'm talking multiple pairs, not just one pair) are the least durable tires I've ever owned.

Similar Products Used:
Vittoria Open Corsa, Michelin Pro Race, Continental Grand Prix 3000, Vittoria Rubino, Continental Ultra, and many more low priced training tires

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