What’s the deal with them then? And where’s the grey tread colours of yester-year gone!?
Here’s a quick look at what has us so eager to blow some berms and blast some turns on our enduro bike right now!
Beefy Tread Pattern
The tell-tale sign of a good downhill tyre is a no-nonsense, aggressive and openly spaced tread pattern with a meaty shape and 2.45″ width. The Highlander is not dissimilar to other tyres in its class, but has a more symmetric and uniformly angled pattern than most – which is claimed give the Highlander better grip in mud and softer soils.
Enduro Trail Dual Compound
Mitas’ dual compound configuration provides a simple and effective solution to the problem of decent tire wear vs traction performance; a harder, more wear resistant rubber makes up the base and centre knobs of the tread, while a softer, slower rebound compound is used on the side knobs.
DH SUPRA MAXX & TEXTRA
WHY THE YELLING? Don’t be put off by more buzzwords – these tyres pack an impressive construction in the form of 4ply sidewalls embedded with a rubberised fabric to try and eliminate any chance of cuts or flats. What is even more impressive, is that each tyre weighs in at 1000 grams each – almost exactly the same as comparable 2 and 3 ply offerings from Maxxis.
The Textra models in the Mitas tyre range are backed by a 100 day sidewall guarantee, that’s what we call confidence!
Along with its $90 price tag, sidewall guarantee and cool unique graphics, the Mitas Highlanders are enticing enough to raise the eyebrows of even the deepest of Maxxis fans. We are looking forward to putting this tread through every kind of trail torture in the coming weeks.
Flow's First Bite: Mitas Highlander Tyres
The not-so-minor details
Positives
Aggressive tread and competitive weight.
Beefy 4ply casing.
100-day sidewall guarantee.
Negatives
A touch pricey.