Launched mid-summer 2025, the Maxxis High Roller III has an impressive tally of World Cup downhill wins to its name and is our new favourite front tyre.
Since it arrived in the summer, the Maxxis High Roller III has done everything and anything a front tyre might be asked to do.
Photos by Pete Scullion.
Key features:
- 3C MaxxGrip rubber compound
- EXO+ (Tested here), DoubleDown (2×120 TPI), or Downhill (2×60 TPI) casing
- 30-35mm rim width recommended
- Tubeless Ready (TR)
- 2.4″ width only
- 29 or 27.5″
- £74.99 RRP
- Maxxis.com
Whilst it doesn’t look anything like its predecessors, the Maxxis High Roller III is arguably the best of the bunch. With the advent of so many teams cutting spikes to suit track conditions, Maxxis developed the High Roller III as a half way point between the Shorty and the Wet Scream.
The Shorty Gen 2 may still be listed as an option from Maxxis but the two tyres do now seem like clones of each other, but the ramped centre knobs on the High Roller mean that they deal deform far better so that they don’t squirm on harder surfaces. The Shorty is very much just a Wet Scream with shorter knobs.
A box containing a single High Roller III arrived in EXO+ casing, my preferred front wheel choice for regular duties as I think you would need to be riding the La Thuile downhill track to warrant running something this spikey on the rear. You’re very much in Continental Argotal or Schwalbe Magic Mary with this tyre.
Almost immediately, the tyre shows its chops. Grip is exceptional in almost any setting. The added traction and confidence gained with the High Roller III is something that has be experienced. I though I was content enough with the Tacky Chan combo on the my Saracen Ariel but I was wrong.
Regardless of whether it was crossing sniper roots, stuffing it into soft loam ruts, crossing slabs or even riding on bone dry dirt, the High Roller III just allows you to focus on where the bike is going. Only once have I lost grip on the front when I hit a root at 45 degrees horizontal whilst also being at 45 degrees in the vertical plane. Nothing was going to save me there.
So copious is the grip that I have regularly been running the High Roller III at higher pressures than I would normally run up front. This helps offset the slow rolling nature of those tall knobs but the traction available is worth every penny. I have yet to have had any punctures or sealing issues with the tyre in six months of near constant use, including a fortnight of heavy use in the Alps.
Yes, there will be lighter and faster rolling tyres, cheaper ones too, but if you value outright mechanical grip in almost any setting, then the High Roller III is the very best that I have used recently. Only the Continental Argotal comes close in terms close. Both have that magic blend of being the right balance of weight, price, grip, rolling speed and suppleness. What you choose to run will likely come down to personal preference, but right now, the Maxxis pips it.
You can check out the Maxxis High Roller III over on their website here.
