Maxxis Announces New High Roller 3 Tire

There might not be any dice on the sidewalls, but Maxxis is headed back to the casino with their newest tire, the High Roller 3, which launches today. There have been rumors and whisperings of a beefy new Maxxis gravity tire for a while now, and while the tread pattern is a bit of a departure, the “High Roller” moniker does seem appropriate given its intentions as a wet or dry, loose conditions tire. Like the High Roller II it still slots between Maxxis’ dry conditions tire and their mud spikes, although now those brackets are the Assagai and the Shorty, not the DHF and the Wet Scream.

Unsurprisingly, the High Roller 3 already has some accolades to its name, with folks like Jackson Goldstone, Ronan Dunne, Marine Cabirou and Ellie Hulsebosc taking race wins on the new tire. The High Roller 3 is officially launching to the rest of us today, at Crankworx, and this “announcement/first look” piece is a little different from usual, because if all goes as planned, I’ll actually be out riding the High Roller 3 for the first time as this piece publishes. So here’s what I know for now, and then I’ll update with actual ride impressions as soon as I get home tonight.

Maxxis High Roller 3 in a Nutshell

• Sizes available: 29/27.5x2.4”
• Compound: 3C MaxxGrip
• Casing: DH available now, DoubleDown and EXO+ coming soon

What does Maxxis say about the High Roller 3? Maxxis is refreshingly straightforward with their description of the newest High Roller. Here it is, verbatim:

“ Positioning itself between the Assegai and the Shorty in the Maxxis gravity range, the third generation High Roller combines an open center tread pattern and with large, well-supported side knobs to withstand extreme cornering forces.

It’s a hybrid tread design that provides the soil penetration of a wet weather mid-spike while retaining the cornering control and hard surface traction of a dry conditions tire.

The High Roller III was developed for the demands of modern downhill and has already claimed a win at Mont Sainte Anne under Jackson Goldstone. ”

I’d summarize that as “A beefy tire for going fast, downhill, in loose conditions.” No talk of rolling resistance here, no discussion of efficiency – it’s all about traction in loose, treacherous terrain, wet or dry.

On paper at least, the High Roller 3’s tread pattern looks much more Shorty than Assagai, with alternating double rows of siped knobs down the center of the tread and big, well-supported side knobs.

Some Questions

As I mentioned above, I’m out riding this tire right now, so I’ve got plenty of speculative observations, but no real experience. Here are a few of my top questions that I’ll start to answer when I get back:

Maxxis says that the High Roller 3 “retains the cornering control and hard surface traction of a dry conditions tire.” Other similar-looking tires that I’ve ridden (Specialized Hillbilly, Maxxis Shorty, Schwalbe Magic Mary) can feel a little drifty, vague, or squirmy on truly hardpack trails, especially on rock-armored sections or bigger slabs. How does this High Roller 3 compare?

Maxxis is obviously putting a priority on traction and grip with this tire. How does it roll? How efficient is it? Is this a tire for DH bikes only, or would I run it on a trail bike. And how does it feel on the back of the bike?

I’m pretty happy with the Assagai as a front tire for 80% of my riding on longer-travel bikes, and then for the sloppiest 20%, I’ll swap on a Shorty or Hillbilly. However, in the dead of summer (right now) when things get really dry and loose, I do find the limits of the Assagai a little faster than I’d like. Does the High Roller 3 provide enough of an edge in these sort of conditions that I’d swap it over for dry, loose summer riding?

Hopefully I’ll have at least the start of answers to those questions in a few hours.