CX/Gravel Tire Test: Maxxis Rambler EXO/TR 120 TPI 40

The Rambler is a gravel bike tire from Maxxis that should suit a large range of on- and off-road conditions. Although Maxxis is quite a well-known brand in mountain biking, they aren't that big yet in gravel bikes. The Rambler is their first tire designed entirely for gravel bikes.

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Our first impression of the Rambler (looks and specifications) is positive as it looks like a well-rounded all-purpose gravel bike tire, and it's available in all of the popular gravel bike tire sizes. One thing to beware of is that Maxxis usually releases a huge amount of different specifications of the same tire, and the Rambler is no different. Be aware that this is a test of the 120 TPI "EXO/TR" version and the other versions might perform differently.

The Rambler is available in 120 TPI and 60 TPI versions and also a 60 TPI version with "Silkshield" protection which means it has a protective layer that runs from bead to bead, unlike the "EXO" protection that is sidewall only. The 60 TPI EXO/TR version comes with tan-colored sidewalls and the 120 TPI version has black sidewalls. If you prefer tan-colored sidewalls and the 120 TPI casing, that's not possible.

Maxxis did a good job with making the Rambler available in the most popular tire sizes for gravel bikes: 38, 40, 45, and 50 mm and also 47 mm for the 27.5/650b wheel size. 50 mm is a size we do not see all that often with gravel bike tires (it's getting dangerously close to a mountain bike tire) but it looks like there's demand for oversized gravel bike tires.

The compound used on the Rambler is a "Dual" compound and we're a bit disappointed it doesn't use Maxxis's 3C compound technology. Maybe the "Dual" compound is just as good but we couldn't find much information about it. Let's just put it on the test bench and see how it does in our tests.

Manufacturer Specifications

Manufacturer Specs
Brand	Maxxis
Model	Rambler EXO/TR 120 TPI
Year	2021
Supplied By	Bought in store
New or Used	New
Mileage	0 km
Price Range	High
Buy At	Ad Amazon.com
Manufacturer part number	ETB00195800
EAN	4717784038070
TPI	120
Compound	Dual
Bead	Folding
ETRTO	40-622
Specified Weight	440 grams
Max Air Pressure (psi)	60
Made In	Members Only
Available Sizes	38-622 (700x38c) 40-622 (700x40c) 45-622 (700x45c) 50-622 (700x50c) 47-584 (650x47b)

Maxxis Rambler EXO/TR 120 TPI 40 Test Results

Size, Weight, and Thickness Measurements

Size, Weight, and Thickness Measurements
Specified Weight	440 grams
Measured Weight	420 grams
Measured Width Casing	39 mm (un-round)
Measured Width Tread	40 mm
Measured Height	37 mm (un-round)
Measured Knob Height Center	1.4 mm
Measured Knob Height Edge	1.8 mm
Measured Total Thickness Center (excluding knobs)	1.80 mm
Measured Total Thickness Sidewall	Members Only
All size measurements are taken at low air pressure on a 17.8 mm inner width rim.

Rolling Resistance Test Results

Rolling Resistance Test Results
Inner Tube	None (30 ml sealant) (current protocol)	Conti Cross28 (160 gr) (test protocol)
Measured Width	39 mm	39 mm
Rolling Resistance Real tire width in mm: 30-32 = 66 psi/4.6 bar 33-35 = 60 psi/4.1 bar 36-38 = 54 psi/3.7 bar 39-42 = 50 psi/3.4 bar 43-46 = 46 psi/3.2 bar 47-50 = 42 psi/2.9 barHigh Air Pressure (50 psi / 3.4 bar)	Members Only	Members Only
Rolling Resistance Real tire width in mm: 30-32 = 55 psi/3.8 bar 33-35 = 50 psi/3.4 bar 36-38 = 45 psi/3.1 bar 39-42 = 42 psi/2.9 bar 43-46 = 38 psi/2.6 bar 47-50 = 35 psi/2.4 barMedium Air Pressure (42 psi / 2.9 bar)	Members Only	Members Only
Rolling Resistance Real tire width in mm: 30-32 = 44 psi/3.0 bar 33-35 = 40 psi/2.8 bar 36-38 = 36 psi/2.6 bar 39-42 = 33 psi/2.3 bar 43-46 = 31 psi/2.1 bar 47-50 = 28 psi/1.9 barLow Air Pressure (33 psi / 2.3 bar)	25.0 Watts CRR: 0.00749	28.8 Watts CRR: 0.00863
Rolling Resistance Real tire width in mm: 30-32 = 33 psi/2.3 bar 33-35 = 30 psi/2.1 bar 36-38 = 27 psi/1.9 bar 39-42 = 25 psi/1.7 bar 43-46 = 23 psi/1.6 bar 47-50 = 21 psi/1.4 barExtra Low Air Pressure (25 psi / 1.7 bar)	29.5 Watts CRR: 0.00884	34.5 Watts CRR: 0.01034
The CX/Gravel section is a multi tire size section, air pressures have been adjusted to the measured casing width. All numbers are for a single tire at a speed of 29 km/h / 18 mph and a load of 42.5 kg / 94 lbs. Use the formula: RR (Watts) = CRR * speed (m/s) * load (N) to calculate rolling resistance at a given speed and load.

Puncture Resistance Test Results

Puncture Resistance Test Results (higher is better)
Total Puncture Score Tread	28 Points
Total Puncture Score Sidewall	Members Only
Tread Puncture Force Sharp Needle	Members Only
Tread Puncture Force Blunt Needle	Members Only
Tread Total Tire Thickness	1.80 mm
Sidewall Puncture Force Sharp Needle	Members Only
Sidewall Puncture Force Blunt Needle	Members Only
Sidewall Total Tire Thickness	Members Only

Hard Surface Static Grip Test Results

Static Grip Test Results
Wet Grip Average	63 Points
Wet Grip Center	Members Only
Wet Grip Edge	Members Only
Measured Knob Height Center	1.4 mm
Measured Knob Height Edge	1.8 mm
Grip in points = coefficient of friction * 100 CX/Gravel grip test rim width = 23.0 mm
Wet Grip Test and Off-Road Tires (info)

Conclusion

The 120 TPI Maxxis Rambler EXO/TR doesn't impress us as it lacks some speed and at the same time doesn't perform all that well in our puncture tests. We are positive about the tread profile of this tire as it looks like it will suit a very large range of conditions. A faster "3C" compound might have helped give it a bump in performance as we think gravel bike tires should have the fastest compounds to differentiate more from mountain bike tires.

If you're looking for gravel bike tires that perform well year-round, these might be fine, but you might miss that last edge in performance. As always, we recommend you to go to our CX/Gravel overview page and compare the Rambler against the competition.

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RATING: 3.0 / 5
TEST VERDICT: Recommended

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