When it comes to my mountain bike, I’m pretty loyal to Maxxis’ tire offerings but on my ‘cross bike, I’ve been loyal to the WTB Nano for so long that I forget to look at other options out there. This year at Interbike, Maxxis unveiled a few 40mm tires, marketed at the “gravel” crowd: the Rambler, with a minimal, tightly-packed, fast-rolling tread (pictured) and the Re-fuse, a slick. Both tires are tubeless-ready and seem to be solid options for those wanting a little more cushion for dirty rides.

Yesterday I installed the Rambler on my Firefly and while they took a bit to get seated on my tubeless rims, I like what I see so far. While they are called a 40mm tire, mine measured 38mm on the ENVE M50 rims, which are actually quite wide. Side by side to the Nano, which measure 41mm on the same rims, they’re not nearly as plump, but the light tread pattern looks like it’ll roll fast on pavement while offering a good amount of traction on dusty corners. Maxxis calls the Rambler a racing tire.

Time will tell which I’ll prefer (the Nano or the Rambler) for this bike in particular but after a few quick rides, I’m enjoying what the Rambler has to offer. You can order these tires from your local Rambler dealer, or through Maxxis direct if your local shop doesn’t carry them.