Maxxis has added to its road race tyre range with the launch of the High Road SL, which it says is its lightest and fastest road tyre ever.
Priced in the UK at £49.99 a tyre ($64 in the US), the High Road SL is Maxxis’ first tyre to use its latest HYPR-S rubber compound.
Maxxis says that this keeps the very high grip levels of the HYPR compound already used in its existing High Road tyres, but decreases rolling resistance by a claimed 12 per cent.
Maxxis recommends the High Road SL for race, time trial and velodrome use only, saying it’s designed to be fast and light – not to last.
It’s constructed using a 170 TPI casing for flexibility and bump absorption, which Maxxis says will give the rider more comfort and control.
Puncture protection is from the brand’s lightweight K2 breaker layer, although with its low weight, Maxxis describes it as “limited”, backing up the race-use-only message.
Maxxis is the tyre sponsor to the Israel Start-Up Nation pro team. So, from next year, you can expect to see Chris Froome riding its tyres in the big races, following his recently announced transfer to the team from Team Ineos.
Israel Start-Up Nation has already notched up victories on the new tyre during the truncated 2020 race season.
The High Road SL joins Maxxis’ existing family of performance road tyres, which includes the all-round High Road, the tubeless-ready Padrone and the tubular Campione.
The regular tubed clincher version of the new High Road SL is available now, with Maxxis saying that a tubeless-ready option is on its way later this summer.
We’ve got a couple of sets of the High Road SL tyres in for test here at BikeRadar in both 25mm and 28mm widths, so look out for our verdict on Maxxis’ newest rubber.
Maxxis High Road SL tyre specs
- Tyre type: Tubed clincher (tubeless clincher to follow)
- Sizes available: 25mm, 28mm
- Weight: 172g (25mm), 179g (28mm)
- Intended use: Race, time trial, velodrome
- Price: £49.99/$64
