High Rolling Again

The High Roller has always sparked lively conversations among riders—while some swear by its performance, others have been more skeptical. We might have found ourselves leaning towards the latter in the past, but that’s all about to change! Having tested both versions of the High Roller, we’re excited to see if the Maxxis High Roller III can revolutionize our perception and prove to be the game-changer we’ve been waiting for!

Our previous experiences with the High Rollers were that the fast rolling centre knobs tended to wear out fairly quickly which then made them skate under braking. They also seemed to have quite a tippy sensation when rolling onto the side knobs.

When the HR2 came along, admittedly it was a better tyre, but we had already made our minds up at that point and were just unconvinced to spend any more hard-earned cash on a tyre that wasn’t meeting our needs, so we settled on our go-to tyres. We typically gravitated towards a Minion DHF front and rear in the old days, moving to a Minion DHR2 and then more recently the Dissector- all on the bike’s rear. We have never considered running an HR as a front tyre, until now.

Maxxis High Roller III – Features

The Maxxis High Roller III is the latest from the High Roller bloodline. Its predecessors have been a staple for riders known for their versatility and aggressive performance. The High Roller III has built upon this and now offers a more robust tyre with a lot of improvements.

Development on the High Roller 3 started in 2022 from athlete feedback needing an all-around tyre that can handle the steeps and varied weather conditions when racing World Cup events. The athletes also wanted a tyre that performed well in hard-packed dry conditions. Seriously, Isn’t this the elusive Goldilocks tyre we all want, pro rider or not?

The High Roller 3 promises to provide excellent traction on loose and muddy terrain as well as hard-packed surfaces.

The HR3 has widely spaced, multi-directional knobs more akin to the Shorty tyre than a High Roller tread pattern. The spacing between each knob is more uniform than the HR2 tread which further improves mud clearance, something the athletes were specifically asking for. The centre knob ramping has also been reduced from the previous version, now offering a much more square-edged profile which means this tyre is going to be better for braking rather than rolling speed.

Cornering stability has been improved with updated, larger side knobs that have been redesigned to offer more grip and stability on hard-packed or loose surfaces. The High Roller 3 will come with a Maxxis’ EXO sidewall protection option, which will help guard against cuts and abrasions, making it more durable for rougher terrain.

Tech Specs

• Sizes available (as of this review) 29 or 27.5 x 2.4
• Available in DH casing with Maxx Grip Compound
• Hybrid tread design
• MaxxGrip rubber compound
• 12% more braking surface area than the DHF and 11% more than the DHR II
• Larger side knobs for improved stability
• Reduced ramping on center knobs for improved braking
• Weight: 1350g for 27.5 and 1400g for 29
• Double Down casing coming soon and EXO+ later in the year

On The Trails

We when we received the HR3s we were quite shocked to see the obvious departure from the previous styles. Are you sure this wasn’t the new Shorty?? This piqued our interest as we had enjoyed the shorty tyre in the past, in the right conditions as a front or rear tyre. Gone were the lower profile ramped knobs that were the HR trade mark and in their place were individual tread blocks very reminiscent of the shorty tread pattern.

In comparing the Shorty and the HR3, our memories of the shorty were of a tyre that excelled in loose, loamy, wet conditions but struggled with squirminess in hard-packed trails, and high-load berms felt a tad unstable. The HR3 has a little bit more ramping to the front knobs. Perhaps a love child of the HR2 and the Shorty?

We played with the Shorty for a while and then ultimately moved back to a Minion or Assegai- not seeing any real benefit in all-round conditions. The reason for stroll down memory lane is we were genuinely curious as to whether this tyre would be a hit or relegated to the background with the shorty and HRs of the past.

Well, we were pleasantly surprised, well more than pleasantly…… Spoiler alert- We love this tyre!

We were sent out a couple of different casings to try- Double down and DH. 29 2.4 DD and 27.5 2.4 DH. The DH compounds were fitted to the trusty old downhill steed, not before dusting off the cobwebs and the DD were fitted to our 170mm Enduro bike. Both bikes had had the tyres fitted to the front and rear.

There were some initial concerns about going back to 2.4 on the front after years of 2.5 tyres but the burly side knobs of the High Roller 3 inspired confidence. Testing took place in our usual central coast stomping grounds and also a couple of trips to Thredbo. The front wheel was also swapped onto the e-bike so we spent some time doing less gravity-orientated testing.

Conditions were all over the place- from skatey dusty pea gravel, and loamy sandy tracks to full dust bowl Thredbo conditions. The tyres saw some wet weather riding, but nothing that would qualify as mud riding. As a rear tyre it just worked. There didn’t seem to be much noticeable difference in rolling speed to the dissector or aggressor that they replaced. The High Roller 3 seemed to have hung on to its fast-rolling rear tyre reputation regardless of the reduced ramped centre knobs.

On initial rides, we met with a reasonable level of enthusiasm, nothing groundbreaking compared to the Assegai or Minion DHF. The HR3 on the front steered slightly faster, perhaps that was down to the tread pattern or the slightly narrower profile? Hard to say, but it wasn’t a concern on a big 29r or DH bike. These rides were largely around the Central Coast and so conditions were quite hardpacked and rocky. The tyres gripped hard, both under braking and in the corners. It wasn’t until our first Thredbo trip that the HR3 started to edge ahead of the other 2 tyres.

The Maxxis High Roller III side knobs are super soft but offer a remarkable amount of support in the corners.

The spacing between the centre and side knobs has been designed to allow for improved cornering angles and off-camber control.

The conditions at Thredbo were dusty as hell. If you’ve ridden Thredbo after a long dry spell, you know what we mean. Some of the berms felt like giant dust bowls over hardpack and some quite literally were just dust bowls you could disappear into never to be seen again. In these conditions, we have always had a bit of trepidation throwing the front in and trusting it will grip.

We distinctly remember thinking ‘Huh, we could have gone much harder there’ several times. This gave us the confidence to push harder each lap. The big open tread pattern and prominent knobs seemed to bite into the dust and grab the hardpack underneath.

Conclusions

While sitting on the chairlift back to the top the group chats were flooded with messages of ‘We might have found our new favourite front tyre. We quickly adjusted to the quicker steering and didn’t notice any noticeable strangeness when leaning the bike in. Durability-wise, the tyres have been run at appropriate pressures for the locations. Typically around the 28-30 psi range on the rear and 24-25 in the front without any tyre inserts.

We haven’t had any issues at all, and the tread blocks are holding up well after numerous downhill shuttle days and lots of vertical miles on the chairlifts at Thredbo.

All in all, these are some of our favourite new tyres to come out recently. Having the ability to run the same tyre and rotate the front to the rear, keeping the freshest on the front, brings back fond memories of dual DHF tyre days.

Maxxis High Roller III Price

Maxxis High Roller III range from $119.95 – $129.95

Maxxis High Roller III rough prices guide. Prices may change based on the store.