This will be my third or fourth season on MXPs. A good tread for a multitude of conditions up to but excluding sticky, clayey gumbo mud. (The treads are too close and tend to build up clay). As the center treads wear away I "downcycle" previous year's models onto my gravel & commuter bikes & they are still good for another 2000+ mi on pavement & easy gravel.
I expected the Donnelly model to be identical to my old Clements. After all it's the same company, right?
HOWEVER I just took delivery of the newest DONNELLY MXP tires and they are noticeably different from previous models under the Clement name. I have not raced on them yet so I can't comment on their performance. But this year's (Donnelly) model:
* noticeably heavier
* do not fold as tightly
* bead maintains creases at the folds, at least temporarily. I would worry this would affect tubeless setup
* came packaged in a box instead of through a hang tag
* made with a stiffer, more plasticky compound
* have a weird smell (kind of urine-ish?)
We'll see if they race or wear any differently!
Mounted these tubeless on HED Ardennes as well as an Industry nine wheel. Both wound up with horrible wobbles on the tire. I've mounted the older BOS tires tubeless with no difficulty, and countless other tires. These are the only ones I have had this problem with, and it happened on two different wheels. Tried reseating them, reinstalling them, switched base tape, inflating at high pressure, inflating at low pressure and riding, etc. etc. Every time, horrible wobble (sometimes up to 1cm back and forth). It's unfortunate, as I was looking forward to racing these.
The MXP was THE tire I used for the 2018 California 'cross season. It excelled in 90% of the conditions I used it in - mainly powder-dry, hardpack dirt to light mud. I did use it in a muddy race and it did OK, but it's a tire not designed for mud, so I can't fault the tire in that one situation (The PDX might've been a better choice). I feel the tire was a contributer to me getting 4th out of 28 in a local cyclocross series (C45)!
These are great. They set up tubeless easily, and perform well. We havent had any rain, so Ive only used them in dry conditions, but they grip well on grass, sand and loose surfaces. Definitely recommend as a good all-around CX tire.
I use this tire on my Cross bike for gravel, dirt and non-technical single track rides. I've tried 2 other tires because the one bugaboo with the MXP is that it is very difficult to mount. Having said that, I keep coming back to it because the ride quality is vastly superior to the other tires I have used. Despite sporting substantial knobs, it rolls surprisingly well on the sections of asphalt I ride to connect dirt sections. Since switching to the tubeless version, I now cannot get pinch flats, which had been a problem with the MXP clinchers. This also has allowed me to ride lower pressure, which further enhances ride quality and traction.
