What’s the best way to make short work of serious gnar? Apart from 200mm of travel and nerves of steel, it’s the Maxxis Ardent EXO 29in Tire. It’s got the size to roll over the chunkiest trail furniture like it’s not even there, the blocky side knobs to corner like it’s on rails, and the ramped center knobs to roll like it’s got somewhere to be. The rolling resistance is surprisingly low, but the stopping power is enough to come to a halt on a dime and bring back nine cents change. The Ardent’s also situated to run tubeless, so you can enjoy the grip that comes with lower pressures and not have to fuss with tubes. Its dual-compound rubber is perfectly balanced between sticky grip and hard-charging durability, and the EXO casing delivers an extra dose of durability, so big hits into sharp rocks are no big thing.