Long has the domain of the adventure bike tyre been one that has conjured debate . What is the ‘ best adventure tyre ’? What does this , that , and the other ? But in reality is there one that could be the best or do everything you want ?
We recently assessed the Trailmax Mission by Dunlop , a tyre said to be a true 50 / 50 offering a great compromise of both worlds . Does it stack up ? Now around for the
best part of four years , the Trailmax Mission draws on the experience of a light truck tyre manufacturer , Falken . And for the most part it performs like a light truck tyre . Despite a slightly aggressive tread pattern the Trailmax Mission performs admirably on road , a slight annoying hum when the tread starts to wear down , yet something that really isn ’ t annoying . On road performance is confidence inspiring in all conditions including heavy rain , straight line , cornering , and heavy braking sees the Trailmax perform as well as any full road orientated tyre , perhaps an indication to its true nature .
The Trailmax Mission performs just as well on the more common ‘ dirt ’ that adventure riders will take it on , well formed gravel roads or fire trails . No airing down required , it performs as it should , but then so will most road tyres . The tread pattern allows for a level of bite as well as sidewall protection , good when you do need to air down , like sand or deep gravel . And here the Trailmax mission struggles a little , the tread pattern not aggressive enough to dig in and certainly not able to cope with anything slightly wet , the tread just doesn ’ t throw the mud creating a slick challenging even the best of the riders .
The Trailmax Mission is a bias constructed tyre offering better off road durability , yet this doesn ’ t diminish the on road experience . The belts see a mix of polyester , nylon and fibreglass that combine for the 50 / 50
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