MAXX Huraxdax – The Review

by Jeff Price

Firstly, a huge thank you to Gomez and Maxx Bikes for a fun packed couple of

months since I took control of the MAXX Huraxdax full suspension fat bike

As more bike manufacturers are getting on the full suspension fat-bike-wagon I knew

it was going to be interesting to see what this ‘new’ bike was all about.

Once I first found out I was going to be testing the Huraxdax I was curious to see if

there was a need for rear suspension, or if suspension in general is needed on a fat

bike? These curious thoughts were soon answered after my first ride on a local loop.

Where I would descend with great care and with the odd dab, the Huradax would just

soak every step & drop off making all the off piste track easily rideable. Comparing

my times from an app on my phone, it is easy to see that my descending has

improved drastically. For example, I improved on a 2 minute 45 second section by

over 25 seconds!! Now I know they are different bikes but you can clearly see that

descending is where the Huraxdax comes into its own.

On looks alone, you know the Huraxdax is going to be quick when pointed downhill.

For me, as you may have gathered from my fat bike video’s, I’m more of a take it

easy type of rider. However, the suspension the Huraxdax is armed with, gave me so

much confidence when going downhill, it made me feel like a young fearless rider

from years gone by! It excelled on tight twisty singletrack with responsive steering.

Even on the rough stuff like gravel beds and rocky sections, the Huraxdax glided

over the lumps and bumps to give a smooth controlled ride.

But this is not just where the Huraxdax excels. Even on the climbs my performance

improved. This could mostly be down to the tyre choice on the bike. 4” Schwalbe

Jumbo Jims mounted on the superlight DT Swiss BR2250 rims made climbing an

ease. The tyres’ centre tread offered little resistance but the side treads gave me all

the grip you need into the corners. I also mounted a pair of 4.8 Jumbo Jims as they

fitted the frame with ease but given the terrain I had locally I felt they were over kill

for it. For me the DT Swiss BR2250 rims were an instant hit, as I felt there was no

weight or self-steer due to their lightness and they also look great.

The gearing I used on the Huraxdax was the super reliable Shimano XT shifters

controlling an 11-36 cassette. Up front, a 36-22 was enough for the manmade trails

and natural terrain on offer during the test. Another bonus was my choice of the

Raceface Evolve bashguard, as it came in handy on a few occasions judging by the

dinks on it!

The braking system was the Shimano Zee set up. A 203mm front disc and a 180mm

rear were impeccably controlled via the short dimpled lever in which one finger

braking was more than possible. During the course of the test, I had no squealing

from the brakes in wet or dry conditions. This said to me that the braking pressure

was even throughout the pad and no performance was ever lost. I had the upmost

confidence that if I needed to slow down I most certainly would and in a controlled

manner.

As for the personal fit of the Huraxdax, it fitted me like a glove, with no alterations

being made to the set up at all. This I believe is all down to the Configurator on the

MAXX website. This is where you pick the spec for the bike but more importantly you

input your height, inseam length, saddle height, your weight and then the nitty gritty

measurements such as the centre of seatpost to centre of the grips etc.

With this perfect bike fit and the 680mm wide bars on an 80mm stem the Huraxdax

seemed to urge me to go faster than I have done for a long time especially on tight

twisty singletrack.

I also picked the Kindshock LEV DX telescopic 120mm seatpost with the remote

mounted on the bars. Now this was the first time I’d used a remote seatpost and I

must say that when hurtling down the local singletrack at speeds I’d not done before,

it was reassuring to know that for the steep sections I could improve my ride by

dropping it. Again during the 6 weeks of testing, the drop post performed perfectly.

Now the main part of the Huraxdax is obviously the suspension it offers. The

Rockshox Bluto offering 120mm of air sprung suspension made light work of the

rough stuff. With the added bonus of the lockout lever mounted on the bars, it was

simple to switch the suspension on or off.

The rear Rockshox Monarch RT3 performed excellently. Even though I’m a

lightweight rider (70kg), the shock absorbed the larger bumps but also the smaller

bumps which made riding the Huraxdax a very comfy one but also and more

importantly a confidence boosting ride. As I said earlier, with this great suspension

coupled with awesome braking, I was riding over terrain I would not have looked at

before. The confidence it gave me was, on reflection, quite inspiring as it certainly

improved my riding skills vastly in just a few weeks.

So the ‘how much questions’. She weighs in at a tad under 40lbs although she

doesn’t feel that heavy. This could be down to the low weight of the rims and

therefore centralising the weight of the bike. With the high end spec I picked she’ll

cost you €4500 which is a lot of money but you do get a lot of bike which will

certainly put a smile on your face.

The combination of the benefits of full suspension and of big tires certainly make for

an all new kind of ride, especially on the MAXX Huraxdax.

The good points:

 Handles great, confidence building

 Super braking

 Fast rolling tyres

 Suspension urges you to try anything

 Superlight rims

 A great configurator on the MAXX website

The not so good:

 Space a little too tight for a bottle and cage

 That’s it!!

For more nformation about MAXX visit – www.maxx.de