I always like using the fastest XC tires to give myself every advantage possible, whether that's in XC races or in ego-driven climbing contests against my riding buddies. I've spent plenty of time on some of the best XC tires on the market:
- 2.2” Continental Race King ProTection
- 2.35” Schwalbe Racing Ralph Super Ground
- 2.4" Maxxis Aspen Dual Compound
- 2.35" Specialized S-Works Renegade T5/T7
These are all VERY good XC tires that are popular with performance-oriented riders. However, my new number one pick, usurping all of these, is the new Vittoria Peyote XC Race G2.0.
I think the Peyote XC Race has a couple of advantages that make it a better choice (for me). This year, I used the Peyote for the Leadville Trail 100 MTB, Silver Rush 50, and even the Foco Fondo gravel race. I’ll likely choose it for any XC event I do in the foreseeable future.
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Low Rolling Resistance
The Peyote XC Race uses Vittoria's "Race Formulation" rubber compound, a Graphene + Silica compound that minimizes rolling resistance on the center strip and maximizes grip on the shoulders, plus a new "XC Race TLR" 60 TPI nylon casing. Vittoria claims that this combo gives the new Peyote a 6% improvement in rolling resistance compared to it previous fastest XC race tires in addition to an 11% increase in grip (especially in wet conditions).
Personal testing is the only way to truly know what your optimal setup is. If I could, I’d test all of my tires in real-world conditions using a timed roll-down test. Unfortunately, I lack both the time and money, so I have to rely on third-party testing to directly compare the rolling resistance of different tires.
Bicycle Rolling Resistance (BRR) is the biggest online resource for this sort of data, and like most gear geeks, I reference it constantly when researching tires. The testing protocol isn’t perfect, especially for off-road applications (tires are tested at 25 PSI on a smooth-ish drum), but it’s at least consistent. BRR tested the Peyote XC Race in July, and this is how it stacks up against some of the fastest XC tires:
|
Tire Model |
Width |
Claimed Weight |
Rolling Resistance |
|
Schwalbe Thunder Burt Super Ground |
2.25” |
615g |
15.7 W |
|
Continental Race King ProTection |
2.2” |
605g |
18.2 W |
|
Schwalbe Racing Ralph Super Ground |
2.35” |
730g |
19.0 W |
|
Vittoria Peyote XC Race |
2.4” |
730g |
20.4 W |
|
Schwalbe Racing Ray Super Ground |
2.25” |
655g |
20.4 W |
|
Vittoria Mezcal XC Race |
2.25” |
690g |
24.4 W |
|
Maxxis Aspen ST |
2.4” |
685g |
25.6 W |
|
Specialized S-Works Renegade |
2.35” |
590g |
25.9 W |
With a rolling resistance score of 20.4 watts, the Peyote XC Race is comparable to the fastest XC MTB tires currently available. For many XC racers, the two current benchmark race tires are the Continental Race King and the Schwalbe Racing Ralph, which have both seen a huge amount of success in professional racing. To be within ~2 watts of these tires is extremely good, and it makes me confident that the Peyote XC Race won’t hold me back in any race scenario.
Early in the year, the Schwalbe Racing Ralph Super Ground was actually my first choice for Leadville, but the next factor (puncture protection) played into my decision to run the Peyote XC Race instead.
Good Puncture Protection
One of Vittoria's main goals with its new Peyote XC Race (and the new Mezcal XC Race) was to improve puncture protection without sacrificing speed. Interestingly, Vittoria didn't add strips of puncture-resistant armor to the casing like we see used on many other tires. Instead, the Peyote just uses 2-3 layers of 60 TPI nylon casing that provide strength while remaining supple. It almost seems too simple. But maybe simple works best.
Puncture Protection is a tough thing to measure. In the real world, puncturing often comes down to riding skill, line choice, terrain, rider weight, and pure dumb luck. BRR does attempt to measure and score the puncture resistance of different tires:
|
Tire Model |
BRR Puncture Score (Tread) |
|
Vittoria Mezcal XC Race |
40 |
|
Vittoria Peyote XC Race |
39 |
|
Maxxis Aspen ST |
38 |
|
Continental Race King ProTection |
30 |
|
Schwalbe Racing Ralph Super Ground |
29 |
|
Schwalbe Racing Ray Super Ground |
27 |
|
Schwalbe Thunder Burt Super Ground |
26 |
|
Specialized S-Works Renegade |
26 |
In general, faster tires are more puncture-prone than slower tires. The Schwalbe Thunder Burt, for example, is the fastest mountain bike tire BRR has tested, but I don’t like using it because it’s also the most puncture-prone mountain bike I’ve ever used.
The Race King and Racing Ralph are decently tough in my experience, but my local terrain here in Colorado is very rocky and I have still punctured both tires several times throughout 2022 and 2023. I even tore a couple of shoulder knobs off one of my Racing Ralphs (which got warrantied) earlier this spring. These experiences shook my confidence.
Hit all the rocks, don't slow down.
The Peyote XC Race has a much higher tread puncture score than both the Race King and the Racing Ralph, which aligns with Vittoria's claims and my real-world experience. I’ve been riding some seriously rough trails on the Peyotes and somehow I keep coming away unscathed.
On descents filled with loose, chunky, and sharp rock (e.g., Silver Rush 50), I don't feel the need to hold back, which is always a good sign. I’ve even rimmed out a couple of times with no consequences (though this is likely dumb luck). With the Race King and the Racing Ralph, I got in the habit of backing off when things got chunky because of my experiences puncturing them in the past.
For now, I’m pretty impressed. The extra confidence the Peyotes gave me on descents is exactly what I wanted. That confidence will hold as long as my luck continues.
Surprisingly Impressive Traction
This is where the Peyote XC Race really won me over.
Just looking at the tread pattern, it doesn’t look like it will hook up very well. I honestly had pretty low expectations, but after riding it, I think it is one of the most confidence-inspiring XC tires I’ve ever used. It has great braking and cornering traction in dry and loose terrain. It even feels shockingly good in mud. I actually prefer the new Peyote tread to the Vittoria Mezcal tread, even though the Mezcal has bigger knobs.
Loose-over-hard is where the Peyote really shines, but it's surprisingly versatile and can handle chunk and mud too.
The Peyote XC Race tread uses an elongated V layout that Vittoria claims can “dig through loose terrain to find traction while evacuating debris laterally." What it feels like to me is that the thin, angled chevrons flex and fold over on loose terrain to increase surface area and grip. In some cases — like on loose-over-hard terrain — these chevrons might even have more grip than tall and spiky knobs that can’t bite into a firmer surface.
For cornering, the side knobs are still fairly tall and aggressive, and the chevrons help the tire transition in a very controlled manner when leaning the bike over.
Honestly, I was blown away by how confident I felt on these tires. In comparison, the Continental Race King is one of the sketchiest feeling tires I’ve tried. I don’t like how it brakes or how it feels when leaned over. I think the Schwalbe Racing Ralph is slightly better than the Peyote when braking in a straight line on super steep and loose terrain, but I still prefer the Peyote when transitioning to the side knobs and leaning over hard in corners.
Of course, tread patterns can be very personal, so this is just my opinion. I’m sure there are plenty of riders who will think the Peyote is too sketchy. If that’s the case, two XC race tires that I think are better in terms of traction and confidence are the 2.35” Schwalbe Racing Ray and 2.35” Specialized Fast Trak, which both have much taller knobs.
Also, It’s Wide
Wide tires let you run lower pressures, so they’re more comfortable and faster on rough terrain. They are also way more confidence-inspiring on fast descents and in loose corners. I’m all about wide tires for XC racing, and these days, I have no interest in running anything narrower than 2.4”. The Peyote XC Race fits the bill.
My 2.4” Peyote XC Race tires are mounted on a set of FSA KFX i25 wheels, which have an internal width of 25mm. They measure exactly 2.4” at the knobs and ~2.38” at the casing. On a wider rim, they should be spot on or even a touch wider than the claimed 2.4” width.
What are the Downsides?
The biggest downside is the price — the Vittoria Peyote XC Race retails at $99.99 per tire. That’s a lot for a bike tire!
It’s on par with the Schwalbe Racing Ralph ($98) and a bit more than the Continental Race King ProTection ($82), Maxxis Aspen ($87), and Specialized S-Works Renegade ($70). Because the Peyote XC Race is so new, we likely won’t see it on sale anytime soon.
Final Thoughts
My experience on the Peyote XC Race this season has been so good that I’m going to stick with these tires for the foreseeable future. It has low rolling resistance, with great puncture protection, and impressive handling.
Perhaps the biggest compliment I can give the Peyote XC Race is that I’m planning to use the 2.25” version on my gravel bike. Many top gravel racers are starting to switch to wider mountain bike tires because they’re faster than gravel tires, especially on rough courses. I’m already thinking about my gear to hopefully set a new PR at Unbound Gravel, and I think switching to a MTB tire as fast, tough, and grippy as the Peyote XC Race could be a huge upgrade.
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