The top 5 best 27.5 bikepacking tires

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In this article I’m going to give you my list for the best 27.5 bikepacking tires.

Though not every bikepacker uses their bicycle the same way, riding different terrain and different lengths for individual rides, it doesn’t mean that high-quality bikepacking tires don’t share a couple of characteristics.

Though the main focus might not be speed, nobody wants their bike to feel sluggish while eating away mile after mile. So I did incorporate those aspects in the tires you’ll find on this list. Besides decent levels of speed and rolling-resistance, you want bikepacking tires to last longer than average as well, reducing the risk of punctures or worse.

And naturally a true bikepacking journey might take you onto paths less pedaled. Roads and trails that can be demanding. So when you’re being confronted with rougher riding conditions, you want to keep confidence-inspiring levels of grip and traction.

All of those characteristics you can find in the following contenders for the best 27.5 bikepacking tires. So whatever tire you choose, your next bikepacking adventure will have the tires to get the most out of it.

Maxxis Ardent Race

The Maxxis Ardent Race is a great option to mount as a very grippy dual XC setup, an aggressive XC front tire, or a lightweight, fast-rolling trail tire.

The triple compound provides a fast-rolling center with softer and grippier side knobs for added traction and cornering confidence.

In dry conditions the traction will prove to be outstanding. In wet conditions the small close-knit knobs can get packed with mud. So you’ll need to resort to a different tire if you want to ride year round without swapping tires.

Maxxis Crossmark II

The Maxxis Crossmark II is fast-rolling, dry condition, XC or gravel tire with the shallow center knobs and minimal side knobs.

It’s designed for speed on dry hardpack when going in a straight line, with the most minimal tread pattern you can find within this mountain bike category.

The hard-wearing 60 TPI dual casing and EXO reinforced sidewalls make it an excellent companion for long gravel and/or touring rides as well. Especially if you want to have the flexibility to veer off the beaten path yet still ride with confidence.

Maxxis Ikon

The absolute cross-country king in Maxxis’ lineup. The Maxxis Ikon has near perfect all-round tire characteristics, which makes it an excellent option for diverse road and trail conditions. Though it’s categorized obviously as an XC tire, it’ll also perform superior for bikepackers and gravel riders.

That being said, this is a racing tire, which means it’s light. But the reliable EXO compound, also used for harsher enduro racing, also means you’ll enjoy this tire for many miles.

As with any tire with this type of tread, it’ll perform well in dry conditions. The 26 inch version has both a 2.35 and 2.2 inch width option. You can run this tire both front and back, and might opt for the wider version in the front for some added grip. Especially if you expect some portions of your ride to be particularly rough.

It’s undeniable that the top-of-the-line products of Maxxis are superior to many if not all of their competitors. And the Maxxis Ikon shows it, with a perfect blend of weight, speed, grip, and protection.

Vittoria Mezcal

Another cross-country crossover well-suited for bikepacking is the Vittoria Mezcal. The single 2.1 inch width version available for 26 inch tires, has a very low-profile tread pattern to improve rolling-resistance.

The 620 grams for a single tire is very light. And it’s this tire that has been on several cross-country championship bikes. So as far as speed is concerned, it’s extremely fast.

But for bikepacking you’ll need much more than speed. You want longevity and durability. Vittoria Mezcal uses their proprietary graphene enhanced 4C compound. It prevents the knobs from squirming on the hardpack, which in turn increases speed and durability.

The Mezcal is most at home on hardpack, but does perform well on other surface types. But like all of the other tires mentioned here, you will run into issues when encountering mud. The knobs are simply bunched too much together.

The Vittoria Mezcal makes for a fast and durable dual setup.

WTB Resolute

The WTB Resolute is an allround all-weather all-season gravel bike tire, or so WTB claims.

And this claim does make sense, with WTB basically applying a baseline of solid gravel tire characteristics into this product offering.

It’s both a lightweight tire which enhances acceleration. And it sits in between slick tires and the aggressive tread pattern of the WTB Sendero, ensuring good grip and traction in all kinds of conditions, while going in a straight line or in corners, going uphill or downhill.

So does that make the WTB Resolute one of the best all-rounders in the gravel department. The answer is a resolute yes, pun intended.

Specifications 27.5 bikepacking tires

Name	Size	ETRTO	Weight (gr)	Tread color	Sidewall color	Compound	Puncture protection	Tire bead	TPI	Buy at Amazon
Maxxis Ardent Race	27.5×2.20	56-584	714	Black	Black	3C MaxxSpeed		tlr	120	link
Maxxis Ardent Race	27.5×2.35	60-584	730	Black	Black	3C MaxxSpeed		tlr	60	link
Maxxis Ardent Race	27.5×2.60	66-584	878	Black	Black	Dual		tlr		link
Maxxis Crossmark II	27.5×2.25	57-584	735	Black	Black	Dual		tlr	60	link
Maxxis Ikon	27.5×2.20	56-584	590	Black	Light Tan	Dual	EXO	tlr		link
Maxxis Ikon	27.5×2.20	56-584	668	Black	Tan	Dual	EXO	tlr		link
Maxxis Ikon	27.5×2.20	56-584	630	Black	Black	3C MaxxSpeed	EXO	tlr		link
Maxxis Ikon	27.5×2.35	60-584	700	Black	Black	3C MaxxSpeed	EXO	tlr		link
WTB Resolute	27.5×1.65	42-584	440	Black	Tan	Dual DNA		tlr	60	link

Johan van Seijen is the founder of restoration.bike. His passion for cycling in general, and restoring older bikes turned into a website to share his knowledge with a broader audience. Starting out on his father’s road bike and riding classics as the Amstel Gold Race and Liege Bastogne Liege he has shifted his attention to trail, XC, and gravel riding since. No matter how much he loves writing about everything related to cycling, nothing beats actually using his ever-expanding bicycle collection.