Review: Maxim Maya Downhill Bike

A few weeks back Angus got the chance to head to Revolution Bikepark in North Wales to spend a day uplifting on the brand new Maxim Maya downhill bike.

Maxim bikes. Not the first name that springs to mind when you think of downhill race machines but I wouldn’t be sure how long it’ll stay that way!

Maxim bikes set to the mammoth task of developing and producing a downhill bike with a few key things in mind. It had to be perfect for the UK race scene and they wanted it to be accessible to the masses by keeping the price low.

The Maya is the product of many months of design, prototyping and testing deep in North Wales at the Revolution bike park.

First Impressions

Everything about the Maya was long. The top tube, the wait to finally get onboard and the 5 hour drive I’d made that morning to be in north wales for 9am.

It was spec’d a little differently to any of the models listed on the Maxim bikes website and brochure but it was actually very close to the “team build” that they offer.

The bike I tested had Rockshox Boxxer R2C2 forks upfront and the Vivid R2C in the rear. Nukeproof Generator wheelset, Shimano Saint cranks paired with the Gamut P20 chain device, Sram X0 drivetrain and PRO cockpit controls. Not to shabby when you consider this lovely lot could be yours for an industry leading £3499.

Technical Details

The first time I got my hands on the bike was the day I was actually going to spend riding with it. My first port of call like any bike was making sure it was going to both fit and work for me so get myself feeling comfortable was number 1 priority.

The Maya that I had for the day was a size large, which wouldn’t initially be what I would go for being only 5 foot 7. It felt long in the front end but certainly not a stretch. As soon as I hit the hill, boy was I glad I had all that room up front!

The suspension setup wasn’t exactly what I would naturally be drawn towards either as it was pretty stiff. I managed to get the front end to somewhere I felt comfortable with within my first few runs and from there we were cooking on gas!

The Frame

Geometry wise the Maxim Maya certainly isn’t anything that breaks the mold. The 435mm Chainstays are boringly average on paper, but thats no bad thing! Nearly all the figures are middle of the road, but in real life that’s what works best throughout the widest variety of terrain. Fitting perfectly with Maxims, "UK race scene friendly" principles.

Much the same thing applies for the head angle. 64° almost sounds steep for a downhill bike these days with some trail bikes reaching that neck of the woods but the increased directness in steering proved itself an asset in the tight twisty sections of Revolution bikepark.

Component thoughts.

The cockpit on the Maya I tested was using a PRO Atherton 45mm direct mount stem to keep things nice and tight when paired with some low rise 760mm PROtotype bars. The team build uses a Truvativ Hussefelt Stem and Boobar but the effect would be much the same.

I have mentioned it before on reviews but I fell that bar setup is a very personal thing and shouldn’t ever be a hanging point on a review for anyone. We all have different tastes and it just so happened that the short stem, low rise bars and long frame was a combination that really worked for me.

In the drivetrain department my test rig had SRAM X0 throughout that shifter crisply and accurately all day and the Avid X0 brakes did an amicable job of stopping me down the incredibly steep hillside that is Revolution Bikepark.

The Team build now uses Shimano Zee which if anything could be an improvement with the addition of the clutch to the rear mech keeping things even more quiet and smooth.

Suspension wise, Everything was set very, very stiff when I jumped onboard. This was fine initially and if anything made for a very fast bike. (Too fast on occasions during my first few runs!) But as we reached the afternoon and the fatigue was setting in I could of certainly done with a touch more forgiveness on the fast stuff through brake bumps. I could hardly even hold onto the horse on those last few runs!

The Vivid R2C worked well all day but I wouldn’t of minded a bit more support towards the end of the stroke on heavy landings and successive bottom outs but that could definitely be fixed with some simple adjustments.

Nukeproof’s Generator wheelset combined with Schwalbe Muddy Marys operated faultlessly all day and to be honest I don’t think I could have been on a better tire for those conditions. Grip on all terrains and good in the rolling resistance stakes.

The Ride

Revolution Bikepark is about as good as testing ground for downhill bikes as you can get. It has everything from flat out open sections to tight, technical and worryingly steep single-track.

It’s sometimes a struggle to get your head around the step up in speed can be made as you transition from a trail bike to a dedicated downhill sled. Your head can’t keep up with the bike for the first few runs as it will handle so much more than you thought possible.

A prime example of this is on the double black. You take a fair sized hip down to the left that fires you into a deep and wide rut that not only goes straight down the hill for what feels like a lifetime it has next to zero grip. It’s one of those pieces of track where your brakes aren’t really any good to you, they don’t slow you down and they just give you even less control.

It’s sections of track like this where the Maya comes to life...

It was at this exact moment I realized was thankful glad that this bike was the large and I had lots of room to move. It enabled me to stay loose and not fall into the ultimate problem compounder that is tensing up.

The Maya isn't just a one trick pony either! It's as happy on the super technical downhill race tracks as it is on the “A –line” style bike park tracks. High speeds big jumps and big turns.

From the very first run down the all new “freeride” line at revolution with the Maya I was hitting the jumps, scrubbing the tables and railing the turns. The bike felt good in the air and stable at high speeds and even pedaled pretty well for a bike with 8 inches of rear travel once you were up to speed. I didn’t get an exact figure on weight for the build but It was no heavyweight!

Conclusion

One day isn’t a long time to get a full impression of what I thought of the Maya but it left me wanting more and that’s the sign of a bike that just has that “thing”. The little differences that make one bike stand out from another that you can't buy.

It's well priced, bulletproof strong and stiff and I think it's quite the looker!

As a wise old man once said...

Price, Strength and Quality… Choose 2.
Wise old man

Somehow, and even until this day I'm not quite sure how, the Maxim Maya has the enviable trick of letting you have all 3.

The Maya is a UK designed downhill bike that completes it mission of exceling on almost all the terrain the UK has to throw at it. Competitive pricing and great looks make this a genuine contender to the DH market.

Want a piece of the action? Maxim bikes offer a demo service that you can book on there website that gives you a full days riding with the bike and a mechanic to get you up to speed and make sure its exactly what you are after.

That’s what you call you service! Find out more about Demoing over at the Maxim Bikes website!

A big thanks to Laurens for coming and letting me test his pride and joy!

maximbikes.com

Photo Credit - Dai Williams