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Long term review · 2,500 miles, on a Benelli TRK 502 X
They're a very good compromise. But as with almost every adventure tyre, the word "compromise" is doing quite a lot of work. Excellent on the road, particularly in the wet, capable enough once the tarmac ends, and honest about where those limits actually are.
By Mat StuckeyFounder of Holloway, rides everything he reviews
I've now put around 2,500 miles on a set of Mitas Enduro Trail ADV 2 tyres, fitted to my Benelli TRK 502 X, and I've had a pretty good chance to work out where these tyres fit. And I think the answer is fairly simple: they're a very good compromise.
Mitas classifies the ADV 2 as a 70% road and 30% off-road tyre, designed primarily for adventure touring with the ability to deal with light to medium off-road terrain, using a multi-compound tread and a high-silica compound to improve wet-weather grip. That sounds about right to me. For the sort of riding I was doing, predominantly road with some gravel, tracks and light trails thrown in, they've been very good. But if you're buying them because you want to turn your adventure bike into a serious trail machine, I'd look elsewhere.
I fitted the ADV 2s to my TRK 502 X and put around 2,500 miles on them during one tour, plenty of normal road riding, faster A and B roads, motorway miles, and some lighter off-road riding. This wasn't a tyre that spent its life commuting on tarmac, it got used as an adventure tyre, and that's where I think they're easiest to judge. Adventure riding is almost always about compromise, you want something that works properly on the road because that's where you'll spend most of your time getting to the interesting stuff, but you don't want a road tyre that turns into a liability the moment the tarmac disappears. The ADV 2 gets that balance reasonably well.
This is where I was most impressed. The grip is excellent, dry-road grip is very good, and I have no concerns about leaning the bike over and riding normally at a decent pace. But it's the wet-road performance that really stood out. I've ridden them in proper wet conditions and they've given me a lot of confidence, which isn't particularly surprising given Mitas specifically designed the ADV 2 with a high-silica compound intended to improve grip in wet conditions. There are plenty of adventure tyres where you subconsciously start riding a little more cautiously when the road gets wet, I didn't really find that with these. They feel planted, predictable and reassuring, probably their strongest characteristic.
They're not silent, there's a bit of a hum from the tread, particularly as speed increases, but I don't think it's excessive. You're fitting a tyre with a fairly aggressive adventure tread pattern, so expecting it to be completely silent is unrealistic. Some owner feedback backs this up, riders have described the ADV 2 as producing some noticeable noise but also praised its comfort, stability and neutral handling, and one long-term user who rode the tyres hard in the Pyrenees reported no unwanted slides, including in rain, while noting the tread was wearing relatively quickly on abrasive Spanish and French roads. For me, the noise simply wasn't enough of a problem to be a deciding factor. If you want a really quiet road tyre, there are better choices, but for an adventure tyre, it's perfectly acceptable.
Another thing I like about the ADV 2 is how normal they feel on the road. Some more aggressively treaded adventure tyres can feel vague or slightly strange when you first tip the bike into a corner, the ADV 2 doesn't really do that, it feels fairly neutral, the bike goes where you point it, and there's plenty of feedback. Mitas claims the carcass is designed to provide stability and comfort at higher speeds, and that's certainly consistent with my experience, I've done plenty of motorway and fast-road riding on them and never felt like I was asking too much of the tyre. That matters when you're touring, you don't want to spend hundreds of miles thinking about your tyres, you just want them to work.
And this is where we need to be realistic. I'd give them around 6/10 for dry off-road riding. That might sound a little harsh for a tyre marketed as 70/30, but I think it's fair. On gravel and hard-packed tracks they're good, loose surfaces are manageable, dry trails are enjoyable, and they give you noticeably more confidence than a conventional road tyre, with enough tread separation and depth to provide some useful traction away from the tarmac. But they aren't a proper trail tyre, and you notice that when the going gets difficult. The ADV 2 is designed for light to medium off-road terrain, and that's exactly where I think you should keep it.
Pretty useless. But I'm not going to hold that particularly heavily against them, most adventure tyres aren't particularly good in proper mud. There's a point where you stop compromising and start choosing a tyre designed specifically for the job. If you want to ride through deep, wet mud, slippery ruts and soft ground with confidence, you want something with a much more aggressive tread pattern, that's where something like a Mitas Enduro Trail XT+ starts to make more sense, or you go even further towards a proper enduro tyre. The ADV 2 simply isn't that tyre.
I've come to the conclusion that there's a bit of a problem with how adventure tyres are marketed. You see an aggressive-looking tread pattern and words like "off-road capability", and it's easy to assume they're going to be good everywhere. They're not, and they don't need to be. If you're riding 80% road and 20% trail, it makes far more sense to have a tyre that's genuinely excellent on the road and reasonably capable when the road disappears, which is exactly what the ADV 2 is. But if you're actually planning to ride the ACT or TET regularly, or deliberately seeking out difficult green lanes, I'd want something more capable, because when you get onto difficult terrain, confidence is everything. A tyre that's technically capable but has you wondering whether the front is going to wash out isn't much use, I'd rather sacrifice some road manners for a tyre I know is going to bite when the surface gets loose.
I've done around 2,500 miles on this set during one tour and there's still plenty of life left, I'd comfortably expect another 2,500 miles or more based on what I'm seeing now, although actual mileage will obviously depend on riding style, bike, load, pressures and how much time the tyre spends on abrasive roads. What's particularly pleasing is that I haven't seen significant squaring off, important for a tyre that's done a lot of road miles, the rear still has a fairly consistent profile rather than that obvious flat centre you get when a tyre spends most of its life on motorways. There are some mixed experiences online worth mentioning, one owner who used them hard in the Pyrenees reported relatively rapid wear, while other riders report much stronger mileage figures, which isn't necessarily contradictory, riding style, bike weight, road surface and how aggressively the tyre is used all make a huge difference. For my particular use, I'm very happy with the wear.
This is where I'm less certain, and I think that's actually a good sign. If I said "absolutely, they're the best tyre I've ever used", I'd probably be missing the point. My next choice would depend entirely on what I planned to do.
I'd probably choose something with a little more off-road bias, something like the Michelin Anakee Wild, or potentially the Mitas Enduro Trail XT+, depending on exactly how much trail riding I expected to do. I'd accept a little more road noise and a little less road performance in exchange for greater confidence once the tarmac ends.
I'd go the other way, something quieter and more road-focused. I'd happily put the standard Tourances that came on my TRK back on, they were fantastic road tyres and lasted extremely well. If I'm doing 90% road and only occasionally travelling down a gravel track, there's no real reason to sacrifice road refinement just for the appearance of a more aggressive tyre.
And let's be honest about something, adventure bikes look better with adventure tyres. That's not a technical argument, it's just true. Put a proper road tyre on a big adventure bike and it can suddenly look like it's been lowered into a supermarket car park. The ADV 2 gives the bike that adventure-bike look without making a huge sacrifice on the road, and importantly it isn't just cosmetic, you get genuine off-road ability. It's just not extreme off-road ability. That distinction matters.
I've seen plenty of people argue about whether tyres are really 50/50, 70/30 or whatever percentage manufacturers put on the side of the box. I don't think there's much point, those numbers aren't scientific measurements of where the tyre can physically go, they're an indication of intended bias. With the ADV 2, the 70/30 description feels about right. I'd happily spend 70, 80 or even 90% of my riding on these tyres on the road, and I'd happily take them down a gravel road or dry trail. But if I knew I was going to spend half the trip on serious trails, I'd choose something else.
"I ride my adventure bike mostly on the road, but I want to be able to confidently explore tracks and light trails when I get there." That's exactly what the ADV 2 is good at, and it's basically how I've used them.
Adventure touring that's genuinely 70-90% road with the occasional gravel road, dry trail or light track, where you don't want to sacrifice too much road performance just to look the part.
Riding the TET or ACT regularly, deliberately seeking out difficult green lanes, or anyone wanting maximum off-road confidence. Once terrain gets properly muddy or technical, look elsewhere.
My verdict
Good enough everywhere while being particularly good at the thing you do most. For me, that was road riding, and on the road they're excellent, grippy, particularly in the wet, stable at speed and comfortable for long days. Then the road ends and they handle gravel, hard-packed tracks and dry trails without drama. It's only when things get properly muddy or technical that you start wishing you'd fitted something more aggressive. If your riding is genuinely 80% road and 20% light trail, I'd have no hesitation recommending them. Just don't buy them expecting an enduro tyre, because they're not, and that's perfectly okay.
Browse legal green lanes and byways across England and Wales, filtered by difficulty, on Holloway's map, so you know before you commit whether a route suits a 70/30 tyre or needs something more aggressive.
Open the mapThis is a genuine first-hand ownership review, not a manufacturer-supplied test. It's the sort of honest, surface-by-surface breakdown we try to bring to every corner of Holloway, not just the lane data. Your own experience may vary with wear, pressure, load and the bike it's fitted to.