Maxxis Minion DHF Tire

4.22/5

(37 Reviews)

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Weight : 870 grams

MSRP : $79.99

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Product Description

The Maxxis Minion DHF was designed for the often loose and muddy conditions of aggressive all-mountain terrain. The secret is Maxxis' Supertacky compound with low-rebound but high traction, to help you keep the rubber side. This front-specific tread pattern incorporates ramped knobs for low rolling resistance and channel-cut knobs to increase gripping edges, giving straight-line control and precise cornering.

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Reviews 1 - 15 (37 Reviews Total)

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Submitted by Josh

Date Reviewed: December 27, 2012

Strengths:    Great cornering grip. Brake well (not as good as h rollers) and have little rolling resistance. Never got a puncture using 27 f 30 psi r

Weaknesses:    Size is out a little. Side knobs begin to tear after a while. Weight is fair.

Bottom Line:

This review is for 2.5 ST minion 2 ply. While you are cornering fast, you do have to really lean into the tyres to get them to grip, sometimes they hold, let go, then grip again. No complaints for the almighty minion!

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Submitted by eastshorebiker

Date Reviewed: October 10, 2012

Strengths:    Quiet and fast rolling.

Weaknesses:    Weak and very thin sidewalls.

Bottom Line:

I've had Kenda Nevegals on my bikes since they came out, I decided to try the Maxxis DHF tire as everyone raves about them. The sidewall ripped on the first serious ride, Oh well back to the Kenda Nevagals which have never torn a sidewall.

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Submitted by Terrence Cox a Downhiller

Date Reviewed: September 25, 2012

Strengths:    A good tough tire that does well on hard pack and soft stuff. Rolls well and provides the perfect amount of feedback when inflated to a certain point (depending on your weight).

Weaknesses:    Poor traction at speed in loose conditions:tends to push the front at mid lean during turn in. You have to keep leaning in to get the outer knobs to hook up. This gives it a drifty feeling, which isn't at all bad as a rear, but sucks in the front unless you like to push and scrubbing speed as opposed to turning.

One more thing: Behaviour at and beyond the limit. As you pass through that limit the tire gives no feedback. You'll hear it sliding before you feel it. And you better hope you do one of those fast enough else you'll end up on your head before you know it.

Bottom Line:

Wether or not this is a good tire just may depend on your riding style. I come from street bikes (motorcycles) and I expect the front to be predictable and consistent at all lean angles. The DHF isn't that tire.

If OTOH you like to jam the bike into the corners with both ends sliding and a foot on the ground, then you wont' notice the shortcomings mentioned above.

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Favorite Trail:   TNT Loop, Chunky, Small Intestine, Powerline, Angry Pirate, Blue Velvet, Crank it Up, Big Creek GA

Duration Product Used:   1 year

Price Paid:    $80.00

Purchased At:   Bike shop

Similar Products Used:   Nevegals, Excavators, Specialized Enduros, OE Felt tires.

Bike Setup:   Felt Q520, Specialized Big Hit SPEC, Mongoose Khyber Elite, Mountain Cycle 9.5

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Submitted by crisco a Cross Country Rider from North of Santa Fe

Date Reviewed: November 21, 2011

Strengths:    Stick like glue on any surface! Reasonable weight. Excellent braking and cornering. These are my favorite tires by far, and i have tried quite a few!

Weaknesses:    Sizing is incorrect, but not really a big deal. Just know what you're getting! 2.35 = 2.10, 2.5 = a tall 2.35. No lost chilis.

Bottom Line:

By far my favorite tire. I always end up coming back to these no matter what else i try! As other reviewers have said, there is a dead-spot when you are leaned over a few degrees...but this also makes the tires very fast when you're sitting upright. Don't be afraid to lean into these tires, they will take it!
I am running the DHF front and rear. It works well for both. The 2.35 clears the small rear triangle on the Blur LT very well. The Exo sidewall and 3C compounds are nice and only cost a little more. These tires work very well in the southwest, and in almost any conditions! They shed mud reasonably well and don't wash out in sand. I haven't tried them in snow yet, i'm sure they'll do fine.
No problems setting these up tubeless. I would not bother with the UST tire, it isn't necessary.

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Favorite Trail:   All of them!

Duration Product Used:   6 months

Price Paid:    $50.00

Purchased At:   pricepoint & treefor

Similar Products Used:   Ardent, Larsen, Weirwolf, Serac XC, Fire XC, Velociraptors, etc. etc.

Bike Setup:   2006 Blur LT, 2.5 DHF front, 2.35 DHF rear.

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Submitted by igorgoga a Cross Country Rider from Vancouver, BC

Date Reviewed: October 30, 2011

Strengths:    this review is for 2.5 EXO 3C Cross country foldable DHF tire. Very good grip, excellent in rain, wet roots

Weaknesses:    none. What if Maxxis makes a version in high volume, like Advantage?

Bottom Line:

During the dry season I used Advantage 2.5 front and back. As it started raining here on North Shore, my front tire started side slipping quite significantly on wet roots. I really like Advantage and was a bit reluctant to try Minion DHF. I put it first up front and side-slipping pretty much disappeared. Today I replaced the rear tire and noticed that the rear tire would not spin going over an obstacle but bite into it and go over.
There tires are very good. Don't waste money experimenting. This is the only setup I plan to use from now on. Both DHF 2.5, EXO, 3C. It cost me more than $200 to figure it out. Save your money!

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Favorite Trail:   Bridal path

Duration Product Used:   Less than 1 month

Price Paid:    $64.00

Purchased At:   Dizzy

Similar Products Used:   Advantage 2.5

Bike Setup:   who cares

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Submitted by lew242 a Downhiller from UK and China

Date Reviewed: September 19, 2011

Strengths:    -Much faster than a Nevegal
-Off camber grip
-Braking grip
-Anti puncture durability
-High speed stability

Weaknesses:    -A little heavy
-A little slow
-Tad sketchy at slow speed
-Tad narrow for size
-Leaning grip average (unless going fast)

Bottom Line:

This is a review for the single-ply 2.35 version.

I couldn't really find much difference between running DHF/DHR, DHF/High Roller 2.35 and DHF/DHF. Although the DHF/DHR combo seems to climb better and have better slow speed off camber grip than the DHF/HR and DHF/DHF, but these were more possibly stable at speed but the High Roller was not as good on the climbs, and I hated it on the front.

In conclusion I would say a DHF/DHR or DHF/DHF is an ideal combo for an aggressive AM or freerider that doesn't mind a bit of extra weight and slow speed sketchiness to have a reliable tire that works best when going downhill quickly and won't puncture easily.

4 out of 5 as I'm hoping the Minion 2 will have more leaning and braking grip.

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Duration Product Used:   3 months

Price Paid:    $30.00

Purchased At:   Taobao and Halfords

Similar Products Used:   Maxxis Larsen TT, Maxxis High Roller, Maxxis Minion DHR, CST Maverick, Kenda Nevegal, WTB Prowler, DMR Moto RT, DMR Moto Digger, Continental Avenue

Bike Setup:   FS AM/FR

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Submitted by as a Downhiller from Denver

Date Reviewed: July 25, 2011

Strengths:    Roll nice

Weaknesses:    super sketchy

Bottom Line:

I have the single ply minion DHF exo in 60a and have tried to like them for 6 months now, and they just suck. I will say they are pretty good for a cross country tire, and they roll pretty well, and other than that they are just sketchy. They slide out way too easy on wet wood, They bounce all over the place (a vary harsh ride) and they slide out without warning. I have riden some softer durometer minions, and they are great. I would assume that most of my complaint relates to the 60a durometer. Super sketchy for downhill.

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Favorite Trail:   Rainmaker

Duration Product Used:   6 months

Similar Products Used:   maxxis high roller, kenda nevegal

Bike Setup:   Giant Reign X1

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Submitted by MHanslip a Racer from Canberra

Date Reviewed: July 7, 2011

Strengths:    Solid sidewalls, grippy tread, amazing cornering grip

Weaknesses:    Vague straight-line stability, lack of feedback

Bottom Line:

These tyres hook up around corners like nothing I've ever ridden before (Super Tacky double wall DH version 2.5 width). However, they have an amazing lack of control and feel in a straight line. I feel like I am out of control sometimes.

I've had them up at Thredbo in the damp and they had plenty of grip on the wet wood and roots, the braking traction is always amazing everywhere wet or dry. I've also had them on Mt Stromlo ('09 world champs course) in the dry. They are just sketchy when the bike is upright and pointed straight ahead - I don't understand it.

I expected the super tacky compound to wear very quickly but after some shuttling and lift riding and general fun they hardly show wear at all.

To get any feel at all through the bike I settled on 17/20 psi. I keep expecting to ding my rims, but nothing so far. Those sidewalls are seriously meaty!

My bottom line - if they hooked up on the straight ahead like they do leaned over hard they would be the perfect all-around tyre. As it is, I'm going to try something else next time.

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Favorite Trail:   Skyline

Duration Product Used:   3 months

Similar Products Used:   Maxxis Ardent

Bike Setup:   Santa Cruz V10 carbon, Fox 40, RC4

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Submitted by orekizler a Weekend Warrior from CT

Date Reviewed: June 14, 2011

Strengths:    Corners very well as a front tire. Durable (60a version), mounts tubeless with no problems.

Weaknesses:    The case sizing is too small. I d hesitate to run these at low pressure as a rear tire because the sidewalls are a little thin. (Single Ply version)

Bottom Line:

I use the 2.35 as a front tire. I really like the cornering ability it has over my previous choices. The 60a version is quite durable over the "Super Tacky". The weight is very good for a tire that size. But it isn't really 2.35 after all.
I mounted them on 19mm inner width rim and it measures 2.15.

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Duration Product Used:   6 months

Price Paid:    $37.00

Purchased At:   PricePoint

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Submitted by Pieschelc a Downhiller from Colton, Oregon, US

Date Reviewed: February 22, 2011

Strengths:    For a front tire, it is all point and shoot.

Weaknesses:    None. This tire is designed for a specific purpose. It is not a good tire if you want long rides on concrete. It will wear fast and hummmmmmmmmm.

Bottom Line:

The tire is a little expensive but total worth it. It is a very sticky tire and goes where you want it to. Also due to the pattern and the soft material it works in all condition. So far snow, ice, mud, hard packed blue grove and rock gardens this tire has impressed me every time.

I use this tire for downhill and freeride.

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Favorite Trail:   Post Canyon Hoodriver

Duration Product Used:   1 Year

Price Paid:    $50.00

Similar Products Used:   Maxxis Minion DHR

Bike Setup:   2009 Kona Dawgma. With lots of upgrades

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Submitted by jhbikeboy a Cross Country Rider from uk

Date Reviewed: January 25, 2011

Strengths:    Pure grip. Mounts up tubeless easily.

Weaknesses:    Not much, could be lighter, could be wider, could be faster rolling but for the intended purpose it's perfect.

Bottom Line:

This is a review of the 2.35 minion DHF super tacky 42a, single ply, wire bead.

As everyone else has said they come up small, maybe a 2.2 on a good day.

For the last two years i've been riding the uk trail centres and as they are mainly wet rock i've been looking for a suitable tyre. Previous tyres have been a compromise between weight, rolling resistance and grip. Well this time i decided that grip was a higher priority than weight etc.

Setup tubeless and running 25psi this has to be the grippiest tyre i've ever used. The front wheel is now rock solid, i don't know what you have to do to get this thing to slide. I hammered it in wet conditions at coed Llangdegla and it was as if the trails were dry. I was really giving it some stick and it was just tons of awersome grip. I didn't get the so called "dead spot" that others mention. Maybe the lower pressure stops it and i wasn't afraid to lean it over either. I didn't notice the extra weight, rolling was good and i only noticed the softer slower compound when trying to ride on the flat at XC speeds. It cheap, £21 ish, so not a problem when it's time for a new one. I don't know if it's the softer compound or the tread pattern or both, but it's so good i don't care. I not parting with it.

Bottom line is if you ride the uk(welsh) trail centres and have had enough of sliding around this is the tyre you need. If it's all about the decents or you lack confidence then you don't need to look any further. I'm dreading riding without it. An awersome tyre. Highly recommended.

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Duration Product Used:   Less than 1 month

Similar Products Used:   Eskars, advantage, aspen, high roller, tons of XC tyres.

Bike Setup:   09 enduro, stans Arch rims. High roller on the rear.

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Submitted by NO_BRAKES a Downhiller from Ellicott City, MD, USA

Date Reviewed: August 30, 2010

Strengths:    INCREDIBLE GRIP UPHILL! INCREDIBLE GRIP DOWN HILL! Digs so deep I'm surprised the EPA hasn't banned them for tearing up more land in the USA. This tread pattern rocks!

Weaknesses:    NONE! An environmentalists worst erosion nightmare. Expensive but worth the grip man. They will tear up the environment anywhere they go because they dig.

Bottom Line:

Bottom line is there is no better tire on the market. The industry says it. Maxxis says it. It's their best selling tire. Too many people use it to not believe it. It comes standard on the best downhill racing bikes in the world inclucing Intense, Foes and any other top brand racing bike. The pro's use them and so should you. The 60 durometer one's are the stiffest nobs you will find. They grab hold of mud and dry conditions and hold. I never slip uphill, wet or dry. It's that simple man.

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Favorite Trail:   Widow Maker

Duration Product Used:   More than 3 years

Price Paid:    $40.00

Purchased At:   Online bike parts

Similar Products Used:   Maxxis Helter and Skelter tires.

Bike Setup:   Gary Fisher King Fisher 1, modified w/8 inch fork, 7 inch Fox shock rear, Raceface Evolve DH Crankset, all Sram X-0, Sun MTX 33 rims, Hadley Hubs, and maxxis minion max pro 2 ply 2.50's wired bead 60 durometer.

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Submitted by Dude a Downhiller from Germany

Date Reviewed: July 8, 2010

Strengths:    awesome grip, nice look

Weaknesses:    none so far

Bottom Line:

never used anything like it( and i tried some tires before), when u got used to the awesome grip u will definitely ride faster! if you're not the breaking kind, get the DHF on the front and back like sam hill did...

BUY! NOW! DO IT!!!

ps: don't listen to the xc-douches, like already said, if you don't know how to ride it, don't critisize...

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Duration Product Used:   1 Year

Similar Products Used:   kenda nevegal

Bike Setup:   Kona Stinky

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Submitted by ringo a Cross Country Rider from New Zealand

Date Reviewed: April 11, 2010

Strengths:    rolls quite well, corners well when leaned properly, grips well when leaned or in straight line

Weaknesses:    very narrow for stated size, requires aggressive cornering style to get the most out of it

Bottom Line:

I wanted to like this tyre, but we just didn't get on. In the right hands I suspect it would be a blast. I decided that riding the Minion would be like owning your first pit bull. If you take time to understand its preferences and learn its character then you might have a friend for life who will stick with you through thick and thin. Until that point, if you touch it or so much as look at it the wrong way it may tear your face off without any warning.

Its all about the lack of transitional knobs. If you like aggressive cornering then I am sure this would be great, but I just found it felt weird and it wouldn't behaviour properly. Sometimes you don't want to throw a bike into a mild corner - at those times is it nice for the bike to do what you want and expect it to. The Minion sort of had a mind of its own, and only begrudgingly listened to what I wanted. Even braking in a straight line sometimes had me fighting the bars if the front got deflected off something.

Again, I am sure it is possible to get used to all this and make it work for you but when there are other tyres out there that I like, I don't see the point in learning to ride differently to exploit what it can do when ridden as intended.

Also the 2.35 runs VERY narrow - narrower than my Nevegal 2.1.

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Duration Product Used: Less than 1 month

Similar Products Used: Crossmarks, Nobby Nic, Racing Ralph, Nevegal

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Submitted by rainman a Weekend Warrior from Brisbane Australia

Date Reviewed: January 6, 2010

Strengths:    GRIIIIIIIIIP!
Weight & price.

Weaknesses:    It's hard to get single plys.
They don't make Slow Reezay anymore.

Bottom Line:

I cannot get enough of this tyre. It is THE king of grip. Like many have said on this page, wack a single ply 2.35 Slow Reezay or Super Tacky on the front with 20 psi, and pair it up with a 2.25 Ardent , Lopes Bling Bling (if you can find one), or a 2.35 Larsen TT in MaxxPro at 35 psi and you have the ultimate freeride/single track set up. Under steer it, over steer it, or just two wheel drift it. So predictable.

Now you'll have to excuse me; I have to go out and do it all again.......

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Duration Product Used:   More than 3 years

Price Paid:    $25.00

Similar Products Used:   WTB Weirwolf, and just about every other Maxxis tyre

Bike Setup:   Santa Cruz Chameleon - light free ride setup

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Maxxis Minion DHF Tire

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