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Rolling resistance Minion DHR II vs. HR II vs. Magic Mary ?

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guim

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
Hi all,

I am leaving for a summer bike trip in a few days and Im not sure which tires to bring. Terrain will be Whistler, Squamish, and dry/hardpack in the Yukon. Since my bike is heavy, Im looking for the least rolling resistance. I did not have Time to try the DHR II yet. Maxxis are 2.4 EXO 60a casing, and th Schwalbe are snakeskin trailstar compound, same weight. I also have a High Roller II EXO 60a 2.4 that I could use in the rear (930g also, like the other 2)

Which one of these would roll faster? Thanks!
 
#3 ·
Don't know if this will help but I was running DHF 2.5 and HR 2.35. Switched to HR2 EXO TR 2.3 and Ardent 2.25 EXO TR. Rolled waaaaaay faster. Crazy the difference. I had to brake check some spots where I used to have to pedal to clear doubles lol.
 
#5 ·
One thing to note is the tire compound. I run a 2.3 HR2 rear in single 60a compound and feel it rolls pretty well, the 3C compound is a different story! I have yet to try a DHR2 rear but have heard from a few on here that it supposedly rolls better. I would find that hard to believe considering it has more aggro knobbies but I've been wrong before! Magic Mary is more of a front tire IMHO, in fact will probably be my next front. The Muddy Mary (it's predecessor) was horribly slow as a rear tire but an all-star as a front tire.

Have FUN!

G MAN
 
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Discussion starter · #6 ·
I finally brought both sets of tires (Magic Mary f/r and Minion DHR II f/r) so I can give some feedback. The Magic Marys are definitely slower (Trailstar is a softer compound as well), so as Gman said, they are more of a front tire, or gravity tires if you run both. I did do a few XCish rides with them and they have awesome grip but are slow.

It's mainly dry here so I'm using the DHR II 60a and they don't feel slow. Maybe the HRII would be slower because there is a bit more space between the knobs ? I have tried the Ardents in the past (60a too) and they were much much faster rolling, but I prefer to have more traction.

All in all, I love both setups and I think I'm set on both of them for a few years now. Cheers!
 
Discussion starter · #8 ·
They are currently rolled up in my trunk, but I have noted 60mm wide on widest point (On 25 and 27mm inner width rim) 682mm diameter on my 26" hoops. Exactly the same for the Performance 2.35 wire bead version. Got the wire bead version for shredding days in the park and I am impressed with the trueness of the tire once mounted, quality of the rubber, sidewalls. Especially for 40$cdn!

I had also noted that the DHR II 2.4 exo 60a are 61mm wide on the same rims, 684mm diameter.
 
Discussion starter · #10 ·
That's not too bad for 650b, mine are 26" trailstar snakeskin, one weighted 832g, the other one 930g! Weird that they have a 100g difference, but I weighted it a few times with 2 scales and ended up at the same difference.
 
#11 ·
Been running a Mary up front and DHRII in back on my 650b Nomad. This has been a nice setup. DHRII seems to roll faster than the Hans Dampf it replaced.

As others have said, Mary is mainly a front tire. Great for gravity-type riding, though on my super-wide rims (Ibis 741s) it's a ~2.5", which doesn't make the bike turn that well on flatter terrain.

Shoulder knobs on the Mary have started cracking pretty badly; none gone yet, but seem to be headed that way. The famous Schwalbe shoulder knob issue.
 
#12 ·
guim said:
That's not too bad for 650b, mine are 26" trailstar snakeskin, one weighed 832g, the other one 930g! Weird that they have a 100g difference, but I weighted it a few times with 2 scales and ended up at the same difference.
Click to expand...
Not sure what's up with Schwable's weights - my 650b 2.25 TS SS Hans Dampf weighted 820g vs 680 advertised!!

Hopefully they fix their production consistently when the fix their knob tearing issues (sad to hear from DrewBird that the Magic Mary does it as well)...mayhaps on the new Nobby Nic they'll get it right then use it as a basis to sort out their other tyres??

OP - sorry for thread derail *looks sheepish* :)
 
#13 ·
Any shot someone can compare rolling speed of DHR2 and HR2 as a rear tire?

I'm pretty set on the DHF up front and like the HR2 for the rear except for how slow it is on the climbs. It DRAGS.

I like the Ardent as a rear but not quite enough braking performance for me and it's awful in the small amount of mud that I see each year.
 
#14 ·
DHR2 has a very good mix of rolling performance vs braking/traction. In fact I expected much more rolling resistance with it.
Love it as a high braking/traction tire, but for ultimate rolling tire I prefer other like racing ralph or michelin racer.
 
#15 ·
Alias530 said:
Any shot someone can compare rolling speed of DHR2 and HR2 as a rear tire?

I'm pretty set on the DHF up front and like the HR2 for the rear except for how slow it is on the climbs. It DRAGS.

I like the Ardent as a rear but not quite enough braking performance for me and it's awful in the small amount of mud that I see each year.
Click to expand...
The DHR2 is quicker.
DHR2 rear and HRII(wet)/DHF(dry) front is a good combo.
 
#16 ·
Good thread.

The single ply (non-DH version) Minion DHF/DHR2 setup rules for AM riding.

But, I've often thought about trying the HR2. How does this tire perform compared to the DHR? I thought maybe this tire falls somewhere between the Ardent and DHR2. Looks like it may roll faster than the DHR2. Where does Maxxis suggest this tire falls in the line up?

Looking at the way Maxxis describes the intended use for these tires on the "Hard Pack-Loose-Wet" scale, seems to suggest the HR2 is the wettter/looser tire option to in place of the DHR2. By the look of the tread pattern I can't see how that would be the case. I'll have to look to see if the use of tire durometer on each my help differentiate.

As a side... I've went back and forth with Ardents and the DHF/DHR2 on my trail/AM bike. I think the reduced rolling resistance I'm getting from the Ardents is not all that much, and most certainly not enough to justify the loss of traction/trail control I get from the Minions.
 
#17 ·
ptd said:
The DHR2 is quicker.
DHR2 rear and HRII(wet)/DHF(dry) front is a good combo.
Click to expand...
Nice. I believe you but looking at the dhr2 tread you'd think it would be slower, ha

Any other tires I can try as a rear that are semi speedy like the ardent but brake better? Besides hr2 and ardent I've tried an xking (awful), ground control (about the same as ardent), purgatory (even slower than hr2)...
 
#18 · (Edited)
Miker J said:
As a side... I've went back and forth with Ardents and the DHF/DHR2 on my trail/AM bike. I think the reduced rolling resistance I'm getting from the Ardents is not all that much, and most certainly not enough to justify the loss of traction/trail control I get from the Minions.
Click to expand...
I'm excited to try the dhr2. The hr2 is way, WAY slower than an Ardent 2.25 in my experience. If the dhr2 brakes anywhere near the hr2 but rolls better I'll be in heaven
 
#19 ·
I find the DHRII 2.3 brakes better and rolls faster than HRII 2.3 as a front or rear.

HRII is better in loose/wet conditions front or rear and absolute cornering bite. The DHRII feels like it looks (rounded profile and closed rolling/corner channel/knobs) as does the HRII (squarer profile and open rolling/corner channel/knobs).

Ardent 2.4 on the rear rolls faster but has less grip/breaking and punctures easier than DHRII and HRII.
 
#20 ·
Miker J said:
The single ply (non-DH version) Minion DHF/DHR2 setup rules for AM riding.
Click to expand...
I'm going back to this combination on my next tire swap. I agree, it was fantastic. I REALLY like the Michelin Wild Rock'R 2, but it's a UST-spec bead and I have Stan's FR rims. It's a wrestling match to get them on. Maybe I'll use them on my MTX-33 wheels when I get around to replacing a blown rear hub.
 
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