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Assegai vs DHF and Dissector vs Aggressor???

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#21 ·
cobrakillerta said:
Here you go, see the link below. The review and several comments note that the Max Terra's stiff knobs can make it skittish

nsmb.com

NSMB.com - Maxxis Assegai DD & EXO+ Tire Review

The Maxxis Assegai has been a huge hit for the DH crowd - how does Minnaar's tread pattern translate to trail riding...
nsmb.com nsmb.com
Click to expand...
OK, the author thinks that "It seems the taller lugs with the firmer compounds squirm on hard surfaces like rock and root beds."
 
#22 ·
Went to an AssGuy Maxgripp after years on DHFs. It's on another level for traction. But man bumping up from DHF MaxTerra to AssGuy MaxGrip felt like adding a boat anchor up front. I've recalibrated now and I bet the DHF would feel scary. The cornering confidence is worth it. Thinking about a MaxTerra Assguy at absolute lowest possible PSI (running an inert) to reduce reported deflection off wet roots. Or revisiting a the MagicMary.
 
#24 ·
When I hear people talk about either the DHF or DHR II having a “vague transition zone” I always wonder what it is they’re smoking and where can I get some.

IME both tires, mounted front, rear, or vice versa have hero-levels of traction while cornering. Through and through.
 
#26 ·
cookieMonster said:
When I hear people talk about either the DHF or DHR II having a "vague transition zone" I always wonder what it is they're smoking and where can I get some.

IME both tires, mounted front, rear, or vice versa have hero-levels of traction while cornering. Through and through.
Click to expand...
I think the reason the assegai was created is because the DHF has the vague transition.

I switched from DHF to Assegai a couple weeks ago. Feels and rolls like the sticky side of duct tape. More grip than the DHF, not vague, and slow rolling.
 
#27 ·
iliveonnitro said:
I think the reason the assegai was created is because the DHF has the vague transition.
Click to expand...
My hot take is that the channel (lack of transition knobs) on the DHF is poor tire design that everyone has gotten used to and invented reasons as to why it exists (directs more load onto side knobs, signals transition to side knobs, etc).
 
#28 ·
GiddyHitch said:
My hot take is that the channel (lack of transition knobs) on the DHF is poor tire design that everyone has gotten used to and invented reasons as to why it exists (directs more load onto side knobs, signals transition to side knobs, etc).
Click to expand...
I think riding style has a lot to do with it. Lots of pros run DHF because it rolls faster than assegai. But those are the same guys who can throw the bike sideways with confidence and not worry much about a transition zone. Me? Not so much. The DHF has saved my ass many times when coming in hot and having to hit a catch-berm; but by the time it saves my ass, it's because I was sliding with little control in the first place, trying not to hit a tree or go off the side of a mountain. The assegai doesn't do that as much.

Granted, if the assegai breaks loose on a hard-charging turn, it's usually unexpected and you're on the ground before you realize what happened. That's a different type of scary.
 
#29 · (Edited)
iliveonnitro said:
I think riding style has a lot to do with it. Lots of pros run DHF because it rolls faster than assegai. But those are the same guys who can throw the bike sideways with confidence and not worry much about a transition zone. Me? Not so much. The DHF has saved my ass many times when coming in hot and having to hit a catch-berm; but by the time it saves my ass, it's because I was sliding with little control in the first place, trying not to hit a tree or go off the side of a mountain. The assegai doesn't do that as much.

Granted, if the assegai breaks loose on a hard-charging turn, it's usually unexpected and you're on the ground before you realize what happened. That's a different type of scary.
Click to expand...
Agreed, although my worst crashes were the "on the ground before you realize what happened" with the DHF (3C, 2.6, 27.5, i30, ~20 PSI, rider weight a bit over 200 lbs) washing out on the front suddenly. One was a mild downhill but narrow and off camber. The other was was mild downhill turn. Both were very dry conditions. I switched to an XR4 (2.6), which seems to give me a bit more heads up when it is losing traction, but I also work harder to put some intentional pressure on the front wheel now... when I can remember to... Assegai (2.5) is my plan for a summer tire, but the XR4 is treating me well.
 
#30 ·
cookieMonster said:
When I hear people talk about either the DHF or DHR II having a "vague transition zone" I always wonder what it is they're smoking and where can I get some.

IME both tires, mounted front, rear, or vice versa have hero-levels of traction while cornering. Through and through.
Click to expand...
The DHF transition (or lack of) zone is scary on the mud too. Especially noticeable in the loose slippy kind of mud, at lower speeds and lean angles.

Strangely though, I really like my WTB Vigilante, which also has a lack of transition knobs. I think it just must have a square-er profile, or less space between the center and edge knobs. But somehow I don't feel the lack of transition knobs at all on that tire, when it was as clear as day on the DHF on the same trails.
 
#31 ·
I did wash out once last year on a DHF in slightly greasy conditions (some of our dirt gets veeeery slippery). That DHF was pretty worn, but not terrible yet. Anyway, it was a front tire wash out in a steep high speed corner, and I was “down before I knew what happened” as some of you have said. That crash really surprised me. I almost broke my forearm in that crash, lol.

Most of the time though, I never notice any loss of traction with my DHF, and despite my signature, I do ride a lot of hardpack and loose over hard too.

Incidentally, I have a shipment of Magic Marys coming because I think in the deep loam that I ride, more aggressive knobs might hook up even better and help in the grease and wet roots. Might try a Maxxgrip Assegai up front later on in the summer. Rolling resistance doesn’t matter to me ‘cause my trails go straight down.🤘
 
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#32 ·
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#33 ·
GiddyHitch said:
I'm loving a 2.6 Assguy up front with a 2.4 Dissector in the rear. It's like a cheat code that gives me all the grip I need while still rolling reasonably well. I tried a 2.5 Aggressor out back for exactly one ride and it was so draggy that I instantly regretted installing it on the first climb of a 20 mile ride.
Click to expand...
Agreed. Have ridden the same recommended combo, solid. Read on a review the dual combo is the way to go for the Assegai up front for more consistent grip. I noticed some front end issues over roots with the 3C so it makes sense. DHF/Aggressor combo felt like suction cups on the flats.
 
#34 ·
JeffHNY said:
Agreed. Have ridden the same recommended combo, solid. Read on a review the dual combo is the way to go for the Assegai up front for more consistent grip. I noticed some front end issues over roots with the 3C so it makes sense. DHF/Aggressor combo felt like suction cups on the flats.
Click to expand...
Interesting, I never heard of someone preferring DC over 3C for front grip reasons.

I'm still curious about a dissector over an aggressor (or even a Minion SS or Rekon...) I wonder what it is like to have a channel in the back but none up front (assegai + dissector).

I also want my back to break loose well before the front whenever possible (and I run more than 20% less pressure up front than back)
 
#35 ·
iliveonnitro said:
I think the reason the assegai was created is because the DHF has the vague transition.

I switched from DHF to Assegai a couple weeks ago. Feels and rolls like the sticky side of duct tape. More grip than the DHF, not vague, and slow rolling.
Click to expand...
Vittoria Mazza grips as well as the Assagai (slightly better on hardpack & loose over hard, slightly worse in loam) but rolls better. They run a bit small so be aware when choosing a size.

I've never noticed the infamous 'transition zone' on the DHF but I lean aggressively. I do notice the lack of side grip on the DHR2 as a front however.
 
#36 ·
b rock said:
Interesting, I never heard of someone preferring DC over 3C for front grip reasons.

I'm still curious about a dissector over an aggressor (or even a Minion SS or Rekon...) I wonder what it is like to have a channel in the back but none up front (assegai + dissector).

I also want my back to break loose well before the front whenever possible (and I run more than 20% less pressure up front than back)
Click to expand...
It was awhile ago I had read it, and I could be getting mixed up with the Double Down Maxx Grip combo. I found this review here which goes into detail, and it may have been the one I read.

nsmb.com

NSMB.com - Maxxis Assegai DD & EXO+ Tire Review

The Maxxis Assegai has been a huge hit for the DH crowd - how does Minnaar's tread pattern translate to trail riding...
nsmb.com nsmb.com
 
#37 ·
I have just recently gone from DHF 2.5 to a Assegai 2.6 up front on 30mm internal rims and found the Assegai took awhile to get the hang of. After 3 weeks on the Assegai it became apparent to me that the DHF is a very neutral tire compared to the Assegai imo. The Assegai feels quite aggressive in initial turn-in yet does allow for a bit of slip. Been riding on dry summer trails mostly,anything rooty,rocky and steep that i can find and just recently some summer wet trails and on either the Assegai showed pretty consistant attributes on dry,damp and wet.
 
#38 ·
I’ve been riding DHF front and rear for a bit, this after burning through DHR and High Rollers.

The DHF grip is nearly as good as a dedicated rear tire, but the DHF roll faster and last longer.

I picked up an Assegai 2.6 Max Terra, initially it felt like I was dragging around a concrete block, but after a few rides I no longer notice the drag. Traction is excellent, still too early to know how it’ll wear.

I have the Assegsi out back now with a 2.6 DHF in front, might switch them to improve front end traction and decrease rolling resistance out back.

I wouldn’t run a softer rubber, these tires already wear fast enough, tires cost too much to wear out a set mid season.
 
#39 · (Edited)
I've been rocking the DHF/DHR2 combo lately. I know it's boring but it just flat works where I ride.

A lot of people comment on not liking the transition zone on the DHF, but a lot has to do with where you ride. While everyone points to the cornering aspect, the big advantage I found with the defined channel is it helps stabilize the tire descending loose rocky conditions. Tires with little to no defined channel tend to skip side to side.

On the rear I would probably take the DHR2 over the Dissector and the Dissector over the Aggressor. I found the Aggressor to be a draggy tire.
 
#40 ·
ridetheridge said:
I've been rocking the DHF/DHR2 combo lately. I know it's boring but it just flat works where I ride.

A lot of people comment on not liking the transition zone on the DHF, but a lot has to do with where you ride. While everyone points to the cornering aspect, the big advantage I found with the defined channel is it helps stabilize the tire descending loose rocky conditions. Tires with little to no defined channel tend to skip side to side.

On the rear I would probably take the DHR2 over the Dissector and the Dissector over the Aggressor. I found the Aggressor to be a draggy tire.
Click to expand...
Interesting, I had thought people generally found the Dissector the least draggy, and the DHR2 the most (although the best braking) of the three, at least in dry conditions.
 
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