Customer Review: Maxxis Minion Plus Size Tires

Tires reviewed are the Maxxis Minion DHF and DHR II, both size 27.5 x 2.8. Our boy Jason Peterson had been waiting some time for these tires to be released - he was looking for new meats that could charge hard and resist the punctures and tears that he had experienced in some other plus size tires. Let's hear his thoughts on these bad boys.

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They are finally here! Big meaty plus tires that can take a beating. My decision to purchase a plus bike literally hinged on these tires being available. I confirmed it with Maxxis last spring and let me tell you it was worth the wait. Yesterday I put 21 miles on them rolling through just about every type of terrain and trail surface my local mountain has to offer. The varied and wet conditions allowed me to get a good feel for what these tires are capable and where they shine. Previously the unicorn (yes I named my bike) was shod in Scwhalbe Nobby Nics in EVO Trailstar Snakeskin form. Not a bad tire, but not great for what I wanted to. I'll get that and draw comparisons I go.

Lets talk about tire sizing. Plus tires in general seem to be a hotly debated topic with many lounge chair rider opinions polluting your chosen MTBike forum. I actually ride them and love them. Here's what I can say, size and air pressure make a huge difference in ride characteristics. If you want to erase the small trail chatter, sticks, large gravel etc. from the trail, then go 3.0". If you want to ride hard on gnarly trails then go 2.8" and the Minions are a superb choice. The 3.0" Nobby Nic at 14psi front and 15psi rear (170lb rider) made for a sublimely smooth ride. However, it also squirmed on oddly angled roots and bounced off ledges and rocks. The Minions at 2.8" with 14.5psi front and 15.5psi rear are much less compliant in that they don't fold around every obstacle erasing it from your perception. This is a good thing. For still feeling the trail and knowing what your tires are doing, a 27.5x2.8 is a good call. 

What about grip? Honestly this is a little hard to quantify in a direct comparison of the Nobby Nic and Minion. The tread design of the Nobby Nic was built around the new plus sized carcass and provides not only a large contact patch but many points of contact as well. The Minions on the other hand are a scaled up version of a trusty but old pattern. The nobs and spacing of the Minions are huge in comparison to say a 29 x 2.3 as I will illustrate below. So going from the Nobby Nic to the Minions you have a smaller contact patch and less points of contact but huge dirt bike like nobs. So the grip is different. The Nobby Nic would wrap around a root and provide grip that way like a hand around a football. The Minions bite the bark between it's nobs like teeth into a corn cob. Where the Minions stand out is in the very wet and muddy portions of the trail. I don't think there is a better plus tire available for mud. These tires were also exceptional riding through creeks and over wet rocks. Overall the grip was very confidence inspiring.

I guess that's all well and good but I'm sure you all want to know how they ride in comparison. For clarity, both sets of tires were mounted on 40mm internal width rims. Rolling resistance was surprisingly similar and I think the Minion's ramped knobs help here. The Nobby Nic sports a bit more rounded profile and lacks the super square and abrupt shoulder knobs that are quintessentially Minion. This provides a very predictable transition and feeling of linear grip. The transition of the Minions is less linear and slightly more abrupt with the big gaps and large knobs. This isn't unnerving in any way just different. Just ride them harder and know they will do their job. One thing the minions provide above that of the N.N. is very confident traction at the ragged edge. They will drift a corner but they do so with utmost confidence. On loose, rocky/rooty and loam or even gravel, the Minions were fantastic. On hardpack and medium terrain or for straight up adventures in the wild at a slower pace, I'd prefer the Nobby Nic.

Why would you want these tires? I'll tell you why I wanted them. So many of the plus tires out there suffer from weak sidewalls that tear and puncture easily. I put a 3/16" hole in the Nobby Nic on a rocky climb where the stones weren't particularly sharp in an area dominated by XC bikes and tires. Frustration with a capital F. I was really looking for a plus tire with it's added traction and bump absorption that I could charge down more DH oriented terrain with drops onto rocks and high speeds over roots. I wanted all that without the concern of punctures and tears that go along with such riding on so many of the other plus tires available. Guess what? I found it.