Maxxis Minion DHF and Aggressor 27.5: Rider Review

Our "Rider Review" article series features the honest reviews from verified purchasers of Worldwide Cyclery. They contain the photos, thoughts, feedback & overall review you are looking for.  

New tires can be something that gets overlooked. Picking a good tire combo can make a huge difference in performance. Fresh rubber can provide both on trail grip but and also prevent flats from tears or punctures. Our friend Evan shares his thoughts on his Maxxis Minion DHF and Aggressor tire combo. Check it out!

Overview

I think it goes without saying that tires are the most effective upgrade on any bike, according to every article on bike upgrades ever. After all, they’re the only things connecting you and your bike to the ground, so that math adds up. So when it was new bike day for me earlier this spring, my bike had come stock with a not-so-bad but also not-exactly-what-I-need pair of Vee Tire Co. Fatties. A couple rides on Vee’s rubber and I wasn’t disappointed but I also wasn’t exactly feeling like my steed was ultimately dialed. Local trail conditions consist of loose rocks and hard-pack with embedded boulders. On steep climbs and technical efforts, it wasn’t hard to spin out the back wheel and on downward rips, the front tire lacked the precision of higher quality options that those of you who know what I’m talking about are familiar with. So began my search.

After a quick search and a few conversations with some riding buddies on the topic of tire combos, I found myself between two options: WTB Vigilante/Trail Boss or Maxxis Minion DHF/Aggressor. I deliberated for some time but eventually landed on the latter thanks to Worldwide Cyclery’s July 4th sale. There was no trouble with shipping and I kept receiving notifications from WWC on the order status, which is always reassuring. I eventually set up the tires tubeless using Muc-Offs tubes and sealant which took me, like, 15 minutes dry (a whole other review in itself, amazing). The tires at 2.5-inch width have a nice rounded profile on a 35mm rim which I anticipated would be great for cornering. I opted for the EXO/TR configuration on both the DHF and the Aggressor but still haven’t figured out why some Maxxis tires have yellow vs. white logos. Does anyone know why this is?

First Impressions

So let’s get into the important stuff, initial impressions. I think we all understand how our bikes react if we’ve been running the same setup for a while; for the most part, we’re aware of what conditions and situations will meet and sometimes exceed you and your bike’s limits. Fortunately, in this case, I kept having to push the bike into corners harder and harder until I finally lost traction with the DHF/Aggressor combo. And as far as spinning out on climbs, that has also been greatly reduced. Is it the tires, or is it me becoming a better mountain biker? Most likely the first one. There is just a definitive difference after the upgrade with how the bike sticks to the ground, and truth be told, it’s confidence-inspiring. Originally with tubes on the Fatties, I was running relatively high pressures so as not to get flats which caused my rides to be somewhat rough. At 21psi front and 23psi rear, there’s a pleasant increase in vibration damping that is also a welcomed benefit but without compromising on pedaling efficiency or rolling resistance thanks to the lower profile of the Aggressor and ditching the old tubes. It really is a killer combo

Other Thoughts

As the last part of the review, this is more of an update on specifics after putting considerably more miles on this tire combo. Since having them installed at the beginning of the summer season, there’s this realized durability that is so much more relaxing than the stock tires (probably because I still had tubes which was why I was flatting so often, but still). Plowing through countless rock gardens haven’t punctured the tire, I also haven’t had a slash that brought the air down, so this setup has really paid dividends. I will mention that the Minion DHF is noticeably less rolling friendly than the stock setup but it’s not significant enough to discount the gains. As far as the tubeless setup, it took a real week for the tires not to lose 5-10 psi overnight. That may have been my fault due to a possibility that I didn’t add enough sealant, but they hold air just fine now so it all worked out in the end. And if you run into the same problem, just inflate your tires before every ride.

Final Thoughts

Overall, these tires are a winner and quite honestly there is no way you’d be disappointed if you’re trying to switch from your old factory tires or from more XC-oriented tires. They’re fast, they’re grippy, and I’ll be damned if they’re actually making me a better rider.