Maxxis Minion DHF and Aggressor Combo: 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. 

Tire choice is one of the most important parts on a mountain bike to make sure it's correct. By changing a tire to suit your conditions can make a bike feel much better! David wasn't happy with his stock tires so he decided to try some Maxxis tires. With a Maxxis Minion DHF up front and a Maxxis Aggressor out back, David was able to add better suited rubber to his hardtail and better for his local trails. Let's see what David has to say about his new Maxxis tire combo. 

David's Review:

Recently I switched to riding a Maxxis Aggressor on the rear and Maxxis Minion DHF on the front. This tire combination brings the very welcome change that I was looking for. I am pretty new to mountain biking and ride a cross country style hardtail. The original tires on my bike the 27.5 GT Aggressor pro, were acutally the stock house brand and not that great. The stock tires were very much a cross country style, that while light and roll easy, constantly left me wanting more traction. I ride in south east Texas, where the trails can range from hard packed clay, to sand, or lose over hard packed. My GT tires consistently washed out in corners and spun out during climbs. Now my concern is not racing, or weight, or rolling efficiency. I want all grip and the confidence that comes with that.

This desire for lots of traction brought me the Maxxis Aggressor and Minion DHF. On the internet, this seems to be a very popular combination, although this combo might be slight overkill for my area and riding style. After reading the numerous reviews raving about the Maxxis Aggressor’s combination of rolling efficiency and grip and the plentiful grip of a Maxxis Minion DHF, I had to try them. due to the size of my rims, I ordered a Maxxis Minion in a 2.3 width for the front and the Maxxis Aggressor also in a 2.3 width for the rear. First of all the shipping was excellent, I received my tires in Three days. After delivery of my tires, I was itching to give this set up a try and really see if the Maxxis tires had more grip.

Both tires are foldable, tubeless-ready tire, and 60 TPI EXO casing from Maxxis. The Aggressor is a Dual compound rubber, while the DHF is a 3C Maxx Terra rubber, with the 3C Maxx Terra compound having a softer durometer rubber used. Do keep in mind both tires are a one-directional tire and should only be mounted in the direction clearly printed on the sidewall. Mounting these tires was easy and only took a matter of minutes to get both installed. Despite being a tubeless-ready tire, I choose to continue to use tubes. My decision to use tubes is purely based upon budget and a more simple install. I am running 35 PSI in both tires, which is 20 pounds less than my original GT tires.

Final Thoughts:

After putting numerous miles on my new tires, I am very pleased with them. They have lived up to the hype and did not disappoint. The grip on both tires is a very welcomed improvement. The spinning out on climbs has stopped, with far less washing out in the corners. The ride seems to be more smooth as well, most likely due to being able to run a lower tire pressure. Despite both tires being not only heavier but also has less rolling speed, than my old tires, I set a new personal best time on my favorite trail. Although not a typical cross country tire set up, the Maxxis Minion DHF and Maxxis Aggressor tire is my favorite combination for ride for my local trails.