Maxxis Minion DHRII [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. 

Maxxis is a popular name when talking about mountain bike tires. The minion series have been a golden standard for traction with gravity orientated bikes. Our friend, Patrick, is running the DHRII DH casing. See what they think! 

Overview

I have been running DHR II tires front and rear for a little over two years now, minus some temporary experimentation with the WTB Trail Boss/Vigilante DCS Tough combination in an effort to combat frequent pinch flats. The WTB tires held up well against flats for the most part, but did not do well in the cornering traction department once the trails started getting dry and dusty at the beginning of the summer. Also my rims have an inner width of 35mm, so the sidewalls of 27.5 x 2.4" WTB tires ended up bulging out past the side knobs. I got one flat simply by rubbing the exposed sidewall on the side of a rock.

I decided to switch back to DHR II tires. The maximum width that my frame can handle is 2.4", and since I have wide rims, I decided to go with the WT (Wide Trail) size, which means that the profile of the tire is designed for rims with an inner width of 30-35mm. I had the following three 27.5 x 2.4WT DHR II tires to choose from.

I ended up going with the 1190g DH Casing version. The softer rubber compound of this tire has amazing cornering traction in dry dusty conditions. I haven't had any flats yet, and I have had several rather harsh rock strikes. I did, however, slice the sidewall on my rear tire, and ended up losing about 10psi until the sealant did its job. It's holding air, but it is making me nervous, so I'm going to replace it. My rear tire currently has 380 miles on it and it is looking pretty worn, although the traction is still good.

Final Thoughts

I would definitely recommend this tire if you want excellent cornering traction in dry conditions, and you want extra pinch flat protection. I would not recommend this tire if you are worried about adding 290g (0.64 pounds) per wheel, or if you are wanting your tread to last a long time. Personally, getting a pinch flat has a much bigger negative effect on me than lugging around a little extra weight.