DHF

Mikie

Mikie

Admin/iMTB Hooligan
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Maxxis Minion DHF
The Maxxis Minion DHF was designed for the often loose and muddy conditions of aggressive all-mountain terrain.
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OK, I can play here too...

I run a 26" x 2.50 (measures 2.35) Exo protection single compound on the front of my Knolly Endorphin on DT Swiss 1750 wheelset, under a Marzocchi 350 NCR fork. Oh, it is not the TR version and I do run a tube in the front. I weigh 210lbs and run about 29-30 psi. I have had my current tire on the front since July - about 24 rides or about 300-350 miles, including some pavement on every ride.

Short story - I am guessing you can't find a better cornering front tire. The weight (880g) is reasonable for the beefiness and precision of this weapon.

I had the alleged 2.35" version of this same tire on the front, and while it performed flawlessly, it only measured slightly over 2.0" and it looked pretty skimpy on the front. To be honest, I didn't really notice a difference in performance when I went to the wider tire - it just looks a lot better. I believe Maxxis has fixed their notorious over-estimation of tire width in their 27.5" line. The 27.5 x 2.30 measure true to size and looks appropriate. I've ridden the 27.5 x 2.30 version on the front AND rear of an Ibis Mojo HD3, and on the front of a Knolly Warden. Also awesome on those applications.

Prior to the skinny DHF, I had a 2.40" Maxxis High Roller II on the front. It was OK, but heavy. I don't think it performed any better than the Bontrager XR4 Team Issue TLR that the HRII replaced, and it was heavier. I didn't keep it on for long. It still has plenty of life left in it if you want it.

There is a reason the DHF is the go-to tire for every gravity racer, Rampager and enduro racer who is not sponsored to ride someone else's tires. The tire rolls fast and grips in corners like nothing else. It will slip a little on loose dust over hardpack, but so will every other tire. I imagine a Schwalbe Hans Dampf might be a little better on hardpack, at least until the knobs tear off - but I'll never know.

You will read other reviews that talk about a vague feeling between fully upright and fully leaned over. A sort-of "no man's land" if you will. I have never felt that. It seems solid at every lean angle with no driftiness even at modest angles. The Maxxis Minion DHF is a confidence-inspiring front tire.

As I said, I run it with a tube, so I can't speak to how it mounts up or responds to sealant. It is very durable on the front, and will last a long time. I have had no issues with pinch flats.

Get one. You won't regret it.
 
I gotta agree with the above assesment by @herzalot .
I was riding Schwalbe's Hans Dampf up front because everyone told me that was the hot ticket. And, it is a hot tire for great traction when it is brand new. Unfortunately it does not stay new for very long. Running tubeless a 2.35 Hans Dampf up front it felt too much like a balloon, as a large volume tire, I felt I could not trust it. Super flexible sidewalks that tore very easy and made the tire feel unstable. I have had multiple punctures and tears that Stans would not fully seal.

The Maxxis Minion DHF on the other hand is dimensionally stable and extremely predictable in the corners. Since going to the DHF I have not had one front end wash out on loose over hard pack where I struggled often on the Hans Dampf.

As well, not one bit of sidewall wear let alone any punctures or tears. I do run the TR version and run Tubeless and have not had a single issue. I ride the chunky technical where there is a lot of sidewall hits. In addition, bombing down trails like Joplin in Orange County or Sunset in the San Gabes in the chunk at speed, my confidence has gone way up riding the DHF. This is an amazing tire that delivers in all the categories important to me with better wear, and for a more reasonable price. I highly recommend this tire!
 
Oaken said:
Thanks for this thread. I need a new front, and because I can't find the trail bear anymore, I've been planning on the minion. Confusing on which one to choose because there are so many flavors!
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If you are still on a 26er, your choices are thankfully fairly limited. Eliminate the wire bead options first. Eliminate the 2.35" versions unless you want a 2.1" tire. Then, do you want to run tubes or tubeless?

26x2.30 exo/TR/3C (or dual compound for longer wear) if you want to run tubeless.

If running with tubes, get the 26x2.5 with Exo in either the 3c or single compound. Don't get the ST (super tacky). It won't last long. I am running the 2.5 exo 3c compound and it's awesome.

BTW - I had the Trail Bears. Wait 'til you try the Minions!
 
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The 27.5/29" 2.5 versions are massive and true to size as well. I'm still on the fence if I prefer the High Roller 2 tire over the DHF. I cannot figure out which tire feels faster.
 
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Well, I finally drank the iMTB kool-aid and replaced my worn out Hans Dampf with a Minion DHF up front. I also replaced my Bontrager XR2 with a Minion SS in the back, but I'll try to keep that mostly in the Minion SS thread. :whistling:

Before the riding impressions, here are some measurements for the other bike nerds:
  • 29x2.3" 3C/EXO/TR version
  • It weighed in at 932g - Both tires came in very close to their claimed weights, the DHF was only 7g over (compared to my Hans Dampfs which usually came in about 35g over)
  • After leaving it at 45psi overnight, it stretched out to exactly 2.3" casing width, with the knobs slightly narrower - this is on a 26mm inner width rim
    • The old 2.35" HD's casing was bigger than the claimed 2.35" on this rim and the knobs stuck out even farther to 2.44"
  • I ran it at 19psi, the same as the slightly wider HD I'd been running - I'm about 180ish geared-up.
I was a little unsure about the tire after I put it on, since it was noticeably narrower and more square profiled than the HD I was used to, but I figured it must work otherwise everyone wouldn't be raving about it here. I had thought about the 2.5" version, but it just seemed like overkill for my riding and a lot of tire to haul up the hills.

I took it out today for a quick spin at Oaks to test it out. It's probably not an entirely fair comparison since my HD was pretty worn at 1,000 miles, but I could tell the difference in the side knobs right away even on a climb! It just stuck to side-slopes and off camber sections in a way that I don't think the HD did even when it was new. I could pick almost any line I wanted and it would just stay where I pointed it instead of sliding downhill to the side. The Minion SS definitely helped with this in the back, too.

I headed over to Hawk to get a feel for it on the downhill (the real reason for getting it :)). As others have said on this thread, it simply went where I pointed it and stuck to that line. Off camber, rocks, rocks with loose dirt over them ... it didn't matter! It just carved turns that felt sketchy before, letting me carry more speed through the turn. My first run down Hawk took 4 seconds off my time from just a couple of days ago, and felt more stable.

Next I went over to Mtn Goat Waterfall. It wasn't my cleanest run on that trail, but considering the conditions it was in, it was a great test on a lot of different surfaces. It stuck to the trail like a pair of 5-10's on flats, and got me out of trouble a few times. One ride and I'm sold!
 
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"As well, not one bit of sidewall wear let alone any punctures or tears. I do run the TR version and run Tubeless and have not had a single issue. I ride the chunky technical where there is a lot of sidewall hits."
Mikie say it's not so, after that mishap on McGill I thought you and me were the only ones riding tubes, you swore that you would never go tubeless. I guess I am the sole survior
Happy sealant filled trails
 
da big hills said:
"As well, not one bit of sidewall wear let alone any punctures or tears. I do run the TR version and run Tubeless and have not had a single issue. I ride the chunky technical where there is a lot of sidewall hits."
Mikie say it's not so, after that mishap on McGill I thought you and me were the only ones riding tubes, you swore that you would never go tubeless. I guess I am the sole survior
Happy sealant filled trails
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Hah hah! I got sucked into the tubeless koolaide, once I understood what really went wrong and that Yeti made a big mistake in spec'ing their OEM in 2012, I dug into what built a reliable tubeless set. Been good to me ever since!:thumbsup:
(boy, that is some history that changed me forever!:unsure:)
 
MattB said:
Well, I finally drank the iMTB kool-aid and replaced my worn out Hans Dampf with a Minion DHF up front. I also replaced my Bontrager XR2 with a Minion SS in the back, but I'll try to keep that mostly in the Minion SS thread. :whistling:

Before the riding impressions, here are some measurements for the other bike nerds:
  • 29x2.3" 3C/EXO/TR version
  • It weighed in at 932g - Both tires came in very close to their claimed weights, the DHF was only 7g over (compared to my Hans Dampfs which usually came in about 35g over)
  • After leaving it at 45psi overnight, it stretched out to exactly 2.3" casing width, with the knobs slightly narrower - this is on a 26mm inner width rim
    • The old 2.35" HD's casing was bigger than the claimed 2.35" on this rim and the knobs stuck out even farther to 2.44"
  • I ran it at 19psi, the same as the slightly wider HD I'd been running - I'm about 180ish geared-up.
I was a little unsure about the tire after I put it on, since it was noticeably narrower and more square profiled than the HD I was used to, but I figured it must work otherwise everyone wouldn't be raving about it here. I had thought about the 2.5" version, but it just seemed like overkill for my riding and a lot of tire to haul up the hills.

I took it out today for a quick spin at Oaks to test it out. It's probably not an entirely fair comparison since my HD was pretty worn at 1,000 miles, but I could tell the difference in the side knobs right away even on a climb! It just stuck to side-slopes and off camber sections in a way that I don't think the HD did even when it was new. I could pick almost any line I wanted and it would just stay where I pointed it instead of sliding downhill to the side. The Minion SS definitely helped with this in the back, too.

I headed over to Hawk to get a feel for it on the downhill (the real reason for getting it :)). As others have said on this thread, it simply went where I pointed it and stuck to that line. Off camber, rocks, rocks with loose dirt over them ... it didn't matter! It just carved turns that felt sketchy before, letting me carry more speed through the turn. My first run down Hawk took 4 seconds off my time from just a couple of days ago, and felt more stable.

Next I went over to Mtn Goat Waterfall. It wasn't my cleanest run on that trail, but considering the conditions it was in, it was a great test on a lot of different surfaces. It stuck to the trail like a pair of 5-10's on flats, and got me out of trouble a few times. One ride and I'm sold!
Click to expand...
Great report! This awesome to read. Great to see it was a good referral.
 
I just got 1 yr and 2400 mi out of my Minion DHF EXO Dual Compound (as a front tire). Never had a flat. At least 50% still tread left. The side knobs are a bit worn and losing a little bit of grip, so I replaced it today with the same thing. I figured I got my money's worth out of it for sure.

Definitely the longest I've ever had a tire last. I used to go through front tires fairly often, mostly because I'd lose confidence in them and want to try something different. Once I rode the DHF I knew it was "the one."
 
Somehow, all these years I had never tried the DHF tire even though I've tried many of the others. I never liked the skinny looking 2.3 profile and couldn't get past that. I run the 2.4 Ardent up front on my Primer and a 2.3 Aggressor on the rear of my Primer and 5010 with zero complaints. That being said, I don't consider myself a tire purist and will bounce around all the time. I've tried several Bontrager tires (loved the SE5), love the Specialized Butcher, like the TRS soft compound tire up front on my long travel bikes and most recently had the Magic Mary 2.35 up front on my Tracer. I was hesitant to change it since I liked it so much but since I was heading up here to Whistler, I wanted fresh rubber on the Tracer.

I bit the bullet and picked up the 2.5 DHF and 2.5 Aggressor. Both have performed flawlesslessly in all conditions, climbing & descending as well as at various tire pressures. After riding in the park today and hitting some decent speeds and railing deeper into corners (the dirt is perfect on A-Line) that I ever have, I'm sold on the 2.5 DHF. This tire rips, grips and hauls the mail through the chunkiest and sharpest of rocks I've encountered. No problems at all the other day on our root-fest ride either. Highly recommended.
 
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