Maxxis Minion DHF: 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. 

We all know that tire choice is key when riding mountain bikes. By far, one of the most popular and well known front tires has been the Maxxis DHF. With so many sizes and casing options, Maxxis has a variation for every riding condition. In this review, our customer picks up some fresh rubber for his Stumpjumper. Check it out!

Overview

I've had my current 2019 Stumpjumper for about 8 months and was running the Maxxis Rekon 29 x 2.6 tires on front and rear. Having great rolling speed overall, the Rekon's lacked the grip I needed on the front. As such, I looked into getting a Maxxis DHF on the front! After doing research on picking the right size for my 29er, I settled for this 2.5-inch version of the tire.

Specs

Based on my local trails, I wouldn't be beating this tire up too much on the front by smashing rock gardens, so I got the normal EXO protection. If this was going on the rear I would have opted for a more puncture resistance version. This tire is a dual compound, so I didn't opt for the 3C version as it was more expensive and I wanted to try this compound out since I've had 3C in the past. Installing this tire was pretty easy as the casing isn't super stiff. At first look the tire is beefy so I'm glad I went with a 2.5 vs a 2.6 inch.

Performance

On the trail, the tire has definitely inspired me to hit corners harder than the Rekons. It carries great traction through turns and lets me learn a bit more. However, I will mention that this regular EXO version didn't feel like it had as cornering grip as the 3C MaxxTerra version. It's not significant, but noticeable. Granted I had run the 3C MaxxTerra on a different bike and a 2.6 version of the tire, there may be some differences in the grip feel. But compared to the Rekons, the cornering is significantly better and it clears debris from the tire more easily in dry-tacky trail conditions.

Final Thoughts

Overall, this version of the Maxxis DHF was a great match for my riding needs and a great price for not having all extra sidewall protection or the various compound options available. It looks great on the front with its bulky side knobs and clears dirt away perfectly in muddy trail conditions. I'll be sticking with this tire size for a while and might experiment with different variations of this 2.5-inch version in the future.