Maxxis Minion DHR II [Rider Review]

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Maxxis is a household name when it comes to mountain bike tires. They've proved themselves time and time again their tires are a gold standard for traction and reliability. Our customer has been riding the Minion DHRII. Check out their thoughts about the tire!

Overview

Fellow MTB tire enthusiasts, I have been riding the Minion DHR II tires on my Enduro bikes for two seasons, and I feel that it’s time to share my experiences. As a super popular tire, there’s no shortage of reviews on these things, but hopefully I can help you a bit further in your search for the end-all rear tire. I currently have the Double Down MaxxGrip 27.5” version installed on my Forbidden Dreadnought and my daughter’s Status 140 that I recently built for her. In this review, I’ll discuss the good and the bad, and make some comparisons along the way.

The Good

Let’s start with all of the things I love about this tire. First, it’s incredibly well-rounded and versatile! I’ve noticed many front tires being very picky about what type of terrain or conditions they like to grab in. I have probably had more front tires than pairs of underwear to race in, but I’ve never changed the Minion DHRII as a rear tire since I first tried it, except to try a Dissector for a short time. The DHR promotes the perfect balance of rolling speed, cornering grip, and braking performance. Even when racing a mix of eastern US tech, flow, wet, muddy, and dusty terrain, the Minion has held strong. It doesn’t complain about anything. Next I’ll talk about puncture resistance….yeah I guess there’s nothing to talk about, because they’ve never flattened on me. I also ran a downhill casing Minion in 29 inch size before I committed to the mullet-only lifestyle. The double down is noticeably easier to mount on a rim, and still seems to provide plenty of protection - even when I’m in a situation that I’m more concerned about possible injuries than flat tires. Basically, I think this tire will suit you no matter your riding style, terrain, bicycle type, or weight. It just works, and it has a very balanced and refined design. In my opinion, tires from other brands that I’ve tried and the Dissector just don’t compare to this tire unless you only care about rolling speed. For me, I am willing to sacrifice a (very small) amount of added rolling resistance for the peace of mind I get with the Minion at my back.

The Bad

There isn’t much bad to say about the tire’s performance, but I must share an experience with the quality control on this tire. Before I mention the issues, I will point out that some friends and I have all used the Minion is other casings, such as downhill and EXO, without the QC issues. We have all noticed that recent Minion DHR IIs in DD casing have wobbly and misprinted tread patterns. I can’t feel anything on the trail, but holy crap, it’s annoying to watch it roll and have to wonder if your rim is badly out of lateral true. Worldwide Cyclery was kind enough to send me a new tire the first time it happened. After I noticed the second tire also looked wobbly, I checked the rim on a stand, also having my LBS take a look. I sent the tire to Maxxis for warranty and received a third (also wobbly) tire. At this point, my friends and I put our experiences together and decided that we should just expect this tire to look wobbly and live with it since it’s otherwise amazing.

Final Thoughts

In summary, I believe that the Minion could be the end of my search for tire perfection, but I’m too curious to stop here. In off-seasons I plan to try other tires like Schwalbe, but I will always keep a Minion or two around since I trust the tire’s performance so much. If Maxxis would fix the quality control issues, then I would consider this the perfect buy as an all around rear tire for recreational riders and racers alike.