Maxxis Minion dhf 2.5 - bit meh?

Probably compound more than tred. Maxxgrip is closer to ultra soft. DHF 2.6 has wider spaced knobs if you're after that.

It will be tread and compound, I run a dhf in summer and switch to a Mary in winter

maxx terra 2.5 dhf on the front. Seems like dryish – straightish – ok. But anything wet, is shite at 25psi tubeless.

Accurate IMO.

Totally different tyre but yeah, I'm not a fan of that particular Maxxis tyre either, surprisingly draggy for the amount of grip (obviously a personal opinion).

Dhf is definitely more dry weather leaning than the magic Mary. I always ran dhf summer and then switched to either a Mary, a hillbilly or wild enduro when it got worse. Recently stuck on an Assegai to try and it seems better than the dhf in every way so far. Does wet better and does outright dry grip better. Will clog more than a magic Mary when it gets very muddy though.

As above - maxxterra is probably more like schwalbe soft. Max grip is more equivalent to ultra soft.

If you want something really grippy in maxxis (as an allrounder) than a max grip Assegai is probably the best option.

Yeah, not really a fan of the much loved DHF either tbh. It's decent enough in the dry and relatively hard pack, but don't like it in the wet at all. MM or Assegai are my front choices for that.

I've never liked the DHF as a front tyre. I first used one in 2010 on a DH bike and I've had a handful since in various compounds. They always seem to have very little lateral grip and they're quick to drift. Definitely a dry tyre but they're not that good in dust either.

I've still got one in the garage that I'll use as a rear tyre until it's dead.

For me, it's just showing its age- it's not as good as the dhr2, almost all of the time. I guess maybe it's a slightly better hard surface tyre but you give up quite a lot, for that, I'd basically never give up a cupful of bum-clenching wet steep capability for a bucket of dry weather superiority, in this country. Caveat for all that is that it's partly because it's not that confidence inspiring or feedbacky, probably a better rider can get more out of them than I can? You do still see people using them at a really high level.

I reckon it's like the highroller, if it wasn't for the absolutely legendary name it'd have been quietly binned since there's so much overlap in the maxxis range, they'd be better to offer more carcass and rubber options of the dhr2 and assegai since they both still have some gaps. And change the name of the dhr2 to highroller maybe 🙂 But I do like how we've gone from dhf front and rear to dhr2 front and year over time.

For dry/intermediate and loose riding I prefer the DHF to the Assegai or the Magic Mary. This is a surprise to me, since I seem to be greatly in the minority. Turns out that a like working with that great big transition channel to smudge my grip about rather than a hard edge of 'nope' after a wider more grippy area that the Assegai provides. Rolls a bit faster than the Assegai too. I don't like the DHR2 on the front for the same reasons - I can't 'smear' grip using the channel because theres a transition knob in there. Great rear tyre though.

The DHF is close, but is not, my theoretical all round tyre - its level pegging with the Mary for me.

But instead, I swap to a Shorty in the slop and run a DHF or Mary for the rest of the year.

It's not worse, it just has a different design emphasis and it doesn't perform the same as the Mary for the reasons cited by the others above.

Compounds aside for now .. all tyres/treads are a compromise but the MM and DHF share some things and not others.
Both seem to have a transition from upright to leant over that goes through a low grip before the edges bite.. the MM tends to exhibit this on hard and the DHF on soft... so to some extent it's commit to leaning the bike and get it leant over hard

The Assegai fixes this... as to an extent the DHR-2 and in the right place (artificial surfaces) the HR2 (or for that matter the HD) - but the Assegai IMHO is more of a fix to the DHF

. Caveat for all that is that it’s partly because it’s not that confidence inspiring or feedbacky, probably a better rider can get more out of them than I can? You do still see people using them at a really high level.

Well a lot of grip is more about confidence than reality (there is a whole worldwide cyclery vid where he asks everyone then say's yeah its what you trust at the end - rings very true for me)... but I agree and I think it's because you have to throw it right over and trust it to grip whereas the assegai is more progressive. A top rider would probably just chuck it over.

Personally I find at my level I trust the Assegai more ... and TBH can't think of a situation where it would be worse but obviously some better riders can.

I have MM/Assegai and DHF on different front wheels and don't hugely overthink the Assegai/DHF.. (and adapt/alter) but the MM really only gets stuck on for loamy stuff.. or semi mud.

Personally I find at my level I trust the Assegai more … and TBH can’t think of a situation where it would be worse but obviously some better riders can.

If you can get used to the intermittent lack of grip when leaning it over it doesn't clog in sticky mud/clay as easily as an Assegai. I'd rather have more grip more of the time and stick to the Assegai.

Confused now as on my 'what tyre' thread the consensus was Maxxis with loads of people against Schwalbe, which I currently have and like but in the older style. Maxxis do seem to make the line up very complicated!

Weird how experiences vary - I love DHR2 on the rear, but not up front. Get on fine with DHF or Assegai (better of the two, but not by much) on front, and Shorty in slop.

DHR2 I find terrifying on wet rock and roots on the front, while DHF/Assegai/Shorty are all good in the same conditions.

chestrockwell
Full Member

Confused now as on my ‘what tyre’ thread the consensus was Maxxis with loads of people against Schwalbe, which I currently have and like but in the older style. Maxxis do seem to make the line up very complicated

I have no particular preference on tyre manufacturer. Avoiding Schwalbe would mean no Rock Razor or Magic Mary. I would say the only tyres I've had 'buckle' have been Maxxis. But if I avoided Maxxis, then no Shorty. Etc etc.

I tend to feed my tyre habit during sales.

I've recently moved to an Assegai (Maxx Terra -Exo+) on the front and can say so far with the frankly popp conditions, it's been pretty good. Worth noting i'm running <25psi in the front, but it's a 2.5WT as the rims are 35mm inners, which lend themselves to lower pressures. Also, the WT bit is quite important as it removes th square edge you get when you effectively stretch the tyre over a rim that wide.

I always used to run High rollers, or a DHF - cant say i really noticed that much between them, but i did like the aggressive cornering ability of them, crap if you were being lazy though - the Assegai seems to be a little more forgiving in that respect. Still keep the DHR2 on the back - just wish they would do a non 3C in EXO+.

I have the DHF maxterra Exo+ on the front of one wheel and a Magic Mary on my other front wheel. I’ve had a play, swapping the wheels and seeing how they both feel and contrary to the above, if I have one tyre to trust across all conditions, it’s the DHF for me, although there really isn’t much in it. I do run inserts and low pressures (18 psi)… 🙂

I find it hard to look beyond the Max Terra Exo+ DHR2 as a front tyre. Running at about 18-20 psi, it's predicable, clears mud, is grippy enough, and easy to mount, about the only downside is that it doesn't really like wet smooth rock, but what tyre does?

I think DHF/DHR2 combo is fab. Once you know its traits, they are great for a lot of conditions. Definitely a better on harder than softer terrain. 2.6  for both is noticeably bigger (!) than the 2.5 and really quite a different tire, for the better. I like.

They also roll really well, like freakily well, in 2.6. Lovely.

I am also not a fan of the DHF, I have tried them multiple times on different bikes and never liked them. I thought it was just me as they seem to be a popular choice.

If you can get used to the intermittent lack of grip when leaning it over it doesn’t clog in sticky mud/clay as easily as an Assegai. I’d rather have more grip more of the time and stick to the Assegai.

Yep agree ... though

Weird how experiences vary

We all ride different stuff and different muds and surfaces.
Don't get me onto muds too deeply (pun intended) but they are all very different depending exactly what mineralogy and organics they have mixed in and water/temperature/weather. Some become incredibly sticky after freezing for example .. others change according to the water acidity.

I spent years looking at the structures of clays in detail that would bore most people but from a MTB pov how tyres react and how they clag or don't is complex enough to just go with your experience of a certain place at a time of year.

I think the DHF and to a lesser extent, the DHR II favour a riding style where the rider stays more vertical but pushes the bike over and away from the body.

If you tend to stay more inline with the bike and both lean together, that transition with no tread will scare the 💩 out of you.

where the rider stays more vertical but pushes the bike over and away from the body.

That certainly could be attributable to me and my DHF likings.

used DHFs for a few years, then moved onto assegai on front, a night and day improvement, also like the DHR on the front too.
DHF isnt too bad on the rear, my usual takeaway spare

chestrockwell
Full Member

Confused now as on my ‘what tyre’ thread the consensus was Maxxis with loads of people against Schwalbe, which I currently have and like but in the older style. Maxxis do seem to make the line up very complicated!

TBH both brands have some superb offerings but dilute their brand with a mix of pointless also-rans. How you feel about either probably depends on whether you managed to pick a good one or a bad one out of the 6 million overlapping designs (and, just now schwable imo have the carcasses pretty badly wrong, but that comes and goes over time)

At this point it seems to be largely fan service. I don't think that many people would really miss the highroller 2 or the dhf much, and schwalbe could improve their range no end by dropping the Hans Dampf. But these are names people recognise

The DHF is still very good on dry trails IMO, just terrifies me in the wet. I'm sure the Assegai could be even better in the dry, but it's always a balance of grip vs. rolling speed innit.

TBH both brands have some superb offerings but dilute their brand with a mix of pointless also-rans.

True of Maxxis, but Schwalbe are much more restrained on the MTB side of things (ignoring XC).

I heard they're re-doing the Hans Dampf to make it a bit more aggressive, but the current version has its charms anyway.

Personally it’s the tyre I get on best with in both wet and dry conditions (apart from proper mud where only a Shorty, Wet Scream, etc will do). I’ve always found them reliable and predictable whether upright or leaning over and they are really consistent at the point when they start to drift 2.3, 2.35 or 2.5 for the win). I’ve dabbled in other tyres over they years and they’ve either been too draggy (but grippy), inconsistent when leaned over or faster but much less grippy.

I also tend to run a DHF on the rear (in a MaxxPro (3C or Max Gripp on the front usually) or recently a Minion SS for trail centre duty (wouldn’t mind a 2.5 SS)

But then we all like different things and the less you guys buy them the more chance I can get one when I need it (I’m not a fan of Maxxis pricing though).

I also run my tyres at about 30psi because I don’t like the feeling of any tyre folding over when cornering so and like single pivot Oranges so I’m a bit weird anyway.

Big fan of the 2.35 DHF as a front tyre. Tried the 2.5 but found it too draggy.

2.35 was the best size except on a DH bike.

The best bit was how the 2.7 was 2.5 inches wide and the 2.5 was about 2.35 inches wide and the 2.35 was about 2.15 inches wide. Only beaten by the swampthing, where all the 2.35s and 2.5s were exactly the same size.

I've found the dhf to be a fantastic front tyre. A true all rounder in my opinion. I was running a Hi Roller II, though, so not much to do to be better as a front tyre. 🤷‍♂️

Big DHF fan here both on the front and on the back.

Ran a 2.5 EXO Maxxgrip is great on the front and Maxterra or even Dual Compound is good for the back.

What others have alluded to is that if it’s starts to drift and you want it to stop you need to lean the bike over further and commit to the side knobs.

If that’s not your style an Assegai will be better for you.

I’m also enjoying the NEW Specialized butcher in 2.6 T9 compound, seems to sit between DHF and Assegai for grip-drift-grip and while not having that gluey Maxxgrip feel it defo has compound grip in spades.

Confused now as on my ‘what tyre’ thread the consensus was Maxxis with loads of people against Schwalbe, which I currently have and like but in the older style. Maxxis do seem to make the line up very complicated!

My experience of schwalbe is that while they have good compounds and treads, their tires seem to let go suddenly whilst at the limit when cornering, which I hate. Maxxis tend to be very predictable when at their limits and you can feel when the tire is starting to lose traction.

That being said, I find Maxxis poor for quality control, price and durabilty (their soft compounds only cover a shallow depth of the treads before you hit the hard rubber below), only tend to use them when I can buy them cheap from germany.

Most of the time I use the michelin wild enduros. Find them to be a decent all rounder. Quite keen to try the new continental tires but no one seems to have any decent stock of them at the moment.