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Keep running Minion DHF's or try something new?

0110-M-P

0110-M-P

Monkey
Jun 1, 2009
244
2
Atlanta, GA
So I've been on sets of ever faithful Maxxis Minion DHF's (2.5 ST) tires front and rear for the past 3 years and am needing to get a new set again by next weekend. I love the DHF, but I'm starting to wonder if I'm just stuck in my comfort zone and need to try something new (the grass is always greener right?). So before I buy a new set, I'm weighing my options and would appreciate others' experiences. Here is what I have been looking at running thus far...

- Full set of Minion DHF ST's
- Full set of Minion DHF 3C's (never run this compound before)
- Front Minion DHF and rear Minion DHR II (not sure of compounds yet)
- Full set of Specialized Butchers
- Full set of Bontrager G5
- Some kind of Schwalbe (really don't know anything about them)

Ideas? Opinions?
 
bizutch

bizutch

Delicate CUSTOM flower
Dec 11, 2001
15,928
24
Over your shoulder whispering
0110-M-P said:
So I've been on sets of ever faithful Maxxis Minion DHF's (2.5 ST) tires front and rear for the past 3 years and am needing to get a new set again by next weekend. I love the DHF, but I'm starting to wonder if I'm just stuck in my comfort zone and need to try something new (the grass is always greener right?). So before I buy a new set, I'm weighing my options and would appreciate others' experiences. Here is what I have been looking at running thus far...

- Full set of Minion DHF ST's
- Full set of Minion DHF 3C's (never run this compound before)
- Front Minion DHF and rear Minion DHR II (not sure of compounds yet)
- Full set of Specialized Butchers
- Full set of Bontrager G5
- Some kind of Schwalbe (really don't know anything about them)

Ideas? Opinions?
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Maxxis, since they're down the road in GA. Closest Asian importer that could be considered local?
 
Kanye West

Kanye West

220# bag of hacktastic
Aug 31, 2006
3,741
473
+1 for the Conti's (except for the casings, but the tread/performance is REALLY good)

-1 for the Specialized

+1 for the High Roller (not on this list)
 
T

tuumbaq

Monkey
Jul 5, 2006
725
0
Squamish BC
cableguy said:
Try the Conti Kaiser Projekt 2.4"s that the Athertons are running on their bikes (and winning!) :)

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not trying to be a dick here but Im pretty sure they are running black out Maxxis ...

Butchers are fun, so are the new DHR ii for the rear, every Schwalbe tire Ive tried just didnt feel right to me but Im sure it must be ME, not the tire...

I try new tires all the time and keep going back to Minion Fr . . . 3C exo front and hard 60 A in the back, havent found anything that feels better than this combo for me...
 
bdamschen

bdamschen

Turbo Monkey
Nov 28, 2005
3,377
156
Spreckels, CA
tuumbaq said:
I try new tires all the time and keep going back to Minion Fr . . . 3C exo front and hard 60 A in the back, havent found anything that feels better than this combo for me...
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damn- how are you guys not flatting your single plys? Either I ride like a hack or I need to put some air in my tires or something.
 
T

tuumbaq

Monkey
Jul 5, 2006
725
0
Squamish BC
cableguy said:
Maybe you ended up as one? :)

Anyway, I talked to a Conti product manager, and he was telling me that is what they were running at WC. Here's a picture of Gee with his bike at Fort William from Pinkbike



And Beaumont:


http://www.pinkbike.com/news/fort-william-world-cup-2013-pro-bikes-1.html
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Again Im still 99% certain Dan was running Maxxis at the first Enduro WC and the picture above were'nt taken on RACE day..Might have been a wheel size Im not sure...I have no idea why Im under this impression, perhaps I am imagining this whole thing ;-) ...and yeah, I dont care being a dick either.
 
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dump

dump

Turbo Monkey
Oct 12, 2001
8,213
4,463
tuumbaq said:
Again Im still 99% certain Dan was running Maxxis at the first Enduro WC and the picture above were'nt taken on RACE day..Might have been a wheel size Im not sure...I have no idea why Im under this impression, perhaps I am imagining this whole thing ;-) ...and yeah, I dont care being a dick either.
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Looks like Athertons were running continentals at fort william:
http://www.pinkbike.com/photo/9707635/?s6
http://www.pinkbike.com/photo/9690944/?s6
http://www.pinkbike.com/photo/9690906/?s6

If they were running blacked-out maxxis like they used to, they probably would have lost :rolleyes: :shocked: :D
 
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cableguy

cableguy

Monkey
Jun 23, 2007
463
1
Southern California
If you can show me a picture of Gee on a blacked out Maxxis, send it to me. I will ask my Conti product manager friend why they are paying **** load of money to the Athertons :)
 
Tmeyer

Tmeyer

Monkey
Mar 26, 2005
585
1
SLC
kidwoo said:
Those bontragers are rad. I just wish they made a hard compound one for the back.
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kidwoo said:
I have no idea, I pop those fvckers on my trail bike. Just killed one on the front yesterday.
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Yup, I tend to kill the EXO's on my trail bike pretty quick. Always a tread puncture or tear though, never a sidewall? Bonty G5's are a sick tire, I run one up front with a 60A DHF rear on the Session and have had good luck.
 
B

BmxConvert

Monkey
Aug 6, 2007
715
0
Longview, Washington
cableguy said:
Try the Conti Kaiser Projekt 2.4"s that the Athertons are running on their bikes (and winning!) :)

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I'm running the Kaiser Projekt's now and love them. I actually just gave my nearly new set of DHF/Highroller to a co-worker today. The Kaiser Projekt's are easy to trust, roll well enough and have a nice casing. If they last anywhere near as long as the TrailKings on my trail bike they'll be good in my book.
 
Zark

Zark

Hey little girl, do you want some candy?
Oct 18, 2001
6,254
7
Reno 911
Hacktastic said:
+1 for the Conti's (except for the casings, but the tread/performance is REALLY good)

-1 for the Specialized

+1 for the High Roller (not on this list)
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Have you tried the butcher dh? I have ridden them for a while now and they work as well as a DHF. Grip is great, casing is tough, tire wear is reasonable.
 
Verskis

Verskis

Monkey
May 14, 2010
458
8
Tampere, Finland
BmxConvert said:
I'm running the Kaiser Projekt's now and love them. I actually just gave my nearly new set of DHF/Highroller to a co-worker today. The Kaiser Projekt's are easy to trust, roll well enough and have a nice casing. If they last anywhere near as long as the TrailKings on my trail bike they'll be good in my book.
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The Kaiser Projekt's are really good tires for anything dry, I love carving on the sideknobs on those things, but on wet roots and rocks nothing beats a Continental Der Baron in my experience.
 
supercow

supercow

Monkey
Feb 18, 2009
969
128
Specialized Butcher DH set.

Love mine, will only consider trying a set of Schwobbly Magic Mary DH set when they become available.
 
B

BmxConvert

Monkey
Aug 6, 2007
715
0
Longview, Washington
Verskis said:
The Kaiser Projekt's are really good tires for anything dry, I love carving on the sideknobs on those things, but on wet roots and rocks nothing beats a Continental Der Baron in my experience.
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Wet roots is what we have 80% of the year. I've been tempted to try their other tires but the Projekts just looked the best to me. Are you running Der Baron's front and rear?
 
kickstand

kickstand

Turbo Monkey
Sep 18, 2009
3,441
392
Fenton, MI
MinorThreat said:
I'm back on DHF 3cs this year but did a stint of 3 seasons or so on Kenda Excavator Stick-es and was mighty impressed with them.
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Just removed some kenda excavator stick-e's from my girls bike and put minion dhf 3c's on it for her. She said the improvement was night and day. Keep in mind however she's a beginner rider.

I really like the schwalbe muddy mary's and the minion dhf's. two best tires I have run.
 
MinorThreat

MinorThreat

Turbo Monkey
Nov 15, 2005
1,630
41
Nine Mile Falls, WA
kickstand said:
Just removed some kenda excavator stick-e's from my girls bike and put minion dhf 3c's on it for her. She said the improvement was night and day. Keep in mind however she's a beginner rider.
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Interesting. When I raced Port Angeles this spring, I started with the DHFs but the front end kept trying to plow out on me. Finally couldn't stand the feeling and put a blacked out Excavator up front and the problem went away. Cross-sectionally, the 2.5 Ex is a ¼" wider across the shoulder knobs than the 2.5 DHF 3C.
 
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kickstand

kickstand

Turbo Monkey
Sep 18, 2009
3,441
392
Fenton, MI
I only have one run on the kenda excavator so I can not really comment on how the tire worked for me. Most of her riding this year has been in the wet, muddy, rocks, and tree roots.

Overall I think they are all "decent" it just comes down to preference.
 
slyfink

slyfink

Turbo Monkey
Sep 16, 2008
9,320
5,074
Ottawa, Canada
tuumbaq said:
sorry I cant seem to be able to post the picture... not Gee but Dan is on Maxxis, wheel size maybe ? : http://www.pinkbike.com/photo/9601181/

Sorry for derailing the thread
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Looking at this pic from Val D'Allos, it looks like Dan is on dual-DHR2s:



source.

He's running 650b I think, maybe Conti don't have the appropriate tire in 650b yet?

In the article I link to it's interesting to note how many blacked-out Maxxis DHR2 there are, including Curtis Keene's front tire. Also interesting to note is that Graves is on dual-DHFs.

I'll also note that in the comments, Clementz comments on being called out for running Maxxis tires on day 2 after his puncture on day 1. He says his contract with Mavic is for development only, he is still free to run what he wants at races. He chose Maxxis tires because he has tested them with tubes and is confident in them. Because of EWS rules, he had to ride the same rim he started off with (or incur a 5 minute penalty, effectively taking him entirely out of the game). so with a compromised rim, he needed to go with tubes, and decided to go with a combo he knows, has tested, and trusts.
 
blindboxx2334

blindboxx2334

Turbo Monkey
Mar 19, 2013
1,340
101
Wets Coast
hey kid,

i know youre near n*, so ill ask ya:

would a set of DHFs be sufficient enough for me to get used to my bike at n*? or would you recommend something else? i keep reading more and more good things about them! i know you dont ride there anymore, but im assuming youve had many days spent there. i was going to buy a soft guy for the front and the harder compound for the rear (from what ive read, this is the best thing to do for performance and still have money in your pocket at the end of the day)

sorry for asking, im sure theres been a lot of DHF questions asked around here.
 
kidwoo

kidwoo

Artisanal Tweet Curator
Aug 25, 2003
42,146
13,340
Squirtin ketchup n' mustard on charred flesh
blindboxx2334 said:
tires for shltty trails.
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Yeah that'll do'er. I actually used to run a 2.7 front there once it got really beat. The extra surface area just holds onto that dust better. But yeah, no need for a soft rear there. It'll just slow you down on their already tight and turny bullshlt. There are plenty of treads that do fine in loose dust. I just stuck to maxxis mostly because I had a hard time flatting with them and they're the only company that still makes a hard rubber version of anything with a dh casing.
 
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Verskis

Verskis

Monkey
May 14, 2010
458
8
Tampere, Finland
BmxConvert said:
Wet roots is what we have 80% of the year. I've been tempted to try their other tires but the Projekts just looked the best to me. Are you running Der Baron's front and rear?
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Only have had the Baron on the front, paired with a Minion or Kaiser Projekt on the rear. Maybe I should get another one to run them on both ends when it's wet but not really muddy.

The Baron has incredibly soft compound, noticeably softer than the Kaiser Projekt. That makes it just slightly sketchy on really hard cornering on hardpack, but also makes it so good in the wet.

On the other hand, the little bit firmer compound and really well supported sideknobs makes the Kaiser Projekt my new favorite tire on dry and hardpack conditions.
 
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0110-M-P

0110-M-P

Monkey
Jun 1, 2009
244
2
Atlanta, GA
So at the top of my list right now is the DHF 42a front and the DHR II 60a rear. The more I think about it, the more I think I don't want to completely change it up....so just try a new rear for now and keep rocking the front that has yet to let me down.
 
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blindboxx2334

blindboxx2334

Turbo Monkey
Mar 19, 2013
1,340
101
Wets Coast
kidwoo said:
Yeah that'll do'er. I actually used to run a 2.7 front there once it got really beat. The extra surface area just holds onto that dust better. But yeah, no need for a soft rear there. It'll just slow you down on their already tight and turny bullshlt. There are plenty of treads that do fine in loose dust. I just stuck to maxxis mostly because I had a hard time flatting with them and they're the only company that still makes a hard rubber version of anything with a dh casing.
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sweet, thanks! im also planning on hitting stuff somewhat frequently thats fairly local to me (auburn, foresthill), hopefully i can make it up to downieville too and see what its all about after reading about it for years.. hope to get as much usage outta the big bike as i can and shut everyone up whos telling me its going to be used twice a year.

having been up to foresthill once on my DJ with no front brake (it was actually kinda fun), i remember the dry, dusty, trails.. so i think those dhfs will do good there too (im assuming). i need to look into the other maxxis tires as well, someone recommended me the highroller in the rear, but i think i want to try dual DHFs first.
 
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