Anybody run this on the front all year round? Thinking of making a change from a Minion DHF…

If you ride loose stuff a lot of good,

I am very impressed with the 2.5 wt version

I’ve had mine on since November and CBA switching back to the DHF. Seems fine so far.

just swapped mine back to a DHF.

I apologise for the rain that will now come down

Yes for natural trails up here in the (normally) wet lands of scotlandshire.

Gets a bit wandery on hardpack, bone dry trails or rock slabs though so depends on your trails or predilection for trail centres.

If you want to split the difference I’d suggest a DHRII. Left mine on all winter after tearing my shorty last autumn. Worked great and is much better on hard or gravelly/loose stuff.

I ride shorty all year round. Can’t fault the tyre its ace!!!!

I find the shorty a bit scary on rocks or hardpack, it drifts too easily and suddenly for me. In conditions with something to bite into it is really really good.

I did last year. Only sketchy times were bone dry, dusty hardpacked trails. But they never last… Except the last 3 months.

The 2.5 WT (whether you have it on super wide rims or not – I’m on Flow EX so 25.5mm) is a much better all conditions tyre than the 2.3″ version. I’d be happy running it year round but I like collecting tyres too much, so have High Roller 2 2.4 and DHF 2.5 for less filthy conditions as front tyres.

If you don’t mind it wearing out quicker and rolling slower than a DHF or HR2 when it’s dry then I’d go for it.

TBH it’s draggy, and less good in dry hard conditions than a minion (spikiness is a drawback on hard stuff). I personally cannot be arsed with that all year round so I swap but the 2.5 is like black magic in the wet.

I suppose if I could only have one set of tyres for everything it’d be a 2.5 shorty and a 2.4 dhr2. But I’d rather swap.

I suppose if I could only have one set of tyres for everything it’d be a 2.5 shorty and a 2.4 dhr2. But I’d rather swap.

My thoughts exactly! They go up so well tubeless (I have a high volume track pump and an Airshot just in case) and sealant needs refreshing anyway so seasonal swapping is a painless job.

Was running a Mary on a Flow, but picked up a brand new 2.3 Shorty for £30. Loads thinner than a 2.35 Mary, but it seemed good in the Lakes on Monday with an Ardent out back.

Tempted after reading the above, thanks. No rocks where I am (South) but fairly loose in local trails. Seems like a no brainer to pair with a DHR2 out back, especially as I like to keep them on for multi seasons..

I ride mainly in Shropshire/FOD, with trips to Peaks/Wales(BPW,Afan,Cwmcarn) so ground varies from mud to rock.

Default front tyre is a Minion DHF, use this pretty much year round, only swapping to a shorty if its been very wet and the ground doesn’t dry well (Bringewood). Recent trip to Peebles, packed the shorty, trails were wet but DHF coped fine (espiecally the ones with lots of roots/rock, where the shorty isn’t great).

I bought a new Shorty back in October, probably have around 8 rides on it, side knobs have lost all their sharpness, not sure how you lot can run them year round without replacing them every couple of months!

Reign is running Minion DHF front and Aggressor rear (bit quicker rolling than a DHF and more braking traction than a minion SS)
Smuggler is Forekaster front/Ardent Race rear for local xc rides, second set of wheels shod with Minion/Minion SS.

Default front tyre is a Minion DHF, use this pretty much year round, only swapping to a shorty if its been very wet and the ground doesn’t dry well

Same here. Riding same/similar locations.

Rear is DHR2, but considering Aggressor or more likely an Ardent rear for summer.

Same here. Riding same/similar locations.

Rear is DHR2, but considering Aggressor or more likely an Ardent rear for summer.

Ardent is draggy and yet doesn’t have the corresponding amount of grip! The transition from centre to lent over is a bit odd as well. Aggressor is way better.

Loving the minion SS tbh, it takes a little getting used to but it’s so fast in a straight line and still grips in a corner or in soft ground as the spikes touch down… the only place it loses out is obviously straight line braking on hard stuff but overall I reckon it’s way better than an ardent, in all conditions where either tyre is any damn good.

Thanks for the feedback. Being draggy for the level of grip offered seems to be a common theme with ‘intermediate’ tyres that fall between minions and more XC type tyres. The same is often said about the Purgatory, which was also a consideration. Looking at the tread I though the Ardent would shed mud a little better than a Aggressor or Purg, as we all know the British summer isn’t mud free.

Edit: I’m not sure I’ll feel very confident with the lack of braking on a SS. I really should give one a try to see how they perform.

I’m not sure I’ll feel very confident with the lack of braking on a SS. I really should give one a try to see how they perform.

Minion SS has minion side knobs, so grips really well when lent over. Have run the SS on the back at Staunton quite a bit, even on the steeper/faster trails (bunker/Rock It, billys) there is plenty of braking grip, you just have to be a bit more delicate with the brake lever!

I prefer a big Mary supergravity vertstar for all round riding, as it’s far better on wet rock than the shorty, although the Shorty is better in proper mud, and whether you actually get a full year out of the super soft Mary is another question altogether. 😆

I like the Minion SS, but I find at my pressures (18-20psi), the side knobs still drag in a straight line.

Might try an Aggressor this year.

I like the Mary Vertstar, but it only comes in the SG carcass so it’s bloomin heavy and draggy… I think the 2.5 shorty has the better balance.

(I know a lot of people rate the trailstar Mary but I just found the rubber a wee bit too hard for that sort of thing, it’s skitey where the vertstar and 3C tyres aren’t and I can’t see the point of that. I definitely could be up for a snakeskin Vertstar if it existed though)

Aye, a Mary with a slightly lighter side wall but still the same soft compound would be ace, as I only use it on the front so don’t need the mega sidewalls that my lardy, clumsy arse requires on the rear… 😀

Slight hijack – Northy, have you tried spesh slaughter grid on the rear? I need something fast, reasonable weight, and robust on the rear. Obv other choices are minion SS, rock razor, but I’m sore on rear tyres, so try to avoid schwalbe, Destroyed an exo DHR in 4 rides, and the only thing maxxis seem to do more robust is the 1400g dual ply?.

I’ve ran grid butcher and purg before, and they’re robust enough….

thought about keeping the shorty on front all year, but as soon as it started to dry out I realised it wasn’t going to happen

back to DHF up front, the shorty is sketchy as hell on rocks, especially dry ones, its absolutely by far the best front tyre ever for winter duties in loam etc, unbeatable in every way, but once it dried out, the DHF works well on the loam, but is much much much better on roots and rocks

Aye, got a DHF on the Brawnson now, it’s ace.

Trail boss rear as it’s all I had spare at present, it’s really good in the current dry conditions, but I’d prefer something with a little more side knobs for when the dust inevitably returns to it’s usual state.

I’m more than happy with my 2.3 aggressor out back , its seen some big old shit this winter, hit some big ole rocks and never once punctured (tempts fate), its gripped well too on anything slippy (as far as a rear tyre does in the wet)

I’m tempted when available to get a minion SS DD, as it only weight 960grams I think, and I had one last year, but slit it twice in one ride but that only weighed 730 grams so wasn’t very durable

that said the aggressor rolls well I must admit, it doesn’t feel draggy at all

I thought about the WT 2.5 DHF up front, but don’t really feel I need it, guess I could be wrong until trying it, but its just extra weight for a bit more width and up front I tend to not find needing the burliness as much as on the rear for rock impacts

Nobeerinthefridge – Member

Slight hijack – Northy, have you tried spesh slaughter grid on the rear? I need something fast, reasonable weight, and robust on the rear. Obv other choices are minion SS, rock razor, but I’m sore on rear tyres,

I did, most of the time I thought it was just as good as the Minion and it feels a lot more sidewally and durable. But I didn’t find it as good for pedalling grip, I remember a really frustrating day at kirroughtree spinning out on every rocky climb feature. Some of those are fairly green/greasy but the minion seems to cope better, whether it’s compound or tread or what I don’t know.

Is there not a Supergravity rockrazor? I’ve never tried any of those but they look good and might give you the durability you need. I really rate the Minion but I think you might find it fragile, it feels teh same as the dhr2 exo.

I have just ordered up a minion ss double down to try. The standard ss was far too thin to even bother trying.

Thanks Northy.

Where did you order them from Rick?

Was really pleased with a 2.3 Aggressor DD rear and 2.5 DHF 3c front in Finale this year, really good combo.

Back on the SS now, feel like I’m on a hardtail it rolls so freely

Rick – you should’ve kept that SG carcass Rock Razor that you sold me – went up tubeless with a track pump last night and I’m now looking forward to a summer’s use on it, culminating with our Italy trip 8)

I use a slaughter grid on the rear for 6 months on the rear – Corners just as well as a normal tyre and is a noticeably sturdier casing than a maxis exo.

Currently running a bontrager se5 on the front, again has a really sturdy casing but rolls faster than say a 2.4 high roller and grips really well so long as it’s dry, the harder rubber isn’t great on sloppy roots. I run a shorty on the front for winter but it’s not great on hardpack and the 2.3 is smaller than the above tyres so it goes off for the summer.

As above, shorty in the winter on the front, DHF in the summer. Shortys shortcomings in the dry relative to the DHF for me were worth changing across given Maxxis are really easy to tubeless.

It’s nearly always sloppy in Chopwell so a MM or Shorty all year round. Apart from tonight with any luck!

What are people mating these to on the rear? Been running a DHF/aggressor combo who has worked well until it got sloppy. The DHF has actually done pretty well, it’s the aggressor that’s been a bit of a let down.

Like the idea of a Shorty up from but what’s good on the rear?

Dhr 2 of course. Or another shorty if its a sloppy steep trail fest.

Dhr2

Doesn’t the DHRII clog up a bit more than a DHF? How are people finding it in the slop?

Been using a DHF on the rear, it’s been surprisingly good.