Going to push the button on a combo from Maxxis.

Fed up with HD ‘wear’ and Conti side wall issues.

What is the most all round for Peaks mainly with once a year Alps shenanigans?

use a Super Gravity HD at the mo…..

Ta

EXO sidewalls are relatively tough or, if you don’t mind a bit of extra weight, have a look at the new Double Down casing

OK – great.

Are they just on one type or all versions?

I am 650B and ride a Covert.

Oh, and tubeless is a must.

It’s generally down to personal preference in the end over which model. For what you describe sounds like you aren’t after light weight XC. I’d say it’s between high rollers and minions, both F and R. Never buy Minion R version 1 (if you still can).

Different people swear by different combos of these. For the front (I care less about the back and generally run what I can get on offer) I keep Going back to the Minion F. Tried HRII but just didn’t gel, other love it though.

So, my choice, DHF on the front in 3c and whatever in 60/62 in back. Currently got a HR2 on the back.

J.

Most models are available in EXO, I think the DD stuff is due in March but some of the French retailers have the Aggressor and Tomahawk.

What jwray says. HR2 good on front but Minion 3c better – squarer edges dig in better. HR2 exo tough and grippy on the back.

The EXO is an optional extra on the HD tyres, don’t get confused with the Exception which is a light-weight carcass XC race version.

I’m in the same boat. About to get a front tyre think the minion DHF but I have a new high roller 2 dh version for the back. It’s wire bead and not tubeless ready but do you think it would work tubeless ??
Cheers Shaun

Very few issues with running maxxis tubeless, I use a EXO HR 2 on the front, EXO Ardent rear. Maxxis Exo Beavers front and rear on the rigid/SS winter bike.

Minion dhf exo 3C front
Minion dhrII Exo rear

Both mega cheap at Acycles

I used to swear by a High Roller 42a front and a Larsen TT 60a rear. I found it a great combo being grippy at the front and fast rolling at the back. I like my front wheel to go where I put it but don’t mind the back sliding around.

I got drawn to a different combo that has a rear with big side knobs so it grips when lent over.

I have just fitted a Minion DHF and Minion SS on my 29er, they look spot on and I can’t wait to try them.

Shaun, I’ve had good luck making normal, none tubeless ready maxis work tubeless. Sometimes harder to get the bead seated but always worked in the end.

Might depend the rim I guess. Been on stans for a while now.

J.

Yeah, same here with tubeless, Maxxis foldy beads always (ime) have good quality beads and their sidewalls have a fair amount of rubber in so I’ve never had one that was even difficult to set up tubeless. If they just stuck “tubeless ready” on the standard ones I don’t think anyone would ever know tbh 😆

If in doubt, stick a minion 3C on the front. And don’t be afraid to go big, I can’t remember what sizes they do in 650b but even the redonkulous 2.5 29er is a perfectly livable-with day to day tyre.

Rears is much more a matter of taste though, some folks really like to have grip, others will sacrifice it for speed. DHR2 is good for grip, Ardent IMO reasonable for balance but some folks hate it. Haven’t tried a Minion SS but I have the specialized equivalent and it’s great fun and super fast but does have its limitations (it’s ****-all use climbing on wet rock, frustratingly so… It’s hilarious in descendy mud, I actually really enjoy it but it makes me slower.

Chunky monkey and smorgasborg from on one are excellent.

Great value, bombproof and are apparently made by maxis..i find they’re best on rocky trails like the peaks aswell tbh.

Chunky monkey and smorgasborg from on one are excellent.

Great value, bombproof and are apparently made by maxis..i find they’re best on rocky trails like the peaks aswell tbh.

FFS it’s simple 120 TPI carcass are XC tyres, 60 TPI are enduro/inbetween/most of us and Dual Plys are DH. It’s not as hard as the marketing **** make it!

Choose your compounds on the basis of compromise between wear and grip, you can’t have it all!

chestercopperpot – Member

FFS it’s simple 120 TPI carcass are XC tyres, 60 TPI are enduro/inbetween/most of us and Dual Plys are DH.

What if I told you that the new maxxis double down are 120tpi dualplies.

Yup still stands think about it padawan.

To quote Jared Graves in the recent PinkBike Bike check “with Maxxis you just stuck on Minions for everything”.
Personally it’s DHF 2.5 3C Exo on the front and a 2.35 or 2.5 MaxxPro on the rear. Currently running non-tubeless versions tubeless with Stan’s for the last 2 years without problems (I run ghetto tubeless as my Mavice 521s are old and battered). Best tyres ever. The GF and Bro-in-law have HR2s front and rear and they also seem up to the job. All other tyres have disappointed me over the years apart from original High Rollers in Slow Rezay compound which were grippy as hell.

Tom KP

My fave Maxxis combo is DHR2 60a rear and HR2 3C front.

The Exo casing is not as tough as Supergravity though. You’d need the new Double Down casing as others have said.

FWIW Schwalbe claim they fixed the Hans Dampf wear problem a while ago, my trailstar one proved very hard wearing.

FFS it’s simple 120 TPI carcass are XC tyres, 60 TPI are enduro/inbetween/most of us and Dual Plys are DH. It’s not as hard as the marketing **** make it!

Not really, well not any more anyway. Most of the new XC tyres they’ve bought out this year are now 60 TPI, and the new Trail/enduro formats are coming out in 60 or DD 120 TPI, which would make them XC/DH tyres by that way of thinking. I’m definitely not convinced the 585g of new Race TT tyre (60TPI) is really suited to Enduro, nor am I that convinced the 120TPI Aggressor at 1kg will do much for my XC ambitions.

This time last year the theory worked very well though.

OK.

I went with DHF all singing with 3C on the front in 2.3

High Roller 2 EXO 2.3 on the rear.

Might upgrade to the DD on the rear for Alps later in year if these go well…….

Cheers for advice…..

chestercopperpot – Member

Yup still stands think about it padawan.

Not even slightly tbh.

It’s not even a new thing- Onza’s freeride casing is a reinforced 120tpi enduro tyre, conti enduro tyres are 240tpi and their dh tyres are 6-ply…

And my new Minion is 120tpi

Based on setting up “tubeless ready” and non TR maxxis tyres tubeless on Stan’s and Velocity rims, I think the only difference in the label on the sidewall. They both go up perfectly.

Well it would appear times are a changin! I’ve always picked my tyres this way and had no problems what-so-ever. I’ve never for example bought some 500-600 gram XC tyres then come on a forum complaining about constant pinch flats I get when casing jumps 😀

It does look as though things are getting more complicated. My problem is with manufactuers muddying the water with intentionally opaque specs, using propritery terms for simple things.

HD?

Correct me if I’m wrong but isn’t 240 TPI just 120×2?

Most older dual plys are 60 TPIx2 AFAIA.

@ Northwind – The new Double Downs (what a **** name) are just 120 TPI dual plys, instead of heavier 60’s so a lightweight dual ply/Enduro/DH lite whatever you want to call it.

I’ll bet those 240 TPI Contis your on about are as well, it’s just manufactuers doing what they do, different names for the same thing!

@ benpinnick – The new 1kg 120TPI Agressor isn’t a single ply or an XC tread though is it!

Sorry boys it’s hardly the rabbit hole Northwind is suggesting.

TPI determines the diameter of the strands and thus the thickness of the carcass per ply. Add extra plies and it gets thicker. Increase the TPI and each ply gets thinner. Adding up the TPI of each ply (like Continental) and calling it 240TPI when it’s four layers of 60TPI is really confusing – especially as true single ply 240TPI would be really thin!

EXO sidewalls are a must. I ‘sheer’ non exo maxxis sidewalls in the Peak.

I’m currently running High Roller II 2.3 EXO TR Dual Compound front and rear.

Would the Minion be better on the front with a HR rear or Minion F&R or just stick with what I have. I’m not unhappy with the HR seem pretty good so far.

also what’s the difference between the two below? I’m confused with all the DR/3C stuff 🙂

1st

2nd

Cheers

HRII for soft conditions, they are really slow mind. 2.4s for even more grip.

minion dhf/ardent would work really well for peak district and roll pretty well.

EXO TR casing with your choice of tread. I’ve been running a DHRII Minion and Shorty combo for winter, and ardent/chunky monkey in summer

Minion FR and RR in Exo TR flavour,just works with no fuss, sometimes ardent on the back if/when summer arrives

My current options are DHR2 3C or Shorty 3C for the front and DHR2 dual or Minion SS dual for the rear, depending on conditions. All Exo TR!

I haven’t tried the HR2 but the DHR2 is remarkably good when it gets muddy and the Shorty remarkably good when it’s dry so I think they cover the HR2 territory effectively.

This double down stuff sounds great, don’t suppose it’ll be available in 26″ flavour though will it?

Alltricks have 25″ double down TOmahawks

chestercopperpot – Member

@ Northwind – The new Double Downs (what a **** name) are just 120 TPI dual plys, instead of heavier 60’s so a lightweight dual ply/Enduro/DH lite whatever you want to call it.

Exactly right. So they’re a 120tpi tyre that isn’t an XC tyre, a dualply that isn’t a downhill tyre, and an enduro tyre that isn’t 60a. Your explanation was elegant and simple, but this one tyre contradicts all of it, and it’s not the only one.

A simpler approach; tyres are made for a job and the manufacturers tell you what it is, listen to them.

@ Northwind – No it doesn’t. Your talking as though Maxxis have dropped production of all the other carcass types (remeber we are talking Maxxis here) Double Downs are a 2016 addition, reccomended as enduro tyres and sold along side 60TPI single ply versions, check Maxxis Aggressor spec table for yourself!

So you still get 120 TPI single plys (wet tbags as I call them) at the XC race end of the spectrum and 60 TPI dual plys at the toughest DH end of the spectrum.

Double Downs (120 TPI dual plys) are not 60+60 they are 2X120 sold as an Enduro tyre along side 60 TPI single plys.

So to summerise my list still stands! Theres only the omission of the new for 2016 120TPI dual plys (Maxxis language) sold as Enduro/DH lite, which slot in along side 60 TPI single plys. It’s really not that difficult is it?