[Closed] Rubber Queens... Better than Minions?

I have used both and much prefer the minions.
I found the rubberqueens in 2.4's to 'roll' on the rim and feel quite washy. This was whilst riding out in france prior to the mega. I swapped it out for a front minion after the first afternoon

They come up accurate on width, but tall. Bigger than your 2.5s though obviously due to the Maxxis Factor.

Mine were the standard not UST model, and they were decent, but it'd depend on what you want to do with it. I'm assuming with a 2.5 Maxxis it's for pretty hard use, and tbh I thought the RQ lacked cornering grip when tipped over... Less than my Nevegals never mind a Minion. And when they slide, they do it in a pretty drastic way too which is no fun. Very very good in a straight line, though. Rolling resistance is very good for the size.

Good tyres but overrated, IMO.

maybe a bit better in gloop imo

I rode 2.5 UST Minions F&R and 2.2 UST RQs F&R in the Alps on consecutive days. The Minions trade higher weight and rolling friction for noticeably higher cornering grip. Would've preferred the 2.35 Minions for the riding I was doing (singletrack stuff on a Blur LT) as the 2.5s were overkill. I'd go with Minions every time for pure DH but the RQs are a better all rounder IMHO and I don't find they wash out without warning.

sharkymark - Member

I don't find they wash out without warning.

Aye, I'd agree with that, they didn't impress me that much as you can tell but they were very predictable and consistent. I think I'd take that over a grippier tyre that was inconsistent.

I don't think the rubber queen is a direct comparison with the minion, der barron or der kaiser would be more appropriate.

As always with continental tyres the black chili compound are the ones to go for, and they tend to work better with a bit more pressure in them than other brands.

If I was just doing gravity assisted stuff I would stick with the minions, but for riding up as well as down mountains I prefer rubber queens.

They are great if you want a fast rolling, high volume tyre. I'd agree that cornering isn't their strongest area but not to the point that it ever caused problems for me.

Minion is a better all-rounder IMO.

RQ is great for hardpack, dust and rocks - tread a bit shallow for sloppier stuff though.

2.4s are huge but still roll well due to that shallow tread and magic BC compound. Also last much better than Maxxis rubber.

I run 2.35 SP 60a Minion DHFs in preference to RQ BC 2.2s.

The Minions roll faster, grip better, corner better and deal with dry and filthy (wet mud as opposed to wet clay) conditions well. The deeper tread seems to help in the filth over the shallower tread of the RQs

The RQs wear better, brake a bit better and are a little better on greasy rock/roots.

If you're going from Minion UST 2.5s to RQ 2.4 UST you're going to save a bit of weight I think.

I've run both and much prefer the Minion DHF at both ends. Rubber Queens (Black Chili compound) had a weird handling characteristic over steep, fast, rough descents where you'd get a 'ping' off the tyre with an unwanted change of direction. Think this may the the relatively thin sidewalls causing this. Some people love 'em but not me. Didn't corner well in loose stuff either - just seemed to plough through rather than bite in.
Rubber Queen is lighter but there's no noticeable difference in rolling speed in my opinion.

Thanks for all the replies.

It does seem that Minions are the preffered tyre. It's not that I've been unhappy with them, I just don't really have any experience of anything else. Grass greener scenario.

The only plus side to the RQs seems to be weigth and to be honest my bike isnt made to be a lightweight so I dont think it's enough for me to purchase them this time round 🙂

Thanks for all the comments it's greatly appreciated.