High Roller vs Minion

Been a Panaracer user for years – 2.25 Cinders for summer and 2.1 Trailraker for winter. Heard so much about Maxxis thought I would try some this summer, so looking at the 2.35 High Roller foldable vs the 2.35 Minion DHF foldable, or DHF/DHR combo.

Looking for opinions on these two – I realise that the Minion is heavier. All my riding is in highland Scotland so not often dry
Do quite a lot of steepish rooty/rocky technical singletrack so grip on these is pretty important
No big jumps or drops
Most rides 2-3 hours

What are your thoughts? And can anybody give me the cross section dimension so I can compare the size to my Cinders

Just measured my Minion DHF and 2.35 is about right. I run mine ghetto tubeless and find it a great tyre. Hooks up well on rocks and roots.

I havn’t really had the chance to use it in really sloppy conditions as just as i fitted it my local trails dried out. But on hardpacked trails it still rolls really well. I have to do alot of road miles between singletrack and i think it rolls pretty well.

Minions are the dry condition maxxis tyre. Work fantastically as a pair of fronts for cornering but not so much grip for drive.

I’d go high rollers as the best all round option.

Might be of interest:

http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/how-do-maxxis-advantage-size-up#post-264981

Minions are the dry condition maxxis tyre.

See, I’d prefer a Minion front in the wet as opposed to a High Roller, as they track straighter under braking.

Yeah the Maxxis website says the Minion is “.. designed for the often loose and muddy conditions of the NORBA downhill series”, but also says the High Roller is the best all rounder. Doesn’t say anything about grip on roots and rocks though

Just measured a 2.35 High-Roller [on a 719 @25psi] with the verniers & it comes up at 2 3/16″ so just short of 2.2″ at it’s widest

Thanks uplink. What are your thoughts on performance

I love them on the front they seem to grip well in most circumstances & when they do lose it they quickly grip again.

too draggy on the back for me

Minion 2.35 SPC is great up front. Run 60a for most stuff but if you want extra grip then run the 42a. Find the minion better up front than the high roller for the same reason brant gives, also they seem to have a more predictable break away point than the high roller. Either tyre can work well on the back, reverse the tread patern for extra traction. They do drag a bit on the rear though. I prefer something like an Ardent or cross mark on the rear for better rolling. It all depends on the terrain though. Find Maxxis tyres really good on rocks, roots, loam etc but not so great in gloopy stuff.

I run a 2.35 minion ST singleply on the front of my heckler and it is great for rocky stuff, even in the wet.

If you’re bothered about the weight, get the 2.35″ 60a folding high roller = 695g (according to maxxis), or 646g according to JustRidingAlong. I really like mine, seem to roll pretty fast on the road and more than grippy enough for everything I’ve ridden with them so far (skiddaw (not my idea), whinlatter, lots of snow, hamsterley, NYmoors, cut gate(peaks), amongst other (less demanding) stuff

Sounds like I might be slightly favouring the Minion from the comments above. For me grip is more important than weight. Any other comments about grip traction of the Minions or High Rollers? Sounds like the Minion DHF is a little draggy for the back. Do people use the DHR on the back – the tread pattern looks like it would be even draggier than the DHF

Keep away from the advantages on the front though

Minion front high roller rear. that’s what works for me. The high roller is great but tends to break away before catching again on loose corners, which is great for the rear, but lead me to a few nasty front washing out incidents. But with the minion front it doesn’t seem to break away so easily. Is a better front tyre.

OK, so apart from a bit of extra drag, any reason not to go DHF front and back if they are more predictable than High Rollers? What are people using on the back when they have Minions on the front?

high roller front ardent rear both 2.35 folding used all winter and i ride in the same ish area as you Capt. in my opinion the minion combo is overkill and they drag like a draggy thing on a drag weekend.

Normally for rear I get the biggest light-ish cheap-ish tyre I can find (skids may well be for kids but you end up spending a lot on tyres) currently a spesh enduro pro 2.3 which are HUGE and offer decent drive grip.

My preference would be for the Rollers. If you must use a minion put a sticky one on the front, and a 60a HR on the back. I’ve said before I reckon if somehow you could blindfold someone and make them take the pepsi challenge few would be able to tell the two tires apart.

For my money HRs roll better, corner better and shed mud better. A larger volume HR up front is better than a minion imo. I’ve yet to find a scenario where minions work noticeably better.

I got all over excited last weekend and took my mud tires of the big bike. Went for a ride in what turned out to be monsoon condition with 0a HRs front and rear. Took a few corners to get used to the drifty feeling and then I was back to normal. I dont fully understand it but they really are an exceptional tyre in such a wide variety of conditions.

The way the trails round my neck of the woods have been recently it’s been SP Swampthings front and rear.

I’ve got a HR, a Minion Fr & a Minion Rear. Looks like i’ll be trying out the Minion on the front and the high roller on the rear (the opposite from what I ran last year).

Thanks chaps

Minion front, High Roller rear, seems to work well.