Minion 2.5" Single Ply EXO Protection Review
Tested and Abused!
After a summer full of injuries and being off the bike I have managed to stay on the bike long enough to crank out another tire review.
Check out the new Maxxis Minion Single Ply 2.5" with EXO technology. Review inside,![photo]()
The Tire :
Maxxis Minion (DHF) Front 2.5" Single Wall with EXO Technology
Compounds :
Available in a 2.5, Max Pro 60 A Compound (tested) and the Grippier 3C Compound.
Target Market:
The new minion tire is aimed at the aggressive all mountain riders who are looking for maximum performance out of there tires without sacrificing their rolling speed and tire weight.
The Technology:
The tire features Maxxis's new EXO side wall . Aimed at adding sidewall rigidity and puncture protection without adding the weight of a thick DH sidewall.
Weight:
3C = 855 Grams
Max Pro 60A = 845 Grams
The Test:
Unfortunately at the time of the test I couldn't get my hands of a set of the 3C tires. All I could get was 2 Minion fronts in a Max Pro 60A Compound. This wasn't too much of a concern as I am already familiar with the feel of both compounds. What I was really looking to test was just how well the side wall would resist rolling and punctures.
My plan for the test was to run the tires on my all mountain Giant Reign for the first two weeks, riding the most aggressive all mountain trails Whistler has to offer. The third week I would toss the tires on my Giant Glory and see how they held up in the Whistler bike park. I even managed to squeeze in the first Phat Wednesday race aboard the test Minions.
![photo]()
![photo]()
Climbing/Rolling Speed:
Having an aggressive DH pattern helped the Minion climb very well over even the wettest and loosest of terrains. It's easy to just toss on a ridiculous amount of rubber on any tire and have it grip on climbs and corner well, but it's at the sacrifice of rolling speed. The 60A compound managed to balance to grip and rolling speed exceptionally well, but no different than the rolling speed of a Minion Max Pro 60A with a DH casing. Having ridden the 3C compound on my DH bike for years I think that a 3C Compound on the front and rear of an all mountain bike would be noticeably taxing on longer rides as it rolls so slow. Always a question of what is more important to you ? Rolling Speed or downhill performance?
![photo]()
Punctures and Cornering:
For the first two weeks of all mountain riding the tire performed awesome. I didn't get a single flat, which for me this year is saying a lot. I usually run my tire pressure for all mountain at 40PSI in the back and 35Psi in the front. I never experienced any tire roll on even the most aggressive of trails while riding all mountain, but that changed as soon as I tossed the tires on my DH bike. After a few days on my DH bike in the Whistler bike park, I realized I had to be more aware of sharp rocks and square edges as the tires would flat noticeably quicker than a DH casing. Over a week I got three flats on sections of trail I have ridden hundreds of times and never flatted on.
With my regular Maxxis DH tires I usually run 30 Psi in the back and 25Psi in the front. After hitting the first few berms aboard my DH bike with the tires at my usual PSi I knew I would have to pump up the tires a lot more to prevent the tire from rolling off the rim. It felt like anything under 35 Psi and the tire would roll and slide affecting my cornering ability.
![photo]()
For the Phat Wednesday Race I had to run my tire pressure at 35 in the front and 40 in the back in order to prevent tire rolling too much in the hard-packed corners. Remember though that these tires are intended for all mountain riding and not downhill racing, but I felt like it was necessary to test the limits of what this tire was capable of.
Cornering, the Minion performed exactly like a Minion front should; amazing grip and extremely predictable when sliding or braking. As expected the Max Pro 60A compound couldn't be pushed quiet as hard as a 3C compound on the roots or corners, but the fast rolling of the Max Pro was great for all mountain purposes.
![photo]()
Durability:
The pictures of the Minion featured above are after almost a month of riding in both the Whistler Valley and in the bike park. The Max Pro compound held up awesome over the month of riding which would have no doubt left the 3C's with no center knobs and cornering knobs falling off, but that's the trade off for the soft knobs and superior grip that the 3C offers.
Overall:
Overall I was pleased with the new offering from Maxxis. I wasn't blown away by the tire, it just did exactly what it is intended for. For those looking for something a little bit burlier than the 2.35 on their all mountain bikes, I think these tires would be a great option. Myself I would probably run one of the Max Pro in the back for rolling speed and then run a 3C up front for better tracking. It's hard to attest to the performance of the EXO Sidewalls as they felt just like any other single wall Maxxis tire, but I never flatted while using them for all mountain, during a period of time I usually would have flatted at least once or twice. As far as running them as the newest, coolest, light weight, race tire for DH, I would advise only running them on smooth and pedally courses where high tire pressure and rolling speed are important.
![photo]()
-Mantle
Big Thanks to:
Coast Mountain Photography
Todd Hellinga for some awesome pics
Sombrio
Dunbar Cycles
In case you missed my previous reviews:
Tire Review 1 - Continental Kaiser
Tire Review 2 - Schwalbe Wicked Will
After a summer full of injuries and being off the bike I have managed to stay on the bike long enough to crank out another tire review.
Check out the new Maxxis Minion Single Ply 2.5" with EXO technology. Review inside,
The Tire :
Maxxis Minion (DHF) Front 2.5" Single Wall with EXO Technology
Compounds :
Available in a 2.5, Max Pro 60 A Compound (tested) and the Grippier 3C Compound.
Target Market:
The new minion tire is aimed at the aggressive all mountain riders who are looking for maximum performance out of there tires without sacrificing their rolling speed and tire weight.
The Technology:
The tire features Maxxis's new EXO side wall . Aimed at adding sidewall rigidity and puncture protection without adding the weight of a thick DH sidewall.
Weight:
3C = 855 Grams
Max Pro 60A = 845 Grams
The Test:
Unfortunately at the time of the test I couldn't get my hands of a set of the 3C tires. All I could get was 2 Minion fronts in a Max Pro 60A Compound. This wasn't too much of a concern as I am already familiar with the feel of both compounds. What I was really looking to test was just how well the side wall would resist rolling and punctures.
My plan for the test was to run the tires on my all mountain Giant Reign for the first two weeks, riding the most aggressive all mountain trails Whistler has to offer. The third week I would toss the tires on my Giant Glory and see how they held up in the Whistler bike park. I even managed to squeeze in the first Phat Wednesday race aboard the test Minions.
Whistler Bike Park Phat Wednesday B-line race
Doing the climbing thing
Climbing/Rolling Speed:
Having an aggressive DH pattern helped the Minion climb very well over even the wettest and loosest of terrains. It's easy to just toss on a ridiculous amount of rubber on any tire and have it grip on climbs and corner well, but it's at the sacrifice of rolling speed. The 60A compound managed to balance to grip and rolling speed exceptionally well, but no different than the rolling speed of a Minion Max Pro 60A with a DH casing. Having ridden the 3C compound on my DH bike for years I think that a 3C Compound on the front and rear of an all mountain bike would be noticeably taxing on longer rides as it rolls so slow. Always a question of what is more important to you ? Rolling Speed or downhill performance?
Punctures and Cornering:
For the first two weeks of all mountain riding the tire performed awesome. I didn't get a single flat, which for me this year is saying a lot. I usually run my tire pressure for all mountain at 40PSI in the back and 35Psi in the front. I never experienced any tire roll on even the most aggressive of trails while riding all mountain, but that changed as soon as I tossed the tires on my DH bike. After a few days on my DH bike in the Whistler bike park, I realized I had to be more aware of sharp rocks and square edges as the tires would flat noticeably quicker than a DH casing. Over a week I got three flats on sections of trail I have ridden hundreds of times and never flatted on.
With my regular Maxxis DH tires I usually run 30 Psi in the back and 25Psi in the front. After hitting the first few berms aboard my DH bike with the tires at my usual PSi I knew I would have to pump up the tires a lot more to prevent the tire from rolling off the rim. It felt like anything under 35 Psi and the tire would roll and slide affecting my cornering ability.
For the Phat Wednesday Race I had to run my tire pressure at 35 in the front and 40 in the back in order to prevent tire rolling too much in the hard-packed corners. Remember though that these tires are intended for all mountain riding and not downhill racing, but I felt like it was necessary to test the limits of what this tire was capable of.
Cornering, the Minion performed exactly like a Minion front should; amazing grip and extremely predictable when sliding or braking. As expected the Max Pro 60A compound couldn't be pushed quiet as hard as a 3C compound on the roots or corners, but the fast rolling of the Max Pro was great for all mountain purposes.
Tire after a month of riding
Durability:
The pictures of the Minion featured above are after almost a month of riding in both the Whistler Valley and in the bike park. The Max Pro compound held up awesome over the month of riding which would have no doubt left the 3C's with no center knobs and cornering knobs falling off, but that's the trade off for the soft knobs and superior grip that the 3C offers.
Overall:
Overall I was pleased with the new offering from Maxxis. I wasn't blown away by the tire, it just did exactly what it is intended for. For those looking for something a little bit burlier than the 2.35 on their all mountain bikes, I think these tires would be a great option. Myself I would probably run one of the Max Pro in the back for rolling speed and then run a 3C up front for better tracking. It's hard to attest to the performance of the EXO Sidewalls as they felt just like any other single wall Maxxis tire, but I never flatted while using them for all mountain, during a period of time I usually would have flatted at least once or twice. As far as running them as the newest, coolest, light weight, race tire for DH, I would advise only running them on smooth and pedally courses where high tire pressure and rolling speed are important.
-Mantle
Big Thanks to:
Coast Mountain Photography
Todd Hellinga for some awesome pics
Sombrio
Dunbar Cycles
In case you missed my previous reviews:
Tire Review 1 - Continental Kaiser
Tire Review 2 - Schwalbe Wicked Will
Author Info:
Must Read This Week
1.Would you change Highrollers for those? Doesn't Minion pack up easier with mud than HR?
other questions Iw ould really appreciate if someone answers:
2.Which are better for AM/aggro XC HR or Minions?
3.Is this Exo Wall comparing to regular 1ply any more resistant to cuts on sharp rocks?
Personaly I run 2.35" 1-ply 60a LUST HRollers. Im starting to get angry on them on steep tech climbs. Too easy to slip off the rock/root edges. My local trails are just slippery pretty tech stuff requiring brute-pedal-power-explosions, so all knobbless featherweight, paper thin (easy to cut) sidewall Contis or Schwalbies don't work for me. 2-plies weighing 0,5kg more per tyre won't take me far either...
It gets pretty funny with all these tire options from Maxxis now:
eee I want a Wetscream: 2.5", 60a, Exo - sidewall, tubeless, short knobs
2.) I personally prefer high rollers for XC and aggressive all mountain. They hook a little better and are better on the roots
3.) EXO does offer more protection than a regular single ply. They would be somewhere in between a single ply and a full on 2 ply dh casing
How about that for geeking out !
Ride on!
On the other hand riding trails (that's what I do 99%) with 2plies is as "clever" as riding Mont Saint Anne or Fort William on singles. In most cases in AM riding 1ply USTs are more than enough too. Unless you hit something really big like Alps
And ever since I turned to UST haven't got a single flat (ok once, but that was a one in a million situation when a stone smashed the presta valve) so I hope these come in LUST too.
I dont have "issues" with mud-packing, It happens, they dont clear as well as some but its not a big problem, overall performance out-weighs that possible negative. I suppose it depends on the type of mud as well, I mostly deal with loose soil type mud here, as opposed to the dense clay type stuff- so I do ok.
This version of the Minion only comes in a Dh "F" not in the rear version. But I recommend the F for front or rear applications anyways.
UST: I recommend big time! Ain't cheap but worth every penny! wieght saving is a minor thing but the no snake bites makes it superb! Mental comfort is amazing. I was cautious first, but now I never hold myself from hitting some nasty rocks like I did before. Oh I better ride slow down here I "wear" 1-plies today... makes me a better man too: I swear less... fuXX flat again, fr fxxx sake not fxxx again Fxxx Fxxx Fxxxxxxxxx! Why the Fxxxx does it always happen to me...
buy UST be a better Christian (or Buddist, or Muslim, or atheist, Jehova WItness, a Jew... or scientologist, or socialdemocrate)
I'm interested to try these out instead of the Specialized Chunder SXs i am using now. Used UST for aggressive AM i think there is a lot of point to this tire.
Thanks,