“Radial” has been the tire talk buzzword for the last couple of years. Big brands like Schwalbe seemed to kick things off, with smaller brands like Vee and Delium following the next year. Even Specialized jumped on the radial mountain bike tire bandwagon, releasing a radial Butcher and Eliminator. And Maxxis was quiet.
But now they are responding, not with a radial option but a new tire and a new — or, perhaps revamped — tire casing. The Minion DHX is one of the most aggressive tires in Maxxis’ lineup, and the new DH casing allows riders to run low pressures. So, is it radial? Well, no. But does it grip like a radial? Yes, it does.
Maxxis Minion DHX key specs
- 29×2.5 and 27.5×2.5 options
- Currently only the new DH casing for sale
- Currently only the MaxxGrip compound for sale
- 1,525g (claimed), 1,545g (actual)
- Price: $116
- Buy from Maxxis
Is the new DH casing instead of a radial option?
To be clear, I have no insider knowledge of Maxxis’ radial plans or lack thereof. Obviously, the tire giant is currently missing from the radial conversation, which has many thinking they’ll have something soon. It seems like the DHX release would have been the time to do that, but alas, here we are with a new tire and a non-radial DH casing.
But a new DH casing. Essentially, Maxxis beefed up its older DH casing for the Minion DHX, and now other tires like the Assegai are available with the new casing. The new DH casing raises the butyl insert a bit higher from the bead and adds an extra layer of sidewall protection. The beefed-up sidewalls let Maxxis use a more flexible 120 TPI rubber, allowing the tread to conform better to the ground and increase traction.
So, how does this relate to radial tires? Well, radial tires promise many of the same things, with claims of “30% more contact area than conventional tires,” as Schwalbe says. And while they might go about it a different way, the overall idea seems to ring true — radial tires do provide a lot of grip. But I have the same experience with radial tires that Gerow had when he reviewed the Schwalbe Alberts — I run roughly 5 PSI more than I typically would, or they feel like slugs.
So, the radial design provides impressive traction but with a sluggish rolling speed. Bump up the tire pressure, and you still get good grip, albeit less than before. Maxxis goes at it the other way — beef everything up, increasing sidewall protection and support to use a more malleable rubber and run lower pressures.
And, yes, the Maxxis Minion DHX traction is impressive. I typically run around 25 PSI in my front tire with something like an Assegai. With the DHX, I was down to 22-23 PSI.
How does the DHX ride?
The Minion DHX is easily one of the grippiest, most confidence-inspiring tires I’ve ridden. Hell, it nearly looks like it belongs on a dirt bike. It has some of the largest knobs I’ve seen on a mountain bike tire, and those knobs do a phenomenal job at digging deep into dry, loose trails.
Maxxis uses a 2×2 middle tread pattern, alternating between regular square knobs and the L-shaped knobs that have become the Minion’s calling card. The side knobs are even bigger and more aggressive, following the same alternating pattern as the center knobs.
Braking traction is spectacular, as is cornering traction. Maxxis kept the transition between the center and side knobs relatively small to avoid any weird float zones. Honestly, I doubt they could have made the transition wider, because each knob is so large. Oh, did I mention that the knobs are big?
The Minion DHX does have an Achilles’ heel, however. While Maxxis says the DHX is for “all trail conditions,” it doesn’t do great in the wet. When the dirt gets wet and tacky, the DHX packs up easily, much like the Assegai. On one snowy/wet ride I recently took, it was noticeable how much less traction the DHX has the more it collects debris.
That said, if you live in an area with rainy season riding, I imagine you opt for a mud spike or wet-optimized tire. The Minion DHX excels in dry and loose conditions, making it the perfect summer bike park tire.
Ultimately, the Minion DHX is likely too niche
While I am a gravity-oriented rider who enjoys the occasional day at the bike park, I’m ultimately a trail rider. I prefer trail bikes over DH bikes; backcountry rides over chair-lift days. And while the DHX is spectacular in the incredibly loose conditions found at a bike park in August, it is too much for the everyday trail ride.
Most of my bikes have an Assegai up front and a DHR II out back. It is a great combo — quick enough to have on a pedal-y backcountry mission, but aggressive enough for, well, even going to the bike park.
And I definitely don’t use DH-casing tires. Ever. There just isn’t much jagged, sharp rock on my trails, so I can get away with EXO+ casing. If I’m really getting rowdy, maybe DoubleDown out back.
The DHX just had too much going against it for this trail bike rider. Ultimately, very aggressive tread + DH casing + 1,545g weight = a slow-rolling tire. Now, it wasn’t unbearable, but it was noticeable. My only remedy during my test time was to only run the DHX up front.
Pointing the Minion DHX downhill at a bike park is the perfect application. Unfortunately, it seems like a bit much for nearly everything else.
Share your Maxxis Minion DHX review
Pros and cons of Maxxis Minion DHX
Pros
- Superb traction
- DH casing
- Lower PSI
- Rolls faster than you’d expect
Cons
- Narrow use case
- 1,545g weight
- Limited options (for now)
- Not fast enough
Bottom line
I will gladly run this set of Maxxis Minion DHX tires on a dedicated park bike. Especially in loose, dry conditions, I have yet to try anything with more traction. However, the bike park makes up such a small percentage of my riding, and the DHX doesn’t cross over into trail riding very well.
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