For me it truly depends on where I’m riding as that dictates my tire choice, Big Bear Minion’s and off the mountain on So-Cal’s clay hardpack something else. I could not ever choose just one tire my brain won’t allow it.
Here's a thought: don't rotate your tires. I used to do this, too, but then I realized my front tires lasted 2-3 times longer than rear...
Here's a thought: don't rotate your tires. I used to do this, too, but then I realized my front tires lasted 2-3 times longer than rear tires. Now I replace rear tires when they're worn, and typically my front tire looks fine.
As a bonus, this allows me to buy a harder compound/longer lasting rear tire. Right now I'm running a hard compound (Maxxis call it "dual compound") folding bead 2.5" DHF with a downhill casing in the rear, and it's a dream. Super stable in turns, durable in rocks, brakes good with its full center tread, but it rolls fast because it's not soft. The Maxxis part number is TB96800100.
good to know. I have been looking for a dual compound DD or DH casing tire for a while (excluding the aggressor). Where do you buy this tire? I have had a hard time finding this tire almost anywhere online, including QBP, Jenson, etc.
For a long time it was Scwalbe Magic Mary for me, both front and rear. 2 reasons, the outstanding grip in all conditions and the Super Gravity casing works really well as a light DH tyre or heavy XC tyre. None of the Maxxiss casings where in the same category for me.
Trying a DoubleDown soon to see how it performs, but in the Assegai it weighs a lot more than a MM SG. Maybe worth it??
Every time I try some fast rolling tyre in the back I end up with a squirmy back in the slippery and off camber bits.
Trying a HR2 in the rear at the moment to see if it works good enough to replace the MM.
Here's a thought: don't rotate your tires. I used to do this, too, but then I realized my front tires lasted 2-3 times longer than rear...
Here's a thought: don't rotate your tires. I used to do this, too, but then I realized my front tires lasted 2-3 times longer than rear tires. Now I replace rear tires when they're worn, and typically my front tire looks fine.
As a bonus, this allows me to buy a harder compound/longer lasting rear tire. Right now I'm running a hard compound (Maxxis call it "dual compound") folding bead 2.5" DHF with a downhill casing in the rear, and it's a dream. Super stable in turns, durable in rocks, brakes good with its full center tread, but it rolls fast because it's not soft. The Maxxis part number is TB96800100.
dont you find a soft front tyre gets crumbly after a year?
Oooh this is a great thread. So many different takes on what tires people like! Bravo.
My sarcasm meter is off the charts.
Another aspect to this is I am looking for a good ‘travel’ tire. Specifically flying places to ride. Usually when I go somewhere on a big trip with my wife we will pack spare parts, tools, etc. Having a single tire that we can pack that could go front or back on either of our bikes helps keep the packing list shorter and our bags lighter.
I was surprised by the success of the Minion DHR II to hold traction in conditions other than hardpack / loose over packed and do OK when it got greasy compared to more aggo looking tires like a MM
Dual Butchers are always a go to for me. I feel like the knobs self sharpen to point versus the Minion it replicated just dulls and round off the knobs.
Cutting away the center knob of the 3 pattern across its casing turns a magic mary it into a mud cleaning traction grabbing rolling brick if you need a spike in a pinch too.
The tires I've run front and back in the last 10 years are the DHF, Ardent, WTB Wolverine (not even sure if it's made anymore) and...
The tires I've run front and back in the last 10 years are the DHF, Ardent, WTB Wolverine (not even sure if it's made anymore) and Specalized Purgatory, which has changed a fair amount I think. Of those if I had to choose just one for my trail/all mountain bike it would be the DHF. I too would rotate the front to the back so that the newer tire was up front.
I ride a maxxis shorty front in dh casing and dhr2 in exo on the rear thinking about getting either two shortys or an assegai for the rear I’m from the U.K. so riding I crap conditions often has anyone had any experience with these tyre combos ?
I've run Minion DHF front and rear for years until I recently tried Onza Aquilas front and rear. They have been amazing, and I was especially impressed with their performance on a recent muddy day at Thredbo. I definitely prioritise grip over rolling resistance though! I tried running a Minion semi slick on the rear of the enduro bike for a while and I didn't get along with it at all.
I’ve run the Vee Flow Snap WCE’s front and rear, and I’ve never experienced better grip. Currently running the DHF and Dissector in the rear, and it’s pretty good, but I plan to go back to Vee—best grip and trail damping ever.
Only tires I’ve run the same F&R have been WTB Breakout (bummed they’re no longer made), Hans Dampf (loves them, just didn’t last though it was the early version), Conti Trail King (no good for my conditions, loose and rocky)
Usually a minion exo or DD on the front, whatever maxxis or equivalent in a DD or DH with decent knobs on the back, I usualy go with whatever is cheap or on sale
For the last very long while, it's hard to go wrong with a:
Maxxis Minion DHF 2.5 ... front and rear.
Every venture in another direction over the years keeps me coming back to the above. You might be able to eek out smidgens of performance with other combos on certain days, but in general if these do you wrong, it's hard to say it was the tires.
Here's my $0.02, and I'm sure I will get torched about it. I'm a total tire nerd and I usually change my tires to something new about once-a-month. Yes I know its overkill and absurd, but, I like trying new and different things. I have been searching for the goldilocks solution for years and, truth be told, every tire has its strong suits and its weak ones.
For me, I think the answer to your question is: find a Minion or a Minion clone and stick with them. Wear your rear tire to where you're not comfortable with it and then put the front in the rear and refresh the front. Others have made valid points that they like to run a firmer tire in the rear etc., but that is not what the original question was.
In my experience (end let me note. . . For the conditions where I ride) minions and clones offer the best combination of speed, cornering grip, braking etc. There are so many out to choose from you should be able to find a model that checks most of your boxes. . . Then ride to your hearts delight. Of course, every model is going to have its little niggles where they will perform slightly different to its contemporaries.
(minions - good rubber, good pattern, junk casings. Butchers - good price, good wear, not a grippy as minions, casing junk, small volume.
G5 - awesome grip, wear fast, thin casing.
Griffus ((my current favorite)) - phenomenal grip, great casing, high volume, good wear rate, roll slow.
Convict - good grip in soft, roll slow, giant casing, great damping, not great grip in firm, cheap
Aquila ((current second favorite)) roll fast, great grip, good treadwear, wish the volume was bigger).
Then there are the weird middle ground outliers that dont fit the minion knockoff model and kind of stick to their own design, and are short of being a true mud tire (Vittoria Martello, Conti der Baron and der Kaiser, Michelin Wild Boys, Shcwalbe MM, HD and NN, Assegai, WTB Vigilante). Having ridden all of these as well i can say that they all have their own positives and negatives.
Ultimately what I am saying is: find the tire that works for you - provides the combo of grip you like, with the width you like, and the casing you like, mixed with price and tread wear and stick with it and do the tire rotation as you said.
This is why I'm gonna get in trouble with this comment: I cant follow my own advice and trade tires like baseball cards.
I have got a magic Mary up front and a DHR2 out back on my 29er. it does all I need it to do on the wet and dry rocks, root and everything else here in HK.
This thread seems to have turned sideways into What's the Best Tire Combo. The original question was Which Single Tire is Awesome on the front and...
This thread seems to have turned sideways into What's the Best Tire Combo. The original question was Which Single Tire is Awesome on the front and Then retires nicely to the rear as a fast rolling burner. I've been out of the riding game to to know the options, but just from looking at treads, that Assagai Looks the job. Is it still just DH casing only?
I love how half the people aren't even answering the OP's question. Just shooting out their tire combo because....
If it was the apocalypse and there was one tire left on earth to buy, I would hope it was the Maxxis Assegi exo+ In a 2.5. Or 2.6 if we get through this
Butcher GRID 2.3 front and rear on the trail bike. Decent tire that doesn’t have the outright grip of a dhr2, but they are usually able to be found pretty cheap. Next set in the basement waiting is Onza Aquila whatever the enduro casing is called... $16 each on closeout last year at crc. The other bike that doesn’t get as many miles I run 3c dhf/dhr2 combo... wouldn’t want to buy those 2-3x a year though! $$$
Here's a thought: don't rotate your tires. I used to do this, too, but then I realized my front tires lasted 2-3 times longer than rear...
Here's a thought: don't rotate your tires. I used to do this, too, but then I realized my front tires lasted 2-3 times longer than rear tires. Now I replace rear tires when they're worn, and typically my front tire looks fine.
As a bonus, this allows me to buy a harder compound/longer lasting rear tire. Right now I'm running a hard compound (Maxxis call it "dual compound") folding bead 2.5" DHF with a downhill casing in the rear, and it's a dream. Super stable in turns, durable in rocks, brakes good with its full center tread, but it rolls fast because it's not soft. The Maxxis part number is TB96800100.
dont you find a soft front tyre gets crumbly after a year?
How long did the tire sit in a warehouse though? Think it was Troy’s mechanic who was checking tires out of the package, to see if they had hardened.
For same tires. I’ve run magic Mary’s, and generally
liked them. I’ve run convicts front and rear for a while and had good luck with that combo, feel like stouter dhr2s to me. I ran exo+ dhfs and was heavily disappointed with the dhf exo+ in the rear. Flatted 3rd ride out and ruined the tire, as well as lack luster braking traction compared to the dhr2. I’ve liked the dhr2 combo, but that’s been a while since I’ve run it.
Lately the convict rear on the dh bike became a vee rumba and then a wtb judge. Both super fun, judge has a fun drift that’s easy to control. The vee compound wasn’t amazing but worked well on the rear, and had the strongest casing I’ve ridden in a long time. Rear tires are candy....I expect a few a season anymore, and maybe 2-3 front tires at most.
I will toss a curveball out there.
The Michelin Wild Enduro Front and Wild Enduro Rear (clever name) are a fantastic combo.
The front tire is...
I will toss a curveball out there.
The Michelin Wild Enduro Front and Wild Enduro Rear (clever name) are a fantastic combo.
The front tire is light and has killer bite in the corners. Loose, wet....doesn't matter it tracks well. Super confident at speed
The rear is a little heavy but it is tough and has a ton of grip.
In the 29-inch size, they are only available in 2.4-inch width...but they do measure true to size.
This is my next set of tyres I think. I’m just trying to decipher what compound for the front would work for me. I’m thinking Gum-x because I’m heavy
The only tyres I’ve ever used at both ends of the bike are DHF and DHR but rarely both at the same time. If somebody told me I had to run the same tyres front and back I’d go for DHR for sure.
But my actual preference is for very different tyres (at least if I’m doing pedalling) I like dead, meaty, low tpi DH casings on the front and a lighter Agressor or SS on the back.
I always ran DHF's front and back, then the new minion dhr2 popped up. Ran DHF/DHR2 for ages on the trail bike, went to Italy/France last year and the only dh casing tyres I had were Aggegai/DHF, surprising the difference in braking traction on the back with the DHR vs a DHF, Asseagai is incredible for braking traction.
Trail bike
Front: DHF, Maxxterra 2.5 (Unless its winter, then its a 2.6 or 2.3 hillbilly(
Rear: DHR2, maxxterra 2.3
Enduro bike
Front: Assegai, Maxxterra, 2.5 (I have a hillbilly and also a Minion DHF 2.5 Exo Maxxgrip for when its dry/rocky)
Rear: DHR2, Maxxterra, 2.4
Yes, you can run the same tyres front and back, but you are asking different things from front/rear tyres IMO. I've run hillbillys front and back when we've been on loam/mud tracks, but they suck on roots.
I'd like to dry a dissector on the back of the trail bike, could be quicker rolling than the 2.4 DHR2.
I have also run Butchers F and R. DHF too. I liked both combos and can't think why I changed. I guess it's all about getting bored, first when you're at home on the internet and reading reviews and 2. out on the trail. The trails change a lot in the UK throughout the year, so that may be a factor too.
Really good combo. Very predictable, and the rear tire wears off better than I thought.
They are a bit too heavy for 29 but you can run lower psi as the wall is very strong and has a wire bed.
Another good choice, is DHF front and rear, Maxx Grip Front and Dual compound rear. If you ride both maxx grips the rear tire will be destroyed in a months time.
I also like DHR2 front and rear but the problem is that in DH casing the only option for 29 is maxx grip, so at the back ir wears off too quickly. I would love Maxxis to make a DHr2 in DD 2.4 maxx terra or DH casing maxx terra to run in the back and a maxx grip front. It is similar to the aquila combo
Trying a DoubleDown soon to see how it performs, but in the Assegai it weighs a lot more than a MM SG. Maybe worth it??
Every time I try some fast rolling tyre in the back I end up with a squirmy back in the slippery and off camber bits.
Trying a HR2 in the rear at the moment to see if it works good enough to replace the MM.
Another aspect to this is I am looking for a good ‘travel’ tire. Specifically flying places to ride. Usually when I go somewhere on a big trip with my wife we will pack spare parts, tools, etc. Having a single tire that we can pack that could go front or back on either of our bikes helps keep the packing list shorter and our bags lighter.
Dual Butchers are always a go to for me. I feel like the knobs self sharpen to point versus the Minion it replicated just dulls and round off the knobs.
Cutting away the center knob of the 3 pattern across its casing turns a magic mary it into a mud cleaning traction grabbing rolling brick if you need a spike in a pinch too.
Maxxis Minion DHF 2.5 ... front and rear.
Every venture in another direction over the years keeps me coming back to the above. You might be able to eek out smidgens of performance with other combos on certain days, but in general if these do you wrong, it's hard to say it was the tires.
For me, I think the answer to your question is: find a Minion or a Minion clone and stick with them. Wear your rear tire to where you're not comfortable with it and then put the front in the rear and refresh the front. Others have made valid points that they like to run a firmer tire in the rear etc., but that is not what the original question was.
In my experience (end let me note. . . For the conditions where I ride) minions and clones offer the best combination of speed, cornering grip, braking etc. There are so many out to choose from you should be able to find a model that checks most of your boxes. . . Then ride to your hearts delight. Of course, every model is going to have its little niggles where they will perform slightly different to its contemporaries.
(minions - good rubber, good pattern, junk casings. Butchers - good price, good wear, not a grippy as minions, casing junk, small volume.
G5 - awesome grip, wear fast, thin casing.
Griffus ((my current favorite)) - phenomenal grip, great casing, high volume, good wear rate, roll slow.
Convict - good grip in soft, roll slow, giant casing, great damping, not great grip in firm, cheap
Aquila ((current second favorite)) roll fast, great grip, good treadwear, wish the volume was bigger).
Then there are the weird middle ground outliers that dont fit the minion knockoff model and kind of stick to their own design, and are short of being a true mud tire (Vittoria Martello, Conti der Baron and der Kaiser, Michelin Wild Boys, Shcwalbe MM, HD and NN, Assegai, WTB Vigilante). Having ridden all of these as well i can say that they all have their own positives and negatives.
Ultimately what I am saying is: find the tire that works for you - provides the combo of grip you like, with the width you like, and the casing you like, mixed with price and tread wear and stick with it and do the tire rotation as you said.
This is why I'm gonna get in trouble with this comment: I cant follow my own advice and trade tires like baseball cards.
For same tires. I’ve run magic Mary’s, and generally
liked them. I’ve run convicts front and rear for a while and had good luck with that combo, feel like stouter dhr2s to me. I ran exo+ dhfs and was heavily disappointed with the dhf exo+ in the rear. Flatted 3rd ride out and ruined the tire, as well as lack luster braking traction compared to the dhr2. I’ve liked the dhr2 combo, but that’s been a while since I’ve run it.
Lately the convict rear on the dh bike became a vee rumba and then a wtb judge. Both super fun, judge has a fun drift that’s easy to control. The vee compound wasn’t amazing but worked well on the rear, and had the strongest casing I’ve ridden in a long time. Rear tires are candy....I expect a few a season anymore, and maybe 2-3 front tires at most.
But my actual preference is for very different tyres (at least if I’m doing pedalling) I like dead, meaty, low tpi DH casings on the front and a lighter Agressor or SS on the back.
Trail bike
Front: DHF, Maxxterra 2.5 (Unless its winter, then its a 2.6 or 2.3 hillbilly(
Rear: DHR2, maxxterra 2.3
Enduro bike
Front: Assegai, Maxxterra, 2.5 (I have a hillbilly and also a Minion DHF 2.5 Exo Maxxgrip for when its dry/rocky)
Rear: DHR2, Maxxterra, 2.4
Yes, you can run the same tyres front and back, but you are asking different things from front/rear tyres IMO. I've run hillbillys front and back when we've been on loam/mud tracks, but they suck on roots.
I'd like to dry a dissector on the back of the trail bike, could be quicker rolling than the 2.4 DHR2.
In times like these (arguably off topic posts) if we all work together we can get through it.
Really good combo. Very predictable, and the rear tire wears off better than I thought.
They are a bit too heavy for 29 but you can run lower psi as the wall is very strong and has a wire bed.
Another good choice, is DHF front and rear, Maxx Grip Front and Dual compound rear. If you ride both maxx grips the rear tire will be destroyed in a months time.
I also like DHR2 front and rear but the problem is that in DH casing the only option for 29 is maxx grip, so at the back ir wears off too quickly. I would love Maxxis to make a DHr2 in DD 2.4 maxx terra or DH casing maxx terra to run in the back and a maxx grip front. It is similar to the aquila combo
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