Maxxis’ all-new Minion DHX gives a new tougher downhill racing tread design and an all-new DH construction to the tire family that defined gravity for decades. With even more supportive shoulders than an Assegai, and more aggressive blocky center tread than a DHR, the new DHX promises more grip and control for high-speed gravity riding in dry and hardpack conditions. Now, pair that with a New DH casing that offers more structure and improved protection, and you get a wider range of tire pressures to play with to get the most out of the new grip across all conditions!
Maxxis Minion DHX, all-new dry conditions gravity MTB tire
While the Maxxis Minion dominated gravity riding – and being the most reliable enduro & downhill bike spec – for more than twenty years, it’s been years since it saw a real shakeup. It’s been almost a decade since the DHR got its II update, or when Greg Minnaar’s signature Assegai finally added a totally new tread to the family. But Maxxis hadn’t just been resting on their laurels, although there have been plenty of those, too – Maxxis still counted 60 wins & almost a hundred more podium spots in DH & Enduro last season.
Instead, they’ve been building this all-new, front or rear, Minion DHX to take those proven Minions to the next level, delivering extra support and more confidence for the high speeds and hard surfaces tackled by today’s gravity racers.
All-new DHX tread
The most obvious shift is to bigger, blockier tread lugs across the board. Bigger knobs simply offer increased support, especially when loaded hard in high-speed corners. But they also offer more supportive edges for more precise braking and boosted stopping power, again shining most at high speeds.
By lining up tighter-spaced tread blocks down the center, Maxxis says the new tread will roll faster over hardpack, helping maintain speed over rough, dry terrain, and also through packed berms. Then when pushed hard in more off-camber turns, the larger shoulder lugs that extend further down the sidewall keep the tire stable and bite hard for grip. Also, the new L-shaped center lugs promise a smoother transition onto the shoulder lugs as you push into a corner.
While it was clearly developed to meet the needs of the high speeds pro downhillers attain on dry World Cup tracks, Maxxis also says it is their fastest tire for carrying speed in hardpack bikepark-style terrain, making it a solid choice for amateur gravity riders, too.
New DH casing
A lot of the new-found gravity performance from the all-new Minion DHX also comes from a completely reworked DH casing construction. Dubbed simply New DH, its core upgrades are a new more rigid butyl protection insert at the bead to combat pinch flats, wider casing overlap under the full width of the tread, and a new secret sidewall protection material tat makes the tires much harder to cut on exposed rocks in corners. Maxxis claims more than 20% improvements in cornering support, sidewall puncture resistance, tread puncture resistance, and pinch flat protection… all at essentially the same weight as the previous DH construction.
Why choose the new tread and new casing?
My key takeaway from speaking with Maxxis’ race support team is that the new DHX is the new best tread for bikepark days or DH racing on dry tracks.
As for the New DH casing, it is simply better on all counts. Perfect for racing where the added cut protection now means both less chance of missing out with a flat in no-longer-protected quallies, but also more security for pushing the rougher lines on race day. Plus, for us regular riders, that same protection means less having to worry about an unplanned ending to your bikepark day due to an unexpected flat.
And the added bead and sidewall structure gives the tire more support, letting you toy with tire pressure even more to dial in the perfect grip, without losing support in the turns.
Riding the Minion DHX…
Coming straight off an Assegai/Minion DHR II setup, I first got to try the Maxxis Minion DHX with New DH casing on the Leogang tracks just ahead of the World Cup earlier this season. The DH track itself was already closed for racing, so I spent my time riding the World Cup Enduro tracks before they were closed, plus a few wetter trails, too.
Clearly, in the hardpack and loose over hard terrain, the all-new DHX tread did exactly what it promised – fast rolling, stable grip in high-speed corners & berms, and reliable braking.
…with the New DH casing
But also thanks to the ability to run the New DH casing at even lower pressures – I went down as low as 22psi – I was still able to maintain control in wetter, slightly muddy conditions. (I will say, I also tried a super slick, rooty trail in the rain just to see, and the DHX was quickly out of its element.)
After a few days riding some really rough tracks, with sharp rocks riding in berms and plenty of high-speed rock gardens, I was most impressed to see scratches and small cuts in some other riders’ tires, but no flats or even air loss. What clearly would have been a sidewall cut in a less robust tire, here… was simply taken in stride by the New DH casing.
I’ve since ridden these new tires in a few other Czech & Polish bikeparks, and they continue to impress – on dry or mostly dry tracks. And I’ve had no issues in almost 2 months since I stuck these tires on my park wheels (with the new MaxxSeal sealant inside). Not even the small cuts or scrapes I noticed on a couple other journalists’ tires.
If you are looking for a tough bikepark tire for your DH or enduro bikes, or a dry conditions DH race tire, you couldn’t go wrong with some new Minion DHXes in the New DH construction.
DHX & New DH – Options & Availability
The new Minion DHX will first be available in a New DH + 3C MaxxGrip for riding & racing downhill, starting in August in both 27.5″ and 29″ sizes. Then, from October you’ll be able to get more DHX options, including New DH or EXO+ casing, and either New MaxxTerra or a 29er-only (front?) EXO+ and MaxxGrip combo. By the end of the year, there will be DHXes in Double Down casings, as well.
The New DH casing is a running update to Maxxis’ previous downhill casing, so from August you’ll start to find it on their core DH race ready tires – all with 3C MaxxGrip rubber. That will include the new DHX in 2.5″ widths for either 27.5 or 29″ wheels. It will also include:
- Assegai 29×2.5″ only
- Minion DHR II in 27.5 or 29″ x both 2.4 & 2.5″
- HighRoller in 2.4″ for 27.5 or 29″
Notably absent, the DHF won’t get the new casing. That tread won’t go away for less reinforced constructions (at least not right away). But they figure anyone looking for a DH-level tire would prefer an Assegai, HighRoller, or new Minion DHX up front instead.
Maxxis did say that more New DH options will come later in the years, also including some long-wearing New MaxxTerra rubber.
Pricing-wise, the new tread doesn’t cost more than the others in its family. And the New DH should be about the same as the old. So we expect pricing to be about the same as they start to roll out of bikeshops next month.
