Although I’ve never tried the DHF, the DHR II is my favorite. The 29x3.0 is my go-to tire for DH and I love it for everything – of course ypu have to accept the higher rolling resistance. It can be run at almost any pressure and behaves predictably without the rebound of the Crux (I had the Crux in 29x3.0 and did not like the bouncy pressure sensitivity at all or the round profile either). I also have the 26x2.8 DHR and good too.
I think the DHF should be similar in not being pressure sensitive and predictable. And I know others like it.
On a trip a while back I damaged my Maxxis tire and had a limited supply at a shop and tried the Specialized Butcher, I think 27.5x2.6 and I have also been quite happy with it. If you want something with less rolling resistance that still offers good grip and is predictable (and cheaper), it is also a good choice (in comparison I also have a Maxxis Rekon 29x2.6 and it is way less forgiving for downhill but for the purpose of fast XC of course better). The Butcher has a bit less rolling resistance without sacraficing too much DH absorption.
For DH I think you can’t go wrong with the DHR or DHF (it’s obviously not the lightest tire and does not roll like an XC tire with the good and bad that comes from that).
I have tried the Butcher as well and found it way more bouncy than what I like. On the other hand, I have found the Rekon to perform very well as said before 
All in all, I guess it is down to a personal choice and Matth can’t go wrong if they get a DHR or DHF.
I agree that the Rekon is not bouncy and a great XC tire, although I do not find the Butcher bouncy either (in contrast the Crux really bouncy).
But the Rekon is way less of a DH tire.
I would rate as follows:
DHR: no bounce 5, grip 5, rolling 2, DH protection 5 – really great DH tire
Butcher: no bounce 4, grip 4, rolling 3, DH protection 4 – good DH tire, OK for XC
Rekon: no bounce 4, grip 3, rolling 4, DH protection 2 – OK DH tire and great XC tire
Crux: no bounce: 1, grip 2, rolling 4, DH protection 1 – bad DH tire and OK XC tire
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Our differences in perception may come from the different materials used for each tire. There are multiple versions of every tire and each version adds or removes protection, grip or rolling performances.
Also, the fact that the Rekon is much much lighter than the other mentioned tires makes it a great tire for DH if you have a snaky style, whereas the others are great if you want to roll over everything and don’t care about obstacles. Different tires for different riding styles 
Depends on the climate of the area you live in. The Minion is a good tyre, but more of a dry weather tyre, and here in the Uk is only really great for the summer months. When you spend most of the year riding through slop, I prefer the Schwalbe Magic Mary. I also prefer Schwalbes gravity casings over Maxxis’.
I’m definitely in a dry climate, as evidenced by @Elias in this slick slide out shot:
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Looks like a giant riding on an avalanche 
Hi everyone, I’m looking for advice on choosing a suitable muni tire for my riding style.
Previously I rode a Duro Leopard 26x3.0, and I really loved its grip, control, and especially the sidewalls - they didn’t fold even at low pressure (down to ~15 psi at my geared weight of 78-80 kg). However, it’s very heavy. You really feel it on climbs, and also when you hit an obstacle, slow down and need to get rolling again.
I also spent some time on a Maxxis Forekaster 29x2.35 (120 TPI). Overall, it felt pretty good: nice handling, smoother cornering compared to the Leopard. But it lacks volume - the cushioning is much worse than the Leopard, and overall traction suffers. Grip in mud was also not always sufficient. So I feel like I need something wider and more aggressive.
Right now I’m riding a Duro Crux 27.5x3.25. The rolling is great,but sometimes it feels like it has a bit of self-steer. Especially on flat terrain and at low pressure. It feels like the sidewalls might be folding a bit, and the wheel wanders, although maybe that’s just the tire shape - not sure. It also tends to bounce on roots, and overall the handling feels noticeably worse than the Leopard - kind of nervous and less predictable.
My riding is mostly cross-country muni - steep climbs and descents. Surface - mostly forest soil: soft to firm dirt, often sandy or loose over hard, very rooty (pine, spruce). Rocks are rare. Occasionally some wet sections, but I generally prefer riding in dry conditions.
So ideally I’m looking for a 27.5 tire with:
-
good grip (especially on roots and soft ground)
-
supportive sidewalls that don’t fold at low pressure
-
decent rolling would be a nice bonus, but root traction and control are more important than speed
What would you recommend? And which compound would suit these conditions best?
Thanks!
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My top 2 would be Maxxis Rekon and Maxxis DHR II. The first one may be better suited to XC and climbs, whereas the second one may be better suited to pure DH. I personally prefer the first one because it’s lighter, but the second one is really great as well and may be the one you are looking for: good grip and supportive sidewalls 
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I’ve just put on a duro crux 27.5x3.25 and am experiencing the same, more auto steering than I’d like. I think the more volume a tyre has the more sensitive it is to correct pressure, so I’m playing around with that just now.
Previously I’ve had a schwalbe tough tom 27.5x2.8 which I liked but I wanted a little more volume, and a vittoria bomboloni 27.5x3.0 which I also liked. Decent volume and fast rolling but not great for traction in wet conditions. Im also going to try the vittoria canoli 27.5x3.0, which has the same carcass as the bomboloni but with a slightly more aggressive tread pattern. Experimenting with different tyres isn’t cheap though! But I think what works for each person is quite variable dependant on pressure, trail conditions, crank length, rider weight, rider experience and probably more factors i haven’t even considered.
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I would second that.
If you like the solid feel of the Leopard, then you will be very happy with the Maxxis DHR II. It has the strong sidewalls that allow any pressure and reacts predictably without any rebound/bounce. Although it isn’t the lightest tire, it is way lighter and more responsive than the Leopard. I do about 90% of my Muni riding on the 29x3.0. I also do lots of climbing on the DHR and while it’s not the fastest, it works well (I could now not go back to the super heavy tank drag-my-down feeling of the Duro Leopard).
I hated the Crux as it was pressure sensitive and bouncy.
I also ride the Rekon as my lightweight XC tire and for the weight it is good.
Big Betty (recently discontinued I think) and Muddy Mary are also good, but you should pay attention to which sidewall and weight as Schwalbe offers lots.
Also note that many of the tires come in different versions, where the light weight ones may have a thin sidewall and the DH version may have a 2 or even 3-ply sidewall. This makes a huge difference in pressure sensitive (and weight of course). I personally avoid light weight sidewalls as I don’t like running high pressures for muni and those tires (like the Crux) get bouncy or squishy if not well inflated.
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I think the 3C MaxxTerra rubber is good for that (the beefier ones have way higher rolling resistance).
So many options, but from the Maxxis site, i think this looks good:
27.5X2.50
TB00518700
27.5X2.50
63-584
60
FOLDABLE
1,055g
3C MAXX TERRA
50
3T/EXO+/TR
Black
Or the 2.8:
120tpi 27.5X2.80
TB96909000
27.5X2.80
71-584
120
FOLDABLE
1,081g
3C MAXX TERRA
35
3T/EXO/TR
Black
Or the 60tpi 2.8:
27.5X2.80
TB00113800
27.5X2.80
71-584
60
FOLDABLE
1,196g
3C MAXX TERRA
35
3T/EXO+/TR
Wait. I just checked and my current favorite is 29x3.0, 120tpi 3CT EXO/TR.
So a good choice is probably the 120tpi 27.5X2.80 at 1081g.
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@Maxence @OorWullie @MUCFreerider thanks for your advices!
What pressures do you usually run and what is your weight?
I will probably try DHR II 2.8” 3CT/EXO/TR as it’s the widest for 27.5. EXO+ is too expensive in my region, especially considering that MUCFreerider says it’s fine on a regular EXO.
Rekon is also interesting for lighter XC, and I have the option to buy a lightly used Rekon+ 27.5x2.8” EXO for $20, but it’s 60TPI with dual compound. Is it worth a try? Or should I look for 120TPI 3C Maxx Terra?
Vittoria Bomboloni and Cannoli appear to be discontinued.
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For $20 that sounds like a great deal. With so many options it’s difficult to tell without trying that exact tire, so I can’t tell you exactly how it will be. But I would guess the dual compound would only be “negative” if you’re wanting to race, as it doesn’t have the optimal reduced rolling resistance. However, I would note that while probably still a stable tire and likely not bouncy tire (1014g isn’t too light), it will be a lot less rigid than the Leopard and you will probably need some time to get used to it.
Compared to the Duro Leopard, the DHR has only advantages and no disadvantages: lighter, faster, rolls better while still having strong sidewalls and ability to run extremely low pressure.
With the Rekon as an XC tire, there are even more advantages concerning light feel and acceleration but it has way less sidewall…
Hard call, but for $20 probably worth a try.
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I’m around 165-170lbs and run around 18-22psi on the DHR29x3 and about 22-24psi on my Rekon. Although I used to run 15-17psi on my DHR and it did great on the trail (at that low pressure traction and absorption are great but it’s a bit slow and sluggish and doesn’t feel to good on the road but then it’s a DH tire). I was runnng tubeless but have had a tube in the last year, mostly as I change the tire relatively frequently and its easier (and no problem at 18psi). Note: most other riders I know think I’m a bit weird running such low pressures (i also like wide tires) and I’ve been trying to get used to 20+ pressures on the DHR (and I now like it for everything except wet technical trails where I want max grip possible).
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Oh, Maxene is super lean and even lighter than I am (we’re both around 6’1"), and I’m pretty sure runs higher pressure in the 25-30psi range. But he can answer in detail.
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I’m not lean. I’m svelte 
A bit less than 6’ (182cm) and 155lbs (70kg). I don’t monitor my tire pressure that much, so I can’t tell. I know that I inflate my Rekon at 36psi when I ride on the tarmac, but then I deflate it a bit to be at the right pressure - which is when I feel the tire correctly responds to the impulsions I give it.
Also, as I use a TPU tube, I’m not even sure we could translate whatever number I could give you… 
Hope this helps!
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