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| Minions or High Rollers? |
| Minions |
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35% |
[ 5 ] |
| High Rollers |
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64% |
[ 9 ] |
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| Total Votes : 14 |
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| Author |
Message |
McSteveo94
Joined: 01 Nov 2009
Posts: 1
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 Posted Sun Nov 1, 2009 11:46 am |
I've been riding downhill now for about 9 months now and I REALLY enjoy it 
But now this is my first winter season and I'm not sure wether to run Maxxis Minions or Maxxis High Rollers?
I live up in the North-East of Scotland so we get plenty of rain
The ground is often soft and boggy in some places
Please help me decide what tyre to use
Steven
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nicklouseLives Here
Joined: 20 Mar 2003
Posts: 48093
Location: A Yorkshire man in Sweden
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rhyko7
Joined: 03 Nov 2008
Posts: 447
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yeehaamcgee
Joined: 07 May 2007
Posts: 6004
Location: Worth Nails
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rhyko7
Joined: 03 Nov 2008
Posts: 447
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yeehaamcgee
Joined: 07 May 2007
Posts: 6004
Location: Worth Nails
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stunter ant
Joined: 09 Jun 2009
Posts: 68
Location: midlands
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Posted Mon Nov 2, 2009 8:51 am |
High Rollers are bloomin ace!!!! but minions are good in the wet imo. All year round id say high rollers
80 x 80 is not enough pixels!!!! |
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Jimfrandisco
Joined: 09 Aug 2004
Posts: 38
Location:
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Posted Mon Nov 2, 2009 9:05 am |
Yes for High Rollers - but not small ones...the 2.1's i have aren't much use on wet or loose surfaces.
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cee
Joined: 16 Jul 2007
Posts: 2524
Location: Edinburgh
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Posted Mon Nov 2, 2009 9:57 am |
I voted minions......however...
summer is for highrollers....
sometimes like to stick a minion on the front when it starts to get slick.....
then minions front and rear.....
then swampy's if its really muddy...but most of the places I ride, a minion can cut through to the hard stuff underneath anyway (innerleithen)
I went out with a scruffy girl once......turns out she was just crazy! |
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yeehaamcgee
Joined: 07 May 2007
Posts: 6004
Location: Worth Nails
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Posted Mon Nov 2, 2009 11:55 am |
That's curious, I find minions lacking when it turns wet.
Mae'n enw i wedi ei grafu, hefo hoelan wedi rhydu, ar y lechan las
New
Old
Hardtail
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Alex
Joined: 09 Jan 2003
Posts: 1274
Location: Cannock Chase
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Posted Mon Nov 2, 2009 12:21 pm |
As I explained in my VERY long post, a VERY long time ago.
Minion
In bone dry conditions/hardpack/rocky tracks, then the Minion suits just fine. However, it is a tyre that is all about putting rubber on the ground. It has a very low rolling resistance and good straight line braking. The front tyre hooks up quite well in corners and breaks away very progressivly. The rear tyre has excellent braking performance, but breaks away very quickly and often without warning. This is why many of us run two front minions. Wears a little faster, but gives good drifting characteristics.
The gaps between the tread are very thin and the moment you try to ride it in wet conditions, it will clog. When a tyre clogs, the clogged mud actually prevents the rubber and the tyre lugs from reaching or biting the surface. That means low/no grip. It's a summer tyre. Unless you're going to spain, put it to bed for a season.
Highroller
The highroller is an intermediate tyre with wide spaced knobbles and a central ramped band that keeps it moving. The side knobbles a seperated from the central band by two wide channels. These channels allow thin, dryish mud, loose surface and scree to be flung away from the tyre meaning you put clean knobbles into the ground every revolution.
Use it for loose trails, damp hardpack and rooty/rocky tracks where mud is not your biggest issue. This tyre will still clog.
Swampthings
The Swampthing is a tough tyre with tall widely spaced, sturdy knobs. It's ideal when you have a fast, high-braking track that's very wet. It'll cut through most slop and pick up grip on the underlying surface and it won't clog except in the very worst of Caersws conditions. Rolls fairly slowly. Consider that before equipping it for a pedally track.
Use it for very wet conditions at firm trails, slime over sand or rock for example.
It is not a good tyre for rooty trails. The knobs do not deform well and the gaps are very large meaning you might only expose carcass to the roots you want to grip over.
Wet Screams
The ultimate wet weather monster. Fresh out of the box this tyre with long widely spaced spikes will give you grip on wet grass, deep slop, over roots. This is your winter weather bringewood/Hopton/Caersws tyre, for when mud and roots and then a grassy field with no grip available to anything but spikes is the name of the game. They are fairly slow rolling
This tyre is DREADFUL on hardpack. Because of the length of the spikes, they squirm under turning on hardpack/dry conditions leading to a very uneasy feeling ride. The exception of course is Moelfre. The middle section's hardpack may be unpleasant to ride on Spikes, but the time you'll lose without them on the upper and bottom section means they're the only safe compromise.
Cut down Wet Screams
Yes, some of us take a brand new tyre and cut tread off. Generally the central spikes are cut down to half length giving a tyre that can be used in conditions like the Swampy, but with much better root abilities. This allows the tyre to perform reasonably on hardpack surfaces and roll faster too.
My PRO TIP for tyre choice at races is to go and have a look at what everyone else is using. Especially anyone in Expert/Elite. They've got a LOT of experience and chances are they'll have raced at the venue in the same conditions before.
If I was just uplifting Inners in the winter, I'd be riding a swampie or highroller, depending on conditions. If I was racing midwinter, there's no doubt i'd be reaching the the wetscreams, they always pick a rooty course at inners and winter racing always leaves the mud very thick indeed when it's not frozen solid.
Chasetrails Trailbuilding Blog |
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cee
Joined: 16 Jul 2007
Posts: 2524
Location: Edinburgh
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Posted Mon Nov 2, 2009 2:01 pm |
to yeehaa and alex....
horses for courses i guess.....
i really like my minions....inners is my local...although i dont race so not really timing my self with different set ups... etc.
maybe due to this, i also don't ride a trail that has been totally hammered for 2 days solid, so again, maybe i would change my mind in this situation...
mostly we ride the old trails (deerhunter, 39 steps etc) which are no longer marked....
I ride my highrollers in summer and minions in winter. seems to work for me....but no doubt some of the racers would be past me in a flash!
I am not that experienced a DH rider...done a bit at inners...fort bill, so havn't tried a lot of different stuff out, or really thought about tire choice...I ride for fun and i ride what i have!
Maybe I should try a race or two.....probably the fastest way to get better!
I went out with a scruffy girl once......turns out she was just crazy! |
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Alex
Joined: 09 Jan 2003
Posts: 1274
Location: Cannock Chase
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Posted Mon Nov 2, 2009 2:53 pm |
If you're just riding, you can get away with a LOT in the tyre department. If you're racing, the conditions underfoot change a lot, even between practice and your race runs, and sometimes just between your race runs and you've got to be really picky about your tyres.
At some locations having the right rubber can literally make the difference between placing well or sliding down on your ars*.
Chasetrails Trailbuilding Blog |
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yeehaamcgee
Joined: 07 May 2007
Posts: 6004
Location: Worth Nails
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bells0
Joined: 06 Jun 2008
Posts: 323
Location: Leeds
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Posted Mon Nov 2, 2009 3:55 pm |
Nice write up Alex - will explain why my Iron horse has 2 Front Minions on it and not a back specific.
P1 Jump / Fuel EX8 / IH Sunday |
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cee
Joined: 16 Jul 2007
Posts: 2524
Location: Edinburgh
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Posted Mon Nov 2, 2009 4:23 pm |
| Alex wrote: | If you're just riding, you can get away with a LOT in the tyre department. If you're racing, the conditions underfoot change a lot, even between practice and your race runs, and sometimes just between your race runs and you've got to be really picky about your tyres.
At some locations having the right rubber can literally make the difference between placing well or sliding down on your ars*. |
i agree completely.
I went out with a scruffy girl once......turns out she was just crazy! |
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Barracuda Bob
Joined: 24 Dec 2008
Posts: 89
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Posted Fri Nov 6, 2009 4:20 pm |
Everyone has there own preferances. Some riders a good in riding either Minions or Rollers in the wet, some mostly like to stay with Wet Screams and some with Swampthings. I ride with High Rollers during the Spring, Summer unless its wet then I change over to Swampthings, and during the Winter months I use Swampthings. Thats my preferance, but of course as said earlier its down to the individual rider in what they want to ride and type of tyre choice.
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Jimbob_no5
Joined: 28 Jun 2006
Posts: 1180
Location: A Yorkshire Man In Scotland!! Formaly kona_cowan_rider!
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Hercule Q
Joined: 02 Jun 2009
Posts: 1702
Location: On the floor by the bar
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Posted Sun Nov 8, 2009 2:28 am |
i use a ST minion on the front and a 60a high roller on the rear
the minion has very good braking and cornering grip and the high roller gives good traction under power and feels very progressive when it starts to let go in a drift
----------------------------------------pinkbike--------------------------------
One of Gods own prototypes, to weird to live, to rare to die |
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ramemtbers
Joined: 25 May 2009
Posts: 788
Location: Millbrook
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