You are 100% correct. Everyone who jumped on the Assegai bandwagon (including myself) are now realising it actually isn't "better" just different. The Assegai lets go so quickly it's hard to catch. Loads of grip but no warning when they let go, it's super sketchy. The DHF is like a snowboard, when you're on edge you know it...
You are right, The minions definitely penetrates harder into the dirt. It comes down to simple physics of weight distrubution and overall design of the tyre. Firstly the profile is more rounded so when lent over with all the riders weight, the side knobs penetrate on the inside edge of the knobs. The assegai is squarer and the transition knob shares the load of the weight of the side knob which does not penetrate near as hard and it is more likely to skip over terrain especially in loose over hard. You have to think of the Minion like an edge of a snow ski when doing carving turns, Its a very locked a secure way of turning. The Minion vaguesness/transtion I believe is conflated with the feeling of 'positive edge bite' just before it locks and this more open design helps to contribute to that. Its also interesting before the assegai was released no one was talking about transition zone and vagueness from centre to side knobs, and perhaps that became a huge marketing point for the Assegai. From a visual aspect the assegai, having more aggressive design with more knobs and greater contact patch with the ground you would believe it will have more grip. But this statement only applies to surfaces such as roads, concrete or surfaces that does not move, Not loose or loose over hard terrain which is about 90% of MTB trails especially in Aus. Id say the assegai would be better on rock slabs or mostly flat rock surfaces as mentioned before as it has more rubber contact patch on non moving surface. I figure there is going to be haters for this comment, but you can't argue with physics of weight distrubution.
Finally tested lastly in the Alps, the Assegai is an astonishing tyre, especially in the dry/dusty over loose (+ DHR2 rear), but my new favorite combo is the Conti Kryptotal rear 29x2.40 (enduro casing) + Magic Mary 29x2.60 front (trail casing). It kills :)
Yeah I haven’t tried Shwalbe tires yet as they’re harder to find here but I agree the Assegai is best in hard pack, especially off camber, the firm knobs really hold on where as I find the DHF knobs seem better on slippery surfaces like rock and timber due to the soft knobs and sipes that are cut in to let them spread a little better. I also find the DHF much faster rolling speed but I feel I trust the Assegai more. Thanks for watching
I think your observations are correct. You said that your braking was better when you had minions front and back (time 5:31), compared to Assegai/Aggressor. My observation is that, below a certain downward angle - flatter terrain - where there can be significant weight on the rear, I'd agree. At some point, I find that, as the steepness gets really high angle and there is almost no braking input from the rear tire, because there's almost no weight on it, the Assegai brakes better than the DHF. I agree the transition knobs prevent the side knobs on the Assegai from digging in hard, compared to the DHF. In my experience, that has been more of an issue in very hardpack (kind of opposite of what you're saying) but maybe I have a different perspective on hard/soft conditions because I'm in Utah, and our surfaces are probably different.
Yeah I haven’t ridden too much hard rock as it’s mostly loose here. Utah would be a dream trip for me. I have felt the DHF softer knobs and sipes that are cut into them let them mould and find grip. The Assegai knobs are firm and hold on especially in off camber. I’ve noticed that people that ride fast like the Assegai grip and people that like tech prefer the DHF.
The DHF Is Loose At The 10 O'clock While Cornering Transitions . Literally made me Wash Out Last Weekend ..... The More Edges The Better . I Have A NEW Assegai 2.50 DD To Mount On My CF Warden 😎
Have you tried a DHR2 in the front? I ditched the DHF years ago, and found the DHR2 grips better. (I run those front and rear) And, have you tried a Dissector as a rear tire? I never found the Aggressor to be that great... too "slippy" for me. I haven't tried an Assegai yet, but my buddies rave about them.
Put the assegai on last week was using dhf, I rode in Scotland and I washed out 3 times on the front in wet conditions with the assegai, it’s getting removed and the dhf put back on. I had no confidence in wet conditions with the assegai at all
I just changed over to Maxxis Assegai 2.5 on front and Dissector on rear 2.4 both 3C Max Terra EXO and absolutely love this combo on my 2019 Canyon Spectral...
Personally won't use DHF again mostly because of the deadzone at the halfway point during leanover. I really really do not want inconsistensy especially in the front, so in my mind the DHF would be better as a rear tire, and DHR II better for the front. Right now I run DHR II both front and rear, but maxx terra in the rear and maxx grip up front. I really like this combo and the DHF I have is a maxx terra so I'll be honest and say that the biggest gain in traction and confidence in the front is most likely the rubber difference. That being said I instantly noticed the deadzone being gone and that made me trust so much more in the front. The traction is consistent during leanover and I personally wouldn't have it any other way. Assegai is too much for what I ride so I have not tested it. I pedal lots of uphill so it serves no purpose for me to add that much resistance in either tires. I will rather play around with compounds after some time, because now I run EXO+ which is fine for now(normal trail riding).
Can’t speak too much about the lean of the tires, but I did want to chime in about the Assegai - I think one of its main grip advantages is when you’re on off-camber stuff like traversing the side of a mountain on a ridge trail, or about to slide off a hump or a rut almost. The Assegai just hangs on in those situations much more than a DHF. That’s one of the main reasons I ride them because there’s a lot of that uneven/off camber stuff where I ride (Southern California). The DHR for me has the best climbing traction hands down, and the DHF feels faster than the Assegai. DHR and Assegai are a bit draggy so I might switch to Aggressor (R) and DHF (F)
I agree with you. After getting used to the Assegai, I put the DHF back on and the flaws were exposed, I felt it was looser on off camber including flat corners so im back on the Assegai/ DHR2 Combo. I think the Agressor / DHF suit each other for those that want fast and loose, the Assegai/ DHR2 for all out raw traction.
@@nigehill Right on, that’s an excellent assessment, really depends on what type of riding and trails you want to do. I appreciate the feedback and I’m really liking your channel and content. Greetings again from California!
You want the Dissector on the rear here in SoCal. The Aggressor works well for slickrock type trails in Utah, but is horrible out here. I feel no loss of rolling speed with Dissector, but the breaking power it has in the loose stuff crushes the Aggressor. So if the DHR II is too much tread for you (as it is for me) I think you'll be happy with the Dissector. One thing to note about the Dissector is people say it wears much faster than the Aggressor. Well, the Aggressor is only available in dual compound and they are comparing the Max Terra Dissector to a dual compound Aggressor. But the Dissector is available in dual compound as well! I have both Max Terra and DC Dissector and I normally run the DC.
I feel they are firmer which will give a stiffer feel and bite but less spread on wet rocks and roots as th DHF feel softer and have channel cuts to help spread the knobs .
I tend to agree with you with the cornering knobs. I can''t speak specifics to the minions but im currently using good year newton and newton ST tyres and they are clearly a harder compound and the seem to grip really well on the side knobs when leaning the bike over. There is a channel between centre and side knobs and they appear blocky. I would think that overall tread design compared to compound is more important.
Cheers man, hope my ramblings made some sort of sense. It’s interesting as I was initially stoked on them, especially first day down waterfall gully and Stu Noodle but they started to show some idiosyncrasies the more I rode them. I may be off and need more time but when you know, you know. I think the minion is king. Really looking forward to seeing what you make of them. 👌🏻
Hi mate whats your thoughts after running them for a few months now? Keen to try the assegai up front but also cant bring myself to take the dhf off the front, it just works hella good for me
Hi mate thanks for watching. I actually went back to a DHF after a month of running the Assegai. Then I noticed the drifty vagueness of the DHF when flat cornering and on off camber sections. Put the Assegai back on next ride. I feel the DHF is faster rolling and great on full lean but the Assegai is better on mid- flat corners, off camber and a better transition tire. I’m now running the Assegai/ DHR2 combo. It was after I went from Assegai back to DHF that I realised the Assegai is better. Just took an adjustment period I guess. Good luck mate but you gotta run maxx grip compound if you want the best traction.
@@nigehill great thanks for the reply. Do you recommend a casing? I was just going to go with the exo+ max gripp but not sure if the dd or dh are better
Have you tried High Roller IIs? I think the Assegai is meant to take some of their properties and combine with DHR etc. I've been running HR2s for some time as i like how they work in uk conditions.
When you lean the bike over in a turn, there is an "area" of no grip until you reach the side knobs. The Maxxis Ardent (not the Race version) was notorious for this.
I have about 600km on a set of Assegai/ DHR on a heavy e-bike. So far on the European winter I can not complain. They work awesome on tree roots and climb really good with the assistance of the motor… Oh they work a charm on deep sand. I think you have a point about the ultimate deep lean grip of the DFR. The Assegai is just maybe a tad more predictable with a loss of ultimate lean grip.
You are 100% correct. Everyone who jumped on the Assegai bandwagon (including myself) are now realising it actually isn't "better" just different. The Assegai lets go so quickly it's hard to catch. Loads of grip but no warning when they let go, it's super sketchy. The DHF is like a snowboard, when you're on edge you know it...
Thanks for the thoughts. I have just replaced my se5 with an assegai to try it out
You are right, The minions definitely penetrates harder into the dirt. It comes down to simple physics of weight distrubution and overall design of the tyre. Firstly the profile is more rounded so when lent over with all the riders weight, the side knobs penetrate on the inside edge of the knobs. The assegai is squarer and the transition knob shares the load of the weight of the side knob which does not penetrate near as hard and it is more likely to skip over terrain especially in loose over hard. You have to think of the Minion like an edge of a snow ski when doing carving turns, Its a very locked a secure way of turning. The Minion vaguesness/transtion I believe is conflated with the feeling of 'positive edge bite' just before it locks and this more open design helps to contribute to that. Its also interesting before the assegai was released no one was talking about transition zone and vagueness from centre to side knobs, and perhaps that became a huge marketing point for the Assegai. From a visual aspect the assegai, having more aggressive design with more knobs and greater contact patch with the ground you would believe it will have more grip. But this statement only applies to surfaces such as roads, concrete or surfaces that does not move, Not loose or loose over hard terrain which is about 90% of MTB trails especially in Aus. Id say the assegai would be better on rock slabs or mostly flat rock surfaces as mentioned before as it has more rubber contact patch on non moving surface. I figure there is going to be haters for this comment, but you can't argue with physics of weight distrubution.
Finally tested lastly in the Alps, the Assegai is an astonishing tyre, especially in the dry/dusty over loose (+ DHR2 rear), but my new favorite combo is the Conti Kryptotal rear 29x2.40 (enduro casing) + Magic Mary 29x2.60 front (trail casing). It kills :)
Yeah I haven’t tried Shwalbe tires yet as they’re harder to find here but I agree the Assegai is best in hard pack, especially off camber, the firm knobs really hold on where as I find the DHF knobs seem better on slippery surfaces like rock and timber due to the soft knobs and sipes that are cut in to let them spread a little better. I also find the DHF much faster rolling speed but I feel I trust the Assegai more. Thanks for watching
I think your observations are correct. You said that your braking was better when you had minions front and back (time 5:31), compared to Assegai/Aggressor. My observation is that, below a certain downward angle - flatter terrain - where there can be significant weight on the rear, I'd agree. At some point, I find that, as the steepness gets really high angle and there is almost no braking input from the rear tire, because there's almost no weight on it, the Assegai brakes better than the DHF. I agree the transition knobs prevent the side knobs on the Assegai from digging in hard, compared to the DHF. In my experience, that has been more of an issue in very hardpack (kind of opposite of what you're saying) but maybe I have a different perspective on hard/soft conditions because I'm in Utah, and our surfaces are probably different.
Yeah I haven’t ridden too much hard rock as it’s mostly loose here. Utah would be a dream trip for me. I have felt the DHF softer knobs and sipes that are cut into them let them mould and find grip. The Assegai knobs are firm and hold on especially in off camber. I’ve noticed that people that ride fast like the Assegai grip and people that like tech prefer the DHF.
The DHF Is Loose At The 10 O'clock While Cornering Transitions . Literally made me Wash Out Last Weekend ..... The More Edges The Better . I Have A NEW Assegai 2.50 DD To Mount On My CF Warden 😎
Have you tried a DHR2 in the front? I ditched the DHF years ago, and found the DHR2 grips better. (I run those front and rear) And, have you tried a Dissector as a rear tire? I never found the Aggressor to be that great... too "slippy" for me. I haven't tried an Assegai yet, but my buddies rave about them.
I’m yet to try the dissector due to mixed reviews. I am keen to try the DHR on F and R as most pro riders run that probably for a good reason.
@@nigehill If you like the Aggressor, you'll love the Dissector. You'll also really enjoy DHR2's F and R.
Assegai has a better transitional zone for me… best gripping front tire I’ve ridden, with my particular riding style.
Put the assegai on last week was using dhf, I rode in Scotland and I washed out 3 times on the front in wet conditions with the assegai, it’s getting removed and the dhf put back on. I had no confidence in wet conditions with the assegai at all
I just changed over to Maxxis Assegai 2.5 on front and Dissector on rear 2.4 both 3C Max Terra EXO and absolutely love this combo on my 2019 Canyon Spectral...
Yeah not that big on the dissector but love the Aggressor in the back if not there DHR2. I’ve heard the dissector is fast though. Thanks for watching
Thats The Popular Combo In Vancouver Here 😎 I Have A New 2.50 DD Assegai To Mount On My CF Warden 😎
Personally won't use DHF again mostly because of the deadzone at the halfway point during leanover. I really really do not want inconsistensy especially in the front, so in my mind the DHF would be better as a rear tire, and DHR II better for the front. Right now I run DHR II both front and rear, but maxx terra in the rear and maxx grip up front. I really like this combo and the DHF I have is a maxx terra so I'll be honest and say that the biggest gain in traction and confidence in the front is most likely the rubber difference. That being said I instantly noticed the deadzone being gone and that made me trust so much more in the front. The traction is consistent during leanover and I personally wouldn't have it any other way.
Assegai is too much for what I ride so I have not tested it. I pedal lots of uphill so it serves no purpose for me to add that much resistance in either tires. I will rather play around with compounds after some time, because now I run EXO+ which is fine for now(normal trail riding).
Don't you think that the difference in breaking comes from the rear ? The DHRII is a much better breaker than the Aggressor imo.
Yeah absolutely
Can’t speak too much about the lean of the tires, but I did want to chime in about the Assegai - I think one of its main grip advantages is when you’re on off-camber stuff like traversing the side of a mountain on a ridge trail, or about to slide off a hump or a rut almost. The Assegai just hangs on in those situations much more than a DHF. That’s one of the main reasons I ride them because there’s a lot of that uneven/off camber stuff where I ride (Southern California).
The DHR for me has the best climbing traction hands down, and the DHF feels faster than the Assegai. DHR and Assegai are a bit draggy so I might switch to Aggressor (R) and DHF (F)
I agree with you. After getting used to the Assegai, I put the DHF back on and the flaws were exposed, I felt it was looser on off camber including flat corners so im back on the Assegai/ DHR2 Combo. I think the Agressor / DHF suit each other for those that want fast and loose, the Assegai/ DHR2 for all out raw traction.
@@nigehill Right on, that’s an excellent assessment, really depends on what type of riding and trails you want to do. I appreciate the feedback and I’m really liking your channel and content. Greetings again from California!
@@TheJofrica awesome! Thanks for watching and also your feed back. Love hearing from other riders perspective. 🤘🏽
@@nigehill Right on! 👍
You want the Dissector on the rear here in SoCal. The Aggressor works well for slickrock type trails in Utah, but is horrible out here. I feel no loss of rolling speed with Dissector, but the breaking power it has in the loose stuff crushes the Aggressor. So if the DHR II is too much tread for you (as it is for me) I think you'll be happy with the Dissector.
One thing to note about the Dissector is people say it wears much faster than the Aggressor. Well, the Aggressor is only available in dual compound and they are comparing the Max Terra Dissector to a dual compound Aggressor. But the Dissector is available in dual compound as well! I have both Max Terra and DC Dissector and I normally run the DC.
Great review. Do you think the taller knobs on the ass are a little more flimsy or weaker then the DHF
I feel they are firmer which will give a stiffer feel and bite but less spread on wet rocks and roots as th DHF feel softer and have channel cuts to help spread the knobs .
I tend to agree with you with the cornering knobs. I can''t speak specifics to the minions but im currently using good year newton and newton ST tyres and they are clearly a harder compound and the seem to grip really well on the side knobs when leaning the bike over. There is a channel between centre and side knobs and they appear blocky. I would think that overall tread design compared to compound is more important.
Ah nice. I haven’t been able to check them out yet as they are hard to get here. Seems every shop is a maxxis only dealer here.
Killa breakdown. I’ll be giving this assegai maxx grip a belt soon as well. Definitely intrigued by its differences.
Cheers man, hope my ramblings made some sort of sense. It’s interesting as I was initially stoked on them, especially first day down waterfall gully and Stu Noodle but they started to show some idiosyncrasies the more I rode them. I may be off and need more time but when you know, you know. I think the minion is king. Really looking forward to seeing what you make of them. 👌🏻
Hi mate whats your thoughts after running them for a few months now? Keen to try the assegai up front but also cant bring myself to take the dhf off the front, it just works hella good for me
Hi mate thanks for watching. I actually went back to a DHF after a month of running the Assegai. Then I noticed the drifty vagueness of the DHF when flat cornering and on off camber sections. Put the Assegai back on next ride. I feel the DHF is faster rolling and great on full lean but the Assegai is better on mid- flat corners, off camber and a better transition tire. I’m now running the Assegai/ DHR2 combo. It was after I went from Assegai back to DHF that I realised the Assegai is better. Just took an adjustment period I guess. Good luck mate but you gotta run maxx grip compound if you want the best traction.
@@nigehill great thanks for the reply. Do you recommend a casing? I was just going to go with the exo+ max gripp but not sure if the dd or dh are better
@@domanater480 that would depend on your riding. I think exo+ is fine for a front tire
Sick video mate just ordered a gt force myself sick channel btw
Cheers man 🙏🏻 thanks for watching. You be stoked on the GT mate
Great review mate! I literally purchased an Assegai over a DHF the other day. Just wondering.. are they 40mm rise fatbars?
Cheers! Yeah mate they are 40mm rise.
Have you tried High Roller IIs? I think the Assegai is meant to take some of their properties and combine with DHR etc. I've been running HR2s for some time as i like how they work in uk conditions.
What do you mean by vague spot exactly?
I’ve never really noticed it but I’ve heard it a bit in reviews. I tried to explain it a bit in the clip. Hope it made sense. ✌️
When you lean the bike over in a turn, there is an "area" of no grip until you reach the side knobs. The Maxxis Ardent (not the Race version) was notorious for this.
you are wondering and posting a video?
I have about 600km on a set of Assegai/ DHR on a heavy e-bike. So far on the European winter I can not complain. They work awesome on tree roots and climb really good with the assistance of the motor…
Oh they work a charm on deep sand.
I think you have a point about the ultimate deep lean grip of the DFR. The Assegai is just maybe a tad more predictable with a loss of ultimate lean grip.
I have ridden 2 years dhr2 and dhf, and now i ride dhr2 and assegai, always maxxterra. For me, in the dry and dust, minion dhf is simply the best