DH tire recommendations for my son

Lee,

I’m looking to replace my sons 26×2.3 tires. He rides mostly DH and at bootleg which is rocky. Looking for a tough tire. I see the minion dhf seems to only come in 2.5. Being fairly new to all this I was looking for some recommendations and information. How do I know if the 2.5 will fit the rim/bike ok?

Thanks,

Joe

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Joe!

Thanks for reaching out.

Is there room for the bigger tire?

Look at the bike with the 2.3s on it. How much space is between the tire and the fork, and the tire and the rear end? Imagine the tire is about 0.2 inches wider — 0.1 inches on each side, which isn’t much bigger. Is there still room? Yes? Go for it.

If you’re riding Bootleg (in the desert outside Las Vegas), you don’t need to worry about mud clearance.

Good DH tires

Since you want a tough tire, go for DH casings. Tubeless is a good idea.

There are other great downhill tires, but I know these intimately:

Maxxis Minions. You can’t go wrong with this proven favorite. Run a DHF in front and a DHR in the rear. That’s how they’re designed. For maybe a bit more cornering rail action, run DHFs on both ends. I raced on these tires for many years.

Specialized Butchers. Another great tire that I’ve run many, many times on all sorts of bikes. Compared with a Minion, they might be a tiny bit slower rolling, but they’re designed to bite better in loose conditions. As I recall, Bootleg has a mix of hardback, rock and sketchy/loose.

Have fun out there,

Lee

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