IN BRIEF
On 29 July, Maxxis announced two related downhill products: the Minion DHX, a tread pattern designed for dry ground, and a completely redesigned DH casing, developed over two years. The new casing drops 60 TPI for a 120 TPI dual ply, with a harder butyl insert and a wider overlap extending up to the shoulder. Based on laboratory measurements, Maxxis claims 20% more cornering support, 24% more sidewall puncture resistance and 28% on both tread puncture and pinch flats. The DHX arrives in August 2026 in 29×2.50 and 27.5×2.50, at £79.99 in the United Kingdom; the casing, for its part, also comes to the Minion DHR II, Assegai and HighRoller.
| UK price | 79,99 £ |
| Sizes at launch | 29×2.50 and 27.5×2.50 |
| Compound at launch | 3C MaxxGrip compound |
| Casing | New DH, 2×120 TPI dual ply |
| Weight quoted by BikeRadar (29×2.50) | 1 550 g |
| Measured weight (29×2.50) | 1 541 g |
| Weight quoted by BikeRadar (27.5×2.50) | 1 454 g |
| E-bike rating | E50 |
| Recommended pressure | 2 to 3 psi lower than the previous DH casing |
| Availability | August 2026 |
Two announcements in one from Maxxis on 29 July. First a tyre: the Minion DHX, a tread cut for dry, hard ground. Then something more structural, which concerns far more models: a completely redesigned downhill casing, on which the manufacturer says it worked for two years.
More supportive shoulders than an Assegai, a centre that bites harder than a DHR
Bikerumor, which rode the tyre ahead of its release, places it against two well-known in-house references: the DHX offers “even more supportive shoulders than an Assegai, and a more aggressive centre knob tread than a DHR”. In practical terms: more grip when the tyre is leaned over in a corner, and a centre that bites into hard ground, for fast descending on dry, compact surfaces.
According to the brand, the tyre came out of “requests from its top athletes”, and it had already been raced before going on sale: Maxxis cites Jackson Goldstone’s wins at the 2025 World Championships in Champéry and at the Mont-Sainte-Anne World Cup, then Luca Shaw’s at Loudenvielle in 2026.
The new DH casing changes its ply
This is the part of the announcement that will concern the most riders, because it is not limited to the DHX. The old construction relied on a 60 TPI dual ply. The new one remains dual ply, but moves to 120 TPI, described by Maxxis as a “new high-tech 120 TPI casing material”, with a high-durometer butyl insert and a wider overlap that extends up to the shoulder.
The guiding idea is progressive stiffness. Maxxis explains that it “allows pressure to be optimised without sacrificing sidewall support or rim protection”: the tyre stays supple where it has to absorb, and stiffens as the load increases. The brand also states that the new casing keeps a “comparable weight” to the previous one.
Laboratory figures, and 2 to 3 psi less
Maxxis puts forward gains measured in the laboratory on a 29×2.4 Minion DHR II: 20% more cornering support, 24% more sidewall puncture resistance, and 28% improvement on both tread puncture and pinch flats. These values come from the manufacturer, relayed by BikeRadar, and cover a single test model.
The practical consequence says more than the percentages: the brand indicates that the new casing tolerates 2 to 3 psi less than the previous one, which translates into traction, slower rebound and a better-settled ride. A tyre that will run at lower pressure without bottoming out on the rim is exactly what downhill riders are looking for.
August 2026, then the other versions of the Minion DHX
The DHX opens proceedings in August 2026, with the new DH casing and 3C MaxxGrip compound — described by Maxxis as “the stickiest, slowest-rebounding compound” in its mountain bike range. Two sizes to start with, 29×2.50 and 27.5×2.50, quoted at 1,550 and 1,454 g according to BikeRadar; Bikerumor, for its part, weighed 1,541 g for the 29×2.50. The tyre is rated E50 for use on electrically assisted bikes.
The rest is staggered: MaxxTerra versions are announced for the third quarter of 2026 in the same two sizes, further DHX variants in October including an EXO+ casing, and the Double Down variants at the end of the year. In parallel, the new casing comes to the Minion DHR II — in 2.4 and 2.5 inches, in 27.5 and 29 —, the Assegai in 29×2.5 and the HighRoller in 2.4 inches.
On price, the documented figure is British: £79.99. In Europe, the announced recommended price is €79.90, reported by enduro-mtb and bike-magazin. Bikerumor notes for its part that the new tread stays at the same price as the other tyres in the family — for an in-house casing redesign, that is already information.
