Last year Maxxis announced they would be adding some more big rubber to the fat bike scene, a snow specific tire and a pair of front and rear specific trail tires. The Colossus, Minion FBF, and Minion FBR, all available in 26 x 4.80 with EXO protection available. A slimmer 26 x 4.0 Minion is also in the works. The Colossus tire looks to be a solid winter tire with tall, widely spaced knobs. This pattern is designed to keep the tread clear of packed snow so the tall knobs can dig in.
Maxxis used a special rubber compound that is supposed to stay pliable in freezing temperatures. The tire looks like will hold up on the trail as well with EXO protection to help keep your sidewalls in tact.
The Colossus Measurements:
Weight – 1599 / 1569 grams
Bead to Bead (flat) – 245 mm
Tread to Tread (flat) – 136 mm
Casing (mounted to 80mm rim) – 114 mm
Tread (mounted to 80mm rim) – 121 mm
The oh so popular Enduro/All-mountain/DH Maxxis tires, the Minion front and rear, coming to the dark side is great news to us fatties that like to shred year round. Both tires share the same aggressive side knobs for cornering. The center knobs are where the two tires differentiate. The Minion FBF is the front specific tire. It has long parallel running knobs to help keep your front wheel planted in corners while keeping the rolling resistance down. The Minion FBR is the rear specific has wide paddle knobs to keep you moving in the right direction in all conditions. The sidewalls look to be nice and thick on the EXO version, which is something I am very excited about.
Minion FBF and FBR side by side
Minion Tire Measurements
Weight – Rear – 1632, 1680 grams – Front 1604 grams
Bead to Bead (flat) – Rear – 251 mm – Front – 260 mm
Tread to Tread (flat) – Rear – 128 mm – Front – 133 mm
Casing (mounted to 80mm rim) – 110 mm
Tread (mounted to 80mm rim) – 114
F&R (l to r) Photo by Eric Dabbert
I’ll be out and about the desert and mountains here in Moab throwing these tires down some hills. Be back soon with more info.