It’s probably the most important and all-encompassing trend in mountain biking since tubeless or the dropper post, one that isn’t driven by fashion, one that provides actual performance benefits and can make your ride a more enjoyable one. What is it? Wide rims and tyres, of course.

What goes around comes around, and while anything wider than a 2.1 was previously considered fat and the domain of downhillers back in the day (remember Double Wide rims and Gazzaloddi tyres?) is now positively mainstream as manufacturers push the boundaries of what the sweet spot is when it comes to the most important contact point on the bike… contact with the terrain.

Developed especially for the new crop of rims with internal widths of up to 35mm, Maxxis’ WT (Wide Trail) offerings aim to keep a normal profile that standard width tyres tend to struggle with when mounted on fat rims. This translates into performance that echoes what the tyre  was meant to do, without compromise from a distorted profile and knobs being forced into angles they weren’t meant to work at.

Pump up the Volume: The sheer roundness of the tyres’ profiles would’ve seemed absurd a few years ago, but in the current climate they appear almost normal. Running pressures as low as 18PSI without any burping or pinch flats is the biggest drawcard, and you could probably drop a tad lower, but this seemed to be the sweet-spot for my weight, riding style and terrain.

The DHR’s 3C compound is showing some signs of knob wear and tear after about a month’s worth of riding in mostly dry, dusty and loose conditions, but that grip is phenomenal and overrides any anxiety about tread life… for a while.

The DHF is doing much better in the wear stakes, naturally, as it isn’t getting skidded (accidentally, of course) or spun out under acceleration (even more accidentally). What it does do admirably though is keep the bike going exactly where you want it; there’s so much cornering traction I find myself trying to push the bike into corners a bit more than I’d normally feel comfortable doing, and nothing has yet phased the DHF. Just as you think that everything is going to slide out from under you, the side knobs bite into whatever surface you’re on with the kind of hold a pitbull would be proud of.

Tall, square-edged knobs stick out from all the right angles, are spaced apart enough to shed mud and crap, but close enough to not hinder any rolling abilities. Remember when ‘rolling resistance’ was more of a factor in tyre selection than grip? You can have your cake and eat it too, as the Minion WTs roll as well as any 2.4 or 2.5 chunky tyres out there, if not better.

I wouldn’t have even considered a tyre like the Minion WT a few years ago, dismissing big knobs, wide casings, and their less-than-featherweight a major turn-off compared to something narrow, light and sketchy as fuck. Now, I wouldn’t run anything under a 2.3, the more mongrel the tread, the better. Traction trumps rolling every time, and the Minion WTs are one of the best of the new breed by far.