I think the downsides are that it's called a 'plus' bike rather than a regular bike with meaty 2.8 minions. The industry messed up by labelling them imo. If Maxxis for instance just quietly released them and frame manufacturers quietly put in the description 'will accept up to a 2.8' then I think there would be more popularity as people would figure it out on their own without the stigma or feeling of huge change.
demo'd a plus bike
Potential downsides would be that the thin sidewalls (to keep the weight down) are easy to cut.
Not as much support when cornering. They'll roll over when cornering hard.
They've got killer rolling speed and grip though.
Last edited by: dutch on July 18, 2017, 3:16 p.m., edited 1 time in total.
this year I did some internet sleuthing and found out you can fit a 2.8 maxxis on a non-boost regular old pike/lyric. So I snapped up a minion dhf and dhr, been trying the dhf 2.8 exo casing. I went with these as they're a tidge over 1000 g, as I had the same concerns about the lightweight 800 g 2.8's (Rekon). The 2.8's actually measure closer to 2.6. I have it mounted on a chinese carbon 31 mm internal width rim, run it around 18-19 psi (I'm 200 pounds). I run a regular 2.4 or 2.35 depending on brand in the back.
I love this thing, it rolls really well, I don't notice the roll-over in corners, but don't ride a lot of hard packed bermed trails. Traction is great with minimal rolling speed tradeoffs. I don't see a downside, have had it in some very rocky terrain with no issues, though as a rear, it may be a concern. I say try it out on your regular bike in the front with minimal risk before going full plus size new bike.
A friend recently bought a Chromag Rootdown 27.5+ and he absolutely loves it. He has 2.8 DHF/DHRs on it.
2.8 Minions sound interesting. A lot more interesting than the 3.0 Specialized tires on the Stumpy 6 fattie my friend was demoing the other week. Sidewalls must have been thin as the bike shop pumped the tires to 25 psi (buddy weighs 150lbs). Granted, this was in Penticton so not an ideal place for crappy plus tires, but the thing was a ping pong ball with that much pressure.
I put a 2.6 Butcher on the front of my AM bike. Clearance is pretty tight on my non-Boost Pike. I've been happy with it. Feels like a normal tire with a touch more forgiveness in corners, but none of the dreaded ballooniness everyone talks about. It's on a 30 mm rim.
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