I’ve been riding with 29″ Butcher Control on the front for a while. Riding through the woods to work every day there are some tracks I know now very well (every single stone and leaf…).

I switched to Maxxis Crossmark 2.1″ last night (summer time!) and riding the same tracks felt so much smoother! It’s weird, as the tyre is actually narrower than Butcher, but I couldn’t get rid of the feeling that the front end was sucking in all the bumps much better than with the Butcher.

I remember riding Bont 24/12 last year on a pair of Kenda SB8 – my arms were killing me after one lap! I thought it was my suspension set up…

Since then I’ve done few long (over 100km) off-road adventures, and everytime it was SB8 on the front it was very painful. With Crossmark – no pain at all!

Is it just my brain tricking me, or can it be such a difference for real?

Differences in carcass could definitely make a difference… But they’re both pretty similiar construction I think, fairly lightweight CST singleplies with not a lot of sidewall. So don’t think it could be that. And I’m just kind of assuming the bigger butcher has lower pressure?

Perhaps the slightly larger radius of the butcher is incompatible with the trail 😆 It’s full of holes that are exactly the right size to jar you.

Bit surprised on the kendas though, they’re also soft-sidewalled and they generally use a slower rebounding rubber which I always found basically means they ride like they have less air in them.

The carcass does make a big difference due to how supple the tyre is, have used Crossmarks but not Butcher so can’t comment on if there is any appreciable difference between those two but I thought the Butcher was a meatier tyre?

But… are you perhaps ignoring the most obvious answer – pressure?

What about tyre pressure?

EDIT – beaten to it! If you use the same pressure with all tyres then each tyre type may well feel different…

I run both 27 PSI.

The only thing I can think of:
1. Crossmark is a bit thinner, therefore softer.
2. Crossmark is smaller, therefore it puts more work onto the forks, which works better under bigger pressure.

3. I’m just a believer. 😆

amedias – Member
The carcass does make a big difference due to how supple the tyre is, have used Crossmarks but not Butcher so can’t comment on if there is any appreciable difference between those two but I thought the Butcher was a meatier tyre?

The Butcher is indeed much meatier than a Crossmark, so there’s a good chance it’ll feel stiffer.

Back to the point though….. Crossmark on the front is a brave choice!

Yes, but in my experience mainly because more sidewall support allows for lower pressures which makes a big difference. Modern tubeless ready type tyres are lovely and plush for me cos I run them 10psi lower.

The 29er has butcher and whtaever the other one is, but also some old non tubeless ready bonty race tyres, which are stupidly thin. So thin that they have bugger all support so when I rnu them at 25psi they are generally crap. No support and draggy. Upped that to 35psi last night and they were way faster and the bike was far nicer to ride – albeit bumpier.

Huge difference in ride though between tyres.

I run both 27 PSI.

and the new tyre is smaller?

I think you have your answer, although sounds like casing may be playing a part too if the butcher is a meatier stiffer tyre, especially if you didn’t run it softer to compensate.

The difference is most noticeable when rolling fast on tracks covered with small rocks and roots, like the one here: