Don’t want anything too dragged and it doesn’t need to be a do hill kilo plus tyre, but looking for something to use for general trail riding, ie gt red, black, and inners runs.

Really looking for something to inspire confidence in the corners to make up for bad technique.

Top of the list is the minion dhf 3c, but it’s not exactly cheap. Also considering a spesh hillbilly, but get the impression it’s more of a mud tyre so no idea what it will be like on trails I ride. Also a hans dampf.. Which is apparently a more aggressive version of the nic I currently run upfront.

Cost is a consideration, but not the only one. Wheel size is 27.5.

Ta

I like the e13 trs triple compound enduro job on the front, can get them for about £50 or magic Mary’s.

Surly edna

RD hows the edna compare too a nate ?

2.4 trail king protection is very grippy, not too draggy and quite forgiving.

Is the magic mary available in snakeskin trailstar or just super gravity versions?

I can only find the later.

2.4 trail king protection is very grippy, not too draggy and quite forgiving.

I don’t remember there being much mud at GT? I really liked WTB Bronson as a summer tire with just enough tread to survive normal conditions too. Specialized Eskar (or whatever they replaced it with) was a great summer tyre for rougher riding too, it’s like a DHF, but a fraction of the price and dual compound.

My favorite winter tyre is Specialized Purgatory, kinda the opposite of the Bronson, it’s great in the normal wet/loam and survives in proper mud too, where a proper mud tyre is horrible with no grip on hardpack the purgatory still has enough knobbles to work.

Spesh Butcher does it for me, not sure I can be bothered swapping it for a Baron for the winter. Whether it holds your hand enough is another matter. A butcher is 100x betterer than a Purgatory, I ditched mine after a handful of rides.

Also considering a spesh hillbilly, but get the impression it’s more of a mud tyre so no idea what it will be like on trails I ride.

Tried a Specialized Butcher?

Magic Mary- fit, forget, leave on all year round and wherever you ride. Best all rounder I’ve used. If you hunt around you can still find the snakeskin trailstar compound. If not, the new version of their compounds come in ‘non supergravity’ versions

I considered the butcher grid, but the Stw review made out they weren’t very durable. That said for the price they look a bargain.

How do they compare with the minion dhf 3c?

Butcher grid all day long. No idea how they can say they aren’t durable, they’re pretty solid casings compared to a ‘normal’ casing, good enough for Jared Graves anyway. The Control version is less tough but I ran them front and rear for a few years in the tweed valley, have only cut a sidewall once. The extra grip of the Grid version is worth the weight on the front at least imho. Purgatory on the rear works nicely too.

I’m still waiting on that Butcher grid Jim. 😉

I think the spesh hillbilly is over the kilo mark, I use butcher front purgatory rear both in grid , gripton versions.

RD hows the edna compare too a nate ?

You can get a nate now & ednas are pre-order

Magic Mary trailstar does pretty much everything and isn’t as draggy as it looks, I use one all year round on my full suss.

Going to try a butcher on the front of my 29er when I get round to buying new tyres as it looks like it’ll be quite grippy and roll well too.

I’ve not used a Maxxis on the front, but I did try a Butcher control. Didn’t like it that much, but it is a harder compound in the control casing I believe so the grid version should be better. After the Butcher I put on a snakeskin Magic Mary, super all rounder. Lovely and big too, just fit and forget.

Trying the E13 TRSr at the moment, replaced a Vittoria Morsa and a Conty Mountain King. Seems a bit more draggy but the grip offered seems fantastic.

I’ve got an unused Maxxis minion dhr2 2.3 3c compound that came on my Aeris that I’m selling as I’ve switched it for the dual compound version on the rear for a little longer lifespan. I run the dhr2 up front all year bar really soggy days when I might pop a shorty on if I can be bothered. Fit and forget, epic cornering and monumental breaking control. Let me know if you’re interested at all….cheers

Have you tried the WTB Vigilante??
been running one up front for a while and much preferred it to the Shorty,Runs really well at Golfie inners etc

Done a few steep tech trails recently with the Vigilante and has been great

Bonty SE5 or Michelin Wild Rock R

SE5 is a good all rounder if you want something a bit faster rolling.

I’ve swapped it to the rear and put a Hutchinson Toro on which is amazing over roots and in softer ground and mud. It’s as good a front tyre as I’ve used. Heavier than you want though.

Butcher grid all day long. No idea how they can say they aren’t durable, they’re pretty solid casings compared to a ‘normal’ casing, good enough for Jared Graves anyway[

Either Graves has to use them, or he uses something else sharpied out like lots of other riders do.

I wouldn’t question their durability, pretty tough tyres, but I’d question their grip, absolutely not a patch on a supergravity Mary on mud, roots and rocks, or shorty on all out slop.

And the compound is a bit shit, takes a bit of ‘warming up’ til it bites. Bugger that.

Butcher Grids are skatey on wet roots. As others have said, they dont have shit on an ultra soft MM in the SG casing… but then again… they are 200g lighter with a harder compound….Grids arent true 1.5 plies…. Id go with a DHR2, with the minaar cut on the centre tread if you can be bothered. They grip harder than the DHF and tge Butcher.

I’m currently (still) a Vigilante fan. I just wish they made the Tough/High Grip in 29er … 🙁

The new Butcher grids are a different compound and tread pattern same as the EWS riders have been using all season.
Never had a problem with grip on the old ones

Until I swapped to Minion DHFs, both of my bikes were fitted with Butcher Grids up front.

There’s very little in it in terms of performance, but given the respective RRP then I’d go for the Butcher. It’s a very good tyre indeed and I’ve had three years use out of one of mine, two from the other. Can’t fault them for durability, especially on my local flinty trails which tend to kill off less durable tyres very quickly.

I’ve used Butcher/Purgs (and other Spesh tyres) for years. Magic Mary Trailstar blows any of them away for grip. Don’t notice it being draggy on the front

I’ve ridden Minions for 10 years now and they’re ace for most stuff until it’s really thick and gloopy. In fact, I think I have a spare one if you’re interested in negotiations on the forks 😉

gt red/black are mostly hardpack, so closer spaced knobs and high surface area will provide better grip than some of the more toothy options. Also, if looking for something to cover less than ideal technique, consider something with either a strong edge and a very square profile (hits the edge sooner) or something with transition knobs.

ultra soft MM in the SG casing

That’s quite some tyre choice for glentress red you have there.

I just wish they made the Tough/High Grip in 29er

I think they do now!

Butcher Grid 2.6″.

It’ll clear a non-boost Fox fork too.

Ridiculously grippy and not too draggy. This is the first autumn I’ve not felt the need to put a Mary on.

Well, I assume by “Inners runs” he means – the DH tracks. But I did say that I’d probably go with a DHR2 on the front.

Mary snakeskin, or vigilante, or butcher.

In that order on scale of grip Vs fast rolling.

I’d get one of the first two for winter and swap to the butcher in summer. Or the on one chunky monkey (Def not a winter tyre).

So if you’re going Magic Mary front, what you paring it up out back with?

OH has a butcher on the front but it’s marked up with the S-works logos and is much much better than my butcher which is still damned good.

I pair it with a DHR2 out back.

What magic Mary’s are you all using? The gravity version looks overkill!

Trying to find an old trailstar snakeskin version but they don’t seem to be available anymore

Super Gravity Addix Ultra Soft – bought it in from Germany, the Addix compound seems to hold up pretty well, which is a first for Schwalbe.