I need a new front tyre and I like my Specialized Butcher but you can’t get them in the Grid casing in the UK.

A little research tells me that a Minion is a very similar tyre, so going to go with one I think but I’m not sure which one.

The TR EXO 3C MaxxTerra 2.3″ seems to offer the best grip to weight ratio and should come up about the same width I think.

Am I right in my thinking? Oh and any recommendations for a matching Maxxis rear tyre?

Oh and any recommendations for a matching Maxxis rear tyre?

DHR2 exo 60a

Not sure if another Minion might be a bit draggy? Currently using a Spec Ground Control or Purgatory dependent on bike.

Oh and am I on the right track with the front?

What wheelsize? Can make a surprising amount of difference this, the Butcher ime doesn’t perform as well in 29er and the minion’s sizing is more accurate in some wheelsizes than others… I’ve just put a 2.5 maxxterra minion on my 29er and it is a ludicrous tyre

I reckon the butcher tread is better than the minion but the minion has more casing and compound options (they’re both made by CST but with different ingredients)

Good ol’ 26″ 😀

You sure you need the grid? I’m light on tyres for some reason, but I got on fine with the standard control… it’s not tough but not everyone needs tough. It makes for a great rear too, not really much slower than a purg but much grippier.

Don’t know how wide the 2.3 minion is in 26, the 2.35 was a joke- 2.5 was more or less 2.35 wide, rubber is a great material for a tyre but not for a ruler.

Minion’s ride very very similar to butchers. I swapped over a few years back as they’re cheaper and go tubeless easier.

Specialized basically copied the minion because Sam Hill refused to ride anything else so it’s no wonder they’re similar!

I’ve managed to wear a hole that needed patching to go back tubless on Butcher. If I could a Grid, I would do. And I managed to pinch flat a Purgatory Grid at the weekend that I was running on the rear, so reasonably tough on tyres.

From what I can gather, the 2.3 is about that these days.

Think I’ve made my mind up, just need to decide on a new rear to replace the Purgatory.

If you’re buying older Minions then the 2.35 is actually quite narrow, if you’re looking at newer ones the 2.3 comes up a good size.

I have an old style 2.5 super tacky that sometimes sees duty on the front and just recently put a 2.3 DHR2 on the back, great combination for the uplift days I’ve done recently.

I think you’ll be OK with a control butcher on the front in terms of carcass strength, I’ve not had any problems in maybe 4 years of control butchers on the front at 13 stone. It would be nice to have the softer over harder compound the grid casing has though rather than just 50.

the Butcher ime doesn’t perform as well in 29er

I usually buy whatever tyres you suggest on here but I’ll disagree with you here 🙂 , I think it’s fantastic in 29er with unreal grip in flat corners and off camber sections. It does struggle a bit and not clear too well in thick mud, but it was the same in 26er too.

I dunno, I just find it kind of skatey, I love how the 26er butcher slides but the 29er doesn’t give me the same safety feels. Probably because of science or something.

I found the purgatory on the back a bit skatier than I thought it was on 26″. Again probably due to science or something. Or more likely my imagination. Which reminds me I need to sell mine!

Northwind, it’s probably related to the contact patch size/shape and how that and the carcass stiffness and rim width interacts with your mass and cornering technique (greater lean angle on the 29). For example, squarer edged bigger contact patches and stiffer carcasses will always feel more snappy.

There are so many variables with MTBs that’s why you can never get close to a definitive answer on “what tyre for…?” I’ve been swapping between two bikes which are running essentially the same rear tyre but one UST on a hardtail on a 26″ Flow and one Protection on full-sus on a 27.5 Flow EX. The former just seems to work a bit better but I don’t know why!