Specialized Hillbilly

New Specialized Hillbilly looks ace, costs £45

by 16

Rubber news! I’m a fan of the Specialized Hillbilly. I always have one in my tyre pile to call upon. The new Hillbilly looks like it may be a bit more capable. Great news. Much excite.

We’ve literally just taken delivery of a pair this morning so can’t say anything about how they perform yet. But we have some pics of them. And some actual weights…

  • Specialized Hillbilly Grid Trail T9 29×2.4in: 1,070g
  • Specialized Hillbilly Grid Gravity T9 29x.24in: 1,310g

In the meantime, here’s what Specialized say about the new rubbers:

Press Release: Get a Grip on Untamed Nature

Specialized Hillbilly

Gravity-focused, excelling in steep, slippery, loose, and wet conditions, the all-new Hillbilly is designed specifically to find traction in shifty natural terrain and bring confidence and control to the unpredictable wild.

A new tread design features deep centre knobs and high-volume shoulder blocks to bite through loose soil. Block-in-block transition knobs reinforce the tyre structure and aid traction and stability everywhere, from ploughing deep loam to railing rock slabs and charging over slippery roots.

Specialized’s exclusive Sticky Fast T9 compound elevates the Hillbilly’s traction, enabling it to stick everywhere, even in the greasiest conditions. In addition to its ability to grip in slippery situations, our T9 compound is formulated to bring just the right amount of dampening to the backwoods party, reducing tyre bounce and deflection to enhance stability and control in the steep and deep.

The Hillbilly is available in either GRID Trail or GRID Gravity casing. GRID Trail’s bead-to-bead protection and stability make it an excellent choice for aggressive riding in rough conditions. GRID Gravity is a burly, two-ply construction designed for extreme conditions, offering incredible strength and exceptional tyre stability when loaded hard into corners and compressed into jump faces. Both are 2Bliss ready for easy mounting and inflation with or without tubes.

The Hillbilly Features:

  • Large Block-in-block shoulder knobs for supported cornering
  • Spike centre knobs to dig in and find traction over loose terrain
  • GRIPTON® T9 compound reduces terrain-induced chatter, enhancing confidence at warp speeds
  • GRID GRAVITY 2-ply casing construction is ideal for Enduro, Bike-Park, and Downhill riding
  • GRID TRAIL Casing: 60 TPI, tough MTB trail construction with additional bead-to-bead protection for exceptional puncture resistance, sidewall stiffness, and stability
  • 2Bliss Ready technology protects against pinch flats, cuts, and punctures
  • Discover recommended air pressure for 27.5″ and 29″ mountain bike tires
  • GRID Trail 27.5×2.4″, psi 20-40, approximate weight 985g
  • GRID Trail 29×2.4″, psi 25-50, approximate weight 1070g
  • GRID Gravity 27.5×2.4″, psi 20-40, approximate weight 1240g
  • GRID Gravity 29×2.4″, psi 25-50, approximate weight 1340g

UK PRICING

  • GRID Trail – £37.50 £45
  • GRID Gravity – £50

specialized.com

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More posts from Ben

Home Forums New Specialized Hillbilly looks ace, costs £45

Viewing 16 posts - 1 through 16 (of 16 total)
  • New Specialized Hillbilly looks ace, costs £45
  • Rubber_Buccaneer
    Full Member

    I do get excited by cheap rubber but hope the opportunity to try these is still a while away

    sharkattack
    Full Member

    I’ve been sucked in by keen pricing on Specialized tyres before. I won’t be touching these unless they’re significantly better than previous versions.

    submarined
    Free Member

    I’ve been sucked in by keen pricing on Specialized tyres before. I won’t be touching these unless they’re significantly better than previous versions.

    Very much this. With the exception of the really old Slaughter Grid.
    All others have been run for a few weeks, after which they ended up on the tyre pile and then used to get people out in desperate times.

    tomparkin
    Full Member

    I really like the Hillbilly. Just Works as a front tire for me. It maybe doesn’t exhibit Magic Mary levels of tenacity, but it’s also a lot more affordable than the 70 notes or whatever the decent compound MMs go for.

    So a moar betterer Hillybilly at a decent price sounds like good news! 😄

    swanny853
    Full Member

    Based mostly on an unscientific ‘who made it down a muddy steep trail the right way up’ test a few years back the previous (mk1?) hillbilly was better jn horrible mud than the MM of the time. The new one (mk3?) looks like a bit of a reversion to that compared to the current one (mk2?).

    More of a mud tyre that isn’t awful elsewhere than a winter all rounder, which suits me fine.

    dyna-ti
    Full Member

    I really cannot understand the level of  love when it comes to tyres. They pretty much give us the same chunky tyre as per a hundred tyres across the years, tweaking the shape of the knobble and the magazines then tout it as simply amazing.

    Perhaps this latest incarnation has its knobbles spaced 0.025mm further apart(or closer in.

    chestercopperpot
    Free Member

    Never paid more than 32 quid for Magic Mary Soft, Shorty 3c Maxx Tera, DHF’s 3c Maxx Terra and Wild Enduros. Although the prices keep getting bumped a few quid each time!

    Bontrager, Hutchinson and Continental have comprehensive ranges of good quality tyres. CST, MSC, Panaracer and the likes are not the easiest to get hold of in the UK. With that said there is plenty of choice without having to buy plastic shitters or tyres with wafer thin soft top layers.

    DHR’s and Assagais (due to popularity) in useable configurations are much harder to get for reasonable prices!

    fahzure
    Full Member

    Good alternative to a shorty.

    chiefgrooveguru
    Full Member

    “I really cannot understand the level of love when it comes to tyres.”

    If you actually rode your MTB off-road then you’d have a different perspective! 😉

    The old Hillbilly is a great tyre. Despite not having a super sticky compound it has similar grip to a Magic Mary soft, with the Mary a bit better on wet rock and the Hillbilly a bit better in soft ground. It also rolls better and wears much better than you’d expect.

    Northwind
    Full Member

    I always want the hillbilly to succeed- it was the first of all of the “precut spikes” really, bitd but they never capitalised on it, it was a dh carcass only for ages and then the shorty came along. But specialized just seem to always get <something> wrong with most of their tyres. Whether it’s weak carcasses or feedback-free carcasses or single options across a whole range so that both front and rear’s compromised, or only included on full builds and not available seperately…

    I mean, it’s largely because they maintain a smaller range, so they don’t have say Maxxis’s ability to fire the tyre blunderbuss and just see what hits.

    jimthesaint
    Full Member

    Don’t say this magazine doesn’t have any power. Specialized have listened to Ben say how cheap they are at £37 so they’ve put them up to £45 😉

    teethgrinder
    Full Member

    Don’t say this magazine doesn’t have any power. Specialized have listened to Ben say how cheap they are at £37 so they’ve put them up to £45 😉

    They could come with a £50 note and I still wouldn’t have Spesh tyres

    chakaping
    Full Member

    I have been bitten by Spesh’s lethal front tyres before, but word is the new T9 compound is pretty decent.

    Still sticking with my Verdict for wet/intermediate riding though.

    z1ppy
    Full Member

    Went from borrowing a bike With Maxxis Assegai and DHR rear, to a set of Spesch Butcher T9 and Eliminator T7 on exactly the same model bike. I have a brand new Magic Mary waiting to be fitted, so have no reason to hang on to the spesch tyres if they were rubbish, but other than the rear needing more air, the grip is no worse for me in dry conditions.
    I’d be trying the Hillbilly, if i didn’t already have the MM

    .

    dc1988
    Full Member

    I don’t get the hate, I’ve run quite a few Specialized tyres and never had issues with grip. And that having also run a MM, Shorty and DHF.

    TrailriderJim
    Free Member

    The best “value” tyres IMO are WTB. Tough Fast on the back for bombproof tubelessness.

Viewing 16 posts - 1 through 16 (of 16 total)

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