[Closed] Anything better than a Shorty 2.5wt?

my barons are fine and you run slightly less pressure in them compared to others.

If it's just pure slop, shorty.

If there's slop, rock and other non sloppy surfaces, 2.6 Mary in soft is the boy.

I've heard people say the same as Nobeer, and I've no reason to doubt the Mary. However, I have heard people say that the 2.5 WT shorty is a more versatile beast than the standard 2.3.

It's why I've got a shorty/dhr2 combo waiting to go on for the Peak District winter

For true slop I use either a mud king or dirty dan, they're proper mud tyres of course. Have never got on with the shorty personally, so I use a Mary as an all rounder, then when it gets bad I switch to the Mud King

We use 2.5 Shortys on the front of the DH bikes and they find grip on everything at Revs so a mixture of slop, roots, rock and hardpack. Really rate them.

Specialized hillbilly? Havent tried the 2.6 but running a 2.3, loads of grip can't fault it yet

Hillbilly 2.6" is unreal. Sizes up as a 2.45". Ridiculous grip.

Michelin mud for slop

I've a 2.5 shorty and a 2.4 Mary, both great tyres. I reckon the Mary is a bit more versatile especially on rock, but the shorty is pretty amazing when the going is soft.

2.6 Mary either in soft in the lighter carcass or ultra soft in the dh carcass, it's a better all round tyre than the Shorty.

The DHF Will go long into the winter. The 2.5 is a way better wet weather tyre than the thinner versions so you probably don't need a middle ground tyre imho.

2.6 Mary either in soft in the lighter carcass or ultra soft in the dh carcass, it’s a better all round tyre than the Shorty.

The ultra soft DH even felt draggy on my ebike.

**** knows how anyone could even consider pedaling that up anything on a non ebike.

Mine is the soft, not ultra, but cant say I notice it dragging. Big climb on my local loop is over 1000ft straight up, mixed surfaces, never even noticed it there.

28 unrelenting minutes for one climb is a decent test I'd say.

Half hour for 300 meters of climbing none tech.

Were you walking?😜

Plenty tech on it ol boy, and gates, and bogs! 🤣

However, I have heard people say that the 2.5 WT shorty is a more versatile beast than the standard 2.3.

Yep - I've used the 2.5WT Shorty in dusty, hot, conditions in Maderia, and in full slop at home in Scotland. It's a great all rounder.

I shifted to  2.5 WT Shorty for a bit more volume this year after being long time Magic Mary user. I find the Shorty a better wet-season all rounder. I worried about it being worse that the Mary on firms surfaces, but its seems to be the same.

Does me for a winter all-rounder, but I'd probably grab a different front wheel if I were heading for the Lakes or somewhere else particularly rocky.

Interested to try it in dust, I know the 2.3in version is really good in dry loamy conditions.

Used a 2.5 shorty in 29 last winter. Good tyre but I've just fitted a 2.6 hillbilly and it's a better tyre. More grip on a wider range of surfaces in my experience, particularly wet, slimy roots.

Thanks for the replies.

Based on Benpinnick's feedback, I will see how long I can keep the 2.5 dhf on.

If it fails then it looks a a Shorty or Hillbilly may be a good call

another vote for the Magic Mary - but we have lots of mixed stuff here so it suits my local riding. The Hillbilly is good but comes up small though not tried the 2.6 - might give it a go when the MM dies though it seems to be pretty hard wearing despite the Soft.

The Hillbilly is good but comes up small though not tried the 2.6

It'll come up 2.4in on a 30mm internal. My 2.6in Butcher did and uses same carcass. Same real-world width as Shorty 2.5in FWIW.

I recon my 2.6 Hillbilly is a tad smaller than my 2.5 shorty on the same rim.

Seems to roll slightly faster though. No idea why because they look and feel very similar.

“I recon my 2.6 Hillbilly is a tad smaller than my 2.5 shorty on the same rim.”

Like the DHF 2.5 and the Butcher 2.6 then!

“Seems to roll slightly faster though. No idea why because they look and feel very similar.”

If the rumour about the Gripton compounds being similar to Black Chili compounds is true, then that makes a lot of sense. Never had a tyre manage to be as fast and grippy as the old Baron was!

The dudes use cut down dirty dans on the brown serpent, and that's about as manky as any descent can possibly be!.

I didn't find the Butcher w/Gripton rubber very grippy personally.

Not saying the compound's crap, but the knob pattern looked OK so that was where I was tempted to point the finger.

I didn’t find the Butcher w/Gripton rubber very grippy personally.

The 2.8's on a test bike I tried were terrible too.

Are people using the hill billy's front and back or just front?

What you using at the back for these sorts of conditions?

“I didn’t find the Butcher w/Gripton rubber very grippy personally.”

If it’s like Black Chili it’ll be over half a dozen different compounds but all with one name for inexplicable marketing reasons...

I love the shorty 2.5 (29er), to me it sits really nicely between the soft and ultrasoft magic maries, of which the first is a bit too hard and the latter just a bi too much almost all the time- shame they don't make a lighter version. it's always a compromise of course but the difference between the shorty and ultrasoft mary was enough to feel pretty unpleasant to me on frinstance the golfy climb which drags on regardless of what you fit.

But everyone's compromise is in a different place. The Der Baron is really good too but more minioney than spikey. Haven't tried the newer hillbilly, the old one wasn't that good. The 2.5 shorty is a very different beast from the 2.3. We've got some great choices now and you won't go too far wrong with any of them.

Just put a 2.6" Butcher on the back of the HB160 - loads better (obviously) than the HR2 it replaced, although it does come up small.  No bad thing out the back.

I did find yesterday that the front end with a 2.6" DHF  was washing out a lot more than I would have wanted, but it was really wet and loads of leaf litter.  Seems to float over wet and mud rather than cutting in.  So I've ordered a 2.6" Hillbilly from Hargraves for £31.50.

We’ve got some great choices now and you won’t go too far wrong with any of them.

This is very true btw.

Get Procore so you can run 16.5psi front and 18.5 psi rear and stick to any terrain 😉