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“I’ve got the newer 29er version with T7 compound and it does a much better job on hardpack.”
I believe the T7 compound is the same as the Gripton compound, they just added some different stickiness versions of it with the T9 and T5.
This is the tread pattern of the Hillbilly over the last few years, up until the new version came out a few months ago:
This is the new one - side knobs are about twice the area so should be better at not squirming and gripping on hard stuff:
The new one is only available as a 2.4 but it’s pretty big - just measured it, it’s 61mm wide at the tread, same as the previous 2.6”. The casing is 59mm wide whilst the old 2.6” has a 61mm wide casing, so slightly higher volume. Both on 30mm rims, just did the measuring as I’m working from home / battling illness…
61mm is exactly 2.4” - so novel to get a tyre that’s the size it claims to be!
Tried a few over recent years and nothing has beaten a magic mary for me on the front yet.
Usually run a supertrail soft casing with an insert to get the pressures down.
Tried a hillbilly grid but that slipped like crazy on roots, didn't rate it at all. Also like a shorty (older variant not the shorty 2) and that was better in slop than a mary but worse on hardpack and maybe roots.
I recently tried a magi-x wild enduro on the front and whilst it is phenomally good in warmer temperatures, as its got colder recently the rubber seems to have firmed up alot and lost grip. In warmer weather it blew me away with how good it was in the wet but not when cold.
All these usually paired with a dhr2 on the back or maybe a second mary if really really sloppy (jan-feb time).
I'd be interested to try the T9 Hillbilly, but I'll need to hear a bit more positive feedback about the new compound before I give them any more of my money. It'd also help if they were about £25-30 again.
Enigmas - If you like the Mary and the Wild Enduro, you'd probably love the WTB Verdict high grip. It's like a more aggressive Mary, with the edge knobs of the Michelin. And a nice soft compound that feels similar to MaxxGrip but lasts waaaaay longer.
I’ve definitely got the top pictured hillbilly not the bottom one. The t7 29er one is much better then the gripton 650b one though. Feels more like a soft compound magic Mary then the 650b one.
Must not buy the new hillbilly - definitely don’t need another front tyre.
On the Wild Enduro my 29er one is magi-x as the gum-x version has been out of stock for ages now. It’s definitely harder than the gum-x 650b version on my hardtail - you can feel the difference just twisting the knobs 🫣. The magi-x one is noisier across the ground - so far it’s gripping well. Love it in the semi-muddy conditions we have at the moment. Will see how it goes when it gets colder I guess - the Hillbilly will go in when full winter arrives I expect.
New Hillbilly and cannibal have a lot more mechanical grip than a shorty and DHR.
I tried them in the Grid Gravity casing, T9 compound, I struggled with how stiff the tyre is and the subsequent feel. I found that whilst the shorty and dhr have less grip, the feeling is better. I'd give the grid trail a go, if they did the cannibal in that version.
I reckon mud tyres are difficult, because they're trying to balance spikiness and ground penetration, which needs a relatively small and firm knob, with rubber grip which wants a larger and softer knob. Specialized and Schwalbe seem to get the tread shapes really good, maxxis and conti seem to be better at the rubber side. Throw in casings which likewise aren't simple, you want compliance and suppport and slow rebound and fast rolling and tough and light all at the same time. So then you get WTB who just can't make a light tyre, or Maxxis who can never quite make their ranges make sense so there's 50 variants but the 2 you want never seem to exist...
All I want is a range designed by WTB product planners, designed by Specialized with continental rubber and schwalbe supergravity carcasses, with testing and feedback by Maxxis and distribution by Bontrager. Not much to ask is it?
LOL, knob.
i've got a new style 29er 2.4 shorty v2 in maxx terra exo thats only a few rides old - im not getting on with it so if anyones interested can have it for say 35 posted
https://off.road.cc/content/review/tyres/maxxis-shorty-gen-2-tyre-review-9033
exact same as this one - im not riding foresty type slid/slide stuff much really so its a bit wasted on me
Specialized and Schwalbe seem to get the tread shapes really good, maxxis and conti seem to be better at the rubber side.
Just as an aside, have you ridden an Ultra Soft compound Magic Mary per chance, or just the soft so far...? I ask because the difference is quite stark. The Soft is a great all rounder, but maybe loses out a little in absolute grip to some competitors in the name of significantly longer life span. The Ultra Soft is like chewing gum, and will blow you away in softer conditions if you've not yet ridden one!
Now available in 2.4" Super Trail casing too, not just Super Gravity, so an ideal winter front tyre for trail riders with the trail casing and the ultra soft compound rubber. 👍🏻
I'm after a winter 29er front and had spotted the ultra soft Mary super trail on a few European sites. Any UK stock about? Can't locate anything with Google
I've just gone to my winter tyres on my workhorse hardtail. Shorty front and back, 2.5 and 2.3. It still feels too early.
They are great for properly sloppy, but not just 'very wet' or 'a bit mucky'. To be at their best, they don't just need the top surface of the trails to 'go a bit', but to be at least an inch of filth. Then they can dig in and bite rather than skating across the top. And bloody hell you need to be careful with rocks and roots. There are big gaps in the tread - great for shedding mud, not so good for needing grip at that exact point.
I’m after a winter 29er front and had spotted the ultra soft Mary super trail on a few European sites. Any UK stock about? Can’t locate anything with Google
The short answer is "supply has somewhat outstripped demand"... The longer answer is that they're out there, if you're desperate you'll probably have to make a few phonecalls to known big stockists of Schwalbe tyres and you might be lucky... Or if you're a little more patient, get one on backorder with your local bike shop and it'll probably be a few weeks, rather than months, before you see one.
Waiting for free stock with online retailers is going to be a frustrating game though!
If you need any more help, PM me...
There are big gaps in the tread – great for shedding mud, not so good for needing grip at that exact point.
That's the thing with tyres... EVERYTHING is a trade off... Some people prefer to have a different tyre for pretty much any conditions, and chop and change them as they see fit. Some prefer to stick with a bit more of a good all rounder that doesn't particularly excel anywhere, but is more reliable come what may... The former camp are usually big Maxxis fans. The latter, like me, will have no trouble in recommending a Magic Mary usually... 😉
I’m an all year round user of a front Magic Mary, but my new bike came fitted with Spesch Butcher T9 and though I have a MM sat waiting to be fitted, I’ve yet to see a reason to replace it. The rear Elimator T7 has been very good too, though it was definitely helped by adding a cushcore to stiffen up the sidewalls. The butcher definitely isn’t as deep a tread as the MM or Shorty but seems like a solid option to me.
I have been impressed with T9 2.6 Butchers up front even in slop. The new compounds are a big improvement compared to the old ones.
But I also like DHFs too...
mboy
Free MemberJust as an aside, have you ridden an Ultra Soft compound Magic Mary per chance, or just the soft so far…?
Aye, it's good but imo doesn't compare well to maxxgrip- it sticks almost as well, but it wears so much faster. Also seemed to squirm more and roll slower though of course that could be some other element of the tyre and not the rubber so I wouldn't put much weight on that. Basically it felt to me more like an older supersoft, complete with "shagged after a weekend at fort william", like a slow reazy or something... I'd like to try it in a less knobbly tyre though. And, like you say the soft just isn't really that soft so there's quite a big gap.
(schwalbe get a double whammy here sometimes ime, because their tread shapes are usually really good- but that can mean they go off faster as they wear. Like, remember that original hans dampf that was just terrible once the square edges crumbled... Whereas maxxis's often feel like they're kind of adequate and the rubber's working harder, but that can mean that even once they're pretty worn they still work. Like, a completely shagged looking rounded torn up dhr2 will still do a turn)
The maxxgrip shorty 2.5 is just really bloody good tbh, only really let down by their random approach to carcasses. Stick that on a first-gen supergravity and I'd take it to bed.
I'm a year round soft Mary man myself 😉 Great front tyre for UK conditions and trails, which works on the rear as well. It does slop reasonably well but isn't the best of the best!
Slop needs deep, well spaced, square edged treads with no ramps. I can see why Maxxis changed (only slightly) the lateral bar part (is now two narrow spaced blocks) of the old Shorty tread. Effectively making it less biased toward a driving wheel/rear wheel of a bike, where paddle treads (often alternating for MTB tyres rather than the full tread pattern) can be favourable.
If you was to go Shorty front and rear, ideally you would want the old Shorty tread pattern on the rear and the new tread pattern on the front!
EVERYTHING is a trade off
That's not just tyres.
But, yes, obvs I take the point. Trail conditions near me right now are 'intermediate', so a fair few patches of deep mud, but nothing chronic. Some deep mud, some ice rink slime over hardpack and some dry. Often on the same trail. There will never be a single tyre that will be perfect on all that - and that doesn't take into account rocks and roots etc.
