Specialized butcher t9

It’s no-where near as grippy as a MaxxGrip, I would put it as worse than a MaxxTerra.

Every time I borrow a Spesh, I’m reminded how shyte their tyres are. 😆

Even in the ‘22 great tyre shortage, I am running a haggard Assegai & DHR2 over a set of brand new Butcher/Elimiators I have in the garage loft.

Yes, am on that combo now. I reckon the t9 is more grippy than a dhf maxxterra. I have not ridden a maxx grip though. It rolls fine on the front though with a t7 eliminator on the back.

I am sat here concussed though. I am fairly certain it wasn't the tyre though. More a moment of ambition and speed outrunning skill. Probably shouldn't be looking at this screen either.

Yeah, the tyre is good for dry/summer stuff. Go for something else in the slop though.

I've been running a Grid Trail T9 one on the front for a couple of weeks that came with the new bike. Prior to that I was using the Blck Dmnd ones on our other bikes and still are.

Not had a problem with the grip so far but only used it in the dry. The Blck Dmnds we use all year round. Have tried numerous other brands and compounds including Maxxis and just don't get on with them. Usually end up selling them on or giving them away.

The Grid Trail T9 sidewalls aren't as thick sidewalls and are more flexible than the Blck Dmnds but I have the Grid Gravity T9s in the garage loft to fit once I get round to it

The standard Butchers that come on many Spesh bikes are hateful things, they have tried to kill me on numerous occassions, wet and dry

hmmmmm very mixed bag then so far!!

hobnob have messaged you on PB

it looks so similar to a dhf (which i love for summer) so was thinking it would be a comparable cheaper alternative, now not so sure ha!

Had to smile when I was listening to an interview with Jared Graves the other day, he said the compound on the previous gen Spesh tyres was "like concrete" - which resonated with me for sure.

He was slagging Spesh off and blaming them for his struggles after leaving Yeti, as they wouldn't let him ride Maxxis despite them initially not making a thick enough carcass and then getting that sorted, but making the tread from everlasting rubber.

I actually quite like the Eliminator in that hard compound on the rear - in the dry obvs.

yeah similar thinking for the rear - its not going to be any worse than a aggressor surely out back in summer? ive always managed to survive on one of them even in the wet summers we have, if anything it looks like it would fair better than a aggressor out back if its remotely wet, plus i only use exo casing on the rear anyways, so always used to a harder compound (assuming its not brick brick hard the spesh casing)

i used butchers for years. mainly as they were cheap. they are rubbish in comparison to a maxxis dhf. but they do roll nicely and in the dry they are fine.

as above the eliminator on the rear is actually really good. much better than my current softish hans dampf.

I have a T9 grid trail butcher on the back, seems okay. Rolls worse than a maxxterra dhr2 imo, but better than a mary or assegai.

Grip wise was really good to start with, but after 200 miles the centre tread has rounded off and braking traction has became noticeably worse. One thing I do like is that the tyre feels really planted and muted when compared to an exo casing.

Just to be clear, they have changed manufacturer since the concrete tyres (which I have a couple of) - the new ones couldn't possibly be that hard, so I'd happily buy the new Eliminator as a rear tyre.

cool - i cant see how a eliminator would a terrible choice really unless it has weak sidwalls? the t7 compound will be around where a EXO only casing is - seems like it will roll well and with bigger side lugs over a aggressor

front is the tricky one then - mixed reviews, and dont want to lose any grip if possible but dont also want a sticky/slow rolling mess up front! i defo wouldnt run one on the back though thats for sure

He was slagging Spesh off and blaming them for his struggles after leaving Yeti

Nothing to do with him being knackered and old then 🤣 Hasn't he retired anyway?

what about the t7 compound butcher?

t7 is the equivalent of maxxis maxx terra?
t9 is the equivalent of maxxis maxx grip?

any one comment on that at all? t7 will last longer in summer and not be so draggy

The T7 is a harder / less grippy compound isn’t it?

I’ve got a T7 hillbilly and it’s been largely ok - but then I’m mostly using it in slop when the tread is more important than the compound.

Nothing really sticks to wet roots so I haven’t found T7 any better / worse than anything else I’ve used for that sort of thing - Addix Soft Magic Mary / Gum-X Wild Enduro etc.

I suspect T7 isn’t going to be great on wet rock - not sure if T9 is a step forward on that. Reading online reviews it suggests the T9 butcher is nicely damped for rocky stuff but it’s not great in certain wet conditions. Will update how I find my new T9 butcher once I’ve used it - should get out on it this weekend and maybe Thursday night too - depending on which bike I take / if it’s pouring with rain or not.

Nothing to do with him being knackered and old then 🤣 Hasn’t he retired anyway?

He's talking about his spell at Spesh from 2015-19.

He joined them in 2015 as reigning EWS champ.

The current T7 is the same as the Gripton compound they had for a few years. T9 is softer/slower rebound. T5 is harder/quicker rebound. T7 lasts a really long time for how grippy it is but I'd say it's not as grippy as MaxTerra or Addix Soft, more like 60a Maxxis (but rolls faster and wears better). I've got Hillbilly 2.6 Grid and Butcher 2.3 Grid Trail on my Levo at the moment and they're pretty good. Had Eliminator 2.3 and Butcher 2.6 on the back too, Eliminator was faster but less grip, Butcher 2.6 Grid too squirmy.

Quite a mix of reviews out there on the T9 - I wonder if the poor wet conditions reviews are because the compound doesn't like the wet or because they were brand new tyres that hadn't lost the mould release agent? Lots of very positive reviews about the T9 compound so I'd happily gamble on one.

The current Butcher tread pattern isn't as much like a DHF as people think - it's more of a halfway house between the DHF and the DHR2 (and the extra braking grip confirms that!)

yeh guess you'll never know till you try - ill give it a punt - im unsure id need the stickyness of a t9 but then sounds like the t7 wont be as grippy as a maxx terra

i cant see the eliminator being a issue out back its going to roll fairly quick and has a decent enough side lug for some grip in summer, only think i dont know is how the sidewalls compare to exo etc, as i rarely rarely puncture even on just EXO (talking 2 times in a 5 years!)

I have been running the 2.6 Butcher in T9 Grid Trail flavour and it's been really confidence inspiring in the "mixed" conditions we've had this winter.  The compound isn't super super soft, but Specialized say it's slower rebounding rather just sticky.

I ran it with a 2.3 BlckDmnd sticky as a sticky thing Butcher on the back for a bit but then swapped it out for an Eliminator in T7 Grid Trail to save the legs a bit and thats been OK but not great in the slop but that's not a surprise.

For the same same money as a single Maxxis at RRP, Butcher and Eliminator combo is easy enough to live with and has more than sufficient grip.

These new fancy compounds sound fine but have the sorted out the casings? I last lost my patience with Specialized tyres after a pair of Grid's which were wobbly and fragile.

I'm now looking at them again mostly due to the price of the competition. I just want a pair of fast rolling tyres for riding out from home but I don't want to shred them when I get to the trails.

@billoddie

thats my thinking for the cost and availability of maxxis its worth a shot - how does it roll as a pairing with t9 butcher/ t7 eliminator? a good all round rolling package or does the front t9 really slow it down? i wouldnt use the eliminator in winter at all - but hopefully thats a long way off yet

a good all round rolling package or does the front t9 really slow it down?

Rolls fine.

Not had an issue with the 4 specialized tyres with regards to casings warping.  Maxxis, however...

yep my current dhf has warped very noticebale at speed up front - annoying as hell as its got tonnes of life left too

hence this thread......ill take a punt on them

I have been running the 2.6 Butcher in T9 Grid Trail flavour and it’s been really confidence inspiring in the “mixed” conditions we’ve had this winter.

I'm running one too and agree, only had it on a few weeks but so far so good, it's replaced a soft magic mary so something decent to compare too

I've got a Stumpy that came with the T7 Butcher up front. I have since swapped it out for a T9 Butcher (and over winter I have been running the T9 Hillbilly). The T9 models I have is their gravity one, rather than trail. Both are 2.3 width 29er.

I have to say I like the T9 compound. I am not a good rider but I have found it gives me confidence (it may be a placebo affect), but feel like they provide decent grip. I am a massive Maxxis fan, so pleasantly surprised. I am using the tyres that came with the bike as rears/spares - keeping the grip up front.

I have had experience in the past with some Spesh tyres being far too thing (leaking sealent bad etc), but these all seem fine.

I've been running a hilly Billy on front and a purgatory on back all winter on my hard tail. A winter of tweed valley fun. Makes the rear ideal for getting round behind a planted front wheel.
I like specialized tyres. Mrs has a s-works racing butcher which is super sticky, I'm stealing it for the Alps.

Just to clear things up in this thread for future readers:

Pre-2020, any model that came with the Grid casing and "Gripton" compound was absolute junk. Junk compound and junk sidewalls. To be avoided. These tires are where Specialized got their terrible tire reputation, as seen in this comment section.

However, any pre-2020 model that came with the Blck Dmnd casing were excellent and highly underappreciated tires. The compound is listed as "Gripton" on these tires as well, but this compound is not comparable to the compound in their "Grid" tires at all. The compound in Blck Dmnd tires was better than MaxxTerra, especially in wet conditions. The sidewalls were quite stiff and durable. Excellent compromise as a rear tire.

The T9 compound introduced in 2020 is up there with Maxxis MaxxGrip and WTB's "High Grip" compounds. It's a perfect compound for the front wheel in most conditions.

In sum, for pre-2020 tires:
- Grid casing: Terrible, weak casing. To be avoided.
- Blck Dmnd casing: Excellent and durable.
- Gripton Compound (on Grid casing tires): Complete junk. To be avoided.
- Gripton Compound (on Blck Dmnd casing): Excellent, arguably better than MaxxTerra.

And to sum up the post-2020 lineup:
- Any model with the T9 compound: Excellent compound and casings. Sticky compound somewhere in the middle between MaxxGrip and MaxxTerra. Only rivaled by MaxxGrip when it comes to grip on wet roots.
- Any model with the T7 compound: Mediocre grip, about the same as MaxxTerra. Works fine in most conditions, but will let you down on wet roots (just like MaxxTerra)
- Grid Trail casing: Comparable to EXO+
- Grid Gravity casing: Comparable to DD or DH

So avoid any pre-2020 Specialized tires with the Grid casing and Gripton compound. They are basically among the worst tires out there. Any Blck Dmnd tire will be good, especially on the rear.

Personally I prefer to run Butcher T9's on the front and Butcher Blck Dmnd on the rear in most conditions. The T9 compound is absolutely fantastic. If you're running MaxxTerra and want more grip on wet roots, T9 is definitely the way to go.

Specialized are just really weird, I think they've got a clear idea of what a good tyre is and deliver on it pretty consistently, it's just that hardly anyone agrees. Do miss the old Butcher Control though, weren't many better rear tyres as long as you could live with the tissue paper carcass

I gave up on my butcher grid trail t9 2.3” on the front wheel after not much time. It just wasn’t as good as the 2.5” maxxis dhf exo 3c max terra. I switched for one of those and was much happier. Maybe it’s because it’s a touch wider - but it was just more confidence inspiring / trustworthy. I had the butcher lose grip suddenly a few times when I wasn’t expecting it.

I’m now on an Assegai on the front and that’s a step up over the dhf for me - same width / wheelsize / casing / rubber compound.

I do love my t7 Hillbilly though - it just gets grip in slop like nothing else I’ve tried. Run it broadly late nov to End of March and it’s so confidence inspiring.

I gave up on my butcher grid trail t9 2.3” on the front wheel after not much time.

i just fitted one to the front of my bike! first ride was on tuesday. i liked it.

it is much lighter than the more voluminous assagai exo+ it replaced and lighter weight is what i was after.

i won the tyres in a raffle.

Specialized are just really weird, I think they’ve got a clear idea of what a good tyre is and deliver on it pretty consistently, it’s just that hardly anyone agrees.

I’d agree with that.

Stealth ad - I've got 2 x 29x2.6 T9 BNIB in the classifieds for £50 posted for the two...

(Ok, not that stealth tbf)

Pmed you

@ivandobski if Tracy doesn't take them I will!

I disagree with @andrerav.

I like the pre 2020 gripton tyres!

I'm off into the shed to refit my 2.6 butcher on the front and 2.6 purgatory t7 to the back of my geometron.

Decent grip, rolls fast, wears at a glacial rate, mostly £25 a tyre when they all got sold off.

T7 purgatory on the back of both my mtb's most of the time. £25 new from specialized this year. Rolls well, grip is fine.

I've tried a t9 2.6 butcher on the front front the geometron. It was as slow and almost as grippy as a 2.4 shorty in maxx grip. I don't get to ride the lakes much, but got up recently for a and wet and snowy weekend. The t9 was super confidence inspiring and a bit less draggy than the shorty.

I have had the BLK diamonds in 2.6 front and rear for bike park duties for a few years. Good grip, very stiff sidewall. I don't ride park much so they have done less than 30 days or riding. A supe soft maxxis would be shredded on the back for me, the butcher's are still fine.

@tall_martin - looks like they're gone I'm afraid but I'll give you a shout if anything changes.

Butcher Grid trail 29 2.6 T9 is nice, pretty consistent on a big range of stuff up to really sloppy mud, yeah it's a bit draggy , but any grippy big tyre is

I've got one on for tweedlove this weekend
T9 is between maxxterra and maxxgrip ime

Its also 2/3rds the price and nothing sucks like slashing a brand new 80quid maxxgrip dhf at a PMBA round...

Payment sent

Hah, sorry for resurrecting this zombie thread 🙂 @tall_martin I definitely agree that they roll well:P

“I disagree with @andrerav.

I like the pre 2020 gripton tyres!”

Ditto! With Rimpact inserts to add stability and protection they’ve worked very well for me.

However I do like the extra stickiness and more damped feel of the new Hillbilly 2.4 T9 that I have on the front of my hardtail - but it’s wearing far faster than the Gripton aka T7 tyres I have on the back of both bikes and the front of my Levo.

Butcher 2.6 grid trail on my ebike, T9 front T7 rear great combo. Have taken off Assegai Exo+ DHF DD as too slow and quick wearing even on an ebike. After the recent rainy spell I put a new Hillbilly T9 grid trail on the front, great tyre. Like a shorty Exo+ but much cheaper.

Hm, I should really try out that new Hillbilly 2.4. Are the knobs as tall or taller than the Butcher T9? Has anyone measured the actual width mounted?

Thanks @ivandobski I'll just have to be faster off the mark next time :⁠-⁠)

Since it's become a butcher love in...

Differences in tread the outer tyres are BlckDmnd and the middle is a Gravity t9 prototype.

[img] [/img]

ive got a set of hardly used (as in less than a month) of the t7 eliminator 2.3 and the t9 butcher 2.3 both practically look brand new to my eyes, both 29er" grid trail

if anyones interested.......

Not me, I've got softer as I got older and prefer 2.6 for almost everything :⁠-⁠)

Bike came with Butcher T9 front T7 rear, tested a Bontrager G5 front and it beat the T9 easily on confidence damping and grip. A super soft Mary beats the T9 too. Yet to try the DH22 but will soon. Confident grip is my thing.
BUT the Butchers are not BAD tyres.
I fondly recall the old 26" Spesh Clutch, so much grip and damping!!
Their Ground Control was a good 29 XC tyre too IMO.

T7 Butcher on the rear works better with a Tannus insert in it as lower pressure alows more grip, but it's still not grippy enough this time of year IMO. Maybe the T9 rear would fill my need for wet grip, inc roots.

As an aside, the Spesh Hillbillys in T7 and T9 are great tyres with good value I'm told. I have too many other tyres just now, but they are on the radar.