26" front tyre options…

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This topic has 21 replies, 19 voices, and was last updated 7 years ago by cookeaa.

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26" front tyre options…
cookeaa
Full Member

Right I’ve decided I need a new grippier front tyre in the unfashionable old size for my HT…

~2.3″ish wide, tubeless ready and ideally somewhere around £20 if possible. I want an open, square shouldered sort of tread for summer trail fun and grip in the corners…

So far I have a shortlist of OO Chunky monkey and Specialized Purgatory Control…

So Tell me why these are crap choices and/or suggest me some better alternatives…

Ta and danke in advance.

Posted 7 years ago

kayak23
Full Member

Purgatory better on the back imho.
Butcher on the front.
I use that combo all year round.

Posted 7 years ago

BigJohn
Full Member

A Bontrager XR4 is my choice.

Posted 7 years ago

garage-dweller
Full Member

I have a 26″ purgatory on the hardtail up front.

I have a butcher up front on the 29r.

I would probably have the Butcher of the two up front at new tyre time.

Posted 7 years ago

docrobster
Free Member

I recently put a magic Mary on the front to replace a minion. Prefer it to the purgatory on the other bike.
Bit more than £20 though

Posted 7 years ago

Tracey
Full Member

Butcher upfront. Run them on all our bikes

Posted 7 years ago

Nobeerinthefridge
Free Member

Chunky monkey a better tyre up front than both the purg or butcher imo. Purg grid is a cracking rear.

Posted 7 years ago

jonnytheleyther
Free Member

I’ve got a load of front 26″ tyres mate. Get in touch and I’ll do you a deal so you can try a few different ones if you like. Definitely got Muddy Mary and some minions.

Posted 7 years ago

davewalsh
Free Member

Nowt wrong with the OO chunky monkey, it’s a great tough tyre for rocky trails, not great in mud though. Butcher is a better all rounder but not as tough. Depends on what you prioritise, you haven’t really told us much about where you ride and your riding style.

Posted 7 years ago

devash
Free Member

For “general” trail riding the Purgatory makes a decent choice (within your £20 budget here https://www.sigmasport.co.uk/item/Specialized/Purgatory-Control-2Bliss-Ready-MTB-Tyre/1Q5A but if you want pure confidence-inspiring grip then the Butcher outclasses it. The Butcher is point-and-go at the expense of rolling resistance; the Purg is faster but requires a bit more thought on steep and technical stuff. I’ve ran a Purg up front many times and I find that the tyre needs leaning over hard on loose stuff.

If you’re doing XC miles (long road linkages between trails, easy bridleways etc) on your hardtail then the Purgatory is the better of the two, perhaps even a Ground Control.

Posted 7 years ago

Northwind
Full Member

Thing is the Purgatory is barely any faster rolling but it’s a bit worse at everything else and the edge grip is a lot worse.

Posted 7 years ago

jamj1974
Full Member

Only go for GRID in Purgatory is my experience. Still not ideal though. Butcher better by far, Magic Mary is even better.

Posted 7 years ago

warpcow
Free Member

Butcher, as others have said. I wouldn’t go with a Chunky Monkey if my requirements were square-ish profile and cornering grip. It’s pretty round with very short, and oddly shaped, shoulder nobs. It’s alright on wet rock and roots, but there are plenty of tyres that are at least as good there and better everywhere else (the Butcher for example, or any other Minion-esque tyre).

Posted 7 years ago

zero-cool
Free Member

Maxxis Minion DHF in 2.35 or 2.5. It’s The best tyre out there.

Tom Kp

Posted 7 years ago

RustySpanner
Full Member

I’ve got a mint 2.35 Minion DHF Supertacky you can have.
200 miles on the front, very silly amount of grip.

Bought as a spare but a bit tight on clearance and way too gnar for me.

Swap you for something a bit more mincecore?

Posted 7 years ago

lardman
Free Member

Butcher 2.3 grid casing, or Minon DHF supertacky.
Cant go wrong with either of those for grip.

Posted 7 years ago

cookeaa
Full Member

So the overwhelming response here seems to be, spend a bit more on a Butcher or Minion DHF basically.

Thanks for the offers of used tyres, TBH I fancy a nice new bit of rubber, so I might be taking a trip to my LBS on Friday to pick up a 2.3″ Butcher Grid I think…

Cheers all, very useful, I’ll probably beback asking about rear tyres in a couple of weeks 🙄

Posted 7 years ago

flyingmonkeycorps
Full Member

On the flip side I also fancy trying some new tyres in 26″ flavour so if anyone has any they want rid of (front / rear / probably more interested in gnarrish) then give me a shout!

Posted 7 years ago

Andy-R
Full Member

Just to be perverse, I actually think that the Minion DHR2 Supertacky is a better front tyre than the DHF – all depends how and what you ride, of course.
I like the CM well enough on dry rocks too.

Posted 7 years ago

boobs
Full Member

Where are you? I have some hans dampf’s super grippy and nearly as grippy and 2.4 chunky monkeys in both grip levels, near Reading. mail if near, interested, bored etc I might have a smorgasbord in grippy too.

Posted 7 years ago

flyingmonkeycorps
Full Member

I’m up in ‘Ull and won’t be heading down south for a while I’m afraid!

Posted 7 years ago

cookeaa
Full Member

Hmmmm, having said I wanted new rubber, but this seems to have become a bit of a tyre exchange thread

So here’s what I have to share:

L->R

-2 off used Maxxis swampthings 26X2.2″ dual ply “slowreezay”, dual ply wire bead

-2 off unused Schwalbe Wicked will, one 26×2.5″ one 26×2.3″ both wire bead.

-1 off used schwalbe Muddy Mary, 26X2.5″ wire bead.

-1 off used wicked will 26X2.3″ wire bead

-1 off used specialized captain control, 26X2.1″, folding bead, folding bead, 2bliss, I think this one may have stuffed a cut ~6mm, not sure if I repaired it..

-2 off used specialized Eskar control 26X2.3″, folding bead (I have a third on an old wheel in the garage too).

I am in Reading too, anyone fancy any swapsies then?

Posted 7 years ago