Specialized are selling a number of their tyres at half price but I’ve never used them before. It looks like Butcher/Ground Control could be good but what about Purgatory and Eliminators? How strong are the Bliss ready ones and are Grids noticeably tougher? I’m down South and so rocky terrain is only a feature of trips and holidays.

Butcher up front. I tired purg up front but it definitely wasn’t as grippy and predictable. Purg better in mud than ground control on the rear but gc faster rolling. Not tried eliminator yet. Grids have beefier sidewalls and aren’t massively heavier. Great tyres for the price.

I’ve been running a Butcher up front and Purgatory on the rear all year round for what seems like forever. No doubt there will be better and more expensive options out there but I can’t fault this combo in any way to warrant changing them.

I like them all. As said, Purg is a bit weak on the front but great on the rear. Butcher or Hillbilly up front depending on conditions.

Eliminator front and Slaughter on the back was great through the summer.

Got a link to the sale?

Butcher/Butcher in Grid or stronger,or a Eliminator on the back all year round.
Slaughter on the Back for Summer

I’ve run butcher front, purgatory rear for years in control flavour but was getting loads of flats.

Recently went butcher front, eliminator rear in Grid and it’s brilliant. Maiden voyage last week at a muddy Woburn and I was not used to having so much grip cornering and climbing 😂

I’ve had butcher on the front and slaughter on the back in the summer. I went to an eliminator on the back and destroyed it on the first ride. I put a rock straight through the top and the side. I’ve gone to a purgatory on the back instead.

I’ve found the ground control good on the back for most conditions, rolls well, fair grip and harder wearing than an ardent.

Just sort ascending

Really liking the Hillbilly Grid 2.6 up front and Eliminator 2.3 at the back. Works well in all conditions although obviously not the fastest rolling on flat dry trails.

I really like Specialized tyres and think they are underrated. They are reasonably priced and an absolute bargain when on sale.
2Bliss is just Specialized’s term for tubeless ready tyres.
Purgatory front, Ground Control rear has been my usual combo for years.
Recently changed to 2.6″ Eliminator front and Butcher rear, both Grid flavour bought in the last Spesh sale, on my HT and they are proving to be a good winter/wet/muddy combination. The Purgatory 2.3″ has gone on the rear of my FS to see how it performs.
I’ve been running Grid for a few years and never had a problem with them.

Been looking at this sale for a few weeks, tempted to try some 29 x 2.6…
Can anyone confirm how they measure up width wise?
Some of the reviews on the site comment on them coming up quite narrow (which would defeat the object of my purchases!)

Depends on the specific tyre. The Hillbilly 2.6 has the same size carcass as the Eliminator 2.3 but the Butcher 2.6 is larger. I really like the size but they’re between a 2.4 and 2.5” in actual terms.

Been running a Butcher Grid up front, Eliminator or Purgatory Grid on the back for ages now. As said above, I think they’re really underrated and great value, especially in their sales. I tend to stock up! Just seated a Hill Billy on the front of some new wheels for the full suss as the loamy stuff is so slippery at the moment. Tried it previously on a different bike and didn’t get on with it but going to give it another shot.

2.6 Hillbilly Grid on the front (2.5 in reality) and a 2.3 Butcher Grid on the back (2.3 in reality). Fantastic in the slop of Hamsterley and the North York Moors

Hill Billy F & Eliminator R have been excellent in the winter slop, but were pretty unsuitable for the faster trails at BPW.
I don’t think the grid casing is rigid enough for the rear and the Hill Billy slides a bit too readily on the hard pack.

Bit of a shame as only really go to trail centres in the winter so will probably try and find something more all round. Maybe the Eliminator would work upfront.

I nearly bought a set of Specialized but went with the equally billy bargain priced Onza Aquila from CRC. Worth a look.

“I don’t think the grid casing is rigid enough for the rear and the Hill Billy slides a bit too readily on the hard pack.”

What sizes are you using?

I have Rimpact foam inserts in all my tyres which help with stability and reducing pinch flats.

Got a 2.6 hillbilly on the front of my Bird Aeris on a 30mm rim. It’s a bit bigger than the 2.35 Mary on a 25mm rim on the hardtail, but it’s not huge huge. Fits fine through a non-boost Yari with room to spare.

Had a good outing on it a few weeks ago in the slip at FOD and I was impressed.

Using a Maxxis DHR2 2.3 exo 3c on the rear so can’t comment on rear specialised tyres. For the winter I’d be tempted to try the eliminator 2.3 if I had to pick one.

What sizes are you using?

29×2.6 F & 29×2.4 R.
Don’t want to have too use inserts when a thicker rear will be sufficient.

2.6 Hill Billy Grid front and 2.6 Butcher Black Diamond rear on my AM9 on 29mm (internal) rims, with Rimpact inserts. Used in Alps, BPW, Dartmoor etc and really like the Hill Billy in particular.

2.6 hillbilly on the 29 ht, has a highroller on the back. Just had to fit a new one with inserts as I managed to nip the carcass just at the bead, also managed this with a high roller hence the Aldi inserts.

FS has 2.6 hillbilly and a 2.4 butcher on the rear.

There’s a lovely looking Butcher Grid 27.5 x 2.6 in the classifieds

Cough

#shamelessplug

My recommendation would be take them off and sling them in the bin. I’m pretty sure the 2.6 Butchers that came on the Enduro, were trying to kill me. Picky with pressure, and unsupportive sidewalls. Horrid.

OEM compound? Although that would be a short-sighted move from Spesh

29 X 2.6 Butcher Grids front and rear on my Solaris now. Swapped a 2.25 On One Smorgasbord for the Butcher on the back this weekend, lots more grip now around a filthy Eastridge. I’m not a serial tyre swapper and they seem to be a good balance of grip/weight/rolling resistance/toughness. Might try a Slaughter on the back next summer.

The 2.6 comes up as a smidge over 2.5 measured on a 29mm internal Flow rim.

I’ve had the Butcher 2.6 and Purgatory 2.3 Grids, in my basket for a couple of weeks; for some reason I’m reluctant to hit the payment button.

My wive uses the purgatory 2.3 grid in the rear. I use a Eliminator 2.3 blck diamond in the back.

Purgatory:
– I think the the purgatory has a very well balanced profile. Very good compromise between rolling resistance and grip, with the side knobs having a very useful amount of more grip still.
– The compound is a very good compromise between grip and durability.

Drawbacks:
– 2.3 is too small. It measures 56mm (carcas) on an 22.5mm internal rim. 2.6 is a large step. Wish they would make a 61mm one.
– Side wall leaks sealant. The grid carcas is strong enough for my wives weight (so too fragile for many), but it will start too loose air/sealant towards the end of it’s life.

Eliminator blck diamond:
– Brilliant carcas. Very good compromise between weight, damping and strength. Much better protection than for instance EXO and I don’t worry riding without inserts, with the pressure I want in the Alps.
– Nice size with 61mm (carcas) on 26mm internal width rims.

Drawbacks:
– Good compound for the front, but a bit fast wairing at the rear (a lot of grip though). Can make it a expensive tire for the rear.
– some knobs might be a bit small to hold up for park use (although the side knobs are starting to give in earlier).
– Of course not the fastest rolling, but that is to be expected with such a grippy tire.

Summary:
If they make a Purgatory with a size in between the 2.3 and 2.6 and stronger sidewalls and a slightly harder compound Eliminator, I would wholehartly recommend both for the rear.

I’m using Hillbilly front and rear, grid casing, on my winter 29er hardtail. They’re similar to shorties but need less pressure to work as well on rock.

Have used butcher f purg rear for several years on the FS, butcher also works well on the rear at a very small rolling penalty.

Slaughter grid is a cracking rear tyre IME.

Ive got 29×2.6 purgatory, butcher and eliminator (black diamond)

The purgatory is ok for summer seems to corner ok but doesn’t offer me the support in corners I would like. Once it goes there’s no stopping it. The butcher on the other hand has a lot more breaking grip and cornering but for some reason isn’t as good in mud as the purg. It just stops. Both roll reasonably well with pressure in them (above 24 psi for me at 95kg) but are slow lower. The real issue I have is the grid casings on both at low pressure just don’t feel right. When its pumped up above 24psi the butcher especially gets bouncy on the rear making you feel like its loosing traction on stuff. Both are ideal trail centre rubber imo. The eliminator looks like it should be in between he 2 but in reality its grippier than both. I really like it in the BD casing as it seems to just grip. The issue is its well over 1.3kg and its bloody hard work. Im tempted with the grid eliminator 2.3 for winter but don’t want it to be like the others.

All 29×2.6 come up about 2.45 on a 30mm id rim.

Apparently a new Grid+ casing is being released so that might suit you better andybrad.

” Im tempted with the grid eliminator 2.3 for winter but don’t want it to be like the others.”

I found the Butcher Grid 2.6 very fussy about pressure, with a very narrow window between squirm and boing, which I mostly solved by adding a Rimpact foam insert.

The Eliminator Grid 2.3 is much better – it’s less tall and lower volume for sure but not much narrower (59-60mm on a 30mm rim). It seems to grip just as well as the Butcher 2.6, it’s a bit less drifty but still easy to ride on the limit, and rolls better. I think it’s a very good tyre, not sure if it’s better than the DHR2 Exo but it’s similar.

One thing I’ve noticed is that the wear rate on the Gripton tyres is far better than I’d normally expect from compounds this grippy – quite like the Continental black chili tyres.

Apparently a new Grid+ casing is being released so that might suit you better andybrad.

Source?

That would be good news.

“Source?

That would be good news.”

They’re already out:

https://www.specialized.com/gb/en/hillbilly-grid-trail/p/173632?color=272220-173632

Called “Grid Trail”.

so youd save about 200g on the tire going for trail grid vs black diamond. Not sure thats worth it?

Well at under 1kg for the 29ers, it’s a pretty lightweight tyre if it offers the increased stiffness & support promised.

Not sure what the current Grid versions are like weight wise though but the Grid Trail must be closer to them than it is the Blck Dmnd.

They’re already out:

https://www.specialized.com/gb/en/hillbilly-grid-trail/p/173632?color=272220-173632

Called “Grid Trail”.

Awesome, might give it a try on the front.