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I needed to replace my rear tyre so picked up a spesh slaughter in the sale, thought I might as well get a pair and got a butcher for the front.
Now I'm not a particularly good rider, I don't rip up the trails or trouble any KOM's, but the Butcher felt like it had no grip at all today. Every loose rock, or slippy off camber surface, or jaunty root, the front just slipped and slided off everything! I was nervous to even attempt turning at points!
I don't have a pressure gauge so started firm and gradually let air out along the ride, but I got to a point beyond where I would normally consider it too soft! Didn't make much difference anyway. It is set up tubeless by the way!
This was a test ride before ardrock and I'm not exactly filled with confidence. Think I'll put the part worn DHF back on.
So the question is, do tyres get better over time? A Butcher should be good enough for a pleb like me shouldn't it?
My bike came with Butchers and I took it off the front for that very reason it was all over the place. On the rear though it’s been great.
Still covered in "release agent" so they can be more easily removed from the moulds? I had a pair of road tyres that fresh on felt like Bambi on ice until I'd got some miles into them!
Still covered in “release agent” so they can be more easily removed from the moulds? I had a pair of road tyres that fresh on felt like Bambi on ice until I’d got some miles into them!
Surely that's much more of an issue on a road tyre where the compound grip is almost all the grip there is? Really that noticeable on a big nobbly tyre on off-road surface? Enough to make it good from being terrible? It's likely to never be a tyre you'll get on with from what you describe, OP...
That’s a negative Ghost Rider
Still covered in “release agent” so they can be more easily removed from the moulds? I had a pair of road tyres that fresh on felt like Bambi on ice until I’d got some miles into them!
This is a thing, way back when, when I had a DH bike I used to give new tyres a good clean with mucoff but they still didn’t bit well for a run or two.
Based on the OP though, I’d get a pump with a gauge.
Yeah it was a bit of a long shotto be honest. I was just surprised by how noticeable the difference was!
I was just about to jump in and defend the Butcher but remembered my front tyre is actually a Hillbilly. I binned the Butcher off ages ago!
Not a bad rear tyre but a bit vague and slippy up front.
My 2.6 butcher blck dmnd was terrible for the first 3 or 4 rides but definitely scrubbed up and is now doing incredibly well, ran them front and back for a week in the Alps without issue.
You do need lower than normal pressures, around 17 front and 20 back for me!
Put the DHF back on this morning. Don't think Ardrock is the place to be fannying around with a tyre I'm not confident with! I'll persevere with it after that.