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I’m debating some wider tyres on my Ragley Big Wig. The frame can supposedly accommodate a 2.5” tyre and I’m on 2.3” High Rollers with a lot of room to spare. I’ve seen Grid Trail 2Bliss Eliminator and Butcher 29 x 2.6” for £15 and £30 respectively. Worth the punt or will I die in a flames as the tyre rubs my stays?
I’d say my Hillbilly is near enough a genuine 2.6” that it claims to be (bit bigger than the 2.5 maxxis DHF / Assegai I have), but the 2.6” slaughter is basically a 2.4” tyre.
I’ve run a butcher 2.3” and it was tiny - not tried the 2.6” one.
I think the Specialized 2.6 run a little narrow, definitely not Schwalbe width. I feel the Specialized ones are a bit more tall than they are wide.
Yes and no. The recent Specialized tyres are usually called 2.6” or 2.3” but measure closer to 2.5” (slightly undersized) and 2.4” (slightly oversized) on a 30mm rim. If you put the bigger ones on a 35mm rim and the smaller ones on a 25mm they’d probably be “correct”.
That’s based on Butcher, Hillbilly and Eliminator 29” over the last four years.
I've not measured it but the new T7 2.6 purg on a 29mm rim looks similar width to a 2.6 rekon, so pretty true to size I'd say.
Science! (Or math to be precise....)
Butcher T9 2.6 on a DT EX511 rim = 2.486"
Butcher T9 2.3 on OEM Specialized rim (slightly wider - EDIT they are the same width...) 2.426".
Just measured with my digital calipers on my bikes.
So not a big difference. I'd say that the 2.3" is pretty well the same as a 2.5 Maxxis, and the 2.6 is 'slightly bigger'.
If the tyres are cheap, I'd make sure that they have the 'T' designation. T9 - grippy. T7 fairly grippy but roll faster. No 'T' = cheap older OEM tires.
The newer 2.35 xc tyres measure 60mm wide on my 29mm id rims.
Good Morning Squamish!
Good Morning Stafford (assuming you haven't moved)!
“ If the tyres are cheap, I’d make sure that they have the ‘T’ designation. T9 – grippy. T7 fairly grippy but roll faster. No ‘T’ = cheap older OEM tires.”
The older Gripton designated Butcher, Hillbilly and Eliminator are all the T7 compound. It’s only the T9 compound that is new - T7 is just a new name for the burlier Gripton tyres. I think T5 is what was the Gripton XC compound but I don’t use tyres like that.
T9 is really grippy but wears a lot quicker than T7.
The t9 is very grippy but also very slow. My t9 2.6 butcher feels almost as draggy and grippy as a shorty 2.4 in Max grip.
Super on the way down. Tedious on road climbs.
I have the t7 purgatory on the back of both my MTB. It doesn't have as much climbing traction in slidy mud as the older 2.3 purgatory they replaced. Better and faster rolling everywhere else.
Hmmm. I just measured my 27.5 2.6 purgatory on my hard tail and it came up as exactly 2.6inches. But the 2.6 Purgatory on my full suss only measured 2.4! I thought the wheels were the same but maybe they’re wider rims in the HT.