Spesh 2.6 Tyres
 

  You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more

[Closed] Spesh 2.6 Tyres

25 Posts
15 Users
0 Reactions
47 Views
Posts: 0
Free Member
Topic starter
 

I'm running 2.6 Butchers and Hillbilly's in Grid casings and was wondering what pressures people are running in theirs?

My rear end felt dead harsh last night and I'm wondering how low I can before the resistance/squirm gets too much....


 
Posted : 24/01/2019 3:37 pm
Posts: 8527
Free Member
 

Only you can know that, by dropping pressure til you get it right.


 
Posted : 24/01/2019 3:41 pm
Posts: 0
Free Member
Topic starter
 

Thanks that's really helpful.....


 
Posted : 24/01/2019 3:45 pm
Posts: 9783
Full Member
 

22 front and 24 rear in our 2.6 x 29 Butcher Grids. The side walls arnt as thick as the older grids and we found any lower in the rear and the sidewalls were prone to damage. The Blck Dmnd ones have a lot stronger sidewall if that helps.
Running 16 and 18 in the 2.8 Blck Dmnds


 
Posted : 24/01/2019 3:47 pm
Posts: 8527
Free Member
 

Thanks that’s really helpful…..

Well, you were a bit vague tbh, we don't know if you ride HT,FS or Rigid, if you ride rocky, muddy, rooty, gravel, beaches or what? how hard you ride, what weight you are, if you thunder into stuff or ride fairly conservatively.... etc etc

That would have been helpful.


 
Posted : 24/01/2019 3:50 pm
Posts: 8652
Full Member
 

Thanks that’s really helpful…..

It was probably the most helpful answer you will get. Everyone else will likely have different width rims, be a different weight and have a pressure gauge that reads differently to yours so their answer won't be right for you.


 
Posted : 24/01/2019 3:50 pm
Posts: 3438
Full Member
 

I can tell you 10 in a black Diamond 2.6 is too low. The squidge test let me down. The front bottomed out on a rock with a proper clunk!

22/ 24 was good for me at bike Park wales.


 
Posted : 24/01/2019 4:09 pm
Posts: 0
Free Member
Topic starter
 

Fair points. I ride pretty hard (uplift days, jumps, drops and endure races etc) but I'm smooth (learnt on a hardtail) around 200lbs weight. Full sus bike 130 back 150 front. My gauge is a digital topeak. Just after an idea what other people are riding so I can get in the right ball park and go from there, so I if I sound like anyone else and they're riding Spesh 2.6 tyres I'm all ears.


 
Posted : 24/01/2019 4:11 pm
Posts: 63
Free Member
 

I've got Eliminator 2.6 front and rear and know the front I can get down to around 21-22 before I find it gets a bit foldy. In the rear I'm about 25-26.


 
Posted : 24/01/2019 4:15 pm
Posts: 4439
Full Member
 

20-25 on buchers


 
Posted : 24/01/2019 4:51 pm
Posts: 34376
Full Member
 

I struggled to find the sweet spot on the 2.6 Butcher grid, especially on the rear, it seemed super sensitive to one or two psi ether way, but ended up with 25/28 front rear on 27.5 rims. Tracey is spot on, the side walls are not the best feature of the tyre, and I've temporarily moved back to shorty and DHR for the winter just to get back to something I find more predictable. I'll give them another go in the summer though.as they do seem like there's a decent tyre there somewhere struggling to get out.


 
Posted : 24/01/2019 5:33 pm
Posts: 13942
Full Member
 

I seem to be sitting at 22 front, 24 rear with Hillbilly and Butcher 29x2.6 Grid on 30mm rims on a Levo (so total weight around 240lbs).


 
Posted : 24/01/2019 5:57 pm
Posts: 13942
Full Member
 

The Butcher does seem quite a bouncy tyre, not as well damped as say a DHR2 2.4 Exo. I’m running quite a bit of sag and the bike itself is heavy so they seem to work well together. The Hillbilly is really good!


 
Posted : 24/01/2019 6:04 pm
Posts: 40225
Free Member
 

I agree with Chief, couldn't get on with the Butcher and got a minion dhf 2.5 instead now.
Same real world size and much better grip and feel.
Sorry if that's not much help either, but my point is maybe it's the tyre and not the pressure.


 
Posted : 24/01/2019 7:26 pm
Posts: 1866
Free Member
 

I'm running 2.6 black diamonds, on 32mm internal rims.
I'm 250lbs and riding a Stumpy with 130 rear and 150 front.

Not had too many rides on them, but i'm thinking the 23psi i have in them right now is too much. I'm going to run closer to 20psi for a bit to see. I ride rooty but not too rocky terrain mostly. I'd wouldn't be surprised if lower than 20psi results in tyre burping and ripping off.


 
Posted : 24/01/2019 9:58 pm
Posts: 221
Free Member
 

I'm on the 29x2.6 Butcher Grid F+R. Running 23/28+ psi. I liked the tyres initially but was running them on mostly natural trails with very few rocks. I agree with sentiments about them being too thin. Any less than those pressures and they squirm like crazy. They're also a pretty harsh ride. The side knobs are now starting to tear off mine and they weep sealant. Safe to say I will be exploring other options when this set die, which seems imminent.


 
Posted : 24/01/2019 10:16 pm
Posts: 7618
Free Member
 

Hillbilly on front butcher back both grid. No idea of pressure I'm afraid. I recently have them solid for first climb then let air out, do a wee run see how it feels go from there. But that's because I've been riding vegan valley steep stuff.


 
Posted : 25/01/2019 7:54 am
Posts: 221
Free Member
 

How do you find the Hillbilly 2.6 in the Tweed Valley? I ran one up front for a bit and really liked it. Actually thought at the time that it might be a very good Golfy tyre.


 
Posted : 25/01/2019 9:19 am
Posts: 7618
Free Member
 

Much more confident in the hillbilly than the butcher it replaced. I'm happy to trundle up hills to get more downs. I'll ride different bikes if distance and rolling speed is my aim.
Taking it to muddy bowhill tomorrow to give it a proper test.


 
Posted : 25/01/2019 1:51 pm
Posts: 0
Free Member
Topic starter
 

Thanks for the replies - I've definitely been running them too high. The undamped rear comment struck a chord.

Off to Hamsterley tomorrow for an uplift, so I'll have a play around thinking of starting 20 psi front and rear and seeing how I go from there.

I ran a Hillbilly upfront at Antur in slushy freezing conditions last weekend and it never missed a beat - even though I was running it at nearly 30 psi!!


 
Posted : 25/01/2019 2:13 pm
Posts: 0
Free Member
Topic starter
 

Out of interest who's running Hillbilly front and rear? Thinking it might be an option for Rd 1 of the Welsh Enduro at Foel Gassnach….


 
Posted : 25/01/2019 2:14 pm
Posts: 34376
Full Member
 

The undamped rear comment struck a chord.

I think Chief nailed it, it's not a great rear tyre.


 
Posted : 25/01/2019 2:19 pm
Posts: 0
Free Member
Topic starter
 

20psi rear and 18psi front at Hamsterley this weekend. Rode some of the DH tracks and off piste stuff and the rear Butcher felt great. Turns out it's a pretty decent rear tyre if you set it up properly.

Quite interested to see how the Hillbilly performs on the back over rooty loamy trails now....


 
Posted : 28/01/2019 11:07 am
Posts: 2571
Full Member
 

Ran the Hillbilly/Butcher last winter. Found they were fine on anything loamy, but as soon as you got near any roots they had no grip in comparison to a shorty/DHR2 combo.

-Tread is a harder compound than Maxxis 3C
-Sidewalls are weak, so you have to run at higher pressures. However still found that they deteriorate and subsequently leak.

They are a no from me, the blck dmnd maybe better, but its an expensive experiment when you know maxxis work!


 
Posted : 28/01/2019 11:19 am
Posts: 234
Free Member
 

I have been really impressed by the 2.6 Hillbilly, I have run a Butcher 2.6 on the front too (both Grid) but really prefer the Hillbilly. For the rear I have moved away from a Butcher Grid and am now on an Eliminator 2.3 Blck Dmnd, had my first ride out on it at the weekend and very impressed, seems to roll better and the increase in support is really noticable.


 
Posted : 28/01/2019 11:23 am
Posts: 0
Free Member
Topic starter
 

Yea I agree the Hillbilly is a brilliant tyre. Think I might grab a black diamond version to run on the rear at races/uplifs and persevere with the Butcher for everything else.

I would love Maxxis but they cost a fortune!!!!


 
Posted : 28/01/2019 11:30 am

6 DAYS LEFT
We are currently at 95% of our target!