The Ultimate Trail Tire Duo: BUTCHER and PURGATORY Tires - A Specialized Combo

[@ronelaliento09]

Specialized was really a tire company back then before making frames if I remember my bike history correctly, if so, that really raises my confidence in using these model tires

[@LoveMTB]

Didn't know that, thanks for sharing

[@DocB7483]

I ride Butcher T9 in the front and Eliminator T7 in te back, both grid trail. Very good tires, no nee for going back to Maxxis or other brands.

[@LoveMTB]

Agree the in-house brands are underrated

[@bthomas518]

Have that combo on my spare wheel-set, Butcher Grid T9 front/Eliminator GridTrail T7 rear, they do grip very well, but draggy rolling/climbing. Planning to throw them on for lift serviced bike park days! Insanely good value when you catch them on sale too, think I paid under $80 for both.

[@marklouieadame]

I use eliminator t7 center and t9 side knobs using front and rear. Fast rolling and grippy side knobs

[@blakekennard7700]

Running eliminator 2.6 front and rear in the grid trail t7 compound on my hardtail. Been using them for 2seasons in Ohio weather/terrain and would absolutely recommend these tires.

[@tmayberry7559]

How good are they in the wet and mud What about GC and fast traxx tires

[@tobyg4556]

Im a huge fan of specialized tyres. Their Ground control is my go-to rear tyre. They are also very reasonably priced in the UK.

[@IIISentorIII]

Yea in Switzerland you get one for ~40 Euros. I also like the Fast trak on the rear and GC front.

[@trailpimp6369]

Specialized makes great tires dude. I used to use this combo on my enduro bike. Great tires. I am on a freeride e bike now so I have to use DH tires.

[@mad3arber]

The butcher is a fantastic tyre using a T9 since last summer on the front. Lighter than the DHF or assigai put 800k on it and still looking fresh. All distance was at glentress or golfie !!

[@yuglobalcitizen2246]

Where should I put cannibal t9? Front or back? I ride trail only for now. The OEM butcher and eliminator don't grip as much as I want in cornering. Maybe because I have been ridden them for 2 years, 260 miles a year.

[@LoveMTB]

I would start with the front...looks like an Assegai

[@christhrift6165]

I ride butcher grid trail t9 front and prefer the eliminator grid trail t7 on rear great fast combo on my new stumpy pro. Also use same combo on my remedy

[@motorboy1966]

Maxxis wear out very quickly. I get maybe 3 months out of a set and they are shot. Knobs ripping etc. I can get 2 seasons out of a set of Specialized.

[@LoveMTB]

How’s the grip in comparison? And what compound Maxxis have you used?

[@mudkayak6305]

how does Purgatory vs Eliminator work as a rear tire? im wanting more grip but not excited about giving up rolling resistance. Current set up is Butcher T9 grid trail front / Eliminator T9 grid trail rear.

[@LoveMTB]

Unfortunately don't know and they have a new Purgatory design now which looks more agressive.

[@yamahschector]

I must have found some old stock purgatory and butcher tires. Mine are not T7 and T9. Mine are trail gription compound. The shop had them at crazy prices of $20 a piece.

[@abtcup]

Using the Eliminator and Purgatory in the T5 on a 120mm bike.. Its a great combo for intermediate trails. I'm a light rider (145lbs/66kg) and these roll noticeably faster than the Hans and Nic combo I have on my 150mm bike. I also have the Butcher/Eliminator on a 140mm 27.5 bike and those work great for me on shuttle trails and bike parks.

[@trentvlak]

Good work on the caliper measurements! I've owned this Butcher. It's ok. The stepped inside edges on the Butcher side knobs do not give any performance improvement.

[@wildman9364]

speaking of that I just picked up a butcher tire yesterday Grid trail in a T9. will test it on the front for my Remedy. Cheers

[@theshonen8899]

Every Specialized tire I've ever used (Butcher, Purgatory, Eliminator) have all had weeping sidewalls after a few months. The GRIPTON compound also just have significantly worse grip than Maxxis or WTB tires I've used. They're lightweight and fast, but I'm not a racer so I don't really care. Going down steep sections at Whistler with a Butcher/Purgatory combo felt like a death wish, the rear would slip over roots and the front would wash out in corners. Swapped them for DHF/DHR II combo and it was night and day (this was their standard dual compound, not even their 3c MaxxGripp compound). My XC bike with WTB Vigilantes in light and fast rolling casing are also much grippier while also being fast rolling.

[@LoveMTB]

Maybe it is why they redesigned the Purgatory? I only rode Maxxis in Whistler and can't complain, they were always great.

[@IIISentorIII]

I use the Ground Control grit t7 front and fast trak t5 rear on my Stumpy for 1.5 Year. Fast rolling, grippy and "light". The Butcher T9 is to slow rolling for me but otherwise i like it. Cheers from Switzerland

[@LoveMTB]

Thanks for sharing and cheers from Canada!

[@IIISentorIII]

​@@LoveMTBJust want to let you know, I ordered the Elite Wheels pro 36 with your promo code Today. There was a offical 18% sale but I used your 15% anyhow for supporting you 😁 CHEERS

[@LoveMTB]

Appreciate it man! Hope you will love them as much as we do🤘@@IIISentorIII

[@jolyzara]

Have Ground Control-Control front & rear on my trail bike. By far my favorite tire. Have Fast Trak s-works front, renegade s-works rear. Definitely light and responsive for racing but just not the ground control.

[@waynelenderman1115]

All the Specialized tires are 60 TPI (threads per inch) sidewalls. I ditched my specialized tires. I currently have a Maxxis Assegai DD MaxGrip 2x120 TPI sidewall front tire. A Dissector Exo+(the EXO+ is a extra layer over the sidewall, which Specialized tires don't offer)TerraGrip 60 TPI rear. Night and day difference. Maxxis is the better tire for what I'm looking for.

[@donnovicki9771]

Great review as always. Congratulations on going over 80K subscribers, hope the channel keeps building subscribers.

[@LoveMTB]

Thank you 🙏

[@Dustyschuh]

I have a Butcher T9 in the front and a Ground Control T7 in the rear on my Epic Evo! Both in the Soil Searching colors. Love it

[@LoveMTB]

Sounds great!

[@jackiegammon2065]

Sadly, anytime you add more sidewall protection or different types of grip etc... you generally add more weight. Tires for all brands are getting much better for sure, now it's simply our choice to select what type of ride we are looking for and a brand or two to support.

[@SekritKomrade]

I currently am running a 29x2.4 Hillbilly in the front and a 27.5x2.6 Butcher on the rear and I love the combo. The Hillbilly has a softer sidewall, as it's a muddy/loose tire, but i keep it a little higher psi than average and it rides very nice.

[@andreuosika]

I've got this spec on my '23 Stumpy and overall im very happy and will continue to run this combo for NorCal/Bay area riding. They seem to be custom designed for this terrain, and the grip is fantastic. They may be a touch slow when on fast dry, flat trails/fire roads, but otherwise and excellent combo.

[@abneriidelacruz6705]

The Butcher in the grid trail casing is great! Lighter than an assegai with just as much grip. I've ridden it in the bike park and it held it's own. I am yet to try the purgatory on the rear. I currently run a xynotal enduro soft casing on the rear and it pairs well with the butcher.

[@whitm8823]

fast trak and renegade review coming soon??

[@LoveMTB]

I guess I should add those to the list shouldn't I? 🙂

[@snokefilmmedia]

Note that the Purgatory model you are showing here is the old 2020 model. The 2023 model received a major overhaul and has a completely different tread pattern.

[@LoveMTB]

Yup! In the video at the end ;)

[@snokefilmmedia]

@@LoveMTB Hehe, yes I saw it just moments after I made the comment. It's at 5:38 in the video for anyone curious :) Very nice review, would love to see more tire reviews like this.

[@LoveMTB]

I'llsee what I can do 😊@@snokefilmmedia

[@kingrat738]

My AM rig (custom Trek Remedy) has had 27.5x2.6 Grid Gravity Butcher and 27.5x2.6 Grid Gravity Eliminator tyres on it for Spring/ Summer. With Winter just around the corner, I'll be changing to a Magic Mary and Big Betty combo. Re, the Specialized tyres... they're a solid combo. They do measure up more like 2.5 tyres, particularly the Butcher. I feel they're tougher than a Maxxis Double Down. Which is great on rocky terrain. Thanks for the info about the updated Purgatory. I'll be looking for a rear tyre for my mullet Park Bike next season. A 2.6 Grid Gravity Purgatory might be the goods. 👌

[@kingrat738]

Appears they don't offer Purgatory in Grid Gravity casing 🙄

[@andronin]

I had a pair of 2020 Butcher , T7 and a T9, warrantied as the side lugs were literally tearing off the casing after 300km. The 2023 versions are far better, have over a 1000km now For cross country riding I use a T5 Ground Control with T7 Purgatory front. All in Grid Trail.

[@LoveMTB]

Yeah these newer tires are supposed to be better than the old in almost every way.

[@yamahschector]

Specialized has the best tires and you do not need to buy the expensive stuff out there.

[@2scoops624]

I've been running a 2.3 Purgatory GRID up front and a 2.3 Slaughter GRID Trail in the rear on my XC wheel set for about 7 months now. Overall, a very good tire, good mix of grip and rolling resistance. Both tires did seep more sealant through the sidewall than any other tire I've used, not bad, but it was there. The sealant dried up about 2x as quick as my Maxxis or WTB tires. Both tread patterns are not great for mud. Still a good tire.

[@marklouieadame]

Slaughter grid is so fast but can still do cornering

[@ralva2779]

Butcher T9 and Eliminator T7 with Cushcore on a 50 pound e-bike and they work well. Mix of pathway and trails for close to a year now with little issues (except tightening tubeless valves). 😎

[@LoveMTB]

Good stuff!

[@TMaddison]

Specialized tires are great, whatever combo you like. I'm currently running a Butcher t9 front and a Butcher t7 rear and its been perfect for me :)

[@LoveMTB]

Thanks for the info!

[@digital2k6]

That is the outgoing/discontinued Purgatory. New/current one is totally different update design.

[@LoveMTB]

Yup, that's in the video also 😀

[@joen3992]

Love my Fast Trak rear and front 27.5 for winter riding with EVO brand tubes. Summer, I love using the Crossroads 700c x 38 for commuting. Great tires, under 40 bucks each and bullet proof. Cheap and cheerful I always say to riders....The combo in your video are a set to get someone started riding Speicalized bikes. Have not met one pro rider who trusts them since the purgatory is known for weak side walls for thorns and sharp rocks.

[@LoveMTB]

Agree with you. But for someone like my wife the Purgatory rear is just fine

[@athishmarutharaj6001]

purgatory=maxxis highroller 2?

[@LoveMTB]

The old one, new is like a Dissector

[@athishmarutharaj6001]

@@LoveMTB thanks

[@bthomas518]

Old version of Purgatory Grid T7 wasn't giving me great grip for climbing SoCal terrain, the Butcher front is awesome though. Have since switched to Maxxis EXO 3CMaxxTerra Rekon in the rear and it is much, much better for climbing and rolls at least as fast as the old Purgatory. Have a new set of Schwalbe tires I'm planning to mount up next: Wicked Will, SuperTrail casing, Addix SpeedGrip compound rear/Tacky Chan, Super Trail, Addix Soft front. They feel awesome in hand and look like they'll roll really fast with good grip; at least as good as Maxxis stuff.

[@lucaneuburg976]

for my xc/trail use on my hardtail ..i got a Ground Control 2,35 wide T7 Grid compound for the rear and Eliminator 2,3 wide T9 Grid on the front tire... Really really happy with this combo!!!!! My GF has the same back Ground Control tire paired with the NEW Purgatory T7 Grid on the front and she likes it. I previously bought her the NEW Purgatory T9 Grid Trail version for the front but was too heavy duty, maybe due to the T9 compound mixed with Grid Trail casing....and I'm selling it..I think that the Grid ( versus Grid Trail ) casings are good enough for xc trail rides. By the way I found that the new EPIC Evo uses the same combo.. Ground Control T7 Grid on the back and Purgatory T9 Grid on the front...A bit similar to a EXO Rekon/Dissector combo I guess..which I had on my Orbea Occam, but I prefer the Specialized setup much more! ( a bit cheaper too )

[@Jacob99174]

Great tire review! I needed an 11-speed X1 review recently, and watched a review of yours from 7 years ago. You’re the man

[@LoveMTB]

Glad to help 🤓

[@eXaviar]

I used the Purgatory front and Ground Control back as my XC combo and an Eliminator front and Purgatory back as my Trail combo. The Eliminator was disappointing, when is was damp. Way to slippery. So I went for a Butcher T9 front and Butcher T7 back 😍

[@adammoonface]

Butcher T9 front and Purgatory T7 rear on my hardtail. The T7 is a little harsh tbh, and the grip isn't fantastic when muddy. The butcher is absolutely faultless however. Keen to see how I get on over the summer months though

[@numbers7905]

It would be great to hear what you think of the new Purgatory. It looks a lot like the Butcher with lower centre knobs.

[@LoveMTB]

I agree, it looks very different. I'll see when I can get my habds on one.

[@nigelhagley8942]

Very keen to hear your review riding this combo. Good video thanks!!

[@LoveMTB]

It works great for trail riding, we've been riing it since the video

[@alinburtoi7028]

I have used specialized fast trak s-works 2.35 and I liked them. Very light, supple tire with good levels of grip the only downside was that I had to put more pressure in them in order to not collapse when pushing hard throw corners.

[@ninjazzrhythm400]

I use the butcher front and rear and I like on my trail hardtail bike but i use the Assegain Dhr for my enduro but I think I like tmy old set up Magic Mary and Big Betty better. I will go back to it once I wear out my current set up.

[@andrewsiasparks]

I'm not a fan of the specialized tires. They wear out really fast. They might be good for a race event but I bet they would wear out in a weekend of hard riding

[@LoveMTB]

Do you have experience with the different tire compounds T5/T7/T9? Some would definitely wear faster than others

[@andrewsiasparks]

@@LoveMTB only the T7 and 6 that's all they had at Brantford cyclepath at the time

[@andrewsiasparks]

I have a set of the butcher grid trail 29 and the rear wore out extreamly fast. same happened with the ground control 27.5

[@GokkunGuru]

Renegade F&R for me.

[@yamahschector]

The purgatory, ground control, and the slaughter are my favorite tires ever. I pulled a rear maxxis dissector to put a slaughter on. I currently have 2 bikes with slaughter rear tires.

[@LoveMTB]

I will check them out! Thx

[@yamahschector]

@@LoveMTB the slaughter is a fast center tread parent with I believe butcher side knobs. Maxxis has a minion ss I considered getting this time as well. The minion and slaughter are very similar. I ride the slaughter everywhere from simple days to chairlift park days. I have it on a trek slash 27.5x2.3 and on a commencal meta ht mullet 27.5x2.6

[@LoveMTB]

@@yamahschector Funny have not heard anyone talk about the minion ss in a long, long time!

[@Bixbysayshi]

Perhaps I'm coming at this from an unfair perspective as someone who mostly rides park (think dry dusty loam, bluegroove braking bumps, volcanic rock garden, cantaloupe/basketball sized granite rock gardens, and occasional chocolate cake style mud when it rains) and desert enduro (think sugar sand, pea/grape sized rocks over bluegroove washboard hardpack and lots and lots of rock gardens) using a 160/150 bike and being used to running DH casing super soft front, soft rear (I've been riding kryptotal, xynotal, assegai, dhr, dhf, dissector, magic mary, big betty, and hans dampf throughout the past two years) almost year round. But I tried the Grid Trail Butcher T9 front and back in a 29x2.3 about a month ago for 2 weeks, and by far they have been my least favorite. the sidewalls were so flimsy it felt like an underinflated beach ball when hitting anything bigger than a golf ball on the trail until i had them over 30 psi (and this was not at the bike park, this was the loose/hard desert riding) which felt awful and like I was riding on basketballs. They had about as much lateral grip as a comb through hair, and would push outwards like crazy compared to the assegai/kryptotal/magic mary even in the regular soft/intermediate compound, let along super soft. I feel like the hans damps or dissectors would be a WAY better choice than these. I expected a LOT more out of the T9 compound. I see a pretty even split between people who love them, and p[people who abhor them. Those of you who love them, what are you preferring them over and what exactly are the characteristics you like more than other tires? I'd love to know what I was missing. I know a lot of my expectations are a little unfair coming from a lot of DH casing/super soft usage, but when it's not park season, I'm only using trail casing, medium compound tires. which I feel is what these are kind of supposed to slot into? the Grid Trail casing I was using anyways.

[@blinky2035]

It sounds like the grid trail casing is too light for what you're after. Maybe try the grid gravity casing. I have no idea how the grid casings compare to continentals or maxxis offerings

[@ilgour]

next video : new specialized epic 8 =)

[@LoveMTB]

Really hope I can get my hands on one!

[@greatghettoful]

My son had Butcher T9 stock on his Status. Knob peeled off. Peeled completely off not like the typical wear and tear peeling on the side/cornering knobs. Reproduced on a friend’s Butcher as well (many knobs peeled off on one tire). I don’t see any pro riders using Specialized tires unless maybe they’re sponsored by Specialized. Also saw knobs peel off recently on my son’s Schwalbe on Canyon Luxury Trail bike. Replaced all tires with maxxis or continental. I’ve had good luck and consistency with maxxis and continental so far. Knobs never peel off.

[@LoveMTB]

Hmmm I'll keep an eye on our tires. I know what you mean about Schwalbe though

[@cunning-stunt]

Same with mine, although saying that my Maxis DHR is currently doing the same. The Continentals seem a lot tougher.