Nobody is talking about this tire as it was released quietly. It’s $40 and I have been very impressed with it for general trail use. T9 compound in the front and T7 in the back. It rolls very fast, almost XC-like, but the tread somehow also feels more aggressive than it rolls when turning and braking. For enduro I’d probably want something meatier in the front for all kinds of loose nasty dirt you get on the very steep trails. Other than that, it’s perfect tires
by stchasrs1
5 Comments
Butcher front, Purgatory rear has been my setup for my all mountain / trail bikes for years. Can’t beat Spesh tires for the price.. I’ll have to check out the new Purgatory. Looks different than the v2 for sure..
Vittoria makes all of specialized tires but with a limited assortment of features. In my experience specialized tires have been awful long-term. Vittoria mazza/Martello Enduro casing has been exceptionally reliable.
Butcher/Eliminator is my jam. Butcher/Slaughter if you wanna get a little risky.
It rolls okay but it is definitely not almost XC-like. I swap between these and Fast Traks on my Epic Evo and they are worlds apart.
New Purgatory is an awesome trail hardpack tire on flatter trails, but it doesn’t have the braking chops of a Butcher or DHR2 if you’re looking for that. It’s a low rolling resistance speedster compared to Butcher or Eliminator, and corners pretty darn well. Takeaway is Specialized can make an awesome low rolling resistance tire that is grippy and corners well (also see Eliminator), and the Maxxis Dissector side knobs still fall off after 6 rides. I am lucky to live in a place near mountains with steep trails, but it’s the kind of tire I can see being enough for the middle flatter part of America and Canada as an aggressive tire i.e. most riders.
I ran a T7 on the back of my enduro bike to a very good top 10% finish locally in a flatter track, pedally race, and also tried them front + rear on my 120mm X/C bike and suited that bike very well.
I’d never daily drive them on a big enduro sled bike (Eliminator or Butcher suit it better on the rear), but it’s the kind of tire that fits a ton of situations perfectly for smaller bikes, and will kick ass in the desert in T7.