Specialized Butcher GRID Tire

There already are two Butcher reviews here on VitalMTB, but since I am on the latest released-in-june-of-2018 29x2.6” GRID version, I thought that this was worth another look. The main differences are the sawtooth-shaped inside of the cornering knobs, and redesigned center knobs. The new center knobs have differently-oriented sipes and a sawtooth design on their sides that mirrors the corner knob’s shape. The version I have also seem lighter at 960g per tire instead of 1015g for the last reviewer’s pair.

 CONTEXT

To start off, I bought those tires in the buy-one-get-one sale that Specialized had going on in the spring of this year. I couldn’t pass up the price, and they seemed to have everything I was looking for : tall center knobs, long-lasting but grippy rubber, straight-lined and constantly-spaced side knobs, a clear channel between the center and side knobs, and low-for-the-class weight. The tires were going to be used on my Marin Rift Zone that would see a lot of different trails and be ridden with many types of people, so they had to be pretty capable in all sorts of ways.

 THE TECH

I mounted them up on my WTB Asym i29 rims with tubes (yes, with tubes!) and it took a little while for the beads to seat properly. I always inflate a few psi under the recommended max pressure to make sure that the casing or bead won’t overstretch during installation. The next day, the tires had slowly taken their place on the rim, and there were no wobbles in the casing. Speaking of the casing, it is a bit thinner than Maxxis’ EXO or E13’s TRS+ tires, but on par with Schwalbe’s Snakeskin. At 960g/965g each, they are on the lighter side of things for that kind of tire.

Specialized indicates 2.6” on the sidewalls, and they use those tires on their new ’19 Stumpjumpers with 29-30mm internal width rims, just like mine. Even after a full summer of riding, my digital caliper still reads still indicate 2.37”at the widest point and the total tire height is the same as the 2.35 TRS+ tires that I was using before. That was perfectly fine for me since I knew what to expect after reading a few forum posts saying that they were smaller than the advertised size. I did not get the 2.3 since I thought that if people said that the 2.6 was more a 2.35-2.4, the smaller one would be closer to 2.1. A big 2.6” would have probably been tight in the rear triangle, but this one is perfect and leaves room for mud.

Shape-wise, they are pretty round, which is usually a good thing. I say usually because I would have preferred that shape with bigger side knobs, à-la Michelin WildRockr2/E13 TRS. With those side knobs, a 35mm internal width rim would be better I think, probably stretching the tire to the 2.6” labeled size and making the side knobs pop out a bit more. 

THE RIDE

The first few rides were mostly in the dry, and I was trying different pressures to find the sweet spot. Based on feeling, I started at 19psi front / 21 psi rear, but quickly decided to up the pressure a bit after flatting and flatspotting my rim on a sharp pointy rock. My favorite pressure was found to be 21.5psi front and 23.8psi rear (Thanks AccuGage!) and since then I haven’t had any problems with flats or rim dents. I don’t feel the tire squirming in the corners, and I think that the small side knobs folding is what’s felt when pushing hard. I have never drifted past my comfort zone and the tires never surprised me, which is a good thing in my opinion!

At first, I found the grip a bit lacking when leaning the bike in corners, and I thought it could be because of the combination of the round shape, wide channel, and smallish side-knobs. I was used to Maxxis Minion DHR II 2.4 and Schwalbe Magic Marys, which both have a more predictable transition before hitting the side knobs, so I had to adapt for a few rides. This was more apparent in the wet, but I got used to lean the bike a bit more and it was good after that. It was my first season riding a 29er, so I probably had to adjust to the bigger wheels’ different lean angles. If the tread pattern works so well for Loic Bruni and Jared Graves, who am I to complain. Compared to the E13 TRS+ tires, the Butchers seemed to be made of harder rubber. Fingernail-feeling-wise, I would compare it to a dual compound or 60A Maxxis, but on the trail, they were more sure-footed than Maxxis’dual compound.

 The Butchers work very well in almost all conditions. From dry dusty rides, to rock slabs and damp fall conditions, I haven’t found many situations that this tire didn’t like. They were a bit slippery on wet roots and rocks, and that’s my only complaint. Even in the cool fall rides with close to 0 Celsius and less, I found that the grip was surprising for the cold weather and I expected them to slip much more than that. If a bit cautious in the wet, those tires are great overall, and they seem to last forever. 

I can’t comment on tubeless setup as I swear by tubes, but I guess that since the bead was pretty tight, they will seal up like more other tubeless compatible tires. Compared to Maxxis’ Double Down or WTB’ tough casing, I don’t mind the Butcher’s lighter casing as I wouldn’t like to pedal 1200g tires for 20-25 miles.

CONCLUSION 

After 350kms, they don’t have any side knob ripping, all the knobs are still sharp, and the casing hasn’t developed any wobble. I quickly got used to the tire’s shape, tread pattern and compound, and I expect them to still be good for at least another 300-350km.Two things would make them almost perfect in my opinion: a bit wider center knobs (like a Minion DHR II), and bigger side knobs (like the WildRockr2/E13). The new Eliminator tire from Specialized seems to cover those two things, so they could be another nice option to try. I have recently bought some leftovers E13 TRS Classic tires and also plan to try the recently-introduced Michelin Wild Enduro, which both combine what in my opinion could be improved on the Butchers, but in different patterns.