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Specialized Butcher Grid Trail T9 29 x 2.3in tyre review

New compounds and casings should improve the Butcher’s performance

Our rating

3.5

60.00
60.00
60.00

Ian Linton / Immediate Media

Published: February 9, 2021 at 10:50 am

Our review
A good year-round tyre for the fit and forget riders out there

Pros:

Inflated easily on my test rims; good lean angles

Cons:

Not as grippy in wet conditions

Specialized’s new Butcher tyre features the brand’s soft T9 compound, which is designed to rebound slowly and stick to terrain. It is aimed at gravity riding with an emphasis on traction and steering, and should make a great front-wheel tyre.

However, its casing thickness, overall weight and tread pattern make it well suited to trail riding, too.

  • Weight: 1,069g
  • Width: 2.38in (measured on 30mm rim)
  • Best suited: Front tyre, dry hardpack

Specialized Butcher Grid Trail T9 29 x 2.3in tyre performance

The T9 compound provided plenty of predictable traction over dry rocks and roots, and hardpack terrain. There was also enough grip on offer to reach good lean angles, despite the tyre's relatively square profile thanks to its aggressive edge.

The tread blocks had great stability and didn't squirm even when pushed hard on solid terrain. Because the centre blocks are fairly closely packed, it rolled well at trail centres.

Specialized Butcher Grid Trail T9 mountain bike tyre
Ian Linton / Immediate Media

Even though the carcass is thinner than Schwalbe’s Super Trail, which I also had on test, it had plenty of strength for a front tyre and didn’t flop in turns or suffer any rips or tears.

Once the trails were wet, though, the Butcher was less sure-footed and didn't inspire a great deal of confidence over greasy rocks and roots, or on wet ground. On gloopy trails the tyre got packed full of mud and struggled to shed it.

Specialized Butcher Grid Trail T9 mountain bike tyre
Ian Linton / Immediate Media

However, it was easy to seat the Butcher on my 30mm (internal width) test rims, fully sealing at 30psi and inflating without a tubeless inflator. They also held air for the whole test period.

Specialized Butcher Grid Trail T9 29 x 2.3in tyre overall

The new Butcher is most at home in dry conditions but provides just enough grip to be left on year-round, if you don’t want to change tyres.

How we tested

We pitted 10 all-mountain/enduro tyres against each other on a host of conditions, testing back-to-back on the same trails, to find out which one we think is worth your time and money.

The five pairs of tyres were all fitted on the same 30mm (internal width) rims and inflated to similar pressures, with slight variances to reflect tyre volume.

Also tested

Product

Brandspecialized
Price60.00 EUR,60.00 GBP,60.00 USD
Weight1069.0000, GRAM (29x2.3) -

Features

br_TPI60
FeaturesCompound: T9 Gripton
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