Specialized Hillbilly, BLCK DMND, 2.6in front tyre review

The Hillbilly’s large casing and tall, spaced-out tread make it one of the grippiest and most confidence-inspiring tyres around in loose loam, soft dirt and mud.

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The large casing of this 2.6in version seems to offer meaningful floatation over really soft loamy sections, helping it to skim over the top with minimal bogging down.

At the same time, the tall tread blocks dig in to provide fantastic grip in all but the claggiest of mud – there’s none of the smearing and slipping often associated with big tyres on soft surfaces.

The sturdy BLCK DMND casing is thicker in the sidewalls than under the tread, like Schwalbe’s SuperGravity casing, making the 2.6in Hillbilly super comfortable over high-speed chatter, and it has a damped, surefooted feel through rocky terrain.

It’s also very stable and well-supported at low pressures, even when pushing into hardpack turns.

While I’ve found Specialized’s GRIPTON compound can be slippery on wet rocks in its lighter GRID tyres, the Hillbilly does better here.

Although it’s not the softest or stickiest rubber, the siped tread and damped sidewall calmly track through pinball greasy rocks with minimal fuss. Having said that, it’s not as sticky as the WTB Verdict High Grip or Michelin Wild Enduro.

Occasionally it can give way rather suddenly when really leaned over on a flat turn, perhaps due to its square profile, but for soft, muddy and steep tracks it’s hugely confidence-inspiring.