- Weight: 930g
- Width: 61mm (30mm internal rim @ 25 psi)
The Slaughter 2.6in is a great option for adding volume and protection while also boosting rear-wheel speed.
As usual for Specialized’s 2Bliss tubeless design, setup is easy across a wide range of rim types, normally popping into place with just a track pump. Plus, all current-generation GRID carcass tyres have proved impressively puncture/cut/brake/drive and scuff resistant (however badly we’ve treated them).
The carpet of smaller knobs means less chance of pointy stuff finding a thin spot to spike through and cause punctures compared to a bigger knob/bigger space tread. There’s also an extra ‘cap’ layer of puncture protection built into the crown of the carcass to back that up too. That enhanced longevity boosts effective value, so while the 2.6 inch is £15 more than the 2.3 inch, it’s still good value.
In terms of performance, while it’s not super wide for a 2.6 inch, the Slaughter carcass is pretty tall. That adds impact protection to your rims, and benefits from a wider rim – 30mm internal works well – to support it through corners. Don’t go too wide though as that can square it off too much and means the softer, larger shoulder knobs start to drag in a straight line, which defeats the whole idea of the tread pattern.
When set up correctly, the low-60-duro centre tread rolls fast, but still pulls a surprising amount of grip off solid surfaces. Smaller knob tread means it’s more supple in feel than the big tread Specialized GRID tyres too, so it flows well on rougher trails adding to the speed gain.
There’s occasionally a momentary grip gap in the intermediate area as you lean in, but crank it over onto the full-sized 50-duro shoulder knobs and it’ll rail round hard in loose, loamy or even wet conditions. This makes it a great (and currently one of the only) increased-protection rear ‘enduro’ tyre, whatever front tyre you pair it with.
