Heinrich Hattingh Posted November 9, 2015 Share Specialized Butcher up front for sure. In terms of amount of grip for Specialized tyres they rank as follows with 1 being the most grip. 1. Butcher2. Purgatory3. Ground Control These tires are also pretty good value for money compared to other options. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goodbadugly Posted November 9, 2015 Share Just be sure to get the Ardent and not the Ardent Race if you want grip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edition 507 Posted November 13, 2015 Share I use Rocket Ron 2.25, they are great when new. They get a bit washy when they wear out. Something I noticed that since getting a dropper seat post, the front tire seems easier to control on corners.Dropper post = lower center of gravity = quicker through bends Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edition 507 Posted November 13, 2015 Share As fate would have it, I ended up buying a Ground Control, but having read this thread, I was quite happy to do so as it got positive comments.However, on seeing the price for the tyre, I'm thinking that maybe I will regret this. You see the tyre is way too cheap to be any good! Cheap means less quality, less robustness and ultimately cut tyre walls and tears on the trail.Cheap, strong and grippy just seems too good to be true. Lets hope that I don't revisit this thread in the near future with a sad story to tell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odinson Posted November 13, 2015 Share As fate would have it, I ended up buying a Ground Control, but having read this thread, I was quite happy to do so as it got positive comments.However, on seeing the price for the tyre, I'm thinking that maybe I will regret this. You see the tyre is way too cheap to be any good! Cheap means less quality, less robustness and ultimately cut tyre walls and tears on the trail.Cheap, strong and grippy just seems too good to be true. Lets hope that I don't revisit this thread in the near future with a sad story to tell. Is it the Control or Grid casing? As a front or rear tyre? The Control casings have zero sidewall protection and is crap as a rear tyre, but they're pretty good up front. The Grid casings are suitable for front and rear use, as they have offer more slash/puncture resistance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suidwes Boytjie Posted November 13, 2015 Share Quite interesting to see that mainly Maxxis, Spez and Continental tyres are mentioned throughout this thread... My bike came out with Maxxis Crossmarks front and back... Quickly realized that the 2.1 up front was not going to work so lekker. So changed to Maxxis Ikon 2.2 at the back and Vittoria Barzo 2.25 upfront... Huge difference Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albatross Posted November 13, 2015 Share Poll time? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chro Mo Posted November 13, 2015 Share My Ardents have been extremely durable, but not the most grippy on the front. Still, wouldn't change 'em! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmycool Posted November 13, 2015 Share My Ardents have been extremely durable, but not the most grippy on the front. Still, wouldn't change 'em!What pressure do you run it at? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nonky Posted November 13, 2015 Share Is it the Control or Grid casing? As a front or rear tyre? The Control casings have zero sidewall protection and is crap as a rear tyre, but they're pretty good up front. The Grid casings are suitable for front and rear use, as they have offer more slash/puncture resistance. AGREED, the Control casing is OK for rear, better for front. I rode Rift Valley Odyssey in Kenya with a ground control GRID at the rear over some pretty hectic terrain and the tyre passed with flying colours - no sign of ANY holes at all. The only thing is the weight penalty but i'd pay that every day of the week for the peace of mind the tyre gives me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ohmsie Posted November 13, 2015 Share X-King front and Onza Canis rear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeaBee Posted November 13, 2015 Share Had a Purgatory up front, but I now have (Vitoria) Barzo. Rolls much better and I haven't had any grip issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin PJ Posted November 13, 2015 Share Dropper post = lower center of gravity = quicker through bends Dropper post = put any tire on front Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wannabe Posted November 13, 2015 Share Had a Purgatory up front, but I now have (Vitoria) Barzo. Rolls much better and I haven't had any grip issues. Waited for someone to talk a bit of sense at last.Barzo up front, Saguarno rear. Done many miles on them, soft pack, mud, hard pack, tar, rocks, duwweltjie wêreld, not one single problem. Never had a threat of a washout before. (but maybe that's only because I do not go fast enough. ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KarlvN Posted November 13, 2015 Share I am also upgrading from Maxxis Crossmark's f&b to Vittoria Barzo up front and Saguarno at the rear come month end. My Crossmarks were long lasting, and have given me a good mix of tar riding ( on the way to the trails..) and some nice endurance on the trails. I have had zero flats in the year I've been running them, and they have held up nicely. I do suffer from a loss of confidence lately on ST, especially the twisty descents on Dorstberg and Contermans lately. It's as if I am anticipating a washout around every corner. I'm running a HT 29er. Crossmarks just don't fill me with confidence the moment it gets hairy out there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LazyTrailRider Posted November 13, 2015 Share As fate would have it, I ended up buying a Ground Control, but having read this thread, I was quite happy to do so as it got positive comments.However, on seeing the price for the tyre, I'm thinking that maybe I will regret this. You see the tyre is way too cheap to be any good! Cheap means less quality, less robustness and ultimately cut tyre walls and tears on the trail.Cheap, strong and grippy just seems too good to be true. Lets hope that I don't revisit this thread in the near future with a sad story to tell. Don't worry, you'll be fine. Specialized tyres are remarkably good value, considering that many of their other components slot into the higher price brackets. This definitely does not mean that they're inferior, they're in fact some of the best rubber I've tried (out of many, many over the years). As has been mentioned, the casing type is important. If you're heavy and aggressive, Grid is much better at the rear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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