Editor’s Note: This is the final installment on the Specialized Purgatory 2.2″ tires.
By Grannygear:
I have been riding the Specialized Purgatory 2.2 tires in either the S or normal versions, both tubed and tubeless, either front/rear or front only, both on the geared Epic Marathon 29er or my SS Jabberwocky for many hours now in a pretty typical range of So Cal trail conditions. And, I have to say I am struggling a bit to think of what to say other than “they work”.
They measured out to 2.2″ wide or darn close to it on the 26mm wide Roval rims with no tubes. They have a bit of a rounder profile than the larger casing (but smaller knobbied) Captain Control 2.2s. The weight at 666 to 746 (S and non-S versions) grams is reasonable for a non racing specific tire and they have better transitional knobs then the Eskars, a tire I never cared for very much.
I began riding them F/R in winter with wet conditions and muddy to tacky trails. I found that I was able to maintain traction pretty well although there were times I felt that some other tires on other 29ers in the group rides were cleaning out a bit better, in one case, a set of Maxxis Ignitors. However, I never had them give up on me and it was pretty satisfactory in the muck.
In hero dirt they were as good as you would expect, but lately we have moved to full on hard pack conditions, new rain ruts, and scrabbly overburden over clay. This is one place I disliked the Eskars as a front tire. I would enter a turn and end up in the never-never land of somewhere between the side knobs and center knobs. The Purgatory tire never felt vague or squirmy in that way. Actually, the Captains exhibit an odd trait as a front tire on kitty litter over hardpack, where upon initiating a turn, they make this ‘shsssss’ sound and slightly side slip before hooking up. The Purgatories have not done that to me yet.
As a rear tire it hooked up nicely on the SS, slightly better than a Captain, but it rolls a bit slower as well. Still, if I were riding on looser soils, I would take that trade off and run the Purgatory on both ends. I ended up running a rear Captain Control 2.2 on the Epic just to get a bit faster tire, but I kept the Purgs’ F/R on the SS.
The S versions are being used with tubes, but the getting the non-S to set-up tubeless on the Epic’s Roval wheels was crazy easy to do, typical of the ’2-Bliss’ tires from Specialized.
Uuummmm…other than that, they just quietly do their job and allow me to ride without thinking about the tires, just like a good tire should. I plan on keeping the Purgatories on as a front tire through summer on one bike or another. They have not quite knocked the WTB Wolverine off the top o’ the heap as a hardpack front tire, but they are a more versatile all-rounder then the Wolverine, and, until WTB refines the tire, are lighter as well.
These tires were provided to Twenty Nine Inches for test and review without charge. We are not being paid or bribed for this review. We will strive to give our honest opinions throughout.
Thanks, I’m thinking of trying these out in our rock infested Phoenix MTB’scape. I like my Bonty Jones ACX but am hoping to find something similar for the rear that is a bit more durable.
I’ve been riding the same combo for the past two months on my Epic 29 and think the hook-up is solid and predictable. Perhaps the best f/r combo I’ve ever used.
Great review, looking forward to the 2.4 reviews. How many pounds of air did you run?
Ah, sorry I did not mention that. I ran 25 psi (according to my pump gauge) either tubed or tubeless. It gives me some consistency that way, and unless I feel that the tire is not performing well without more or less PSI, then that is my typical benchmark.
My gauge may not be accurate, but over the years I seldom run more than 30 psi even on 26″ XC tires.
grannygear
I was thingking of picking up a Control 2.4, but I still have a WTB stout as my ‘big meat’, for rocky and loose terrain. Do you have any idea of their comparison?
@Slim: The casing of the 2.4″ Purgatory is much larger than the Stout and I like the knob pattern better. Also, I like the 2Blis casing for setting up the tire tubeless, which I had trouble doing with the Stouts I had.
Tire clearance on Epic 29 rear – you seem to get away with the Spec 2.2″? How wide is that space?
Since the inch size of the tires are never comparable it is a bit hard to guess – will any of those sweet rough-terrain tires such as Racing Ralph 2.4, Timberwolf 2.35, WW LT 2.55 fit in there? That’s a dealbreaker for me if not… but a dealmaker if they do.