Way back in February Grannygear got to ride the Specialized Purgatory 2.2″ tires, but with my trails sitting under a cool blanket of snow yet back then, I had to wait my turn. Well, now that has happened and it is time to give my First Impressions of these 2.4 inch versions of the Purgatorys.

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I mounted the set up on Salsa Cycles Gordo rims, which are 35mm wide, so the 2.4″er Purgatory was stretched out over a wider area than on most rims. Keep that in mind as I give the measurements for this set up. I also will add that I set one tire up with a tube, and one without. (Shhh! Not recommended on a Gordo, but well……) Here are the measurements….

Casing Width: 60.3mm No tube- 59.4mm Tubed
Outer Knob To Knob: 60.5mm No tube- 59.4mm tubed

So, you can see that there was little difference in dimensions. Just for your information, the non-tubed tire has been set up that way for over a month now, so it is stretched out as far as it will likely go. Air pressures were 25-30 psi for these measurements.

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Ride Impressions: As I rolled out on my first ride on these, I was struck by how well the Purgatory rolls. It seems by looking at the tire that it shouldn’t roll this well, but it does. The tire felt light, and well, for a tire this size, it is pretty light. (You can check out the weights here.) The second thing I noticed was how cushy these Purgatory 2.4 inchers are. Smooth! Tires are a form of suspension and these made the Big Mama feel like I had the best small bump compliance the bike had ever had. They just really gobbled up the small trail chatter in concert with the suspension in a much better way. The last thing I noted was how that supple casing was grabbing loose rock and not spinning out or letting go on steep climbs. Nice! Okay, this was starting out to be a love fest, but then……….

The “not-so-good” reared its head in the form of lateral traction and braking traction, which were sub par to what I had been riding on the previous run. To be fair, those tires were probably the best at the lateral grip game than anything else, so I took it with that grain of salt in mind. (I’ll be doing a “head-to-head-to-head” shootout on some bigger tires coming soon.) But that said, the big knobs that looked so promising were a bit of a let down on the cambered trail surface I encountered at times. Braking traction wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t as good as some of the other tires either, so a “mid-pack” sort of result there.

There were some things that were on par with a lot of other tires here too. Sand was dealt with in an acceptable manner. The tire would dig in a bit, but it was predictable in sand, so not a negative either. On twisty, turny buff single track, the Purgatory did well. Nothing spectacular, but nicely done. Climbing was a bright spot, but I am thinking that if anything wet comes along, that it may change my perspective on that in dirt. I’ll be looking for an opportunity to try that soon.

So far I am thinking these bigger Purgatory tires are like a Racing Ralph on steroids. Big knobs, heavier casing, and still has a rolling resistance on par with the Schwalbe tires. But like the Schwalbes, the Purgatory isn’t the big hit, bruiser tire that some of the other big 29″er tires are. I am really liking this ride feel and fast rolling performance that the Purgatory has in spades though. I will be setting up this pair on a single speed next to get a better feel for them as a trail tire, since the performance is leaning more towards the “all round” category with respects to what the Purgatory has shown me so far.

Stay tuned for a Final Review coming a couple of weeks here.

Note: The tires in this review were provided to Twenty Nine Inches free of charge. We are not being paid or bribed for this review. We will strive to give our honest opinions throughout.