purgatory1
Not A Bike Review

Purgatory in Purgatory

Photos Mike Ferrentino
Reading time

At first, I was thinking this should just be a paragraph, a Gear Shot; "hey, look, this is a tire that has almost zero relevance to the shore scene, but here ya go anyway", before scrolling on to the next thing.

But then I started digging around looking for what others might be saying about this latest version of the Specialized Purgatory, and there was not a ton of info out there. Which seems a shame, since this newest Purgatory (rev3 by my estimation) has been around for over a year now, and is (in my opinion) a very solid tire choice for riders who are subsisting on a diet of sharp rocks and blue-groove hardpack.

"Wherever you go, there you are", right? Well, I happen to be here, in a desert, riding exclusively in a landscape of big sharp rocks, smaller sharp rocks, occasional blue groove hardpack, and a whole lot of dry loose shit that sizes out somewhere between arrow heads and sand grains. The latest version of the 70 USD Specialized Purgatory, seen here in T7 compound, featuring Grid Trail casing, in 29x2.4 size, is a tire designed for dry conditions, first and foremost. While the Purgatory may not seem to be of much relevance to the coastal PNW or North Van or the Sea To Sky corridor for most of the year, it is target locked on the rest of the western half of the continental US. And who knows, it might even be a potential option for those two weeks of dusty and loose riding you sometimes get up there as well. Given my current location and terrain, it seems like a good time to find out how these stack up against the other usual suspects. I spooned a pair onto a Yeti SB120 that was previously shod with a Maxxis DHF 2.5/Aggressor 2.3 combo in MaxxTerra/3C/EXO guise, and headed out into the desert hellscape of the Sierra De La Giganta.

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Purgatory; a mythical place somewhere between Butcher and Ground Control?

The Specialized Butcher has emerged as a quiet go-to tire for many of us in the NSMB-sphere. The T9 compound may not be quite as sticky as Maxxis's MaxxGrip, but it is not too far off, and the low hysteresis rubber combined with big, well supported tread blocks lends the Butcher a chunky, tractable readability that makes it a very easy tire to get along with in most conditions. But these same attributes also make it a bit of a pig when it comes time to accelerate, and even though the T9 compound wears exceptionally well for its effective durometer, it's going to get chewed up when subjected to extended hard and dry terrain. Which brings us to the Purgatory.

This is at least the third version of the Purgatory that I am aware of, and while each iteration of the tire has been aimed at dry/hardpack performance, the similarities between each version end at the name. Tire profile on this newest Purgatory is rounder than it is square, but it has a decent amount of side-knob and doesn't round off quite as much as a more intentionally "fast rolling" tire. High volume center knobs with a decent amount of spacing between them give way to tall, well-supported side knobs. Overall knob depth is shallower than the Butcher by a couple mm, but still substantially deeper than, say, a Rekon. The transitional tread blocks and side knobs are siped and all knobs feature what Specialized refers to as a "block in block" design, which, presumably, allows the knobs to squirm a little bit to find traction when getting smeared onto rock faces, but not be so squishy as to let the knobs tear or the tire feel vague. GRID casing is a 60tpi design that features a reinforced sidewall for cut protection and tire stability, and the GRID Trail moniker in this case refers to an additional layer of bead to bead puncture resistance.

There's not a ton of weight difference between the Purgatory and the Butcher; 980 grams for a 29x2.4 GRID Trail Purgatory in T7 compound versus 940 grams for a 29x2.3 GRID Trail Butcher in T7. Expect to pay a 50-70 gram weight penalty with either tire when going up to T9 compound. By contrast, the DHF/Aggressor combo that came off the bike clocked in at 1099/989 grams each (these weights are all per brand websites, because I am not packing my gram scale on this trip...).

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This tire has about 8 hours of riding at the time of this photo, in conditions that closely resemble sandpaper, and the nibs are only now starting to wear off the rear. The front continues to look like new. T7 compound is DEFINITELY harder than T9!

Riding these tires in loose drifty desert terrain, it has been difficult to determine whether the ride feel I am experiencing is because of the tread design, or due to the compound, or a component of both. I suspect getting them into some slippery/wet terrain would find some answers quicksmart, but that is not where these tires are designed to perform, and that is certainly not any sort of riding environment I will be seeing in the immediate future, so... here goes.

The Purgatory is quieter on pavement than either the Butcher or the DHF. Not too surprising there, given that it is shorter in knob height and slightly rounder in profile than either of those options. It feels like it rolls smoother and a little more willingly as well, and is pretty close to the Aggressor in this regard. Once in the dirt, the Purgatory hooks up well in hardpack and has very easy to read manners in the soft/loose end of things. It is not quite as comfortable in super loose and sandy going as the Butcher, but it's good enough that I don't feel like I'm losing time and, short of going to something huge and floaty that sucks everywhere else, tire behavior at this end of the traction spectrum eventually becomes kind of binary - you are rolling or you are walking. All the way up to the point where the sand becomes too soft and loose, or the particulate size of the loose shit becomes so small as to become a sand trap, the Purgatory grips well and also offers plenty of feedback as traction goes away. It feels trustworthy, for lack of a better word.

Climbing and braking traction reinforced this sensation. I could hunker down on gut punch climbs, and if I had enough in my legs, could usually find the traction to get up some ledgy steeps that had been dogging me for the past couple months. I'm not willing to say that the tires made these climbs possible or easier, but they certainly did not hinder my effort in any way. Same goes for braking; easy to read, easy to modulate, and the only times I felt I was losing out to bigger knobs or stickier compounds was during crux moments on rock that was giving way to shale or loose garbage. Front or rear, the Purgatory hooks up surprisingly consistently and with enough predictability that I am happy to run it at either end of the bike. It doesn't feel mega sticky, but it is a very easy tire to read, and in some situations I think that the slightly firmer character of the tire - resulting from the combination of short, well supported tread blocks and a slightly harder compound - might actually be a better call than something knobbier and squishier.

Leaning it into turns was predictable, and it was easy to feel where traction began and ended. Again, this terrain isn't the kind of place where you can just push the bike into the ground and lean at will. Everything is going to break loose, and it is a matter of how predictably the tire behaves as that happens that determines how trustworthy it feels. Bigger knobs and more weight generally feels more predictable in this regard, but going apples to apples between these and either the T9 Butchers or the MaxxTerra DHF, I can't really claim that the Purgatory loses much ground to them.

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The semi-intentionally blurry counter to the intro photo. This sharp-edged world of loose over hard - kitty litter on shale on top of more rocks trying to turn themselves into smaller rocks - is home turf to the Purgatory. If I was a betting man I'd say that loamy PNW type terrain would not be this tire's happy place, but down here? Let it eat.

This is all a roundabout way of saying that not only am I impressed with how well the Purgatory works at either end of the bike in the desert, but also that the T7 rubber is working out quite a bit better than I had expected. Well enough that I am contemplating switching to T7 for my Butcher rears in summertime. Buuut, I also want to try the Purgatory in T9, just to get my head around it. Specialized is pretty bullish about both the adhesion and wear characteristics of their flagship T9 compound, and state "when it comes to compounds, firmer rubber—like the T7—prioritizes rolling speed, and longevity, but still has excellent grip." What goes along with this is the implication that the more "damped" lower hysteresis of the T9 compound is always the choice for optimum control, but I think this is something to consider on a case by case basis.

T7 will definitely roll faster and wear longer than T9. It will not feel as damped in some situations, and that can be seen as a negative. But in the dozen or so hours that I have put into these tires so far, in the desert conditions they are designed for, I am thinking that T7 might be a better call. Rolls faster, offers more than enough grip in almost any dry ground scenario, real easy to read, and I have a hunch that the lifespan will be dramatically longer. These photos were taken at eight hours in, and the little nibs were still proudly jutting off both tires. They are mostly gone from the rear now, but the front looks like it is new. My shoes, in that same time frame, look like a dog has been chewing on the soles.

If you find yourself confined to the loamless purgatory of mountain biking in desert environments, or are planning on some midsummer alpine grinders at a ski resort just north of Durango, Colorado that also happened to play host to the first full-on UCI mountain bike World Championship, you could do far worse than slap a Purgatory on either end of your bike.

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Comments

jt
+4 Mike Ferrentino Andy Eunson BarryW lennskii

Running the T9 up front and a T7 out back on the lighter 'trail riding oriented' wheelset and have nothing but praise for em. Roll and hook up well, and the T7 wears really well. Only places with a higher slab:root:water ratio (Duluth and the U.P. for my refs) made em feel under gunned. They were consistent in how they communicated their traction, and a predictable tire is a fast tire. 

What a world where house brand tires are now recommendable product, huh?

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pete@nsmb.com
+4 Dude@ Curveball BarryW Bryce Borlick

For sure Specialized tires took a step forward with the change to the new compounds but to be fair, they've had some really good XC and lighter duty trail tires in the line for quite a while.

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Timer
0

Its just a bit sad they discontinued the BLK DMND casings. Those were tough but relatively light. In the current lineup the Grid Trail is a bit fragile and the Grid Gravity too heavy for my taste.

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syncro
+3 Andy Eunson Cr4w Pete Roggeman

Considering our weather patterns the past few years, this is a tire that could work well for 3-4 months of the year up here.

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andy-eunson
+6 Mark HughJass Mike Ferrentino MTBrent Kenneth Perras Jotegir

Perfectly adequate tire in Whistler on most trails even when wet. Lots of hard surfaces here. I mean, I used to run (looks around sureptitiously to ensure no one is listening) Ardents and thought they were great tires most of the time.

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Jotegir
+3 Pete Roggeman TerryP Andy Eunson

My 2013 NS Soda Air came with ardents front and rear, which is a very funny choice looking back for a 170/150mm bike. I thought they were great because I only had experience with tires that were even worse!

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vincentaedwards
+2 Mike Ferrentino Dude@

I’ve been using the Eliminator T7 as a Front tire on my Epic Evo and SS… It looks like this might be a better choice to update when that tire wears out. Unofficial successor? (Eliminator is on sale, and seems to be getting less spec)

I’m in NW Arkansas where summers are dry, with a lot of loose rock and loose over hard. 

_

I see what you did there w/ the Purgatory resort ;)

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mikeferrentino
+2 Dude@ Ms. Steel

I'm not sure what's going to happen with the Eliminator, as there does seem to be a lot of crossover between it and the Purgatory. I think, at the moment, the Eliminator is still considered a hair more aggressive than the Purgatory, but they are very similar. And hell, it looks like just about every Specialized tire is on sale in some size or another. Down here in Mexico, the new Purgatory doesn't even show up on the local S-site since there are apparently scads of the old Purg still available down here.

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Curveball
0

I really dig the Eliminator on the back of my enduro bike. It has very good climbing traction, but not quite the hard tug braking action of a DHRII.

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rolly
+1 arno

What type of terrain are you riding the Eliminator on? And which version of the tire?

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Curveball
+1 Ms. Steel

I'm in WA, riding steep, loamy trails. It's the Grid Gravity version. Quite heavy though.

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MsSteel
0

Do you think the Purg would be rear to an eliminator front or the other way around?

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taprider
+1 Dude@

Would the T5 with GRID be an even faster rolling and more durable or tougher tire?  

More suitable for bikepack racing in abrasive desert conditions?

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mikeferrentino
+2 Dude@ Curveball

Probably? I had a T5 Ground Control on the Epic Evo for a while and that thing did not seem to wear at all. On the flip side of the old durability/traction coin, though, it was not exactly very confidence inspiring anywhere that wasn't blue groove hardpack.

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mtmc99
+1 Curveball

Specialized has quite the sale going on right now for their tires. Was planning to buy another set of Butchers for the front and Eliminator for the rear but am now considering swapping in the Purgatory for the rear.

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araz
+1 Dude@

I tried running the Eliminator, t7 grid trail, and really liked how it rode in my similarly loam-free terrain, but I kept ripping knobs off. Happened on several different copies, within a small handful of rides. Not something I've had happen on any other tire. Any similar issues on the Purg or Butcher? Want to like the Specialized tires -- and take advantage of their pricing on sale -- but have been leery after my experience with the Eliminator.

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pete@nsmb.com
+2 Dude@ Curveball

Where do you live/ride? Are you normally a knob-ripper? If that happened to me I'm sure I'd feel the same as you (slightly disappointed) but I also think a small part of me would think 'heh, ripped a couple of knobs off, maybe my cornering is getting a bit better...'

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araz
+2 Dude@ Pete Roggeman

Sadly, my cornering skills are nowhere near knob-ripping levels. I've never torn a knob on another tire unless it was overly worn and the knobs already undercut. With the Eliminators, the knob and the top layer of the tire rubber pulled up completely, exposing the inner carcass, like the layers weren't properly bonded. 

I am a pretty big guy, and ride trails that look a lot like the ones Mike has pics of here, so I know that my tires don't have a super easy life, even if I can't properly shred a corner.

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mikeferrentino
+1 araz

I haven't personally experienced that - yet. But never say never, right? It has been a few years since I've peeled knobs off any tires. And i wouldn't blame you for being leery. If that happens once - where the rubber rips entirely away from the casing - I would chalk it up to a random defect. It if happens more than once with the same model/brand of tire, I would also steer clear of that particular model. Torn knobs, where the rest of the tread stays vulcanized to the carcass and just a piece of knob rips off, are a different story, and in our particular terrain is pretty common when running soft rubber on sharp rocks.

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vantanclub
+2 Mike Ferrentino Curveball

Anecdotal here, but I ripped a knob off a butcher in the sea-to-sky (full rubber down to the mesh casing), and I'm no hardcore shredder.

They did warranty it so no complaints. This was a 2022 tire, so may have just been a QC issue with a batch?

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araz
0

I put up my comment mainly to see if the knob peeling was something that others had experienced too. I did have the first tire it happened to warrantied, then it happened to the replacement too. Tried again sometime later when I found one on super sale. That one lasted a little longer but ended up with the same problem, so it didn't strike me as an isolated QC issue. 

I will still steer clear of the Eliminator, but might consider trying a Purg if there's a good sale next time I need a new rear tire.

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tashi
0

I’d say this is one of the significant differences between the butcher and minion - less robust side knobs. 

Mine are seriously undercut by the time I retire them, and usually a few are under cut a bit before that.   Doesn’t happen on the front though.

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Suns_PSD
+1 Mike Ferrentino

I've been running the Purg Grid (the lighter one) version in a T9 on the front of my Smuggler. 995 grams. My terrain looks very similar to the photos in this review.

Really liking this tire, a lot. I have tried many different ones on my trail bikes as I try to find that high grip/ low rolling resistance compromise. Previous was the XR4 TE which is certainly a good one but the Purg takes it up a notch.

It's easy to find fast rolling tires. It's easy to find high grip tires. What isn't easy is to find a fast-rolling tire that won't toss you to the moon when you head into a dry loose turn at 20mph.

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Numbers
+1 Mike Ferrentino

I run a set of these (T7; Grid Trail casing) on my 2022 Rocky Mountain Element, paired to a last generation set of Race Face Turbine R30 wheels when I go to local trail centers. I have another wheelset which is much lighter and uses XC focused tires for general or XC type riding. I live in Ontario, so my experience will be different from most of yours, but I find the new Purgatories to be a good all-around tire, albeit a bit heavy (with the Grid Trail casing they weighed in at about 1kg) which is a lot heavier than the previous version. I used to run the old v2 Purgatory (T7; Grid casing; weight around 830g) as an all around tire. While the old tires are faster, the new version is much better on rough/technical terrain or on berms. I also found the new Purgatories to be decent in the wet, so overall I'm happy with them. Strange thing about the new Specialized lineup is that the old Purgatory tires competed with the Ground Controls, but the new version looks a LOT like the Butcher. Redesigned Butcher in the works...?

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cheapondirt
0

Kind of reminds me of my experience with the latest Hans Dampf, even if a Nobby Nic would be a closer comparison.

I'd been running paddle type treads on my rear wheel for years, but last summer I found no real downside moving to Schwalbe's slightly faster-rolling all arounder.

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Offrhodes42
0

I have been contemplating the Purgatory for a front tire with a Slaughter I have sitting around for the dry summer months here in New England...unless we get the same rain every other day scenario of last summer. Then I would keep the Butcher and Eliminator or Judge and Verdict combo I currently have on wheels.

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mikesee
0 Fat_Tony_NJ Jerry Willows

The only outcome more excellent than Specialized eating a dick is Specialized eating a bag of dicks.

Imitate or die!

Litigate or die!

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mikeferrentino
0

Just you wait; my review of the Specialized/Fjallraven collab onesie is gonna blow your mind...

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pete@nsmb.com
+4 Mike Ferrentino taprider Curveball dhr999

Dear Mike F,

How many dicks can you fit in that onesie?

Sincerely,

mikesee

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mikeferrentino
+1 Curveball

A whole bag of them, natch...

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Ceecee
0

It's okay--in the hotels are plenty of Canadians who thought a map read Golf de México. The greens are loamy but the giant squid have moved north to the Midriffs

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XXX_er
0

I ditched a half used Agressor to put on a new HRII for a  Moab trip, cuz bro told us not to be bringing bikes with plugged tires or deferred maintenance, so sure I could have picked a better tire for Moab  but I knew an HR would hold up and there was traction everywhere.  8 days 10 bikes no breakdowns/ no flats and then I had the tire I needed when i got back

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ShawMac
0

The Vittoria Martello would be another good comparison tire. I wore one out on the rear of my trail bike in the Sea to Sky and had no complaints about traction or feel. It was very fast rolling too.

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trevsky
0

Thanks for the read. We were looking for info on these a couple months back and also couldn’t find much.  Settled on lighter Grid T9 front and T7 rear for my 13y daughters’ trail bike. Not my choice for full winter duty on the Sunshine Coast, but they tick a lot of boxes for her for the rest of the year, including the Gravity Park and going to the store.   Options are limited for faster rolling tires with a soft compound in the lightest casing. Price was decent too.

Our first set of tires from Specialized, but am considering a Butcher combo for myself, this one or next (looks like they might be focusing on 2.4” ?)

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MsSteel
0

Do you think we can get a review of the Eliminator front and rear? Maybe T9 front and T9/T7 rear? Or a comparison of the Eliminator vs the V3 Purg. It would also be nice to get an article trying to match up Specializes tires to their equiv Maxxis and Schwalbe models. ThankS

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