When I look back at the trails I tried to ride on a pair of 29″ Racing Ralphs with paper sidewalls, while my friends sported the tackiest of Minions on 26″ hoops, I shudder. And what’s crazy is that those Ralphs blew other 29″ options like the WTB Weirwolf, Maxxis Crossmark, and Schwalbe’s first-generation Nobby Nic off the trail. Having to contend with road bike geometry and shifty rubber was just par for being an early adopter of 29’er wheels on the North Shore.
While many riders herald the eventual coming of good wagon wheel tires as Maxxis releasing their iconic Minion DHF tires in the 700c format, I have to say that I was very satisfied with Specialized’s trail tire the 29″ Purgatory. I’m happy to be corrected, but I believe it’s the first tire they designed using computer modeling, and either way, it was an absolute confidence boost climbing and descending compared to everything else available at the time.
I’ve never cared much about matching front and rear tire patches (I personally know at least a couple people who frequent MEATengines who probably just dry-heaved on seeing that in writing) and so even after I was sporting Maxxis-meat upfront the Purgatory continued to be my go-to rear tire. Fast without being scary, grippy without being a slog, airing up tubeless easily without being a chore to mount, and durable enough sidewalls, all at a price that was, and actually is, notably lower than other tires of similar quality.
This month, I needed a new rear tire for my single speed, there was nothing coming up for review at NSMB, and I was wondering about min-maxing an improvement in climbing loose terrain while not adding a bunch of rolling resistance. I’m sticking with the big WTB Vigilante up front but I was open to trying pretty much anything for the rear wheel. Again, I don’t care about mixing brands.
It’s funny, I don’t remember when I stopped riding the Purgatory as my go-to rear tire but it immediately came to mind when I needed to grab a replacement for my worn-out semi-slick. Specialized’s tires already present a solid value comparing them to similar quality Maxxis rubber and, at a time when it’s nigh impossible to get some parts, Specialized has released a new T7/T9 tire compound and that has meant there are deals to be had on their previous generation of rubber.
The Purgatory went through a running change to a new tread design prior to the new compounds being released, and both patterns are still widely available. So, my next conundrum was whether to purchase a tire design I remember and loved or to buy the new version that could be better and at the very least wouldn’t spoil my memory of the first 29″ Purg.
Enter the recent Specialized Purgatory in a 29×2.6″ size. In my case, their semi-reinforced GRID sidewall is supported on the inside by a CushCore insert.
Even ignoring the comparative values of price (regular or on sale) the new Purgatory is an awesome tire. Now, I wouldn’t choose to throw it on the back of my 6″ travel bike – I’m quite happy with a DHR2, WTB Vigilante, Bontrager G5, or Specialized Butcher, on the back of those bikes. Those tires are giving up something in terms of rolling performance to provide a get-out-of-shit-free card.
On the other hand, for the rear of my single speed, or any number of modern super-aggressive short travel trail trouncers – think Transition Spur – where tires need to pay all the bills, both up and down, it would be hard not to recommend the tire at least as a rear option.
Is the old tread pattern better than the new? The new(er) Purgatory definitely delivers better braking traction and similarly fast rolling. How’s the Gripton compound? So far it’s been impressive on trails in various conditions. I’ll be excited to compare this Purgatory to a new T5/T7 version.
In the meantime, this Purgatory continues to deliver fantastic traction at the rear wheel, climbing or descending, and I’d run it on any bike with just the right amount of snap to be climbed and shredded down on repeat. The fact that deals are available because Specialized released new tire compounds this year is a bonus.