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Submitted by
singletrkmind
a Weekend WarriorDate Reviewed: February 28, 2013
Strengths: - Good grip on roots and rocks
- Rolls well for an aggressive tire
- Seems to corner well
- sheds mud well
- Very good tread life
Weaknesses: - I have experience a couple of the wash-outs folks mentioned above, but mostly on sand and small roots in corners on dry hard pack. Not sure what tires would do any better though.Bottom Line: I'm running the s-works 2.2 version of this tire on front (ground control rear). I ride Southeast: Harbison, FATS, Dupont, Pisgah and these tires seem to do well all over. The tread last forever and the side walls have held up no problem.
Purchased At: specialized website
Bike Setup: 07 Stumpjumper FSR
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Value Rating:
Submitted by
Miker JDate Reviewed: February 18, 2013
Strengths: For the 29 x 2.3"...
Hits the sweet spot weight to volume wise for a good, tubless, trail tire. 700-800g for a 2.3" is a good combination of supportive rubber and volume.
Both grips and rolls well.
Resists packing with mud relatively well.
Very inexpensive compared to other brands.Weaknesses: None.Bottom Line: They are a great all-purpose trail tire. Not XC. Not AM. I ride typical wet, rocky, un-buffed, NE trails.
The tire hits that perfect balance of grip, roll, weight, and sidewall support for both front and rear wheels. On a wider Flow rim they Ae great. The stock S Works version that came on a bike was way too fragile. This Control version is the way to go.
Duration Product Used: 1 year
Purchased At: Local dealer
Similar Products Used: Way too many tires to count.
Bike Setup: Too many.
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
loginhater
a Weekend WarriorDate Reviewed: June 1, 2012
Strengths: High volume, easy tubeless setup, durableWeaknesses: Don't buy this if you want a fast tireBottom Line: Bought the 29 x 2.4 based on a recommendation from this message board. Was looking for a squishy, high volume tire to go with a rigid fork. Also wanted a tire that could handle "yellow" trail conditions where the trail could be a little slick. Finally, wanted to run tubeless on a Stan's Flow rim. Very satisfied. Nice choice with the rigid fork. If you run tubeless, you can run lower pressure and get some shock absorption from the tire. Very easy set up. I added Stan's sealant one year ago--only once--and the tire is still holding air just fine. Sealed easy the first time with an ordinary air pump. Large knobs give good grip on less than perfect trail conditions. Reasonable weight. Not much downside. Not a fast tire, but you wouldn't buy a tire this size if speed was a top priority.
Favorite Trail: Brown County
Price Paid:
$48.00
Bike Setup: Niner Sir 9, 1 x 9
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Call_me_Tom
a Cross Country Rider
from SoCalDate Reviewed: March 22, 2012
Strengths: Light weight, easy tubeless setup, sealed to wheel with a floor pump.Weaknesses: Expensive, weak sidewalls, breaks loose quickly with little warning.Bottom Line: This is a review of the Purgatory Control 2.2 that came stock on the front of my 2012 Specialized Stumpjumper FSR Elite.
Specialized designed this tire to be a cross between a conventional tire and a UST tire. It has a UST bead but conventional sidewalls. This means that you'll have to use Stan's or Slime to ensure that the tire stays aired up as the sidewalls are porous. Without Stan's, you'll lose air pressure.
Specialized went with this approach to save weight and in that department they accomplished their goal. The trade off for this weight savings is that the sidewalls are thin and prone to punctures.
Before I picked up my new bike I had the LBS run these tires tubeless and rode my local firebreaks without much issue. Three weeks later I was riding Palm Canyon Epic and the tires held up fine to the thorns and cacti but 8 miles into the ride the sidewall was punctured by a rock. The punctures were tiny, less then a millimeter but the Stan's would not seal them. I ended up having to throw a tube in the tire, run higher pressures and suffer numerous flats from thorns.
The handling on fast single track can be scary. These tires break loose quick and without much warning before you become airborn. I washed out a few times on these tires and one of the times I separated my shoulder and had to take a month off from riding.
I'm rating this from a trail riding perspective and in that respect these tires are lacking. If you're a XC rider or weight weenie then these tires might be the ticket. I would never take them through a rock garden but on firebreaks they shouldn't be an issue.
I've since utilized Specialized 90 day 100% satisfaction garuantee and traded the tire in for a 2.4 Purgatory Grid UST. I went with that tire in the hopes that the thicker sidewalls will allow better protection, combined with a wider tread and lower pressures should help to decrease washouts.
Favorite Trail: Aliso Woods
Duration Product Used: 3 months
Similar Products Used: WTB Velociraptor, Specialized Ground Control, Specialized Captain Sport, Specialized Fast Trak LK Sport, Specialized Purgatory Grid.
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
jctitizen
a Cross Country Rider
from Toronto CANDate Reviewed: November 4, 2011
Strengths: Rolls pretty well considering, has a nice round profile, tall knobs bite well through the leaves, and installs super easy on my 819s.
Weaknesses: Not the lightest I guessBottom Line: Run these tubeless on the front and I've found it to be a great front tire for fall conditions. Where I usually ride it is very slick clay and off camber a lot and this tire hasn't let me down. But, once things dry off in the spring I'll be getting something less aggressive.
Favorite Trail: Catalyst to PA - The Don
Duration Product Used: 3 months
Price Paid:
$50.00
Purchased At: Sporting Life
Similar Products Used: Nevegal, Spec Captain Control, Bongtrager...
Bike Setup: Running a 2.2 up front on my 08 Stumpy FSR w/ XT/819s
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
TwoHeadsBrewing
a Cross Country Rider
from Chico, CADate Reviewed: November 1, 2011
Strengths: Fantastic grip, big volume, perfectly seated with a floor pump on UST rims.Weaknesses: Rolling resistance on hardpackBottom Line: I bought this tire in the 26x2.4 variety and I have to say I'm very pleased with it after 4 rides. It's a large volume 2.4, way bigger than my Mutano 2.4. It's both taller and wider, and where I would run the Mutano at 25psi, I can run the Purgatory at 22psi. Not bad for my weight at 175#. As one might expect, the lower pressure adds a bit of drag on the hard surfaces, but just makes the bike float over the downhill, chunky, rocky and rough trails.
Since "chunky, rocky, rough" accurately describes the majority of the trails in the area, this is the perfect tire. I have it set up on XTR UST rims, and it seated up with just a floor pump, and no lubrication of the rim/bead. I added a couple scoops of Stans sealant for flat protection and didn't see any leaks around the bead. Very nice and again better than the WTB TCS tires I've used. I paired the 2.4 in the front with a new Ground Control S-Works in the rear, which has proved to be a great combo. Both of these tires are surprisingly lightweight. Despite the light weight, even at 22psi the tire is not squirmy in fast corners and stays planted.
While the weight is lighter, the lack of ramped knobs is noticable when riding on pavement or hardpack. Luckily for me, I don't ride much of that so it isn't an issue. I'll make sure to follow up this review after a few months of riding through dry and wet conditions. But as one of the cheapest tubeless compatible tires you can get, unless it self destructs it's going to stay at 5 chilis.
Favorite Trail: Guardian
Duration Product Used: Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$55.00
Purchased At: Sports LTD
Similar Products Used: WTB Weirwolf AM TCS, WTB Mutano AM TCS, Specialized Ground Control, WTB Moto Raptor
Bike Setup: Cannondale Rize 4 140mm
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
Kirwyn
a Weekend Warrior
from New MexicoDate Reviewed: October 23, 2011
Strengths: Looks great!
Weaknesses: Does not seem to hold a line in dry, desert conditions.Bottom Line: The rear tire seemed ok in loose over hard conditions and did not slip in steep climbing.
The front tire did not inspire confidence. I was easily able to "push through" the tread when trying to turn and in tight cornering I consistently had to take the outside line as it would not hold an inside line. My riding partner of 14 years said I was about twenty percent slower on these tires than I was on the weeks prior. I won't say the tires ware scary, that it would give way without warning but that I wasn't able to go fast enough to get scared without riding into the bushes.
Favorite Trail: Lone Pine
Duration Product Used: Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$50.00
Similar Products Used: WTB Mutanoraptor & Velociraptor, Specialized Enduro Pro, Conti Trail King & Vertical, Kenda Blu-groove and nevegal, IRC Mythos and a bunch of others.
Bike Setup: Yeti 575 enduro setup
Dry, high desert conditions.
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
brostar
a Cross Country Rider
from Orange CA USADate Reviewed: August 23, 2011
Strengths: serious grip on loose rocky trails.Weaknesses: way too knobby for even minimal pavement use. The rolling resistance is pretty bad.Bottom Line: This is a gnarly aggressive tire, if you ride half pavement and half trail this might be too much knob for you. Best used for climbing and soft dirt or mud trails.
Duration Product Used: 3 months
Price Paid:
$50.00
Bike Setup: 2012 Rockhopper 2.2 Purgatory 2bliss in the front, 2.0 Captain control 2bliss rear.
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
DJ Feelgood Phil
a Cross Country Rider
from Sherbrooke, QCDate Reviewed: August 8, 2011
Strengths: Good traction, shed the mud well, grip and keep gripping.Weaknesses: Expensive.Bottom Line: I used this tire on REAR to replace stock Bontrager Jones. I ride in the North Eastern climate, which means lot of roots, rock and mud, and this tire proved to be very good under these conditions. Plenty of traction, grips to everything, shed mud quite well.. I also rode a few times in tracks with lot of sharp rocks (sedimentary rocks of the Appalachian Mountains)and had no flat.
Downside is the price. You also have to consider getting another one to replace it when the dry season knocks at the door (July and August here), since it kinda feels like a tractor tire when rolling on hardpack, and wont roll that fast.
Duration Product Used: 3 months
Bike Setup: 08 Fuel EX8 with ODI lockon grips, Spec Purgatory 2bliss rear and WTB Weirwolf 2.1 front.
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
ChadP
a Cross Country Rider
from Lakewood, CODate Reviewed: June 23, 2011
Strengths: Strong climbing tire. Easy set up for tubeless. Long tread life.Weaknesses: Wash out easily as front tire. Expensive tire.Bottom Line: Great climbing tire, works well on hard pack. Easy set up for tubeless. Watch out if you have pea gravel or any loose over hard pack. Doesn't matter how fast you are going. Lower air pressure increases confidence in turns but it will still let loose without notice.
Duration Product Used: 6 months
Purchased At: Wheat Ridge Cyclery
Similar Products Used: Specialized Captain, S-works Roll, Kenda Small block 8
Bike Setup: 2011 Stumpjumper FSR comp 29er Stock build
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
John
a Cross Country Rider
from Brsitol, CT USADate Reviewed: May 14, 2011
Strengths: Forget it. Straight line tire only. Replacing right away.Weaknesses: No intermediate knobs. WTH!!! Just a bad designBottom Line: Make a turn at any speed over 10mph on hardpack and the tire will wash out. No knobs between the center and sidwall knobs. Jeez... Just plain bad... This is an S-works 2.2 Purgatory tire that cam e with thte new bike. I am replaceing these tires ( and the rear Captain when it wears out) with WTB Mutano 2.2 TCS tires , which I have grown fond of for all riding conditions.
If I had to buy it I would rate it's value as zero.
Duration Product Used: Less than 1 month
Similar Products Used: Better tires than this
Bike Setup: This came as front tire on my 2011 Specialized Stumpjumper elite.
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