Levo SL Gen 1 Butcher 2.6

[AlexEMTB]

Happy Friday!
I'm considering changing my front tire to a Butcher 2.6. Has anyone tried this? I find the 2.3 always feels like it's going to wash out at speed. It's also interesting that the 2021 Levo is now 2.6 F/2.3R.

 

[JetSedgwick]

I have the 2.6 and I like it worse than the Maxxis but otherwise it's a good tire.

 

[ImSundee]

I found the Butchers to feel like that even the 2.6 - really doesn't give me confidence. I'm swapping to Assagai's f+r to hopefully stop the feel.

 

[AlexEMTB]

I have the 2.6 and I like it worse than the Maxxis but otherwise it's a good tire.

Thanks and good to know! I would consider Maxxis but which ones have the white MAXXIS script? Can't have yellow clashing with gold kashima now can we?

 

[escrs]

White Maxxis logo means its an oem tyre, i.e only comes on complete bikes, cant be bought by joe public

Ive hated all the Spesh tyres my last 3 bikes came with, i only run Maxxis tyres, currently on Assegai maxx grip double down casing on the front and rear, best grip Ive ever had

Only Spesh tyre i found had good grip was a Hillbilly on a demo Levo SL in the Surrey hills in February, conditions were just right for it and it had tons of grip

 

[Walkea]

Had Butcher/Purgatory grid combo on hardtail and thought they were fine.
Currently on ebike have Michelin enduros which are really good. The harder you ride the better they are, and there are good deals on them
By the time the crappy weather arrives I will need new tyres so I have ordered Vittoria Mota front/Martello rear. Had Vittoria tyres on YT Jeffsy a few years ago so thought I would try newer versions. Good reviews and again decent price.
Not anti Maxxis but I find they are expensive. Most reviewers use Maxxis as benchmark and the Michelin in particular usually gets higher marks

 

[AlexEMTB]

Had Butcher/Purgatory grid combo on hardtail and thought they were fine.
Currently on ebike have Michelin enduros which are really good. The harder you ride the better they are, and there are good deals on them
By the time the crappy weather arrives I will need new tyres so I have ordered Vittoria Mota front/Martello rear. Had Vittoria tyres on YT Jeffsy a few years ago so thought I would try newer versions. Good reviews and again decent price.
Not anti Maxxis but I find they are expensive. Most reviewers use Maxxis as benchmark and the Michelin in particular usually gets higher marks

Thanks for the tip! I’m intrigued to give the Michelin’s a whirl! Their sports car tires are the gold standard so they know their stuff.

 

[Mcharza]

Thanks for the tip! I’m intrigued to give the Michelin’s a whirl! Their sports car tires are the gold standard so they know their stuff.

Michelin Enduro Wilds have been really good. Remember to choose the softer one to the front

 

[escrs]

I agree Maxxis can be expensive but a little searching and they do come up cheap, i paid £45 each (inc p+p) for my Assegai 29x2.5WT maxx grip double down casing from Mantel bikes in the Netherlands

In the UK most places wanted £65-£70 each for them and thats if you can find the Doubledown versions, it seems Maxxis UK dosent bring in the full range unlike in Europe

 

[AlexEMTB]

Michelin Enduro Wilds have been really good. Remember to choose the softer one to the front

Yes the Gum-X! Strange that they only come in 2.4. Well that's better than the 2.3 the bike comes with.

 

[Mcharza]

Yes the Gum-X! Strange that they only come in 2.4. Well that's better than the 2.3 the bike comes with.

Enduro Wild 2.4 is quite big tire

 

[55plusmxinsanity]

Butcher Black Diamond is pretty good, comparable to the Assegai

 

[Swissrob]

I found the Butchers to feel like that even the 2.6 - really doesn't give me confidence. I'm swapping to Assagai's f+r to hopefully stop the feel.

I have a 2.6 Assegai on the front and it will give you confidence but I would not use it on the back as it is a bit draggy. Use what ever you have on the back until they are worn and see what feels best and why then replace with something similar.

 

[Taffyteg]

White Maxxis logo means its an oem tyre, i.e only comes on complete bikes, cant be bought by joe public

Ive hated all the Spesh tyres my last 3 bikes came with, i only run Maxxis tyres, currently on Assegai maxx grip double down casing on the front and rear, best grip Ive ever had

Only Spesh tyre i found had good grip was a Hillbilly on a demo Levo SL in the Surrey hills in February, conditions were just right for it and it had tons of grip

You can buy white Maxxis logo tyres from OEMs. I have white logo Rekon tyres which I got from Commencal when they were on offer.

 

[Taffyteg]

I had Butcher 3.0 on the Levo when I got it, absolutely hated them. I am now running Maxxis 2.6 DHF on the front and a Maxxis 2.6 Rekon on the rear. I am very happy with this combo.

 

[escrs]

You can buy white Maxxis logo tyres from OEMs. I have white logo Rekon tyres which I got from Commencal when they were on offer.

I thought you could only buy oem tyres from Commencal if you were buying a frame/bike from them though?

I looked at getting the Assegai's from them as they were the cheapest but the website says only availble if you purchase a frame or bike from them

BIKES, SNOW, LIFESTYLE - COMMENCAL

COMMENCAL is based in the principality of Andorra, nestled away in the Pyrenees a stone's throw from the World Cup track. Commencal bikes caters for a wide range of mountain bikers. DH, enduro, trail, e-bike, kids bikes, dirt jump and more. We've got you covered.

www.commencal-store.co.uk

I have a 2.6 Assegai on the front and it will give you confidence but I would not use it on the back as it is a bit draggy. Use what ever you have on the back until they are worn and see what feels best and why then replace with something similar.

Running a 2.5WT Assegai on the rear of my Levo, Ive not noticed much difference in drag from the DHR2 Maxx Terra DD that was fitted before it, maybe im putting a little more effort in which isn't a bad thing

 

[JetSedgwick]

Does anyone have an opinion on the 2.6 Assegai front vs Minion DHF 2.6 front?

 

[escrs]

The 2.6 Assegai is only available in dual compound (EXO casing) and maxx terra compounds (EXO & EXO+ casings) which is the same as the 2.6 DHF

So the only real differences between those two size tyres is the knob placement, id expect grip to be a little bit better on Assegai especially when transitioning from the centre knobs to the side knobs going into berms/bends (this is one of the features Greg Minnaar didnt like about the DHF as there was a bit of gap of traction whilst transitioning from the centre knobs to the side knobs)

Ive replaced a 2.5WT DHF (EXO with maxx terra compound) on the front of my bike with a 2.5WT Assegai (DoubleDown casing with maxx grip compound) and have even better grip on the front at the expense of faster tyre wear

 

[JetSedgwick]

i was wanting to keep the 2.6 in the front, so I think my only choice is the EXO+ casing, I'd opt for the double down but it's not available.

 

[lumpy]

Does anyone have an opinion on the 2.6 Assegai front vs Minion DHF 2.6 front?

I find i trust the Minion DHF more on the front. The Assegai is great but for me the Minion is better

 

[AlexEMTB]

Michelin Enduro Wilds have been really good. Remember to choose the softer one to the front

Thx! Ordered the Michelin's. They add half a pound to the SL but I can make up for it with an SWORKS power saddle

 

[urastus]

Does anyone have an opinion on the 2.6 Assegai front vs Minion DHF 2.6 front?

I prefer the assegai. I still have the original dhf which I ran while it was dry. When I first changed to assegai I thought it wasn't as high volume as the dhf. After living with the assegai for the last 6 months I'm happy with it - it has just worked. I changed to assegai when it started getting wet and slimy here. I will put the dhf back on soon, as it is coming into our dry track period. I will wear the dhf out, but not replace it. I'm happy with assegai on the front all year. It doesn't have that "no man's land" between centre knobs and side knobs - that has caught me out a couple of times when I wasn't aggressive enough. I did buy a dhf for the rear for dry use - it is an easier roller than the dhrII and seems to climb just as well. I'm not good enough to compare the braking of it to a dhr in the steep stuff, but surprisingly I felt the dhf was the better climber! Hard pack, loose over hard, rocky, steep. I have a couple of tyres to use up on the rear yet, but I haven't settled on a year round tyre for that. I'm considering assegai or schwalbe eddy current 2.6 rear. Or I could stay with DHRII which is good in the small amount of mud we get here - that tyre never packs up.

 

[Bencab]

Just FYI. According to a very reliable source, Specialized is coming up with new compound on their tires.

 

[JetSedgwick]

Thx! Ordered the Michelin's. They add half a pound to the SL but I can make up for it with an SWORKS power saddle

those look very cool.

 

[AlexEMTB]

those look very cool.

Thx! The reviews are very good. Even Pinkbike gives them the thumbs up ??

 

[AlexEMTB]

Enduro Wild 2.4 is quite big tire

Got the new kicks and can't wait to try them! The compound is super soft and grippy!

 

[JetSedgwick]

Got the new kicks and can't wait to try them! The compound is super soft and grippy!

View attachment 40112

curious to hear your review. I've only ridden Butchers and Maxxis. Why did you pick these?

 

[AlexEMTB]

curious to hear your review. I've only ridden Butchers and Maxxis. Why did you pick these?

I've had the Assegai and Aggressor on my last bike and they were great. I'm a fan of Michelin car performance tires and wanted to give them a shot. The reviews have also been stellar. The last reason is one can't have yellow Maxxis logos clashing with gold kashima

 

[AlexEMTB]

curious to hear your review. I've only ridden Butchers and Maxxis. Why did you pick these?

Ok... Had a ride and love them! Super grippy and didn't wash out once. They inspired confidence. Now, they aren't as fast rolling as the OEM tires but I'm comparing them after they had 1500 miles and were just about done.

 

[JetSedgwick]

I JUST got a new set of Maxxis so I'll rock these for a while, I'll check out the Michelins after.