Tire debate: Cannibal, HR3, or Radial

zero experience with anything other than Maxxis. Used to be a DHR2 front and rear guy. Then was a LONG time user of Assegai/DHR2 combo. Recently swapped to HR3. I was anxious to try something different than my loved and seasoned set up. Well, I am a BIG fan! Definitely surpassed my expectation in the all rounded category. Amazing in the loose. Better than expected through rock/hard pack, etc. 

I will be sticking with HR3 for now. 

Note- I am also in CO and having ridden these tires anywhere from SW CO to Left Hand up near you. Good mix of terrain. 

The cannibal at $52 is a great tire.

I'm a fan of the radial MM but if you prefer tires with a locked in cornering feel and a supportive side wall, it may not be for you. I think the radial MM is better at slower speeds where mechanical grip is favored in lieu of support. 

Michelin tires might be worth considering. The MS is a better version of the Magic mary imo, with more support yet still supple. The MH is more similar to the other tires you mentioned - has a pronounced channel and provides locked in grip when leaned over. 

I think Brian Cahal did a Cannibal review.  I didn't pay much attention since I won't spend any money at Specialized, but I sort of recall he said it needed to be driven and leaned aggressively.

Jason at Vital just did an HR3 review like a month ago, testing in SoCal.  So plenty dry and loose conditions like I imagine you get in CO, and he really liked it.  It's my current favorite front tire in NorCal also (my local trails look more like the SoCal ones, rather than Santa Cruz loamers).  There's a much more engaged feeling when you lean it over in loose kitty litter compared to something like an Assegai which just sort of floats on top, and it rolls faster on hardpack too.

Canni is hard to beat that price. Good compound, good tread, good sidewall, ok wear. 2 x 2 x paddle is a good design that gives you better braking over a regular 2x2 design. Burly corner knobs that dont fold. For $52 I wouldn't buy anything else.

If I was going to go for a 2x2 style tire id probably just get conti argotal with a kryto re for the life of the tire. 

Why are you missing out the HillBilly? I'd say it was as versatile as the HR3 - I have one on the front of my Enduro and a friend has an HR3 - they're very comparable but the Hillbilly is much cheaper and more readily available.

I've also ran Cannibals and yes they do need riding hard to get the most out of them. If you're riding bike parks then the Cannibal is very good, anything natural and I much prefer the Hillbilly. Last year I did a week in Morzine and a week in Les Arcs. Cannibal for Morzine, HillBilly far better in Les Arcs.

I'm on a similar quest and have come to the conclusion that the answer is "try them all." I have a butcher, dhf, and assegai in the shed, then radial magic mary and kryptotal in the cart with a stockpile of sealant and an eye on cheap front wheels to make swaps easier

If Contis weren't 115-120 a pop, I'd be right back on em. Considering I found the radials for 80-85 a tire, I'm installing those today and giving the kool aid a sip...

I imagine radials take a solid re-think on how you approach tires. In a few ways, from what psi to run to even what tread to run for your local. I wouldn't be surprised if an MM radial out performs expectations, and it's at a digestible price right now (WWC)... But as you mention it's had mixed reviews and I think it's from a variety of mis-use. And I still wonder if truly aggressive riders will benefit from it, or if it's actually a better blue flowy joey option. As I feel like expert riders encounter tire roll too easily on the radials and then when they pump it to a psi high enough to corner more consistent, it's actually not that great for chatter and just high speed vibration.

I'm going albert F-R because I basically ride a concrete sidewalk of a trail in SoCal... But I think albert-MM is a super solid all around set up. If your area is loamier than I imagine than just go Shreddas and feel true pain on the climb.

But again, I don't think I'd even be trying them if Contis weren't 30-40 more per tire. Even though I'm curious what conti rear and radial front would feel like...

What type of terrain do you ride in most of the time. Radials shine on natural, tech terrain without too many sharp rocks. They give loads of grip and really mute the terrain. I love them but for bikepark or really rocky terrain and normal tyre will give more support. Shredda rear as a front is a great all rounder but will roll slower than a Magic Mary. It will, however, last longer due to the taller knobs. The Albert is a good option as a rear as it rolls better than both the MM and the Shredda. I haven't tried it as a front but have heard it doesn't dig in when leaned over. Haven't tried the HR3 but I find the Cannibal to be too square and stiff which makes it hard to keep grip when really leaning the bike over. 

Terrain dependant for sure. The Radial Magic Mary is the best tire I’ve ridden for natural tech trails with lots of chatter and off cambers. Takes some getting used to on hard pack and bike park style terrain though (Conti are my fave here). The weird thing about the radial casing is I’d almost consider it more of a suspension innovation than a tire innovation. It gives the bike a feeling of calmness and mutes terrain in a way that is almost like an O-Chain or switching to a coil shock. Really great tire if you have the terrain for it. 

I’ll second the hillbilly as a front tire. I have used hillbilly/cannibal combo as well as dual cannibals for the last couple of years. I don’t have a direct comparison to the HR3, but the specialized DH tires (hillbilly and cannibals) wear a lot slower than the maxxis DH tires. The sidewalls on the specialized tires are quite a bit stiffer than a maxxis as well. If the trail surface is packed or really loose gravel, dual cannibals are a good option. If the trail surface is a bit looser and soft, hillbilly and cannibal is a really sick combo. That being said, I have ridden the hillbilly in pretty much any condition from frozen dirt to full on hardpack and been pretty stoked on it. 

On top of the fact there is still, as of now, not a ton of options for Radials. I had to go 2.6, even though they look like they run closer to 2.4-2.5; but given the width of my rims... It creates for an outrageously rounded tire. Which I don't mind for my terrain personally but would likely make next to no sense for most riders (with the Albert). Such that MM and even Shredda is likely the move. For the front at least.

And I think it's still gravity casing only? Not sure how worlds apart it is from DH for Schwalbe, but inherently just in terms of carcass I imagine it doesn't hold a candle to Contis or even Maxxis DH (isnt the HR3 sporting the newest version of DH casing, even better?)

I just want to test the radial concept and if it doesn't work for me I am just eating the bill of Conti FnR. Though I quite liked the new releases of the Dissector and HR3. Wish it was easier to try all these things without lighting wallet on fire...

Flow trails are where Radials work poorly because you can generate speed and often have good traction, loose rock with poor traction at slower speeds is where they excel. Just always buy the gravity casing unless it's just for a trail bike, otherwise, they are a handful.

I dug up Cahal's Cannibal review vid:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgiPVzvxtPg

He's got comparisons to DHF, DHR, and Magic Mary in it.

Ya speed not being my main concern I was open to that sacrifice. Honestly being a big fella I don't mind... The bike slowing me down, although going uphill I'd love to be on XC tires at 35psi, of course.

I just experimented with lower psi, and it felt great of course... But I was pinging the rim pretty bad. Just part of being heavy and taking bad lines. So if I can get a tire that holds up more during a bad line but gives me SOME cornering feel, I'll take a speed deficit. I ain't racin.

But ya I had to see for myself since the mix of reviews were sorta 'unhelpful'. I am emotionally prepared to not like them lol... Even if I'm hardly financially prepared to sell them for a loss and buy Contis/Maxxis at MSRP.

I've run all of those and I'd vote for the dh/ss argotal. All day, every day.

I currently have four different tires on my two bikes and the Hillbilly is my least favorite. It’s the first Specialized tire I’ve had, I have it on the front, and I don’t want another. 

I am definitely not great at riding bikes. It may be that. 

Where are you seeing Radial tires for $60? Is shipping from Germany a legit option these days?

If you’re hard pack and lose over hard then maybe the Cannibal would suit you better. But I don’t notice gaining that much grip as/when I switch to either a cannibal or butcher in the depths of summer. 

You're in the Seattle area, so I'm gonna bet the front Hillbilly you've been riding has sucked on slick roots and rocks, and maybe on slimy hardpack flat corners too. Am I right?

I think the hillibilly has a narrow window compared to argotal. The knobs are smaller and dont do as well as these newer tire I think. I dont really love it compared to some of these newer tires. A cut shredda front could be a good 2x2x2 tire with a knob closer to the size of the argotal. If you're looking for a radial 2x2x2 tire. 

Pardon the windbagger but here goes: in short - get the radials for grip, durability and wild fun. 

I've mostly ridden the radials over the past 13-14 months and I think they are easily next level, and well above the others for grip, durability, and ultimately price because they last forever.  They are the be-all end all for me and are now on all 3 of my bikes.  No spring chicken here, 36 yrs on and I ride western NC year round, with a summer month-long Colorado trip in 2025 to compare. The jabber below is mostly DH, but I have these on an E (Shredda front / Mary rear) and enduro bike (Albert / Albert) too - same feel & durability. 

Early 2025 I bought a set of gravity Schwalbe Mary front / Albert rears for my downhill bike and 10 months in - key takeaway is the tread looks barely worn are they are still grippy AF even at 3 psi higher than other tires are supposed to run.  These tires have ben ridden hard and mostly full park days from Feb-May and Sept-Oct at Rock Creek (weekly) June-Sept (twice weekly) at Beech / Sugar Mountains in western NC and Windrock once a month, and 15 park days in CO. I know you're talking enduro bike, but DH tires take a beating and I've beaten the shit out of these - mabye 75 ride days, and they are nowhere close to being cooked or done.  They don't look brand new, but the tread is still fully intact - no cracks, no rips or tears, and barely look worn down. No flats. Not using inserts. 

This October,  I put back on 1) a set of gravity CannibalT9 front / Butcher T7 rear and then 2) a set of Argotol front / Kryto rear for Rock Creek DH rides for wetter ride days.   Neither tire was even close to the grip and velvety feel of the radials - they just felt wooden. The Specialized had only 2 months use prior, while the Conti's had about 4 months of use prior but both still basically good shape, and both tire sets had been stored in a temp-controlled garage & had been armor-all'd before storage to help keep them from drying out.  They rode OK - but there was nothing notable to say - were not superior like the radials, but both already show more signs of wear. 

Ride-feel wise, the radials were as awesome in CO as they were at home. I usually spend the last 2 weeks of July & 1st two weeks in CO (CB, Winter Park, Powderhorn, Keystone, etc.) but I dropped 1-2 psi to make up for the slightly scrabblier rock and more hardpack vs. home conditions: zero issues, totally grippy (and you guys have waaay more scrabbly / tire-eating rock than in western NC).

Can't honestly say about the Maxxis - but I've never had any Maxxis last more than about 3-4 months (aside from me pushing it long beyond its lifespan) but I've not run any lately so maybe they are more durable now (?)  

Still - my conclusion is you should try the Schwalbe radials if you have not. They are easily the grippiest and most durable tire I have ever had - and by a longshot. Because they are so durable - you're spending less $$$ on replacing tires.  Maybe its me but I think you'll be blown away.  

The only issue you might have though is that the radials are going to last well beyond your winter season, so you're likely gonna be forced to score another set of tires to change into for summer riding season when you need a bit less traction - so that's something to think about b/c they are about $110 each if ya go w/ radials again.  

Oh shit sorry…it’s a Cannibal and I’m on the Central Coast now. Got it all wrong!

It is on the front and I do suck. That was right. 



 

And your description holds for my experience / skills in the PNW for most front tires actually hahahahaha

Assegai has been my favorite front tire up there…MM is my favorite until it’s not, and these new Contis, the Kryptotal Fr especially, have been so good in the wet. My eeb came with MM / BB, first schwalbes since I started on Hans Dampfs, and I love them…cannot wait for some damn radials

Glad this thread popped up because I can vouch for hillbilly. Claims about it not being great all around are greatly exaggerated. Teamrobot is probably right but I can say that in Santa Cruz the hillbilly’s did amazing in the wet, just that it’s a different kind of wet here

I honestly think you can get one of these spiky fronts and ride it and be happy. They all get stellar reviews and the physics are caveman enough that they just work. Period. 

I have serious qualms with the cannibal as it seems like a hard pack tire and that’s never where I’m optimizing a bike for. I want my tires to save my ass in the deepest most blown out loose corners that I did not brake properly for. I choose tires to save my ass when I get blown off line and make a big creative line through Duffy nonsense on the side of the trail. Ima in those instances that I would be happy to have an HR, MM or Hillbilly

It takes some courage, but I really like running a MM Radial up front with a non-radial rear, like a DHR2 or Kryptotal Re.  Insane grip up front, take any line you want,  while still holding up through berms and such. Front and rear tires have different needs so I like this setup at the moment.   

 I've ran all but the Cannibal. It looks gimmicky & not really good for my riding. Magic Mary is my favorite front tire in the last 10 years, but maybe for reasons most won't appreciate. The side knobs are "flimsy" looking, but they actually stiffen up and "bite" on a heavy lean because of the way the base of the knob is made. I never run less than a "Soft" enduro or DH casing. Warning: Running the Super Soft in Enduro casing right now & it grips like the bejeebus, but wears out crazy fast.
Contrast is I run Butcher T9 Grid Gravity in the rear because Magic Mary goes bye bye way too fast back there for the price. Since rears cook faster, makes sense to buy the cheaper brand. Mounted Super Soft front Magic Mary weeks after & has worn twice as fast as the T9 on the rear.

Assegai front I like in 3C Double Down...BUT I CUT out the intermediate knobs. Does way better in Pisgah & takes off a lot of weight. Cheap way to buy a DHR2 style front tire b/c Assegai is on sale more. 

I only DHR 2 on my DH bike. Not worth the money per mile on my trail rig to burn the most expensive soft compound tire on all the pavement climbs.

Radial MM is great, especially for deeper soil or soil that is loose. However for hardpack or a thin layer of loose over hard I prefer the tacky chan. That tire locks in like none other, as long as you commit to the lean angle.  Also rolls faster than the MM. heard there is a radial tacky chan in the works which would be interesting but I think a lot of what sets the TC apart is when you can get all that pressure on the cornering knobs and I don’t know if that would make it squirmy as a radial.

Kryptotal, Assegai, MM are all tires I put in the confidence category. Good grip at any angle but you give up some rolling speed and outright grip when cornering. 

I like the radials in the wet, and particularly on techier trails. But on faster tracks that allow more cornering load, they get weird. Vague in the corners, until you up the air pressure enough that you start losing grip. Slow rolling too. 

Possibly dependent on rider weight and aggression. Great tires for muting square edged chatter and roots for sure.