Specialized Cannibal Tires

In the 26 x 2.2" width there are two models. Both are made in Japan and have steel wire beads. One is a Skin sidewall the other a Black sidewall. The Skin side model has traditional Black rubber for its tread, the Black sidewall model uses the Umma Gumma Grey rubber for its tread. The tread on the 2.2" inch tires most importantly revolves around the center tread blocks which are shaped like a butterfly with its wings open flat. The butterfly block is 22mm wide and 16mm long. The edge blocks at the base of the open wings are triangle shaped. Below the wings are curved blocks which resemble pie slices, one twice the size of the other. Their position left and right at the bottom changes with each tread pattern repetition. Beneath these are triangular blocks with a scooped top that the pie piece blocks contour. There are wide spaces between all the blocks with the tread repeating every 3.4". The tread pattern is considered by Specialized to be directional, but there are no markings on the tire instructing you how to face the tire. A more complex bulletin, as a product reference manual explains that for front wheel use, the "bottom" of the wings should face forward, and for rear wheel use the "top" or wider side of the wings should face forward. Unfortunately, whether this is determined by the tire's imprint, or by looking straight down on the installed tire is left unclear. We found the Skin sidewall model with Black tread had a tested rubber hardness of 63/A, while the Black sidewalled model with Umma Gumma Grey rubber had a slightly softer 61/A hardness.

Cannibal 26 x 2.2" - Steel/Skin/Black $ Price in Catalog
Cannibal 26 x 2.2" - Kevlar/Skin/Black $ Price in Catalog

The Cannibal sized 26 x 1.8" is a Skin sidewall tire with a steel bead. It's made in Japan and uses the Black tread rubber. The Cannibal 1.8 tread pattern is a variation on the one used in the 2.2" size. Down the center are tread blocks made of wing shapes, these look like the caricature of winged doves in flight. One wing is larger than the other, with this larger wing set off the tires centerline. Below the winged block are two blocks that look like saber blade ends, one larger than the other, these are in the place of the pie slice shaped blocks on the 2.2" wide version. The broad area of the saber block sweeps to the outward side of the tire. The larger saber block rests below the smaller wing, with the smaller saber block below the large wing. The wing and saber pattern is reversed in the next block set. Two dove wings blocks and two saber sets make a single 3 3/4" long tread pattern which is repeated around the circumference of the tire. The tread rubber tested to a 63/A hardness.

Cannibal 26 x 1.8" - Skin $ Price in Catalog

The Cannibal 1.95 is the Kevlar beaded model in the Cannibal line. It's made in Japan, available only with a Skin sidewall and only in the Umma Gumma Grey tread compound. This tire has another variation on the Cannibal style tread pattern which is repeated every 2.9" around the tire. The winged shape on the 1.95 has been made more abstract and now looks like a "Flying V" on its side, (with thanks to Gibson). The V tread block, like the previous wings, changes its direction from the previous "V" block. Below the wings are now a pie-slice shaped block which shows up under the "V" base, and a saber shaped tread block which appears under "V" mouth or opening. The 1.95 uses three shapes for edge tread blocks, each of them have supports that rise from the sidewall. The multi-sided edge blocks have a sipe in the line of travel that cuts through the top of three as though it were one continuous sipe. The first block in line has very little depth, the second has some depth and width, the third is very deep and rather wide. Our hardness testing of the tread rubber on the Cannibal 1.95" revealed the Grey tread's hardness to be 63/A.

Cannibal 26 x 1.95" - Kevlar/Skin/Grey $ Price in Catalog