Schwalbe Announces 5 New Tire Casings & 2 New Tread Patterns
Schwalbe's New Big Betty.
Picking the right mountain bike tire seems like it should be a simple process, that is until you're faced with an overwhelming number of options, many with alphabet soup acronyms and names that don't seem to have any relevance to the product at hand.
Schwalbe have been working to change that, a process that began a few years ago with the introduction of their Addix rubber compounds. The names for those compounds were relatively self-explanatory – Soft, UltraSoft, and SpeedGrip, and a colored stripe down the center of the tire made it easy differentiate one compound from another.
For 2021, Schwalbe is continuing their quest for simplification with five new 'Super' carcass options: Super Race, Super Ground, Super Trail, Super Gravity, and Super Downhill. Riders can start by choosing the carcass that fits their terrain and intentions – the thinner and lighter Race and Ground options are aimed at cross-country riders, while the Trail, Gravity, and Downhill casings are heavier duty, designed for riders who need more sidewall support and increased protection against flats.
In some cases, the tires have gained a few grams compared to previous versions, but Schwalbe's intention with the extra reinforcement was to allow riders to run the tires without needing to use any inserts, an interesting change of course from the company that brought Procore to the market back in 2014.
Along with the new casings, Schwalbe also have an updated Nobby Nic on the way, along with a new version of the Big Betty that's aimed at the enduro / DH crowd.
A Quintet of 'Super' Casings
Super Downhill: The burliest option in the lineup, this casing has six carcass layers, two layers of Apex puncture protection at the sidewall, plus Snakeskin fabric for even more puncture protection. It's also tubeless ready with a Kevlar bead.
Designed for DH and enduro use, the Super Gravity casing has four carcass layers, one layer of Apex sidewall protection, and a bead-to-bead Snakeskin fabric layer
Super Trail is aimed at trail and enduro riders, and uses three carcass layers under the tread, and two on the sidewalls. There's also one layer of Apex sidewall protection, and a bead-to-bead Snakeskin fabric layer
The Super Ground casing has three carcass layers and a Snakeskin fabric layer.
The Super Race casing has two carcass layers, with a strip of Raceguard puncture protection under the center of the tread.
Nobby Nic V3
The Nobby Nic is Schwalbe's all-rounder, a tire that's designed to work for everything from cross-country to all-mountain riding. For the third generation of the tire Schwalbe added more support to the side knobs, and altered the center knob pattern to allow for better mud shedding in wet conditions.
The Nobby Nic is available with a Super Ground or Super Trail casing, with Addix Soft or Speedgrip rubber. 27.5” options are available in 2.25, 2.35, 2.6, and 2.8” widths, while 29” versions come in 2.25, 2.35, and 2.6” widths. There are even two 26” models, in either 2.25” or 2.35” widths. The actual weight for a 29 x 2.35 Super Trail model is 1100 grams. MSRP: 59.90 – 69.40 Euro
Big Betty
Big Betty is back in the lineup, returning as an aggressive option that works well as a rear tire when paired with a Magic Mary up front. Rectangular center knobs are designed to dig in for braking traction, and the stout side knobs are meant to provide support during hard cornering.
The Big Betty is available with a Super Trail, Super Gravity, or Super Downhill casing, with either Addix Soft or Ultra Soft rubber compound. 26” models come in a 2.4” width, while 27.5” and 29” versions are available in 2.4 or 2.6” widths. The actual weight for a 29 x 2.4” Super Gravity version is 1363 grams. MSRP: 59.90 – 67.90 Euro.
More information: schwalbetires.com
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- Super Pumped for the pumptrack
- Super Steeze and Super Case for the front/back of my dirt jumper - preferably accepts helium for extra height
- Super Pub for post ride - this would need a self-righting carcass shape
- Super Soaked for wet conditions
- Le Super Sharp Shooter - for sniper lines and the jungle
The S.... the U.... the P, the E the R... the jungle is indeed massive
Why did the tiger get lost in the jungle?
everybody has their own particular wishlist. for me a 2.25 MM soft Supergravity would have been fantastic. less volume, lighter (as less material), burlier tire for the rear..
Similarly, I’d love it of Maxxis would put MaxxGrip rubber on EXO/EXO+ casings...
Genuinely interested. I plan on doing a few desert country rides and hadn't actually thought of this before!
Are you wanting Purple on a "Ground" or Race casing? Or is it a different tread pattern?
Again, genuinely interested.
But i agree, it would be nice to have more options along those lines.
I usually buy whatever the hardest compound available is for the rear. On Maxxis that'd be either "DC" or "Maxterra" for their trail and gravity tires.
I'm currently running e13 tires with a "race" compound in the front and a "plus" compound in the back. I have the SS LG1DH, which is a similar to a DD casing (high tpi dual ply).
Give us the options, Schwalbe!
I use a XR5 up front, since I am not that heavy with tires either, haven't had any problem with punctures.
you can always go SE5 or G5 in case you feel XR doesn't protect enough.
XR5 front SE4 back is my go to choice at the moment for trail.
XC I use XR4 front XR3 (the new one) back.
DH both G5.
But a couple of days ago I went to my basement to check my old tyres, looking for a good rear tracker and picked up Big Betty from 2012, some 65% good and was kind of surprized how thin they were.
Wished for a new 26 addix model and look at that...
Thanks Schwalbe.
I've only checked that they won't make Betty light.
Well gotta send them an @-mail, this is very important for me.
Thanks.
I plan to do the same.
All I want to know is are they cheaper and can I see them in person before dropping coin on them?
You are pretty much the typical buyer. it comes down to price point and availability for most buyers.
Schwalbe just does not have the shop presence that other brands do. it is a premium tire and most buyers don't want to spend the premium $$
Here it's as cheap as maxxis and you find it in all the shops (unlike maxxis)
Regarding the stupid naming, I agree it's always a pain to try to understand which tyre/casing combinations from different brands are equivalent.
I live 1 state away from Maxxis HQ so their stuff is on the shelves here right next to Specialized so I can make that decision easy.
www.schwalbe.com/en/mtb-reader/magic-mary
Magic Mary 29 x 2.40 has ETRTO 62-622
DHF 29X2.50WT has ETRTO 63-622
Assume your talking about Snakeskin? Super gravity blow up small (like 2.2" to 2.3"). Hoping 2.4" SG and ST casings are more true to size
Trail and enduro pedals a lot so it would be good for them and you don't need so much grip at rear.
But why would they make a 2.25 and a 2.26 Nobby Nic version? Is that a typo? 0.01 doesn't seem like a significant enough difference to make it two different products.
It's 2.6
I guess 2.25 and 2.6 would make more sense, great for the people that have a 26+ bike... all 5 of them... probably...
(It's a joke don't murder me pls x_x)
On the other hand, there is absolutely no similarity between the Judge and new (or old) Big Betty other than them both being round and black. The Judge is actually closer in design to the DHR2 than to any of the Schwalbes.
Why, after maybe...5 years of tubeless shreddery, do i STILL loose sealant through the sidewall of the tyre? The sidewalls are always "wet" when i come to the bike. I assumed that the first coating of milk would seal the Tyre?
I dont loose air, theyve been great, i just got a boring old thorn puncture earlier this week and when i finally gave up waggling it around and pulled the tyre to put a tube in, i found there wasnt a drop of sealant in there.
Top tip, don't ignore your sealant levels for months on end. Might start carrying a little bottle of sealant with my pump. Maybe someone could invent a gas cartridge that delivers a shot of extra sealant in the same move.
Doesn't matter to me.
Surely that’s not right???
Super Trail something or another will be my next tire if they are in the ballpark of EXO.
What the hell does Super Ground mean? How does that intuitively slot into the line up? For bikes that don't race and don't leave the ground?
And if they're all Super, the super is super redundant and super adds to the super confusion.
I could see a BB front/RR rear in ST being down country AF.
On a serious note: Why is it harder to figure out what bike tires to run then it is for cars....too much choice and too many options. Flame away PB hordes but how about fewer options. No wonder we pay $100 for a tire these days when a sinlge brand needs to produce and stock over 120 different tires ( assuming all tires listed come in 27.5 and 29 only( more if I add for 26, +, fat ...) and only 2 width each). CRAZY.... Forget the poor shops that have to deal with me going in and complaining because I want the 2.2 supergraphene when they only carry the 2.2 superturd or 2.4 supergraphene.
Bring on the 32 inch bikes in 2022.
But what about the most popular OEM casing and rubber one gets with a new bike? Is it Super Performance then?
Thank you very much
imgur.com/a/VwAoiz6
On my HT the rims were a little narrow for 2.35 and at too low a pressure they would roll and burp but on the i30 rims with a Bontranger Rim Strip - they are great.
NN also doesn't wash out as easily on the soft sandy stuff like my previous Bonty SE4's did and I didn't like the SE5's lack of transition nobs for the variety of surfaces I was riding.
Just don't know to go 2.4 or 2.6 on a 29er. Like the directness of the 2.4 but like the roll over and speed of the 2.6. Have to experiment but I know a NN rear and MM front 2.6 would be a great Winter Snow option. Replace with HD for the summer.
Just hope these tyres are not getting to portly though - 2.6's in a sub 1000g weight is ideal.
Honestly enjoyed my Nobby Nic more than my current Minion tire setup. I'm also lightweight though, don't tend to destroy stuff easily.
And yeah I have the nice Minion with 3C WT and such, I still don't love it though. One corner I ride frequently I washed out my first 3 rides on the new tire. It's off camber hard turn, covered in gravel, I suppose I just need to lean the bike more to hit the side knobs but that goes against every instinct in my body. I like intermediate knobs haha.
Also, I was hoping for the super trail MM to come in ultra soft, I've been running SG MM in the front for years but it's just pointless weight.
I love their tyres when they work, but they're very often missing the mark in key areas...
Different knobs for different jobs I suppose!
Super trail looks very promising.
Yeeeeah... ok wobbly schwa-bull-ee.
Maxxis, accept no substitutions.