- Thread starter
- #31
Out of curiosity, have you tried Maxxis High Roller 3 and if so, how did you find it compared with MM, Albert, Shredda, and Assegai?
Schwalbe radial tyres
- Thread starter irie
- Start date
I have a Relay and have loved Magic Mary / Big Betty Combo for my usual loamy trails. I heard good things about the Continental Kryptotal tires, so switched over to the Enduro casing version after my Schwalbes wore out. Not so great in loam/ mud and it spat me off big time on some roots today, so am looking at going back to my trusted Magic Mary front. What casing did you go with for your Relay? Im happy sticking with 2.5 casing and think I want the Trail casing as this is equivalent to Supertrail cross-ply. Im only 80kg fully kitted and bike is 19kg. I ride light and dont hit big jumps. Most of my riding is loose, loamy, Rooty natural stuff.
xtraman122
Member
Got myself a new set of tires with the Albert rear and Magic Mary front, both 2.5” Ultra Soft Trail Pro and it really is noticeable how well the radials cut down on the fine little bumps/trail chatter. They’re also amazing at gripping on steep climbs, I was able to scale up some big pieces of granite on a few steep climbs in below freezing temps with zero slipping, they were like glue.
I’d still like to see them make a radial Big Betty, but the Albert has impressed me so far. I definitely don’t plan on using anything other than radial tires for the foreseeable future, it really was crazy how much you could feel a difference from them.
I’d still like to see them make a radial Big Betty, but the Albert has impressed me so far. I definitely don’t plan on using anything other than radial tires for the foreseeable future, it really was crazy how much you could feel a difference from them.
xtraman122
Member
I have them in there, they work just fine.
Do you have them front and rear or just rear?
Also, for your MTB - did you go for Gravity casing front and rear or Trail front Gravity rear? Thank you!
xtraman122
Member
Front and rear originally, although I’ve since ditched the front, just didn’t seem necessary. Worked just fine.
I have trail on both because that’s all that was available at the time I ordered. I could see running gravity, but honestly don’t think it’s needed 90% of the time. One of the good YouTube reviews I saw on them mentioned that the casings on these really are more than capable at what they’re rated, and the trail is strong enough for a lot more than people give it credit for. I don’t do much jumping, but I am a heavier guy and have tons of rocks on the trails I ride and they seem just fine so far.
Awesome, thank you.
I'm about to order them, Albert front and rear I think (I don't ride through wet stuff usually). Coming off of Assegai/DHR combo.
Debating Trail vs Gravity and 2.5 vs 2.6 for front (ultrasoft), will probably stick to 2.5 gravity for the rear (maybe more supple ride). I almost never go through my battery so I'm not worried about the weight or the rolling resistance penalty. Also a heavier rider, also don't jump a lot. I'd immediately go for trail for the front but it doesn't come in 29x2.6 and wondering if it blowing up to smaller than 2.4" in reality won't be an issue (I'm on 2.4 assegai exo+ currently on front)
xtraman122
Member
I read about all the sizing stuff with them being skinnier than expected. Just measured my 2.5s with the calipers and got about 2.39” on the outer part of the casing on both of them. Not sure what a non-radial Schwalbe would measure up as; I have no idea how true to size they normally are. My tires may be a bit soft too as I haven’t ridden in 2 weeks or so.
I just received a pair of Shredda's that I'll be putting on my bike tomorrow. Currently running 29x2.6 super gravity magic marys in addix soft. The Shredda's are 29x2.5, but I think with the larger side knobs the overall width will be similar. I'll mount one and put it next the the old MM and compare width and height.
Ok finally got to mount them, here is my initial impression, currently too much snow for a ride report.
Comparing them to my MM super gravity soft 29x2.6's.
New tires shredda gravity ultra soft radial 29x2.5.
Both at 24psi, the shredder is taller because of the knobs, both are the same width with the MM having a larger body, the sidewall actually sticks out farther than the side knobs, but the shredda having larger side knobs makes them the same width overall.
Mounting them isn't too bad if you keep the bead down in the rim, kinda like a very light duty motorcycle tire. The shredda's are heavier according to my uncertified arm scale. Hopefully I'll get a chance to ride them before the next cold front moves in on Saturday, I'll post a ride review after. I kinda like the balloon look of the MM carcass better than the narrower look of the shredda, but I'm hoping performance of the radial is better. If I can't really tell a difference I'll probably switch to specialized tires just because the MM and Shredda's are more per tire than a set of specialized.
Comparing them to my MM super gravity soft 29x2.6's.
New tires shredda gravity ultra soft radial 29x2.5.
Both at 24psi, the shredder is taller because of the knobs, both are the same width with the MM having a larger body, the sidewall actually sticks out farther than the side knobs, but the shredda having larger side knobs makes them the same width overall.
It's being found in Gravel racing that a softer wall bigger tyre will have a better rolling resistance than a stiff walled thinner tyre. The width doesn't necessarily make the tyre roll faster but it does allow for lower pressures without as much risk of punctures. Rolling resistance comes down to the tyre being able to deform over any imperfections in the trail surface and the size of the tread on the tyre. A light, high TPI tyre will have better rolling resistance than the exact same tyre with a lower TPI (stiffer side wall).
Probably not a big consideration with an Ebike as you would probably choose a more stronger tyre for puncture resistance. With the new radials I have heard that you can run a higher pressure (say 3-5 psi) and still have the same traction. I would be interested to try one.
First ride review:
29x2.5 shredda tires
First off I'm comparing these to a set of 29x2.6 Magic Mary's that were super gravity soft, while these are ultra soft, so I'm not sure if the differences I felt are due to the softer rubber, or the radial carcass. I ran the mm's at 18-20psi and today I ran the Shredda's at 24psi. Right away though I noticed a different sound while rolling, and a dead feel when hitting roots and rocks. Instead of deflecting or bouncing these radials just absorb the impact and keep rolling. I didn't notice a difference in rolling resistance and I don't really have a baseline for battery usage on the trail I rode, but I'll try and get on my usual trail when it dries out a bit to see if there's a noticeable difference in battery usage.
I was impressed with their ability to absorb impacts, and traction was really good on sand, silt, and clay. Some sections were muddy and they had plenty of traction and evacuated mud very well. On dry limestone they were also really good, wet limestone is super slick, and these tires didn't make a difference here. I slid out on an off camber climb over a large wet limestone rock. My riding shoes also had no traction on it for comparison. Overall I really liked their performance, but I want to see how they wear before recommending them.
Pro's:
Absorbs impacts instead of deflecting.
Run a higher pressure with more traction than a normal tire.
Overall performance was really good on multiple surfaces.
Con's:
Expensive
Heavy
Wet limestone traction
Unknowns:
Durability
Effect on battery
29x2.5 shredda tires
First off I'm comparing these to a set of 29x2.6 Magic Mary's that were super gravity soft, while these are ultra soft, so I'm not sure if the differences I felt are due to the softer rubber, or the radial carcass. I ran the mm's at 18-20psi and today I ran the Shredda's at 24psi. Right away though I noticed a different sound while rolling, and a dead feel when hitting roots and rocks. Instead of deflecting or bouncing these radials just absorb the impact and keep rolling. I didn't notice a difference in rolling resistance and I don't really have a baseline for battery usage on the trail I rode, but I'll try and get on my usual trail when it dries out a bit to see if there's a noticeable difference in battery usage.
I was impressed with their ability to absorb impacts, and traction was really good on sand, silt, and clay. Some sections were muddy and they had plenty of traction and evacuated mud very well. On dry limestone they were also really good, wet limestone is super slick, and these tires didn't make a difference here. I slid out on an off camber climb over a large wet limestone rock. My riding shoes also had no traction on it for comparison. Overall I really liked their performance, but I want to see how they wear before recommending them.
Pro's:
Absorbs impacts instead of deflecting.
Run a higher pressure with more traction than a normal tire.
Overall performance was really good on multiple surfaces.
Con's:
Expensive
Heavy
Wet limestone traction
Unknowns:
Durability
Effect on battery
Alrighty, after 3 loops on the same 17 mile trail I'm confident that there's no real world affect on battery life. It may actually be a bit better than my MM's, but close enough that ambient temperature and trail conditions will have a larger effect.
I'm really liking the way these soak up trail junk without deflecting, traction is great on everything so far except dry or wet limestone.
I'm really liking the way these soak up trail junk without deflecting, traction is great on everything so far except dry or wet limestone.
ottoshape
Well-known member
Love everything being said about these tires but my primary riding area is a former limestone quarry. Go figure... Thanks for saving me $$$ on trying them and potentially winding up on my head again.
I'm riding the Shredda's, which are probably the most aggressive knobby MTB tires you can get. I bet the other radial tires with less knob spacing would be pretty good on slab rock though, unfortunately they are pretty pricey just to try out.
Tyjay
Active member
Been mulling over the idea of giving these a go
Been running the classic? 🫣 DHR 2 and assegia combo for years with DHF before that
But looking at the Albert’s in gravity and ultra soft for rear and may be Albert and trail for front in soft
Not sure yet as ride classic trail center and probably more off piste natural trails atm need to dig a little deeper on what might be the best option for me
Been running the classic? 🫣 DHR 2 and assegia combo for years with DHF before that
But looking at the Albert’s in gravity and ultra soft for rear and may be Albert and trail for front in soft
Not sure yet as ride classic trail center and probably more off piste natural trails atm need to dig a little deeper on what might be the best option for me
Tyjay
Active member
John_likes_bikes
New Member
I've been on the classic combo of Assegi/DHRII combo for a few years and moved to Alberts. Gravity front and rear, 2.6 SS front and 2.5 Soft rear. Loose over hardpack, hardpack and rocky are my common conditions in California. They've been fantastic, they grip really well in my conditions and the ability to conform to rocks is noticeable. They do dampen trail feel, which I like but is different from Maxxis. PSI is touchy. +/- just a few PSI will make a difference, easy to go too high or low so it takes some testing to find your sweet spot. I landed on 26 front and 29 rear.
Outside of those conditions, if you tend to have wet/loose conditions, it's more loamy or muddy I'd move towards Magic Mary up front for more side knob bite. Even more towards those conditions I'd put MM on the rear and a rear Shredda on the front. Continuing to the extreme end Shredda Front/Rear combo is like having Motocross wheels on the, knobs are crazy long. Giving Wet Scream vibes.
Outside of those conditions, if you tend to have wet/loose conditions, it's more loamy or muddy I'd move towards Magic Mary up front for more side knob bite. Even more towards those conditions I'd put MM on the rear and a rear Shredda on the front. Continuing to the extreme end Shredda Front/Rear combo is like having Motocross wheels on the, knobs are crazy long. Giving Wet Scream vibes.
Best part was when Matt had to quess the tires he rode
. Anyway, good test!Hey James, thanks for the review. I have just bought the same combo (MM/Albert) for my EMTB. Are you running inserts? Of yes what? I am a tall and heavier rider (100kg)so want to protect rim, but want to ensure I get the full benefit of the radial. Cheers Paul
xtraman122
Member
I’m not James but… I’m also a similar weight and am on the MM/Albert combo. I have an insert in the rear but didn’t bother with the front because I just didn’t think I needed it. They still work just fine with inserts.
James_MTB
Well-known member
- Jan 15, 2018
- 299
- 282
Morning Paul
I don't run them; I have in the past, but I don't feel the need.
My friend contacted Schwalbe about inserts, and this was their reply
"Thanks for getting in touch with us, I hope you’re well.
You ask a good question. The construction of the new radial tyres means that you wouldn't really need an insert, in fact as you say, an insert would reduce the effect of the radial tyres. You really want the radials to be free to flex in the way they are designed, otherwise you may as well use the traditional carcass tyres instead.
With the radials, if you use a slightly higher pressure than you are used to, you will still get more grip (due to a greater tyre footprint) and be less likely to ding your rim. I’ve had a couple of my local shops ridding these and hammering them, since October. They ride a mix of ebikes and non-ebikes, all without inserts, and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. The only thing to do is to find your ideal tyre pressure, as it will be different (higher) than what you’re used to. Say, if you run 25psi rear normally, then you may want to go up to 27/28. You will get more grip than you’ve ever had, and the rim should be protected too.
I hope this helps, but if you have any other questions please feel free to ask."
xtraman122
Member
Seems odd to say the insert would prevent the flex, if you look at the profile of the insert versus the inflated tire, the tire is significantly larger than the insert itself, especially on smaller inserts, meaning there is still plenty of room to allow the tire to flex and get the benefits of the radial construction.
I did switch to a small/cheap insert I had gotten from Amazon when I put on my radials. It almost feels like the material they make pool noodles out of and is a smaller overall profile than my big CushCores I had on before, so I felt like it was a happy medium between running nothing and my huge inserts I had previously.
Given my heavier weight and the terrain I often ride on, which is fairly tight single track with a LOT of random rocks throughout the trail, I frequently end up with abrupt hits against the edges of rocks that would definitely lead to some dinged rims or pinch flats with no protection at all. I still get plenty of room for tire flex with them and get some protection as well. I could definitely see a huge regular style insert or especially the Tannus tube style inserts cancelling out the benefits of the radial construction.
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I have tried the Magic Mary Gravity on the front and Albert Gravity on the rear and I really do like them.
Also tried the Shredda Front (hated the tread pattern, too much tram lining due to no centre block) and Shredda Rear, on both rear and front, that works very very well, but obviously massively draggy, but insane levels of grip.
Trying to find the sweet spon on the ebike, I initially thought the Magic Mary Gravity both front and rear would be decent, but wanted to try the Albert Gravity out back first. And considering that the blocks are not too tall on the Albert, it offers suprisingly decent grip levels, even with the current muddy state of the trails.
I'm running 28 psi rear and 25 psi front. I reckon I might have to up it a little bit when it dries out a bit and speeds up, as I had a pretty big rim ding on the rear yesterday landing on a root after a small jump.
The tyres are very nicely damped, grip levels seem high. They turn quite well, although, can feel a little vague on the edge of the tyre (completely different to Conti Kryptotal / Argotal on the edges, which feel more locked in).
I might try them in Finale in a few weeks to see how I get on with faster rolling / rock terrain.
For now they are definitely staying on the bike (I have tried almost every enduro tyre out there over the past few years)
Also tried the Shredda Front (hated the tread pattern, too much tram lining due to no centre block) and Shredda Rear, on both rear and front, that works very very well, but obviously massively draggy, but insane levels of grip.
Trying to find the sweet spon on the ebike, I initially thought the Magic Mary Gravity both front and rear would be decent, but wanted to try the Albert Gravity out back first. And considering that the blocks are not too tall on the Albert, it offers suprisingly decent grip levels, even with the current muddy state of the trails.
I'm running 28 psi rear and 25 psi front. I reckon I might have to up it a little bit when it dries out a bit and speeds up, as I had a pretty big rim ding on the rear yesterday landing on a root after a small jump.
The tyres are very nicely damped, grip levels seem high. They turn quite well, although, can feel a little vague on the edge of the tyre (completely different to Conti Kryptotal / Argotal on the edges, which feel more locked in).
I might try them in Finale in a few weeks to see how I get on with faster rolling / rock terrain.
For now they are definitely staying on the bike (I have tried almost every enduro tyre out there over the past few years)
I have the exact same set up on my Levo, I originally hated the radial tyre this when I had Albert front and rear but decided to give them another go swapping the front with a MM tails keeping the gravity Albert rear, pressure is 29 rear and 26 front. Went to Llandegla and they were amazing the drag which I hate before wasn’t there.
What does "too much tram lining" mean?
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