Do Schwalbe's Albert Tires Live Up to the Hype? - Schwalbe Albert Review | Eric’s Test Kitchen ep.1

[@SpencerAstraPOV]

I was blown away by the damping properties. They're incredible tires. It feels like a real step forward in tire technology to me.

[@philanimasuku4256]

Loved the review and the creativity when it comes to presentation. The old school kitchen and serving the tires and all that was dope. So different. Really liked it.

[@JankyEric]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@Kev2Bee]

All Hail the Algorithm! Enjoyed the kitchen format. I gotta burn off the Conti’s that I mounted before the radials release. After that. Here goes Schwalbe.

[@Petrus2813]

Bought one trail in 2.5 width two months ago to try it out. Was surprised how supple and grippy it was. I believe this is my new favourite tire. Been a Maxxis DHR/DHF runner a long time. Now its gonna be all Albert. Trek Remedy and gnarly trail. Thanks for a very cool review! 😎

[@MediocreMitchMTB]

Perfect timing my man. I’ve had this in my cart for a week now trying to decide. You gave me the answers I was looking for! Stoked to try it out

[@victorcanamon]

Hey Eric, really liked the video. I have a question. In the POV shots, what are the settings do you use on your camera, and what camera do you use? I hope to se more videos like this man. 💪🏻

[@grantwilliams2912]

I currently run the Tacky Chan for front and rear.. Mainly for riding rooty single track in the UK.. Is switching the Albert likely bring any advantage over the current combo?

[@mehukatti123]

I wish that Schwalbe would make Rock Razor in Radial 2.5 version. Would be cool to have Albert or Magic Mary up front and then Rock Razor in the rear.

[@sticksspokesropes2342]

Gotta swing by the real race dad kitchen again yo! Great video JE. Would love to make sure the team has race specific tire recommendations this season. Might make a cool insta post🤔 race by race.

[@camperp195]

Interesting review,i normally run assegais front and rear,i think i might get a pair of these to try out.

[@meteormedia7021]

I loved that intro! Great review aswell. I don't think the radials are for me, as I tend to like exactly the stiffness and support provided by other downhill casing tires.

[@thierrylerinckx1340]

Great review Eric !! I had this tire on my wish list but had some questions which you just answered perfectly. Also you don't go OOHH AAHH wonderful tire (!) which makes it more believable and less hyped. THANK YOU. ( to please the algorithm.. I subscribed 😉)

[@thierrylerinckx1340]

just a question: on what inner rim width did you test them?

[@JankyEric]

Thanks for the kind words! I tested them on a 30mm inner width WR1 Triad rim

[@frankharradence732]

Excellent review, got to answer all the points riders want to know before changing to a new tyre.

[@TheMTBRider96]

Can’t wait to get my hands on one! Alber trail pro ultrasoft Will be paired with the soft tacky Chan trail in the back, perhaps during peak summer with the nobby nic in the back

[@JankyEric]

Dialed combo!

[@sergerasklad]

sick riding, mate! definitely adds some weight to your recommendations

[@JankyEric]

Thank you!

[@levinfriedemann7476]

Nice one, it would be interesting to hear pairing options for the rear in different conditions.

[@JankyEric]

@@levinfriedemann7476 I thought about including this but the video was getting long and I haven’t tried all the options yet. I want to try an albert front and rear next. I’ve been running a non-radial ultra soft super gravity Magic Mary in the back and I find that it breaks away slightly sooner than the Albert on the front in mixed/wet conditions. I think for dry conditions the tacky chan is much faster rolling and has similar cornering knobs to the Albert so it gives a nice balance but it definitely wears out faster and provides less braking traction in muddy conditions.

[@JC27813]

​@@JankyEricI still think the Betty is Schwalbe's best rear tire

[@MrDavecore777]

Definitely keen on trying the Albert on the front! I wonder if they will released a tacky chan in radial and big betty in radial. The new graphics seem a tad confusing, are they waiting to sell the stock before releasing new ones?

[@JankyEric]

I agree it’s funny when they have tires for sale with both the old and new graphics. I’m not sure if they have plans to make radial rear tires. I’ll reach out to my contact at Schwalbe and see if I can get an answer. Cheers!

[@kevinscott5838]

Eric! great review! What goes on the back then?

[@JankyEric]

@@kevinscott5838 I was running the tacky chan on the back and it worked well for all my dry races and feels like it pedals and rolls quite fast while still having very solid cornering knobs and braking. The main downside is that the center knobs wear out quite quickly. Then at the end of testing the Albert it got wet and muddy so I swapped to a magic mary ultra soft super gravity in the back which is maybe a bit of an unconventional pairing but it worked really well and seems to give a nice breakaway just before the Albert that makes the bike corner really well in wet conditions. The next thing I want to test is Albert front and rear, maybe soft in the rear, but I think the Albert trail front and tacky chan trail rear both in ultra soft is what I'm leaning towards for next season. I think the Albert front Big Betty is also probably a decent option especially if you want your rear tire to last longer than the tacky chan, I just find that the big betty is a slightly slower rolling rear tire, that also seems to break away slightly more suddenly than the tacky chan, but if I wasn't racing and wanted a beefy tire to last longer I would go for the big betty

[@kevinscott5838]

Thanks Eric, appreciate the response

[@mrvwbug4423]

I am curious how it compares to the Kryptotal. It seems to work the opposite of the Contis, the Contis use a stiff casing and like lower pressures than Maxxis, but don't squirm at low pressures. I switched from the Assegai this year to the Kryptotal and a new tire would have to be truly amazing to get me to ditch the Contis.

[@JankyEric]

@@mrvwbug4423 I’ll have to get some conti’s to compare but based on a few friends impressions they are stiff and require low pressures like you said. One of my friends runs the contis in the summer and switches to Maxxis in the winter because the contis get too stiff in the cold. It makes sense to me why they are so popular among DH racers but then again the commencal mucoff team seems to really like the radials. Do you live somewhere warm with high speed rocky and dusty trails?

[@mrvwbug4423]

@@JankyEric I live on the Colorado front range, so rocky, dusty, and fast is the norm for most of the year. In off season riding here, you ride whatever isn't too muddy so you probably aren't pushing your tires too hard here in winter.

[@JS-sy8mo]

Sounds like it could be a game changer for folks with no rear suspension...wish they made something just a little less aggressive and faster rolling like a Forekaster...

[@JankyEric]

I agree! It would be cool if they offered the radial for the nobby nic or wicked will although maybe the radial is slower rolling (I haven’t noticed this but I would believe it) so they are only offering it on gravity oriented tires for now?

[@JS-sy8mo]

@@JankyEric ah yeah forgot about the slower rolling thing i'd heard...but funny because hardtail folks already make lots of tradeoffs for ride quality like inserts or in my case 2.6" tires...

[@DandyHippo]

On a firebird double albert no squirm. its really stable. The tread pattern isnt that aggressive but the feel is good. Still prefer the maxxis compound though, schwakbes and contis feel desd by comparison

[@gweflj]

Try a Tacky Chan Trail. I took Maxxis EXO+ off the front due to the dead feel.

[@williamhoag7181]

I def agree that they are great in Mud- though the new Radial Shredda's are better in the mud by comparison

[@RefRMart10]

I have the Albert’s but haven’t got the chance to take my bike out yet. Seems to be the best tire ever made imo. Definitely runs narrow. I went 2.6 for sure Ultra soft from Regular soft rear I did scree up by getting gravity instead of trail. Trail definitely would suite me better, but my go to place is a bike park so I wanted to have ultimate protection

[@JankyEric]

I think you’ll like the 2.6 gravity based on my experience with the 2.5 gravity! You didn’t screw up getting gravity if you have bike park access

[@TheMTBRider96]

How wide is the 2.6?

[@RefRMart10]

@@JankyEric nice, thanks for the reassurance! Lol

[@RefRMart10]

@@TheMTBRider96 2.6 measures closer to 2.45-2.5 at most

[@sprousaTM]

Interesting. Only tried the Radial Magic Mary as Gravity Pro Casing in Ultrasoft on the front of my ebike comparing it to a standard magic mary ultrasoft in supertrail... I really do like the added suppleness and the grip even on stone slabs and hardpack is still better than the standard one... for your conditions the mary should be better? In the loamy conditions we have in the middle of germany right now with wet soil, the mary hooks up really well. Compared to the "schwalbert" mary clears mud better. But I do like your approach and will keep the big betty in the rear as I really like its feeling.

[@JankyEric]

You’re right that the mary does better in the soft conditions, the problem is that we also have a ton of rock slabs and also hard pack bike park style trails where the magic mary is surprisingly sketchy compared to the Albert. So I take a slight compromise on soft soil in exchange for better grip on rocks and safer feeling in hard berms.

[@thewholetrail]

As far as I could find, no 2.6 ultra soft in trail casing. I bought the 2.5 for front and no need for thick casing on front. It’s so narrow compared to the Assegai I had. Narrower than the 2.4 Purgatory on rear. We’ll see if I get used to it.

[@JankyEric]

You are correct I think 2.6 is only offered in the gravity casing. As far as narrowness goes I was surprised how much the tire grew after a few weeks of riding so you might notice it getting wider still. But again I wouldn’t worry about how it looks.

[@headhuntersixx8164]

I just wish the 2.5 was actually a 2.5 wide tire. That said, they are amazing!

[@oliverschmid3128]

Hi, nice Video .. what rear Tire will u run with the Albert on Front?

[@JankyEric]

@@oliverschmid3128I was running the tacky chan on the back and it worked well for all my dry races and feels like it pedals and rolls quite fast while still having very solid cornering knobs and braking. The main downside is that the center knobs wear out quite quickly. Then at the end of testing the Albert it got wet and muddy so I swapped to a magic mary ultra soft super gravity in the back which is maybe a bit of an unconventional pairing but it worked really well and seems to give a nice breakaway just before the Albert that makes the bike corner really well in wet conditions. The next thing I want to test is Albert front and rear, maybe soft in the rear, but I think the Albert trail front and tacky chan trail rear both in ultra soft is what I'm leaning towards for next season. I think the Albert front Big Betty is also probably a decent option especially if you want your rear tire to last longer than the tacky chan, I just find that the big betty is a slightly slower rolling rear tire, that also seems to break away slightly more suddenly than the tacky chan, but if I wasn't racing and wanted a beefy tire to last longer I would go for the big betty

[@oliverschmid3128]

@@JankyEric thanks for the very detailed answer its quite a nice insight

[@skellener]

I can’t stand the Assegai. Mine came with my bike. It’s almost worn out. Looking forward to ditching it.

[@darrinkulyk9560]

You're Probably the only one .... 90% of Rental Bikes and Ticket holders RUN Assegai At Whistler 😁 Both My Bikes Run 2.5 Assegai MaxxGrip DD F/R On My Enduro And 2.5 DD /F DH/ R 21psi. On my DH Bike I Did 13 Days At Whistler This Season 110Cycles Tires Are Awesome NO Flats Or Any Issues 😎

[@maxthebum]

What pressure do you run (and what before)?

[@JankyEric]

I normally run about 21-22psi in the front and am running 2-3psi higher on the Albert

[@neilmartinez143]

@@JankyEricso how did it feel with the higher pressures?

[@jadynholmgren262]

Yummmm!

[@pedrosanciny6345]

Well, if I hit sharp rock fast, does it mean that radial tire is more likely to be damaged?

[@JankyEric]

@@pedrosanciny6345 I haven’t found this to be a problem, I think the idea is that you can run more pressure so that you are less likely to pinch flat the tire on a rock while maintaining a good feel from the tire and this seems to be true from my testing

[@taol8258]

For my front tire i run 20-21 psi on standard bias ply tire. On the radial I run 24-25 psi and have yet to ding my rim. Of course there are many variables on how much more psi is needed on t he radial but even running my magic mary radial at 28 psi still feels just as soft as the 20 psi bias ply tires. You'll just have to experiment and find out what works for you.

[@itslobo]

Let him cook

[@danytheunicorn95]

I switched from the DHF to a Shorty, and then from an Assegai to a Vigilante. Sorry but never buying a maxxis front tyre again, Wtb and continental are so much better. Schwalbe is amazing too. I HAVE GOOD MEMORIES WITH THE NOBBY NICS, WAYS GRIPPIER THAN WHAT PEOPLE THINK :3 thanks for video mate

[@Lou-f]

You’re supposed to run these tyres with more pressure than you normally would.

[@JankyEric]

You are correct, but I found that the difference in pressure I ran was just 2-3psi higher

[@gweflj]

My advice. List you rim ID and start measuring tires in MM. Imperial just isn’t accurate enough.

[@JankyEric]

I agree, Schwalbe actually lists the ETRTO values (mm) but people are so used to inch sizing so that’s what the brands advertise with.