Trail Bliss or Marketing Miss: Schwalbe Radial MTB Tire Review

[@Larpy1933]

So far, this is by far the best video on the new radial tires. The discussion in the last 5-8 minutes out in the woods is pure gold - as far as deciding which version to try. (from Victoria, BC - 75 km away)

[@FanatikBikeCo]

Thanks, glad you enjoyed the video. Where is your favorite place to ride in Victoria?

[@loganpatricknelson]

Wow cool long form video! I actually was thinking the exact same thing about the Pacific Spiny Lumpsucker. Glad to hear BK is keeping up the tire pile.

[@emericrochford7648]

Holy moly what a video! Whoever put this all together really knows their stuff!

[@grantwilliams2912]

Great insight.. Currently running Tacky Chan front and back. I going to Mary radial upfront to begin

[@FanatikBikeCo]

Can't go wrong with the Mary upfront, which compound are you thinking?

[@grantwilliams2912]

I think Ultra Soft.. Where I ride tends to primarily mud, loam, gravel, so it’s not to harsh on tread

[@anthonygass603]

Super helpful video!! Excited to try these out 💪

[@FanatikBikeCo]

You won't be dissapointed. Might be the biggest innovation in MTB this year! I'm sure we'll start seeing other companies follow Schwalbe's lead with this radial construction

[@idaviddesmet]

I need those with tan sidewalls!

[@FanatikBikeCo]

Hopefully that becomes an option down the road!

[@GerkWerks]

I run the Ultra soft mary up front and soft albert in the rear, both gravity casing. Im in socal and it is perfect for hard pack\ loose rock. Amazing amount of grip and im coming from maxxis dh assigai max grip front and rear

[@GerkWerks]

Forget to mention that I shattered a carbon rear we are one rim at 30psi with a cushcore. That was going through a rock garden

[@martinbourgault816]

On which tire did you blow up your rim? Maxxis or Albert? ​@@GerkWerks

[@GerkWerks]

​@@martinbourgault816Albert gravity soft compound

[@DaMoonManMaybe]

Pure cinema. Adding to my letterboxd.

[@dt81819]

On my Turbo Levo, I was initially using Spesh’s Butcher (f) and Eliminator (r). Towards the end of summer, I switched to Schwalbe’s Eddy Currents. When it’s time to replace them, I’m thinking of trying the radial Shreddas. Thanks for the informative video.

[@FanatikBikeCo]

Won't be disappointed with the Shredda!

[@bertkreft9689]

only when i pump up the radial tire until it has the same rolling resistance - will it ride as hard and bumpy as a normal tire...

[@dav31078]

Hoping Schwalbe releases some faster tread patterns with radial tech. Wonder if this would be best for a front tire, then a normal bias ply rear for support and rolling resistance.

[@FanatikBikeCo]

If rolling resistance is a concern, radial up front and bias-ply out back could definitely be a solution. Maximum traction is your m.o. then radial/radial is the move

[@stevenparisi]

Hell yeah. Got a set of this from you all onto my bike for one ride before the snow & cold ended the season here in CO. Thought they felt great in the straight & bumpy bits, but hard to notice a huge benefit in the corners (so far)

[@FanatikBikeCo]

Curious which tread pattern you choose for CO trails?

[@stevenparisi]

@ MM trail ultra soft front, Albert soft super gravity back. Mostly loose over hard or just hard pack here. Not saying these aren’t going to hookup amazingly on corners, but I haven’t been able to say since almost all brand new tires hook up on the first ride. I’m sick of sniper front tire wash outs tho, looking forward to trying these bois out in the blown out bike park corners

[@luiscuadros2]

Ideal for high desert southwest dry, rocky, chunky terrain. Noticeable difference on the first pedal. With Assegai up front, ideal combo for New Mexico.

[@FanatikBikeCo]

Which tread pattern and compound did you chose for New Mexico?

[@Zetler]

Can no longer deny the hype for these tires. They're my next set after a decade of ridding Maxxis.

[@FanatikBikeCo]

HYPE IS REAL!

[@steveg3648]

I am running an Albert soft trail as a front tire on my trail bike in the northeast. I like it. The tire it replaced was a speedgrip (firmer compound) so I don't have much to compare it to. It feels like the new tire reduces the amount of vibration going up through my bars when riding really rooty trails. PS I think the term analog bike is silly.

[@FanatikBikeCo]

Should we call em acoustic?

[@steveg3648]

@@FanatikBikeCo Haha, I don't know. I just say MTB or EMTB. I get the need to differentiate, especially now that brands are making tires like the Shredda specifically for the e bikes.

[@xrstopherpopp120]

I"m in Mexico....riding loose rock over compacted dirt, so lower tire pressure is the key, but thorn's abound where high pressure helps! Urrrrgggggggg.....So i get flats constantly and HATE flats. If this tech works it'll be a game changer for shizzle!

[@FanatikBikeCo]

This might be exactly what you are looking for! Get a set of the radial tires in the Gravity Pro casing and you should be worry free!

[@emilianoacevedo6079]

De dónde eres?

[@xrstopherpopp120]

@ Sonora ¿y tú?

[@rippinfreshies782]

Video was amazingly shot!

[@andyclemans6683]

I ride like Joey! With a walker and spikes!

[@FanatikBikeCo]

Joey is the best!

[@cunning-stunt]

Cross-ply and bias-ply tyres actually predate radial tyres on cars. I actually preferred cross-plys on my 70s landrover as they were better off road in rough and muddy conditions.

[@nathantoney.1501]

Did amaury win Les gets on a radial tire? He sure looked like he had more grip than anyone else

[@Schwalbai]

Dirty Dan Radial Prototypes

[@Kev2Bee]

I would like to know how they perform once the rolling resistance is matched to BP tires by increasing the psi. How would they feel and react then?

[@benplatt7569]

What are your thoights about using inserts with these radial casings in comparison to regular casings?

[@FanatikBikeCo]

You could do it, but with the radial casing tires you can run higher pressures and still get more grip. Often times the reason someone runs an insert is to run lower pressure for more grip and avoid damaging their rim. With a radial casing tire you run a higher pressure and don't risk pinging your rim, but still have the same amount of grip as a lower pressure non radial tire

[@sambolo]

@@FanatikBikeCoradial gives more grip because it is softer in bigger pressures, and deform more, so you end up destroying your wheel anyway?

[@Mizi08]

So Albert for dry conditions and magic marry for wet conditions?

[@FanatikBikeCo]

I've been a long time magic mary fan and have run it in dry conditions, but ideally yes i would say Albert dryer conditions and Mary when the ground is soft/loose.

[@nathantoney.1501]

Is the Albert radial best for hard pack?

[@FanatikBikeCo]

The Albert tread pattern is considered an "all arounder" tire, but I'd say it will excel better in harder pack conditions compared to the Mary or Shredda. Both of those tires have taller knobs and a more open tread pattern which is better for penetrating loose soil when compared to an Albert.

[@Micha_7F]

For sure!

[@goforbroke2]

Interesting tire technology but all of these options are going to cause too much rolling resistance on my single speed. I’m sure more tire choices will be available eventually.

[@FanatikBikeCo]

Which tread patterns would you like to see in Radial next?

[@Dragonfly0987]

Has anyone tried a Shredda rear on the front with a Radial Mary or just a Big Betty on the rear?

[@FanatikBikeCo]

Funny you ask... I've been running that combo for a couple weeks and I think you'd be hard pressed to find a better winter/wet-weather combo!

[@pedrosanciny6345]

I dont understand. If radial tire deforms better localy, its exactly situation when you hit sharp rock. How is this tire supposed to better in these situations?

[@sambolo]

This☝🏻 bye rims

[@FanatikBikeCo]

Radial tires deform better locally, which leads to increased traction even at higher pressures. These higher pressures provide the protection from rim strikes you would achieve with tire inserts.

[@terr256]

The biggest question is which tire to get? I really like my DHR/Assguy combo. Would the Albert/Magic Mary combo be good?

[@FanatikBikeCo]

It depends on your terrain, where do you normally ride?

[@natemady1584]

Albert Trail 29 seems squirmy as rear tire unless over inflated.

[@FanatikBikeCo]

If the Albert in the Trail Pro Casing is feeling squirmy, you may want to try it in the Gravity Pro Casing.

[@DandyHippo]

i love you

[@FanatikBikeCo]

I love you too

[@SmileyBoy84]

I am running the Schwalbe Albert Soft in my norco range 2022/23 and I love it.. it is not that much of a difference in rolling resistance to be honest.. I ride to work on the road with like 19 kmh overall and with the old tires I was at 20-21.. and I had them pumped way much more... Radial are the best tires ever even over roots and mud

[@FanatikBikeCo]

Glad you like them, what pressures did you settle on?

[@jokermtb]

Just wait til bike frames are designed from the get go, for radial tires. Same thing had to occur in the motorcycle world when radials hit the scene in the 80’s to really maximize the benefits- we’re just getting started. Radials are going to trigger the next major wave of frame design. Get ready

[@FanatikBikeCo]

Not big moto heads over here, but interesting to hear that. What did they change about moto's to maximize radial benefits?

[@Jurawood]

@@FanatikBikeCo Shorter wheelbase every year. Sharper head angle every year. The exact opposite of what happens with MTB.

[@a8f235]

Given you get more traction with radial, that makes compound choice even more important now. So, how do Schwalbe's compounds soft and ultra soft differ when we talk about softness in center vs side lugs etc? The other part is casing, and how they compare to Maxxis where I've now run Exo+ front and rear and been perfectly fine with that. Is Trail casing like Exo or is it more like Exo+?

[@FanatikBikeCo]

Trail Pro is probably closer to EXO. Gravity Pro probaly sits right between DD and EXO+

[@a8f235]

@@FanatikBikeCo But you got Trail, Trail Pro, Gravity and Gravity Pro. The Albert is so far only Trail or Gravity, but Magic Mary is Trail Pro, Gravity or Gravity Pro. The 29x2.50 Trail Pro Magic Mary sits at 1220g which comparing to a similar Maxxis is slightly heavier than a DHF in EXO+ so, that it should be closer to an EXO feels very odd to me.

[@thwood40]

@@a8f235Thick and durable like exo+, compliant and smooth like exo

[@a8f235]

@@thwood40 Sounds about right. As Albert is more of a hardpack tire and I only got mixed or slop conditions where I live, I think I'll just try a front tire to begin with. Start off with the Magic Mary in Trail Pro up front and Maxxis DHR II Exo+ Maxxgrip in the rear. I do a lot of uphill riding and often fireroad uphill just to get to the trails, and I at least have been perfectly fine with rolling resistance on that Maxxis tire. I think changing just the front can be a good way of establishing an understanding of differences, and maybe even find it to be a go to for what I ride.

[@trailfork7815]

Radials from a grip standpoint is really awesome but durability wise they are not good

[@FanatikBikeCo]

Have you worn through a set or something like that? Some of us have spent a couple months on radial tires with no issue. Interested to hear of durability issues others may have encountered.

[@trailfork7815]

@ not really an issue, they just wear put a bit faster than others

[@mt-wizard]

I am a simple man - I hear "analog bike", I downvote

[@FanatikBikeCo]

What do you want to hear?