Schwalbe MTB Tires Explained

Shopping for mountain bike tires can be confusing, as each tire brand has their own names for the sidewall casings, rubber compounds and tread patterns. Schwalbe's tire naming system is no exception with many options of sidewall and rubber for each tread model, however, it's worth learning how these work to pick tires best suited for how you ride.
In this video, Tor explains Schwalbe's ADDIX rubber compound system which offers ADDIX Speed, Speedgrip, Soft and Ultra Soft, as well as their sidewall casings for trail through DH which are Super Trail, Super Gravity and Super Downhill. He also chats with our master mechanic Russ about our favorite tread patterns known as the Magic Mary, Big Betty, Dirty Dan and Nobby Nic.
💥 SHOP Schwalbe MTB Tires - thelostco.com/collections/sch...
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The Lost Co
Bellingham, WA
360-306-8827
www.thelostco.com
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0:00 - Intro
0:43 - Overview
1:29 - Casings/Sidewalls
4:03 - Rubber Compounds
6:26 - Magic Mary
7:18 - Big Betty
8:50 - Nobby Nic
10:04 - Dirty Dan
10:56 - Rubber & Casing Combinations
#mountainbike #mtb #mtblife

[@louiefriesen]

For Schwalbe tires, my go-to is a Magic Mary Ultra Soft 27.5x2.6 Super Gravity on the front, and Big Betty Soft 27.5x2.6 Super Gravity on the rear. Great for everything, from trails and some XC, to bikeparks and Whistler.

[@TheLostCo]

That is a very good front and rear combo!

[@grahamchan4266]

I went with Magic Mary's on my Enduro for the downhill, and I live in the wet Western Canada. For my hardtail I'm looking for a semi aggressive trail tire. Think ill try the Knobby Nics

[@ThunderStruckMTB]

I love your opening, but that clip of the Knipex pliers being used backwards gives me the heebie jeebies!

[@TheLostCo]

Haha the clip is being played in reverse, and we don't change it because it gets us more comments for the algorithm when people complain about it 😂 Just kidding of course, but we'll edit a new intro at some point in the future (this one is a few years old now) and I'm sure that clip will be long gone. -Mike

[@GokkunGuru]

I waited for someone to make this video for ages. Thank you guys!

[@TheLostCo]

You are welcome! Hopefully you learned a thing or two.

[@Jacob99174]

I really like these two guys, how they review.

[@TheLostCo]

Thanks Tim! Maybe we'll have them back on in the future! -Tor and Russ

[@JNineBar]

Great video. I’m a big fan of Dan’s front and rear in the UK winter months

[@Ben-sb1xu]

Not the best for all conditions....but the best at most

[@andrewsteavpack9079]

Super informative, I’ve felt like I had a good understanding of most bike parts but mountain bike tires have so many variables and make such a big difference between choices compared to road or gravel. I’ve known I want a lower tread pattern for less rolling resistance on my Ibis Mojo Hd4 while maintaining as much grip as possible in corners, but I wasn’t really considering sidewall or compound, going thinner sidewall, bigger tread on my front made so much sense when you guys explained it, my concern with my plan of a faster tread tire in my rear was rim damage but thicker casing seems like the perfect trade off. I’m thinking Nobby Nic rear but still deciding front as Hans Dampf or maybe magic Mary or keep my DHF going for a bit. Thanks!

[@TheLostCo]

Haha! I gotta enunciate better next time! 😂 -Tor

[@wd99999]

I'm running Nobby Nic 29x2.4 rear and Hans Dampf 29x2.35 Front on my Optic, love the set up!

[@TheLostCo]

Nic and Hans go together like peas in a pod! Hard to beat that low rolling resistance and high grip 😎 -Tor

[@mihaichiriac480]

Skinnier in the front, that's a first. How is that working out for you and your kind of riding? I've always wanted something grippier in the front to be able to steer

[@playgroundchooser]

My long travel trail bike (bordering on enduro) came with a pair of Hans Dampfs. I really like them. I'd say the Addix Speedgrip (blue stripe) is pretty equivalent to the Maxis Max Terra (note, not the Max Speed) compound. It has more flex than one would think. I generally run a semi-slick in the back for even less resistance (currently a Kenda Helldiver Pro), but the Hans Dampf in the 2.6 inch size up front has really been a great tire. I find it very predictable, even with the large nobs. One really cool thing about the Hans Dampf that I haven't seen mentioned in the comments yet: they are bi-directional, so once it starts to wear down a bit; you just flip it around and get 20-40% more tread life!!

[@robvanduren761]

I put Magic Mary bike park tyres on the front and back of my DH bike. Really good grip and that bike rolls FAST

[@walterjr2429]

I ride a f and r nobby nic 26er on performance casing and adixx ruber(cheapest one) riding good and really good durability!

[@trillbill9378]

surprised to not see or hear mention of the Hans dampf tire

[@tahoeebikes]

When you look at the weight most of the Super trails are around 1100-1200 grams still and maxxis exo plus is more like 1000ish. I describe the Super trails equivalent to maxxis DD, super grav - maxxis DH. Schwalbe DH is on another level above maxxis dh!

[@wilfriedmestdagh1676]

Hi, Superb video, very interesting. Just lacks a summary table for me. ❤

[@grayisagirl]

Should ve just replace NN with Hans Dampf

[@fra93ilgrande]

Yes, Hans Dampf amazing tire, I use it on my old 26er, much better than the Nobby Nic (on the front wheel)

[@MillerRL96]

@@fra93ilgrandeyou must be thinking old nobby nic. New one is great.

[@jonnysnakes5417]

Magic mary front and rear super gravity addix soft is my go to , occasionally the dirty dan goes on and definitely like the big betty at the back. Lately ive had MMs front and back so when i burn out the back i put a new one on the front and old front on the back.

[@trillbill9378]

yessir, you know the deal!!

[@TheLostCo]

The double Mary so you can move the front to the back is a solid tactic. The one downside of mullet 😩😩

[@trillbill9378]

@@TheLostCo ahhh haven't thought about that dilemma before

[@Zetler]

Mary has the best knobs 🥰

[@Pienimusta]

Missing RockRazor, which is semislick rear tyre with big shoulder knobs. Really fast in speedgrip and still offers great cornering.

[@TheLostCo]

I personally love semi-slicks but it seems like I'm in the 1% that actually wants that tire 😂 Rockin' a Minion SS in the rear right now and it's so extremely fun in the mix of bone dry and wet mud we've had lately. -Mike

[@Mediarahan003]

@@TheLostCo It is definitely more than 1 percent. The rock razor is arguably the most versatile semi slick being produced right now. Bummer to not at least have it mentioned.

[@TheLostCo]

Do you know many people that ride them? No joke, every time we've carried any type of semi-slick tire we will sell nearly zero of them. Which is a bummer, because I freaking love them. -Mike

[@brentmagerowski7948]

Right now I’m on nobby nic front and rear love the roll speed plus traction in packed damp root rock conditions here in New England. It def lacks confidence from me in the mud. In mud conditions I’ll throw on a Mary up front since I have it mounted on a spare wheel. Maxxis lost me with quality control haven’t had any quality issues yet with schwalbe. Great job on the video

[@razorree]

What about "BikePark" tires ? at least for rear, I have very dry environment here (rains once per month), and I really consider hard and durable tire for rear (especially that I lock my rear wheel often to tighten turns)

[@IvanPrskalo]

You guys totally forgot Hans Dampf. It is tire great for those who seek middle ground between Mary and Nic

[@fra93ilgrande]

HANS DAMPF, AMAZING TIRE INDEED, UNDERRATED

[@johnamiellorzano677]

Honestly I love my hans dampf in the rear, it exceeds the nobby nic in all aspects

[@TheLostCo]

Heck yea glad you're enjoying it! Can't wait to try it out on my personal bike at some point! -Tor

[@Wiroe]

Would like to see a “downcountry”/light trail tyre comparison

[@TheLostCo]

If we start riding more "downcountry" bikes that's something we'd love to make a video on in the future! That's just not something we have a lot of experience with here at The Lost Co, but who knows in the future! -Tor

[@Mediarahan003]

Wait, what's the point of a NN in the front instead of a Hans Dampf? Rock RazorxHansDampf is SUCH a suck combo.

[@porroco]

I have not seen reviews of dirty dan mud tires

[@alhypo]

My rear tire wears about twice as fast as my front tire so it would make sense to sense to put an extra soft tire up front or a harder tire in the rear. I might try next time.

[@Alex-gb4vn]

I've been doing this, I have a maxxGripp up front and it definitely wears faster with a softer compound. I had the exact tire in maxxterra last time.

[@mihaichiriac480]

You don't have to compromise, just move the tire from front to back and only replace one at a time instead of 2

[@alhypo]

@@mihaichiriac480 That is still a compromise. Because you might want a softer tire in the front to benefit from added traction which you won't get by moving the rear tire to the front. It also wouldn't work well if you run different tread patterns front and rear. There will be some sort of tradeoff no matter what you do. It just depends on what you consider most important.

[@alhypo]

@@mihaichiriac480 Also, moving the rear tire to the front means you will still have to replace two tires the next time. Because the tire you moved to the front is already half worn at that point so it will expire at the same time as your new rear tire. Therefore, you'll replace both of them.

[@mihaichiriac480]

@@alhypo for me, mix and match was the way to go. A grippier tire in the front and a faster one in the back. I now have 2 Nobby nic on my new bike and i plan to move the front to the back after the back one wears out and put a slighty more aggresive tire in the front. On my old hardtail i've always had an enduro/dh tire in the front and more often than not a cheap xc tire in the back. I know it might be overkill, but a back skid is easier to control than an understeer

[@MartinTeerly]

I wish they made magic marry 29 2.6 or even 2.8 with super soft addix 👌🏻

[@armandotext]

29x2.6 Super Gravity and Super Trail, both Addix Soft are on the market.

[@mrvwbug4423]

No mention of the MMs tendency to get squirmy in really dry conditions? I know for the dry conditions in places like Colorado and Utah the Assegai does better. I would definitely expect the MM to be a great winter tire in the PNW as it is supposedly better than the Assegai in the wet.

[@alexkeyes1706]

I find mm better than assegai when its dry too, but its not meant for riding dirt concrete, its meant for nasty conditions dry or wet.

[@kjwagoner]

I only wanted to hear about the xc tires.

[@waldojpg]

Supertrail is definitely much more sturdy than maxxis exo+. More like DD

[@jakeq6713]

Service is 7 ta 8 days out get it together

[@jaythizzle1969]

No mention of the Eddy Current?

[@trillbill9378]

I'm guessing no mention of eddy current because its specifically for e-bikes

[@ftrujillomunizaga]

Best combo for loose over hard packed on Schwalbe? I've been using Maxxis all my life (assegai/minion dhr ii combo) but my las dhr ii DD max grip got a huge puncture after 5 rides, it took 4 bacon strips to "fix" and I get the feeling maxxis quality is going down (years ago a pair lasted for a whole year and now in 4 months i'm going for my third rear tire).

[@wtfdoicare]

not schwalbe, but i've been running continential xynetols F/R on loose over hard and have really been enjoying them.

[@Marcus221179]

Where is the Wicked Will?

[@mircea5013]

"In the winter, I would go to a Mary in the rear."

[@Bixbysayshi]

Do you guys think you could do a youtube short or short format video on the BikePark edition of the magic mary? I can't find ANY information about it anywhere but Schwalbe's site, and they're not nearly as helpful or informative as they should be.

[@TheLostCo]

That's a great idea and we would love to make some content on it! Maybe a back to back compared to a normal Magic Mary... -Tor

[@Bixbysayshi]

@@TheLostCo Duuuuuuude yes that would be so amazing. I'd be super curious see if maybe the bikepark version (being not as soft as other versions) would avoid the knobs-folding-over problem on dry hardpack. And would the bikepark make a good rear and maybe a soft or super soft up front?

[@lurshw5166]

big betty

[@mellissanash7517]

Any reason the Rock Razor wasn't mentioned?

[@TheLostCo]

Hey Mellissa! None of us here at the shop have gotten a chance to try out the Rock Razor just yet, but Mike wants everyone at the shop to try out a semi-slick tire and the Rock Razor looks like a good option! -Tor

[@mellissanash7517]

@@TheLostCo thanks!

[@jakeq6713]

Rocky

[@alhypo]

I'm just wondering, if the trails are mucked up enough to justify that Dirty Dan tread, should you be riding in those conditions? I mean, World Cup DH riders should use them because they are on closed courses that are either built for the event or will be repaired by the organizers. And they go faster than us mortals can even dream of. It depends on the trail, of course. Some trails are more "natural" so damage from riding in the mud might be less of a concern. But I hope people aren't shredding through any beautiful, sweeping berms while they are saturated enough for those Dirty Dans. I guess you can always make up for it with enough digging.

[@mrvwbug4423]

Some trail surfaces can handle being ridden while wet, mostly loamy stuff in the PNW

[@Guillermoshredz]

“As for cross country riders on the other hand”: cuts to Alloy Spire

[@sohagbr]

I really liked this informative video. Just please speak slower, much slower. It is not a competition of pushing through more information in shortest time ;)

[@SourPatchPuss]

5:09 So lets check out some testicular compounds!

[@IndiaMikePapa]

Eddy Current has entered the chat

[@TheLostCo]

Can't wait to try it out! Looks like a great tire 👌 -Tor

[@fra93ilgrande]

It's specific for e-bikes

[@IndiaMikePapa]

@@fra93ilgrande I know but it’s still Schwalbe.

[@likeris2]

very stupid. I want super gravity in speedgrip rubber in back. what I can put in rare fast roling and robust? all those fast rolling not coming in speed grip and super gravity. very stupid selection. no choice for me. single choice for me both hans dampf, one in front soft super trail and in rare speed grip super trail. but I want super gravity in speed grip. I dont need super gravity in front which all are in soft rubber and belongs to front wheel. I want Magic mary in front with soft rubber and super trail and in rare I want Noby nic super gravity in speed grip, but noooo not egzist that combo. why? and those two experts recommend stronger casing on rare, when you can get just front design with strong casing. what you telling to me put magic mary in front in summer? are you feel allright mate?

[@barnyrockford]

How many times can you say Super? Super Confusing. Talking too fast and saying things like this tyre has more layers than I can count... 6 layers?

[@barnyrockford]

OMG!!!! Even in the graphic with the casings you just put them in random order???? Not alphabetical and not in order of the amount of layers? What has happened to structure in our universe???