Monday Musing (#47) – Schwalbe Radialish, Continued.
I started my Schwalbe {semi} radial tire review series at the beginning of October, and, if you’re interested, Radialish is the foundation of this ongoing experience. I have a fair amount to say about the last, almost, three months of RAD-ial riding. It’s my favourite time of year to be on the trails, and an Ultra-Soft rubber Magic Mary has been my favourite tire for any non-rigid-forked bike for a few years now.
I’ve rolled these thoughts around a lot because I know this reads a bit like an open-faced shit-sandwich, and even then, the bread is a bit over-toasted. In a world where every brand is rumoured to be working fast to ditch bias-ply builds for their top-end trail tires, here are a few thoughts before you open your wallet.
Magic Mary Ultra-Soft (MMUS) Gravity Pro Radial Front
When it comes to traction through rubber compound and conformity, and trail damping vs. feel, my experience with Schwalbe’s more radial version of the MMUS is on par with my previous MMUS Super Trail experience.
There’s a hidden trade-off here, in that with the bias-ply Super Trail front tire, I was running a CushCore Trail insert. Running significantly more pressure in the radial tire, with the Gravity Pro casing, I achieve a similar high-traction feeling off the top, and similar support, at a lighter system weight. But I also surrender any rim and tire protection that the CushCore insert delivers.
For folks who do not run an insert, I can understand why the radial version feels like a massive upgrade in conformity and, therefore, traction, even at much higher pressures. For folks who do run inserts but would prefer a simpler system, the switch could make sense for a front wheel where rim protection is less likely to matter.
Personally, if I were buying the tires again, and given my preference for inserts, I’d probably buy the Trail Pro version of the Ultra-Soft semi-radial Mary and combine that with my Trail insert for my front setup. In this case, not out of any dislike of my current setup, but simply to try the combo of the more supple radial sidewall with the added internal support, increased air pressure ramp-up, and rim protection.
That said, experimentation aside, if there were a notable cost savings, I would be happy to run a standard construction Mary or Tacky Chain in Ultra-Soft with my insert.
For riders who are absolutely not going to run an insert {that allows for lower initial pressure} for whatever reason, and lighter riders who are challenged to find the right pressure for legacy-construction rubber, I do understand how Schwalbe’s radial rubber feels like a minor revolution.
In either event, I do love the Magic Mary Ultra-Soft and the boosted ability to control my bike down sideways, greasy roots, and rocks that have been saturated in a cloud for days at a time. I’ve had nothing but positive experiences and, even though it’s slow as molasses for a front tire, the added performance is worth the little extra effort to spin it up the trail.
I am regularly surprised by how fantastic my front tire performs with no insert to dampen the ride and 24psi. As a long-time CushCore advocate, I am surprised to find myself riding without a front insert, and that’s especially true as temperatures have dropped, but I haven’t lowered the air pressure in my radial MMUS.
Albert Soft Trail Pro Radial Rear
There comes a point of over-inflation where my Albert rear tire rolls along with similar efficiency to a bias-ply DHRII MaxxTerra, but at that point, any advantage the semi-radial construction delivers is lost. Even with the Soft, rather than Ultra-Soft, Schwalbe rubber compound and some extra pumpage, this tire is still oh-so-slow. Strangely, even more so when climbing on trail or gravel than on pavement.
I chose the Trail Pro casing because I wasn’t willing to subject my hardtail’s rear rim to life without some sort of protective insert, but I’ll boldly suggest that the Trail vs. Gravity chasing choice isn’t the defining factor here. Compared to other Schwalbe Soft rear tires that I’ve ridden, the dragging suppleness of the more radial construction makes itself apparent any time I’m grinding up a climb.
Descending, traction is fantastic, which I’d contribute to the tire construction as much as the not-that-Soft compound or tread design, which are both non-radially familiar to me. But, compared to the industry standard DHRII MT, I’d happily accept the braking traction of the DHRII and the trade-off of improved climbing efficiency.
Full disclosure of ply-bias here, if I were riding a sag-wagon with multiple gears, then I might see the trade-off differently. The Albert is impressive on descents, and my experience, but notably not all my friends’ experiences, is that the tire is lasting quite well for the traction delivered despite many road miles.
That said, for my hardtail purposes, I would not buy a radial Albert again. It’s too damn slow. I won’t even wear this one all the way out before changing it. In fact, if someone North-Van-localish wants to trade a 75% Albert 29″ for a $40 donation to the local foodbank, hit me up.
Hardtail life. For my next entry in this series, I’ll be mix-matching my 29×2.5 Mary Ultra-Soft pseudo-radial with a 29×2.4 Super-Trail Wicked Will. It means dropping back to a 180mm rear rotor {I’ve been running a 203mm* with the Albert rear}. Being a hardtail, I’ll be running the CushCore Trail rear insert either way.
*{Eat it, Cy Whitling. HAHAHAHAHA.}
Hardtails for Hard Trails
If it’s within your means, and you’re not all-in on inserts, try Schwalbe’s more radial tires for yourself. I think you’ll be impressed. But, if you’re running a hardtail, then in terms of min-maxing money, I’d recommend just starting with the front combined with whatever legacy option you’re happy with out back.
As I’m fond of saying, especially when my middle brother Crash Test Kevin (CTK) is around, the rear tire of a hardtail is like a second child. As long as it mostly follows the first, no one is too stressed about what it’s up to. I have very high hopes for the Wicked Will being a much faster rolling, grippy-climbing, good-enough-braking, rear tire on the Arcturian Voyager.
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