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Opposite experience for me
When I was testing the Yeti Mate, first ride mildly wet with DD Assegai and DHR II was not bad but sketchy on wet roots and overall almost lost the bike like 5 times which was never a thing.
Second ride with the stock Trail Mary and Trail Albert it was more wet yet I could keep all the lines I wanted, speed increased and so did confidence, never once I lost the front or rear riding the same tracks
Can anyone compare High Roller 3 DD vs Magic Mary Radial Gravity?
Seems like either would be a great wintertime front tire…
I’ve ridden both a good amount as a front, they’re both great front tires. I personally prefer the tread of the magic Mary since it’s a little more communicative when it starts to slide out. The high roller probably has a little more overall grip but it’s a little snappy for my tastes. I always feel super confident in it until I suddenly don’t and I wash the front, which almost never happens on the magic Mary. That could easily be a skill issue though, as it’s only an issue when I’m really pushing. This is in loose conditions.
Are people still running Cush Core? New bike day today. Long travel full power e-bike with double down tires. I’m usually horrible to rear wheels and I’m thinking about going back to Cush Core front and rear. I’ve tried Airliner and Huck Norris in the past but didn’t like the ride feel. Is there anything else out there? Or do I just go straight to dh tires?
Before my knee surgery the idea of an e-bike was out of the question and I would just be running dh tires like I did on my long travel bikes the last several years. I’m just not hitting stuff as hard now though, but I’m still rough on rear wheels even with the bum knee. My local trails haven’t gotten any smoother, most are getting rougher.
(Don’t get meniscus repair surgery kids if you don’t have to)
The Magic Mary I bought for winter, when mounted was wobble when spinning, so I returned it. Since there wasn't another MM available, I took the opportunity and got an HR3 DD MaxxGrip.
First impressions:
- MaxxGrip compound is noticeably more sticky than ultrasoft (both tires are new unridden).
- MagicMary much more true-to-size (almost 2.5) and slightly rounder profile.
- HR3 profile is more "squarish" than I thought.. (30mm internal rim), reminds me of a mesh up between kenda hellkat and pinner. (Two tires i liked in the past... channel of the pinner, to me was more friendly than the dhf channel)
- Although the initial HR3 reviews (only had DH casings) made it seem like the HR3 had a new casing and was now truly 2.4, I found it undersized...
Even the DHR 2.4 I have in DD is undersized compared to the DHR Exo and Exo+... Isn't it just the DD versions that are all undersized? Maybe DH casing are more true to size ike exo/exo+?
- The HR3's channel is there, but it seems less abrupt than the DHF's. Since the side knobs are closer to the center and more vertical, maybe you should be able to reach them without feeling the large dead zone. In terms of transition to side knobs MM should be more linear...
I hope to be able to test it in a few days.
I'm much slower than I was two to three years ago (not enough riding), but the past few rides without one (threw it out intentionally) have been problem free. Schwalbe Trail casing at 1,4 bar on a 160 mm bike. I ran exo casing tyres exclusively and ran an ARD on the previous bike.
Another option is Tannus, which is a little lighter and easier to install. I previously ran Tannus on my bikes, but lately have not been. I still was getting pinch flats, mostly on the bead so I decided to up the casings and up the pressure ~2 PSI. Also I was annoyed with the tire change process and if you have to remove the insert in the field, its a pain.
On my big bike for example I went Exo+ / DD with Tannus F/R with 21-23psi. Now I'm on Conti DH 22/25 PSI. I think my main decision to switch was I found Conti Enduro more supportive in the sidewall and square hits than Exo+ on my small bike so I tried no insert to see if I could get away with it. So far no issues other than a few rim pings that would have been less jarring with a tannus. I've gotten more used to higher pressure and feel grip is still good (mostly riding dry conditions). In wet slow speeds lower pressure and an insert certainly were nice, as well as taking off the sting of square edge hits.
Going back to rimpact inserts at least in the rear. Smashed my FR541 with a dh tire and 28 psi to the point I can’t use tubeless. Cut the specialized dh tire at the same time.
We have lots of sharp rocks
I have 3 bikes with MM fronts, radials and regular casings, and 1 bike with a HR3 DD/MG which replaced an Assg.(dhr2 rear) I've put probably six rides on the HR3, mostly in the dry but at least two were 2 wetish/hero dirt with intermediate PNW mixed conditions. My impressions: The HR3 is small volume with big knobs. The tire profile is square-ish on my 30mm dtswiss. The side knobs are prominent and make contact early on lean in. I find it to be very grip forward if that makes any sense? On edge there is a lot of support, it feels very locked in and want's to hold a line. To me it feels more like a Tacky Chan than a MM due to the channel/locked in feeling. On break-away it's more sudden/sharp compared to the smooth slide of an MM but I haven't found it to be unpredictable. It's actually not terrible on hardpack either, not ideal but not sketchy. TBH this is now probably my new favorite Maxxis front tire. It's not going to replace my MMs especially not the radials but it's very good. I wouldn't hesitate to throw this on for the bike park, and it's been excellent for the shoulder season. This should last me well into winter at which point it will get replaced with a Shorty.
So MM radial is still king?
I am completely fired up about the HR3. I'm not a huge MM fan, but I did really like how the radial casing felt but still struggled with a vague corner entry and side knob bite feeling on the radial MM. The HR3 is an absolute traction monster for me in deep dust and loose conditions, as well as chunder/rubble/ruts like we have in the back country locally. I've come to appreciate how the narrower width actually plays well with the intended loose conditions and makes it easier to surf the middle of the ruts. The locked in feeling you get from the side knobs in loose conditions is so confidence inspiring for me. I got close to that feeling running a conti-krypto rear in front, but I am a fanboi of the maxxis maxx grip rubber and overall casing feel.
Regarding tire inserts... I've mostly gone to DH tires and no inserts or an insert that doesn't impact the sidewall support as much as cushcore pro does. I've come to appreciate the linear ramp up of the tire air volume without an insert and I think that the increased sidewall support on a DH casing tire can create some harshness. On my emtb, I'm running a conti krypto dh rear with a tannus insert, which I find to provide good rim protection but not change tire feel for the worse. On my park/enduro bike I am running a 2.5 DH dhr2 with a vittoria airliner enduro... I'm not quite sold on the vittoria enduro air liner for this usage yet, but it does provide notable rim protection and less harsh rim strikes and does not impact sidewall support negatively.
Current status on my front MM Grav/Radial ultrasoft which has about 12 bike park days on it. vs the HR3 with the 6 local rides. There is some undercutting already appearing on some knobs on the HR3.
Thanks all.
This is the depth of information we must have.
Regarding Radial casing tires...
TLDR version:
1. I highly recommend you do BOTH tires Radial and not try to start with just one Radial tire and one conventional tire.
2. Depending on the casing you're coming from, it will take a number of rides (5-10?) for your brain/body to fully get used to the Radial before you can take advantage of it/feel comfortable on it. Too many 1-ride reviews here and other places.
More detailed version:
-When I first tried Radial tires, I did front only, trail casing with a Conti DH casing rear tire. It was too unbalanced, and Radial casing felt so soft and rolly. Didn't really like it. Did 3-4 rides like that, got a little more used to it, but wasn't really digging it. Then I put another Radial (Gravity casing) on the rear wheel and it was a whole different ballgame. The front and back of the bike were balanced in how they reacted to bumps, and I was way more confident and knew what the bike would do. Another 3-4 rides and I got used to them and changed my riding style a bit to adapt and I've had them on now for 10 months (I used to change tires every couple months) and really love them.
-Initially, I hated how vague they feel. You can't feel the knobs bite like you do on other tires. So you need to give your brain time to adjust to this style. And it won't be for everyone. As I've said before, the big unlock for me was tossing the Albert I had on the front for a Magic Mary as the more pronounced channel and bigger sideknobs translate to more 'communication' in cornering from the front tire. It really made me love these tires. I'm not a fan of the Albert on the front wheel, too much of a trail tire/vague feeling, as I've said before. I ride mostly soft/natural trails and steep stuff. If I lived in a place like CO or Arizona with tons of rock/harder soil, the Albert would likely feel better on the front.
Having given Radials 3 solid tries and not liked them, I'd like to point out that my number 1 issue with those tires is Schwalbe's knob patterns. The Albert is a really shitty front tire for me (sucks at loose and very rounded profile) and a fairly shitty rear tire for me (lousy braking down loose chutes). The Mary is a good loose tire for me but a compromised tire for hardpack, and a fucking boat anchor in the back. I think I still was feeling compromises on strictly the Radial aspect of the casing, but could probably find a set of pressures that work for me most of the time. I'd be really curious to see what a different brand like Maxxis, Conti, or Specialized could do tweaking their casing layup to something radial-esque using their (IMO better) knob patterns. Even when I tried a Tacky Chan SG in the back, I just didn't get along with their knob arrangement & rubber compounds (soft but quick rebound). I spent several hundred dollars of my own money trying Radials repeatedly in a variety of conditions - if anything, I wanted to like them given my investment.
But I also prioritize setting up my suspension for stability, predictability, and speed over comfort. For tires, I'd rather have a setup with slightly less overall grip but extremely predictable behavior when it starts to slide, versus something that is super high grip then unexpectedly loses all traction.
yeah still running one, I ride from home to my spots so If I get a unrepairable flat with the cushcore you can atleast ride back home. That alone is worth it to me. The rotating mass sucks but it beats walking 15km
Yes, I've been saying this for a long time. The thing holding Schwalbes back are there terrible (in relation to the competition) tread patterns.
-The Magic Mary is a good pattern, albeit dated and could benefit from being given a little bit of steroids in terms of knob stoutness/size. But looks like they have the High Roller III/Argotal prototype in the works for this.
-Albert is a disappointing tread pattern. Weak. 4 other friends and I, who've all ridden it, share similar feelings. It's good for some stuff, but even though it's an Assegai copy, it falls way short.
-Other patterns are kind of a mess... Tacky Chan: MASSIVE channel makes it very hard to ride as a front. Medicore braking on the rear. Big Betty good but knobs again spaced a bit too close for max braking traction on the rear, which is why don't see it on World Cup DH or really even EWS racers bikes.
Terrible thread patterns, what a Joke
What I’ve noticed is that there’s an intersection of people and terrain for which Schwalbe Radials are such a good fit that they’re convinced that all other tires are trash. I’m glad y’all like them, but my time on the Albert Trails was some of the most frustrating, terrifying riding I’ve done. I spent a full week methodically trying to find a pressure where they didn’t scare the shit out of me and failed. They’re definitely not for me and I’ve yet to see anyone in this area riding them, either. If Maxxis offered a radial version of the HR3/DHR2 I’m running now, I’d happily try it — those are tread patterns and compounds that I know go well around here.
Haha I knew that would fire you up!
Yes, if I had a dollar for every time someone said, "I can't wait until I can get a Radial version of (Insert tread pattern from a company other than Schwalbe)".
Even the guys at Pinkbike, who really like Radials (product of the year), have said multiple times they can't wait until they can get their favorite tread patterns (from other companies) in Radial or Radial-esque casings.
Schwalbe doesn't have as much overlap in their product line as Maxxis. A lot of us are asking for a rear focus radial, I think the front is covered. A TC would be cool but there's nothing really great for the non-leaners like a Dissector.
I'm probably partial to schwalbe since I have them on most of my bikes currently, but I think there's room for an updated betty to improve its cornering and spread the middle lugs out a bit more to help it penetrate while braking. I also think there's room in the lineup to introduce an argotal/hr3 type tire in their lineup or atleast update the MM to have more corner bite like the kryptotal front.
If I could have it my way, id run a tacky chan rear and kryptotal pattern up front but in a schwable casing - so maybe some of scwhalbe's patterns do suck 😆
What performance characteristics would you want to see out of a rear specific radial?
Burly but decently spaced side knobs that bite into loose when leaned over and give feedback that they're engaged, while not folding over when heavily loaded on hardpack berms or off-camber. Alternating center bar knobs with a lot of ramping on leading edge but enough space between them to dig into loose. Basically a DHR II or Kryptotal Rear, but able to conform to horizontal roots a bit better. Of those 2, I feel like the DHR II transitions into a predictable lateral drift a bit easier and grips hardpack better, but the KrR brakes better in loose and rolls on hardpack a bit faster.
Agreed here. Schwalbe is missing a DHR2/Kryptotal Rear/similar design. The Big Betty is close, but it a design that hasn't evolved in a long time and is too tightly packed/smaller center knob size, to bite like the Kryptotal R and DHR2 do.
The DHR3 is in the works though, to match the DHF2's design language, so Schwalbe needs to get on the gas.
I really enjoy the Albert Ultrasoft on the front of my XC/ trail bike (mix of hardpack and some rocks). I also super enjoy the 2.6 Albert Gravity on the rear of my Relay e-bike (very rocky loose terrain). In fact, after going through half a dozen Radial tires and trying them on both bikes under different conditions, for those above applications/ locations those are my favorite tires.
However, the Albert on the front of the e-bike, is pretty far back from most AM contenders (Assguy, Martello, Butcher, etc.) in the traction department (once again, very rocky loose terrain for this bike). The MM Radial, while pretty darn good up front on the e-bike, still has issues related to the tread pattern (more appropriate for wet, dirt, roots, etc. than my rocky hardpack) and also stability is a major issue (as in it's f**king dangerous!) unless you are running the Gravity version.
I'm building a new e-bike here shortly and plan to mount up front the Vee Tire Attack HPL 40 GX & in the rear I'll run the Albert 2.6 Soft Gravity. Both of these option work very well in this terrain on this kind of bike. My close second choices would be the Ass-guy or MM gravity radial up front and the Aggressor 2.5 DD in the rear.
Not sure where you're getting that info, but it ain't correct.
Not to derail the radial talk but anyone else experience a palpable loss in traction once the siping wears off the Continental Kryptotal Fr super soft?
DH casing if that matters.
I recently got the new Dissector v2 (MaxTerra EXO 2.4WT) aka baby Assegai and it is exactly something I always dreamt of for a short travel trail bike (140/130). I use my small bike for XC type riding in the rockies. Conditions are usually very dry, loose dirt and loose rock on top of hardpack.
The side knobs are wide yet not too tall. This makes them very stable and gives you that DHF level locked in feeling during hard cornering. Lack of side knob stability was my main complaint with Forekaster v2 and this solves that. The center tread also has wide knobs which result in a lot of ground contact overall. It rails corners almost as good as an Assegai (MaxxTerra) but rolls night and day faster. It is ever so slightly slower than Forekaster v2 but faster than DHF. The profile is round with smooth transition from edge to edge. It compliments the round profile of Forekaster, Rekon and other fast rolling tires really nicely. Most importantly, there is no "dead zone" so it is very predictable. It blows up to 59mm - 2.32" on 30mm id rim which is identical to my 2.4WT Rekon in the rear.
So far super stoked on this tire! I bet it will be really fun rear tire for enduro.
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