Edited Date/Time
9/9/2026 4:59am
I've been riding my first set of radial tires, that came stock on a Santa Cruz Heckler. Here's my observations, but I'd love to get other's feedback. I am riding the Schwalbe Albert Trail Pro TLR Ultrasoft.
- Tire pressure: It does ride well with a little less air pressure, but I've only lowered pressure from about 27 lbs / 29 lbs (F/R) to about 26 / 27. Any less than that, for me, at 210 lbs, and it feels like it's rolling-off.
- Off Camber: It does seem to cling to roots on off-camber better than my traditional Maxxis Assegei (60tpi / DD or EXO plus or DH). I'm not sure I trust it enough to really rail into root sections much faster than I was already doing with "traditional" tires before. I rarely ride in the wet, so no opinion there.
- Jumping is awkward: I really hate this tire as a front tire on jumps. Particularly poppy jumps that probably have too much lip for higher speed. I'm not sure if it's tracking so well that it's throwing-off whatever shape I'm trying to make, but I frequently find myself rolling-off in the direction of the whip or unable to make a table properly. It feels like the front tire is gripping the lip / takeoff too much, instead of probably just pushing / sliding off as a traditional tire does. I can't get the hang of jumping these things at all, even after 2 months of riding the bike.
- Punctures: Haven't noticed any difference for flats from a traditional tire. Haven't had one, and I've been riding Knoxville clay / shale, and spent a rowdy day on some rocky trails in Bethlehem PA.
- Wear: The tire is holding-up well for wear. Usually, after 2 months, with a Maxxis, I'd be noticing much more wear on the nobs. The rear is starting to round out, but not as bad for as soft as the tires seem. The last time i rode Schwalbe's was 2010, in Colorado, and although they were wonderfully soft / grippy, they felt like they wore-out in a day.
Other people's impressions: What do other folks think about these kinds of tires, or the Schwalbe specifically? Is the "awkward at jumping" issue common for other people? Could it just be the super-soft compound, or is it more the nature of a radially-oriented tire core that just- won't-let-go of the lip of the jump?
My overall impression of radial tires, based on this experience is maybe a 6/10.
Poll
why did you go lower in pressure? you should go up with radials
I’ve had the same experience with the trail casing on jumps, it’s just mega squirmy. Try more air pressure, the Schwalbe’s do need that, especially if you have the trail casing on an e-bike. 30 or 31 up front could be a good place to start for you.
That said, I like the Schwalbe radials, I think they do what they say. My wife loves the trail casing up front on her trail bike, she noticed the difference right away and it is confidence inspiring. For big bikes I think the gravity casing is the way to go.
Known issue for people your weight and especially riding an e-bike. You need to be on Schwalbe's Gravity Pro casing, not the Trail Pro casing. Even more so if you'r hitting jumps/riding high g-force trails/berms. Will give you much better stability in those situations and also allow you to run lower pressures. Anything over ~27psi on that Schwalbe Trail casing can start to feel balloon-y/bouncy. Switch to Gravity Pro casings for a more appropriate setup for you. The new Gravity Pro was beefed up further from the original one, for just the type of examples you're not liking the tires for.
Pressures seem way off. I'm 150lb and on my trail casing running 25/28 on a 140 trail bike. On a heckler (assumed 50lb) at 210 lbs, wolftooth calculator you should be running 30-34psi. I recommend dowloading the app "tire pressure calculator" from wolftooth. Put in radial as the casing type. It seems to be pretty accurate for me.
I have time on Schwalbe Trail Radial and Specialized Gravity Radial. I would say the latter is more similar to a regular tire, with better support. Additionally with Spec they recommend "normal" pressures, so I have been at 22/24, and works well. I'd recommend on your e-bike setting up a gravity tire as other suggested.
Has anyone else found they absolutely suck to put on? They open up flat and won’t sit in the rim. Some won’t set on the bead.
The magic mary gravity pro's are really, really good... Been running then front & back all year. Noticeable damping difference on A-B laps vs Maxxis and Conti and excellent grip on wet roots (the previous weakness of magic mary's). Haven't tried the Tacky Chan yet, but it's on the list for a rear tire
I started in magic Mary gravity. Horrendous to pedal and slow rolling. Switched to the new tacky gravity, much much faster. Great tire until a lug ripped off. Still the same old Schwalbe. Still have the MM up front.
It's probably down to personal preference and how you want your tires to feel. I've gone back and forth and think that for most riding I only really prefer the radial casings (schwalbe) for the PNW winter when grip on wet roots is at a premium.
I only ride DH, so rolling efficiency is of no concern to me
Definitely radial curious. Have heard good things about the Specialized butcher/eliminator combo. Gravity casing pretty close to conti DH in terms of weigh so probably climbs fine.
I've taken all the advice here and raised the pressure a few pounds from what I ran on my Assegei and DHR. I took the bike out last night with 30 in the front, and 32 in the rear. It absolutely ripped. It felt like less rolling resistance while also MORE grip. The grip-off-jump issue was lessened but not eliminated. I'll have to experiment with other casings, or compounds / tires, as others have suggested in the comments. Thanks all, for setting me on the best path.
IRCC, according to publications that have tested more than 1 brand of radials, schwalalabe radials are on the more extreme end of the radial design spectrum. They require MORE psi than the other brands suggest, and they are directed more to technical riding than jump laps. Spesh seems to have nailed a middle ground with theirs, and when my Maxxis combo wears out, I'll be ordering a set.
First put radial Alberts FnR on my Jeffsy previously. I sipped the kool aid and can't go back. So good. Now running the new Romy Radial front and rear on my Pivot in mid trail casing. Still good.
The harder part has been nailing down specifically who needs this tire, and why. For me, I want to run high pressures cuz I'm a big guy who takes bad lines (blame the BMX background). I want as much support as possible in a tire, while still retaining cornering ability and general traction, and ideally not be micro managing my psi for different rides and worrying about roll speed and climbing and what not.
So far I've heard 2 different theories on radials. Keep typical pressures and gain MAX grip advantage from the tires, at the cost of feeling squirrely or vague. Or raise ~5 psi from normal to retain similar cornering as normal tires but with a more supportive platform that feels more consistent than normal tires with normal psi.
I think the bigger question for me has been... Who rides a radial? Is it best for a trail casing, lightweight tire because the extra psi required to support the casing will not then eliminate cornering grip? Is it for the gnarliest of gravity riders because they can go up in psi to avoid rim explosions while retaining cornering grip? Is it a compromise for both of those styles, and it's actually a min maxed enduro tire that balances all tire attributes best, while not being superior in any one thing?
It's been slightly confusing given it's only come in gravity/DH style tires so far... But often times those are the tires where you don't need the extra support and grip as much, because they tend to hold up well even with lower psi, and those riders may be biased towards descending and not worried about a heavier tire. That said, I imagine radial is not particularly on the radar of XC riders who constantly compromise grip for roll speed, and would see the radial design as pure drag with little benefit. So... Maybe not an outright XC nor DH tire? But maybe the best trail/enduro tire on the market? i dunno you tell me
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