Edited Date/Time
1 day ago
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.
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