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I just mounted a Hans Dampf rear with a Radial Magic Mary up front on my 130mm bike and it feels very fast pedaling. Much faster than the Xynotal in the rear. I’ve got a Big Betty I’m going to try for less XC terrain too. Schwalbes prices are spot on. $65 for the trail casing Hans and $80 for the trail casing Betty.
These recommendations don't really work unless you give ALL the details. It's easy to pick the absolute most traction in a particular type of terrain, the hard part is finding the balance of maximizing traction vs. RR.
So include what the bike is (full power e-bike versus a XC bike is going to result in a massive difference in my recommendations...), your preferences in RR or traction, your weight, your current tires and which way you'd like to go, do you damage tires, your terrain of course...
Tires are advancing and in a few cases, they gain traction without a resultant penalty in RR, but it's still the exception, not the rule.
Finally got through the Enduro Mag tyre test article and as the test results are given basically in full, but give a bad overview, I put everything ina Google Sheets spreadsheet. I also added tyre diameter (all 29...), width (mostly 2.4 and 2.5 inches), casing (trail, enduro, downhill) and compound softness (hard, medium soft).
Please don't make a mess of it (I guess Vital people are chill), as the link gives full editing permissions. I'm lost regarding tread softness when it comes to Kenda, Pirelli, Specialized, VeeTire and WTB and lost regarding casings for the latter two as well, so if anyone can fill those in, please feel free. If anything else is wrong, please change it (or you can point it out and I'll change it).
The link: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1dTM0mITi8DRj6fHbVgFD2v54J6sJUou…
I run a radial front and a standard tacky chan rear, radial is in gravity pro, tacky chan is in super gravity. I can't imagine having the radial rear makes all that much difference in traction etc but it will definitely help with small bump compliance.
T9 = soft and T7/T9 = medium and I'd call the gravity casing downhill.
I'm going to give that combo a try, 3rd try to get along with Radials. Previous attempts made it clear the Trail casing coupled with Radial is just too unsupportive for me, along with hating the Albert pattern in general. Once someone commented that they were basically an updated Hans Dampf, it clicked why I didn't get along with them (as I hated HD also). I think the radial front / gravity rear will be fine for my needs - ebike ridden hard and fast in a variety of conditions. I like my rear tire to drift before the front to slap corners. I was a bit concerned before with running TC on the back because everyone talks about how fast rolling it is, but after I re-read reviews and considered that WC DH riders are using it, it must ride more like a DHR than a Dissector.
I love the 27.5 x 2.6 Albert gravity in the rear on my e-bike personally, but I generally don't go for maximum rear wheel traction as much as a balance of turn in, rolling resistance (hey, it's an SL e-bike and I'm weak!), comfort, balance to the front, and wear. It's pretty darn good on all of these issues.
it does on the ups and sketchy/off camber downs, although for flowier trails super gravity might be better for some
Recon maxxterra EXO + This thing melted, flatted twice. Got 10-12 rides out of it- at $95 not a great value. Good traction and rolling speed though.
Forekaster on the front is very good- fast rolling mini Assegai, minimal wear so far.
Specialized put out some updates to the Butcher and Eliminator earlier this year, and they're coming stock on SJ 15 builds. I put a pair on my Ripley V5 and have been very impressed. They perform really well and the GRID Trail casing seems to be better/stronger than EXO+ while weighing less. I'm pretty burnt out on paying $100+ per tire for Maxxis- the Spec tires are $80. Has anyone else tried these?
Funny enough, mine also lasted the exact same number of rides. I now use the dual compound version which has slightly less grip in the corners but lasts significantly longer.
Only issue is the dual compound isn’t available in EXO+ casing right?
I have a freebie specialized butcher T7 grid trail up next. Might trim all the knobs to make it roll faster as a rear tire.
I tried Radial again (3rd go), this time with a Gravity MM up front. I ran a Super Gravity Tacky Chan in the back because I had previously tried Gravity Radial MM & Albert in the rear, and didn't like either as a rear tire (either too slow, or poor grip in loose). I ran the MM 3 psi higher than what I normally run a DH Argotal and ran the TC the same pressure I run a DH Kryptotal. First run I dove right into a quick steep run that has loose ruts and loose off camber, and both felt pretty good. Second descent was steep hardpacked berms, and while I had a ton of grip, I could feel both tires' side knobs squirming hard making steering unpredictable. I was starting to notice that the TC has a tendency to drift back and forth on slightly off-camber in the dead zone between center and side knobs when I wasn't able to get it leaned over enough to ride the side knobs. Third run was moderate grade high speed flow with jumps. Any spot where it was loose and blown out, the Radial MM felt good, but anytime I got it leaned over hard on hardpack, I could feel the knobs squirming all over the place. It also felt really unnerving both on lips and landings of jumps, where the casing would deform unpredictably. That could probably have been remedied by going up even higher pressure, but at that point I have to wonder how much of the Radial compliance will be left and what the point is. Fourth run had a lot of similar conditions to everything before it, but with a short steep drop/jump line. The landing of the first drop is pretty raw (loose over hard), and both tires felt downright sketchy on that, squirming/rebounding/fishtailing all over the place. My overall conclusions were that a) I clearly dislike Schwalbe's side knob construction, regardless of radial/normal casing, b) the MM Gravity Radial might work for me in the winter only (when hardpack is gone), and c) I haven't found a Schwalbe rear tire that I like. I didn't feel like the MM up front was ever about to suddenly wash out like the Albert wanted to, so it had that in its favor. The Gravity Radial casing I felt like had enough support to aggressively drive the rear (like I felt like there was the potential to find an ideal tire pressure), unlike the Trail Radial which was just a hot mess. Also, Gravity Mary clearly never missed a meal, weighing in at 1400g on my scale. The TC felt like what it was designed to be, a fast rolling race tire for super high speed berms and straight line braking - I could see how it would shine in those situations with a super aggressive rider, but it felt like too much of a compromise to me when not driving it 100%.
After the ride I took them off and put on a set of Maxxis High Roller 3 / DHR in DD/MG, which I felt in the past gives a lot of the radial compliance feel without the sketch / hardpack compromise.
I’m running those on my REEB SST right now. I really like the new Butcher, though the total lack of siping on the cornering knobs can lead to minor hydroplaning in wet conditions. The new Eliminator I’m so-so on - it’s certainly better braking, but notably slower than the old version.
Unrelated to that, I tried a new combo (for me) from the new Conti range last night - Kryptotal Re/Kryptotal Fr. I really think my dissatisfaction with the KryptFr initially had more to do with the Xynotal slip-sliding around. With the KryptRe in back, the setup was fast enough and locked in corners, with very predictable turn-in behavior that was excellent even on flat and slick corners.
What kind of terrain are you riding in?
Colorado front range. Dry, rocky, coarse soil. It eats tires, but typically maxxis dual compound lasts fine. This wore like 3x faster it seems.
If you want fast rolling with a good sidewall you could try a Schwalbe Wicked Will SuperTrail. The SuperTrail casing is more supportive than EXO+. It only comes in their SpeedGrip compound, which is firm and long lasting. Fun tire for all-day missions in the dry. I do wish they had it in Soft (aka not that soft).
Thanks for the reply. 2.40 width?
I admit I have (had) a lot of tarmac approaches and transfers to get to the trails, but even on limestone a 3C gets torn up in the rear way too quickly to make sense to run it in the back...
Yes.
I’d be happy to test tires 🤣
Interesting. I had a set of wicked wills and liked them, did not know they came in the stronger casing.
Ive been very very happy with the previous gen butcher and eliminator for all purpose riding on the east coast. It sounds like the newer versions arnt necessarily an upgrade. Any thoughts on what might be a good alternative? dhf/forekaster? krypto Re/xyno? Id like to try contis as trail tires, but id really like a super soft trail weight front and soft rear. im not a big guy and dont need 1200 gram tires on my bike for every day riding. i like the dh casing contis i have but havent heard anything good about the trail casings
The problem with the trail casing is that it only comes in endurance (or whatever it's called) rubber which is rock hard and has no grip as far as I've seen.
They really lock the best rubber behind the heaviest casings for some reason, super soft is basically DH only (technically not anymore, but in practice still), trail only comes in the useless endurance rubber.
Conti trail casing is dogsh*t unfortunately. burp like crazy and both tires F/R had wobbles after a week of riding. Would not buy these again.
The newish purgatory would be a good faster choice to go with the butcher up front. I’d also be curious to try Forekaster rear with the new Maxxgrip Dissector up front.
So it's even worse... Good to know, thanks.
Hi everyone,
I wanted to ask for some info and share my experience with Maxxis/Schwalbe radials… (Spoiler: not the ending I expected!)
I ride a 360° e-bike for trail/AM and some bikepark. Initially, I ran the classic Assegai 2.5 EXO+ MaxxGrip / DHR 2.4 DD MaxxTerra. (I'm not an aggressive rider pushing hard; I tried the DHF but it’s not for me… feels sketchy.)
The Assegai has this smooth transition that doesn’t make me feel exactly when I’m on the side knobs, but in the end, grip is there.
I don’t ride super fast or on very rocky terrain, so I keep pressures around 20-25 psi.
At the beginning of 2025, I tried Albert Gravity radials: UltraSoft 2.6 / Soft 2.5.
At first, liked them, even though ultrasoft is not as soft as maxxgrip, more comfort for my hands (small chatter damping is really noticeable), more tire deformation, and more traction. For my style, I thought I’d found the perfect tires. I didn’t raise the pressure much compared to before, otherwise they felt too stiff/bouncy and lost the characteristics I liked.
Ridden for about 6/7 months.
A few days ago, before prepping for the winter season before installing a front Magic Mary, I went back to the Assegai/DHR out of curiosity… the trails were still dry, so conditions were stable.
Immediately, the bike felt more willing to start the turn… leaning it felt more natural.
On a familiar "test trail section" (around 30 seconds, mixed conditions), I was able to let the bike flow without touching the brakes. Usually, I brake just a little here. Tried it again, same result, no brakes.Either with the radials the bike tracks better and picks up more speed (and therefore I have to slow down a bit), or the Maxxis simply give me a better feeling and therefore I don't brake.
After this test ride, I can say the small chatter damping of the Assegai/DHR is worse, and the volume, comfort, and technical climbing traction of a DHR 2.4 are lower than the Alberts(more volume, more deformation), but is that really all that matters? In some ways I feel like I have a better riding experience with the Maxxis (and I didn't expect that).
A bit doubtful, I put the Alberts back on and repeated the same loop. All my previous impressions were confirmed… plus, on some loose-over-hard corners, I noticed the Albert drift a bit, whereas I felt more confident with the Assegai.
I did another back-to-back test. Maybe the Alberts are slightly worn now, but I’m not fully convinced about radials anymore… maybe the Magic Mary is a different story.
At this point, rather than starting winter with a Magic Mary radial / Albert setup, I’m leaning toward: Maxxis High Roller III / DHR (and Assegai for spring/summer).
Maybe it’s just my impression, but has anyone had similar experiences? What do you think?
Having tried Radials a few time, I'd say you're not alone. One tip I have is try running a Maxxis DD up front instead of EXO+, especially if you're on an ebike. The 2ply 120tpi casing fabric is very flexible but more puncture resistant and is a bit more supportive on the sides. So you can run a little bit lower pressure, which will get some of the comfort you found with Radials. I've got a couple years riding Contis, plus most of my time before that was on Maxxis. Adjusted for actual pressure I need to keep from dinging the rim or having the casing fold, in order of stiffest/harshest feeling on the hands to most compliant and damp, I'd rank the casings roughly like this: Conti DH - Maxxis DH - Conti Enduro - Maxxis DD - Radial Gravity - Radial Trail. (Not putting EXO+ on the range since I've never run it on an ebike.) The Radials are so heavy that even if you run an Assegai DD, it'll still be lighter than Radial Gravity.
High Roller 3 is my current favorite front tire, but a number of my trails have a lot of loose sand & dust on them, plus hardpack and berms. It's a lot more well rounded than the Argotal (more towards an Assegai than Shorty, whereas Argotal is closer to Shorty), but the side knobs are YUGE and super supportive on berms & off-camber. The slightly more conventional knob setup combined with DD casing and MG rubber edge out the Argotal in SS/Enduro for me, although right now I have bikes set up with each. If your bike park trails are mostly hardpack with only a little loose, then Assegai is probably better suited, but the HR3 won't be a disadvantage. In wet, HR3 is hands down better.
Main thing I'd point out is comparing an Albert to Assegai is already a bad starting point as they're very different tires so your outcome would be expected. The MM on the front would be a closer comparison and yield "better" results. There's no radial DHR II comparison, if you wanted something similar from Schwalbe the Big Betty would be your choice.
Thanks for the replies...
Assegai Exo+: it comes off from my previous "standard" MTB, which is why it was Exo+. Now on the ebike, if I try the HR3 front, it'll definitely be a DD.
As for the comparison, when i wanted to try radials, choice was between MagicMary and Albert.
Between the two, the Albert felt more suitable for year-round use, although more trail-oriented compared to the Assegai. The Magic Mary, on the other hand, I saw more as a winter/wet conditions tire.
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