Five New Constructions, a Revised Nobby Nic, and the Big Betty Returns - Schwalbe's Updated Line 7

Five Carcasses that Change Everything

Addix followed by Super: Two years ago Schwalbe came out with their new edition of MTB-compounds, now five innovative carcass constructions have emerged – fully differentiated for their intended purpose, without compromise. And clearly recognizable by their names: Super Downhill, Super Gravity, Super Trail, Super Ground and Super Race.

Season after season, more and more people discover mountain bikes as their passion. Each rider lives the adventure of MTB in her or his own way and with completely individual requirements and ambitions. Therefore, mountain bikes today are more specialized than ever – from light-weight cross country race bikes to modern trail bikes to downhill rocket sleds, with or without a motor. Developments and differentiation happen more and more dynamically in the MTB world. “Therefore, we have analyzed each construction on the basis of its individual scope and spent countless hours of development and tests to optimize them down to the last detail,” says Product Manager MTB Carl Kämper. This is how ground-breaking tire constructions emerge which fulfill the most diverse requirements.

Five new constructions mark the latest level of evolution in Schwalbe’s Evolution Line. “The carcass in combination with the rubber composition and tread determine the characteristics of a tire, just like the skeleton in humans. One cannot see the construction, but it supports and holds everything together. The carcass has a massive impact on ridability; it defines performance, puncture protection and the weight of a tire. Therefore, it is extremely important to ride a purpose-built carcass,” says Carl Kämper. “The best tread and optimal rubber mix don’t bring much, if they sit on the wrong carcass.”

New edition of Nobby Nic and Big Betty

Nobby Nic, the third generation, light-weight “all-grounder” increases performance for its unique scope: Tour, All Mountain, Trail, Down Country, Cross Country. Schwalbe gave it an aggressive tread design with more pronounced and significantly more stable shoulder knobs: They allow for more precise handling all the way to the limit. Overall, the new tread brings improved performance during acceleration and braking as well as cornering grip. Self-cleaning properties have also stepped up a level for an even stronger performance in wet conditions. Its large fan club now gets to choose between the Super Trail construction with Addix Soft and the Super Ground construction with Addix Speedgrip.

Nobby Nic Tire Weights

Also with Big Betty, Schwalbe has made an impressive relaunch. During the late 1990s and the early 2000s, Big Betty had a cult following. Now she’s back – with extra strong shoulder knobs, long, supported braking edges and outstanding self-cleaning properties. Available as a Super Downhill or Super Gravity construction with Addix UltraSoft or Soft Compound. Downhill World Cup rider Nina Hofmann has tested the prototypes for months and was thrilled: “The extra strong shoulder knobs are very grippy in corners. And the alignment of the center knobs ensures both super easy rolling and, thanks to the extra supported braking edges, maximum braking performance. Big Betty on the rear wheel and Magic Mary on the front is my new downhill combination.“

Big Betty Tire Weights

Vital's First Look

We took receipt of the new Nobby Nic and Big Betty a couple of days prior to launch. We've had a chance to ride the new Nobby Nic in a 27.5x2.35-inch configuration with the Super Trail casing. Our front tire is the Addix Soft and the rear an Addix Speedgrip compound. Mounted to Shimano XT wheels with a 30mm inner width created a round profile on the new Nic.

While still only an early impression, we were fast fans of the ultra-grippy tires in corners. Conditions were not super friendly, with very dry, loose, and sandy trails that seem prevalent in late July. The Nobby Nic gave us an immediate sense of confidence with a seemingly never-ending grip through banked and flat turns. When putting down horsepower on climbs, the rear Speedgrip tire does make an audible groan to keep grip. A few power moves over large granite slabs were easily handled with no discernible issue with the tire's ability to hold on.

Despite being able to mount the Big Betty and Nobby Nic 2.6-inch with a floor pump, the Nobby Nic 2.35-inch required the use of an air compressor to get seated. Beyond the obvious difference in tire size, we aren't sure of the issue here as both sets fo the Nobby Nic use the same Super Trail casing.

Schwalbe slates the Magic Mary as a front tire, mating to the Big Betty in back. We were sent just such a combination in the Super Gravity casing and look forward to putting them through the paces.

For now, head to schwalbetires.com for more.

View specs, compare tires, and rate the Big Betty and Nobby Nic in the Vital MTB Product Guide.