Schwalbe's new radials

TommyF

TommyF

Well-Known Member
Just had my first ride on a set of Albert Trail Pro radials. All I can say is WOW, that was the biggest transformation of ride quality and traction I've ever had on any set of tires. Mounted them up on my Tallboy, they only come in 2.5 so a little on the large side which put them very close to my lower link. Immediately you notice the ride quality, super smooth, almost like my suspension was improved, the tire just stays in contact with the surface at all times. I'm running super soft up front and soft in the rear. Trail chatter is muted big time and these things hold a line through chuck like a razor. It's as if my Tallboy now rides as good as or better than my Switchblade. Grip is ridiculous, just point them anywhere and they go exactly where you want. I was hoping their weight wasn't going to slow me down, 2 PR's and a 2nd best on a climb tells me I'm good. A bit of a heavy tire, but they allow you to rip through just about anything with confidence. I'm running them 4psi higher too, 28R and 24F, you can feel a slight bit of radial squirm at low speeds but that feeling goes away when things speed up.

Give these a try, you won't be disappointed.
 
Yup, they're pretty awesome. I have them on the SJ and rode them in Moab first, was thinking that once I got back to the East coast maybe I wouldn't be as impressed as I was there in Utah. Not the case at all!! In fact, riding on my Epic with non-radials feels weird to me now. Wondering if it's worth switching, if even for the front. I'm running a Nobby Nic in the front so the weight difference is almost nothing (about 30 grams). Rear I have a Wicked Will, so it would be 400grams heavier to go with one out back.

EDIT- I think I'm going to do it. The WW is for the summer, in the winter I run NN front and back, so I'm used to the weight.
 
jdog said:
Feedback in the shop is solid. They are a hair slow in the gravity.. The trail casing is really good. You must ride higher than normal pressure or they feel slow.
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I've actually heard that about schwalbe tires in general. The run higher pressure thing.
 
I'm going to add to the review here and mirror the same. These tires are great. They quiet the trail chatter and grip is nuts. Feels like a new bike. The rolling resistance is yet to be determined because of super dry loose conditions but the corners have been more fun and the climbs have slipped less. I came off of very worn versus tires.
 
A little update... I just got back form a week of EPIC riding in Quebec. Brought the Tallboy and my newly acquired Shuttle AM. Before I go any further, put Quebeck on your short list of places to hit. AMAZING !!!

The networks have climbing trails and many super fun ways to get down. Lots of ebikes due to the climbs.

Day 1 - Im on the Tallboy at Empire 47, nice long climbs on very well groomed trails, not once did I feel like these tires were holding me back. Then the fun part starts on the way down. The radials bite into the trails and hold on with amazing grip on the dirt and the slabs. I bombed that bike down some crazy fun stuff and never once felt the tires lose traction at my level of riding, can't wait for the contis to wear out on my other bikes so I can make the switch to these radials.

And I'll mention this one more time, put Quebec on your short list of places to ride. The trails are ridiculously fun, very well built and the forest surrounding them are beautiful.
 
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I know this thread has been quiet for a bit but with the new updates to the Schwalbe Radial line, I thought I’d pop in with some feedback.

Magic Mary Trail Pro Ultra Soft 29x2.5
This is an amazing front tire. The grip is unmatched compared to literally every other Maxxis, Continental, Schwalbe (non radial), and Vitoria tire I’ve tried. The ride quality is damped, calm, but still responsive. It makes you feel like you’ve got an extra 10mm of travel on your fork. 10/10.

Albert Trail Pro Soft 29x2.5
Really impressive as a rear on my ‘25 Ripmo AF V1. Like the MM, the high air volume, radial construction, and excellent rubber make your bike feel like you’ve gained 10mm of travel. So plush. I actually added a little air and compression damping to my shock to compensate for how plush it felt, but still maintained pedaling efficiency and rolling speed. Unfortunately, the tire is so tall and round in its profile that it rubs my linkage and is damaging it so I had to remove it. I’m crushed because the tire is surprisingly fast rolling, for its amazing level of grip. 9/10, would be 10/10 but ruining my linkage dropped it a little.

Tack Chan Trail Pro Ultra Soft 29x2.5
I’ve only got 3 rides on this tire so far, all as a front tire, but it’s growing on me. After removing the MM and putting this on, I tried to run it at the same air pressure… that was a mistake. Despite this being the newest version of the Ultra Soft compound and the same casing, I feel like the tire is actually a bit firmer, less damped, and slightly stiffer casing than the MM. After dropping 3 PSI, I feel like I’ve found the sweet spot and I’m getting much more comfortable with it. This tire doesn’t have the raw, knobby, mechanical grip of the MM, but doesn’t ever feel out of place as a front in Allamuchy, Mahlon Dickerson, Stephens, or really any of the northern NJ trails. 8/10 as a front.

Romy Trail Pro Soft 29x2.5
This replaced the Albert for me on the rear of the Ripmo. The Romy is a bit lighter, has more pronounced shoulder knobs, a lower profile center tread, and significantly wider spacing on the tread. I just can’t think of any situation where it’s better than the Albert other than the fact that it’s less tall and not rubbing my linkage. It rolls noticeably slower, feels less damped, and despite being the same casing and the same compound, it feels WAY less grippy. The rubber feels considerably harder when riding. I find myself sliding sideways on off camber rock rolls that the Albert (or most other similar tires) have never had a problem with. I’ve tried riding more and less pressure, but I just can’t seem to find a way to make it work. I actually think even a Vitoria Agarro has better traction with waaaay less aggressive tread. I so badly want to like this tire, but I can’t seem to get along with it. 3/10.

Final Notes
I plan on putting the Magic Mary back on the front and moving the Tacky Chan to the back. I think this is going to be a bit of overkill for most situations, but as the season dries out and gets dusty, plus some occasional trips to Mountain Creek, Trexler, Killington, etc, I think it’ll be fun. Plus I’m interested to see how the TC works as a rear compared to the Romy. Meanwhile, I’ve got two Alberts to throw on my hardtail, and a Romy I’ll probably sell after 3 rides.

Don’t forget to ride somewhere between 2-7 PSI firmer with the radials than you would on a comparable casing non-radial tire. It does make a difference.
 
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The Worst said:
I know this thread has been quiet for a bit but with the new updates to the Schwalbe Radial line, I thought I’d pop in with some feedback.

Magic Mary Trail Pro Ultra Soft 29x2.5
This is an amazing front tire. The grip is unmatched compared to literally every other Maxxis, Continental, Schwalbe (non radial), and Vitoria tire I’ve tried. The ride quality is damped, calm, but still responsive. It makes you feel like you’ve got an extra 10mm of travel on your fork. 10/10.

Albert Trail Pro Soft 29x2.5
Really impressive as a rear on my ‘25 Ripmo AF V1. Like the MM, the high air volume, radial construction, and excellent rubber make your bike feel like you’ve gained 10mm of travel. So plush. I actually added a little air and compression damping to my shock to compensate for how plush it felt, but still maintained pedaling efficiency and rolling speed. Unfortunately, the tire is so tall and round in its profile that it rubs my linkage and is damaging it so I had to remove it. I’m crushed because the tire is surprisingly fast rolling, for its amazing level of grip. 9/10, would be 10/10 but ruining my linkage dropped it a little.

Tack Chan Trail Pro Ultra Soft 29x2.5
I’ve only got 3 rides on this tire so far, all as a front tire, but it’s growing on me. After removing the MM and putting this on, I tried to run it at the same air pressure… that was a mistake. Despite this being the newest version of the Ultra Soft compound and the same casing, I feel like the tire is actually a bit firmer, less damped, and slightly stiffer casing than the MM. After dropping 3 PSI, I feel like I’ve found the sweet spot and I’m getting much more comfortable with it. This tire doesn’t have the raw, knobby, mechanical grip of the MM, but doesn’t ever feel out of place as a front in Allamuchy, Mahlon Dickerson, Stephens, or really any of the northern NJ trails. 8/10 as a front.

Romy Trail Pro Soft 29x2.5
This replaced the Albert for me on the rear of the Ripmo. The Romy is a bit lighter, has more pronounced shoulder knobs, a lower profile center tread, and significantly wider spacing on the tread. I just can’t think of any situation where it’s better than the Albert other than the fact that it’s less tall and not rubbing my linkage. It rolls noticeably slower, feels less damped, and despite being the same casing and the same compound, it feels WAY less grippy. The rubber feels considerably harder when riding. I find myself sliding sideways on off camber rock rolls that the Albert (or most other similar tires) have never had a problem with. I’ve tried riding more and less pressure, but I just can’t seem to find a way to make it work. I actually think even a Vitoria Agarro has better traction with waaaay less aggressive tread. I so badly want to like this tire, but I can’t seem to get along with it. 3/10.

Final Notes
I plan on putting the Magic Mary back on the front and moving the Tacky Chan to the back. I think this is going to be a bit of overkill for most situations, but as the season dries out and gets dusty, plus some occasional trips to Mountain Creek, Trexler, Killington, etc, I think it’ll be fun. Plus I’m interested to see how the TC works as a rear compared to the Romy. Meanwhile, I’ve got two Alberts to throw on my hardtail, and a Romy I’ll probably sell after 3 rides.

Don’t forget to ride somewhere between 2-7 PSI firmer with the radials than you would on a comparable casing non-radial tire. It does make a difference.
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These tires are really the first true change in tire design in ages. The grip is super inspiring, but they do roll a bit slower in most cases. I tell my customer to try them close to 30psi and then slowly lower to the psi to find the sweet spot. They feel like total crap if you run the same psi that you have run in the past on non-radial tires. On the Ebike, the shredda tires are so grippy that going back to stock tires feels like another sport. I would not really recommend the shredda on an analog bike unless you simply can't fall ever.

These are not the weak casing tires you have tried years ago btw. These are something very different and special
 
jdog said:
These tires are really the first true change in tire design in ages. The grip is super inspiring, but they do roll a bit slower in most cases. I tell my customer to try them close to 30psi and then slowly lower to the psi to find the sweet spot. They feel like total crap if you run the same psi that you have run in the past on non-radial tires. On the Ebike, the shredda tires are so grippy that going back to stock tires feels like another sport. I would not really recommend the shredda on an analog bike unless you simply can't fall ever.

These are not the weak casing tires you have tried years ago btw. These are something very different and special
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The Albert is legitimately pretty quick. On par with a Continental Kryptotal rear which is one other faster rolling high-grip rear tires. The Magic Mary is also on par with an Assegai or Kryptotal Front, so slow, but no slower than any other super grippy front. Tacky Chan is a little faster than the MM. Only the Romy feels like a boat anchor.

I’m 5’11” and 180 lbs. Non-radial tires I usually run about 22f/24r.
I found 26f/27r was the sweet spot for MM/Albert for trails, 28f/29r for Trexler and fast jumpy bermy stuff.
Tacky Chan seems to like a little less up front, 24-25ish
Romy I tried everything from 29 down to 24. It never felt good, but 26 was the best I could get it. Just not the tire for me.
 
The Worst said:
The Albert is legitimately pretty quick. On par with a Continental Kryptotal rear which is one other faster rolling high-grip rear tires. The Magic Mary is also on par with an Assegai or Kryptotal Front, so slow, but no slower than any other super grippy front. Tacky Chan is a little faster than the MM. Only the Romy feels like a boat anchor.

I’m 5’11” and 180 lbs. Non-radial tires I usually run about 22f/24r.
I found 26f/27r was the sweet spot for MM/Albert for trails, 28f/29r for Trexler and fast jumpy bermy stuff.
Tacky Chan seems to like a little less up front, 24-25ish
Romy I tried everything from 29 down to 24. It never felt good, but 26 was the best I could get it. Just not the tire for me.
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Are these all the latest redesigned radials with the new skus that schwalbe announced in March? Did you buy all of them direct from schwalbe? I was looking put a set of magic Mary's and either tacky Chan or Albert on the rear of my park bike but nobody has the new skus other than schwablby themselves at full MSRP. Early adopter problems I guess.
 
JonF said:
Are these all the latest redesigned radials with the new skus that schwalbe announced in March? Did you buy all of them direct from schwalbe? I was looking put a set of magic Mary's and either tacky Chan or Albert on the rear of my park bike but nobody has the new skus other than schwablby themselves at full MSRP. Early adopter problems I guess.
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MM: not newest SKU, but only the ultra soft compound was updated from the version I have. The trail casing is the same. The new compound is supposed to be even slower rebounding and grippier. See Tacky Chan.

Albert: not newest SKU, but no change between the trail casings or soft compound, so essentially it’s the same as the new SKU other than the label printed on the tire.

Tacky Chan: newest SKU. The radial is a brand new design. The ultra soft compound is the newest version, no noticeable difference from the MM ultra soft. The trail casing is supposed to be the same as the other radial trail casings, but it feels a little stiffer both on and off the wheel.

Romy: newest SKU. It’s a completely new tire. The trail casing feels significantly less stiff than the other three tires even though it’s supposed to be the same. The soft compound feels significantly harder and less grippy than the Albert’s soft compound even though it’s supposed to be the same.

MM and Albert were from REI a while ago. TC and Romy were direct from Schwalbe on release day.
 
The Worst said:
I know this thread has been quiet for a bit but with the new updates to the Schwalbe Radial line, I thought I’d pop in with some feedback.

Magic Mary Trail Pro Ultra Soft 29x2.5
This is an amazing front tire. The grip is unmatched compared to literally every other Maxxis, Continental, Schwalbe (non radial), and Vitoria tire I’ve tried. The ride quality is damped, calm, but still responsive. It makes you feel like you’ve got an extra 10mm of travel on your fork. 10/10.

Albert Trail Pro Soft 29x2.5
Really impressive as a rear on my ‘25 Ripmo AF V1. Like the MM, the high air volume, radial construction, and excellent rubber make your bike feel like you’ve gained 10mm of travel. So plush. I actually added a little air and compression damping to my shock to compensate for how plush it felt, but still maintained pedaling efficiency and rolling speed. Unfortunately, the tire is so tall and round in its profile that it rubs my linkage and is damaging it so I had to remove it. I’m crushed because the tire is surprisingly fast rolling, for its amazing level of grip. 9/10, would be 10/10 but ruining my linkage dropped it a little.

Tack Chan Trail Pro Ultra Soft 29x2.5
I’ve only got 3 rides on this tire so far, all as a front tire, but it’s growing on me. After removing the MM and putting this on, I tried to run it at the same air pressure… that was a mistake. Despite this being the newest version of the Ultra Soft compound and the same casing, I feel like the tire is actually a bit firmer, less damped, and slightly stiffer casing than the MM. After dropping 3 PSI, I feel like I’ve found the sweet spot and I’m getting much more comfortable with it. This tire doesn’t have the raw, knobby, mechanical grip of the MM, but doesn’t ever feel out of place as a front in Allamuchy, Mahlon Dickerson, Stephens, or really any of the northern NJ trails. 8/10 as a front.

Romy Trail Pro Soft 29x2.5
This replaced the Albert for me on the rear of the Ripmo. The Romy is a bit lighter, has more pronounced shoulder knobs, a lower profile center tread, and significantly wider spacing on the tread. I just can’t think of any situation where it’s better than the Albert other than the fact that it’s less tall and not rubbing my linkage. It rolls noticeably slower, feels less damped, and despite being the same casing and the same compound, it feels WAY less grippy. The rubber feels considerably harder when riding. I find myself sliding sideways on off camber rock rolls that the Albert (or most other similar tires) have never had a problem with. I’ve tried riding more and less pressure, but I just can’t seem to find a way to make it work. I actually think even a Vitoria Agarro has better traction with waaaay less aggressive tread. I so badly want to like this tire, but I can’t seem to get along with it. 3/10.

Final Notes
I plan on putting the Magic Mary back on the front and moving the Tacky Chan to the back. I think this is going to be a bit of overkill for most situations, but as the season dries out and gets dusty, plus some occasional trips to Mountain Creek, Trexler, Killington, etc, I think it’ll be fun. Plus I’m interested to see how the TC works as a rear compared to the Romy. Meanwhile, I’ve got two Alberts to throw on my hardtail, and a Romy I’ll probably sell after 3 rides.

Don’t forget to ride somewhere between 2-7 PSI firmer with the radials than you would on a comparable casing non-radial tire. It does make a difference.
Click to expand...
Thanks for taking the time to write that up! I am waiting on the Romy in Mid compound to arrive. Once it does, that is going on the back of the Epic Evo, with the front being the Romy Soft. I'm hopeful this is going to be a great combo for that bike. Otherwise, I will go back to the Albert in the front, with a Rick in the back for the summer (that's fast as hell, but don't look for braking traction from it lol).

The Tacky Chan (Ultrasoft) I ordered is also still on the way. That's going on the front of the Stumpy Evo, with the Albert remaining in the back. Given what I ride is mostly typical Northeast root/dirt/sand conditions (not a bike NNJ chunk guy) I'm actually not expecting it to be great (MM is better suited for that stuff), but I wanted to give it a go.

I'll report back as well once I get a solid couple of rides on the combos.
 
As for the compound differences between the new ultra soft on the Tacky Chan and the old one on the MM. Maybe you’d notice it if they were the same tire and you ride them back to back on the same trail. But the Tacky has a little more closed tread pattern than the Mary. So your weight and the pressure is spread over more knobs contacting the ground at one time instead of really few, really tall, really conforming knobs on the Mary. It makes it difficult to get a direct comparison of how the compound feels.
 
Bikeworks said:
Thanks for taking the time to write that up! I am waiting on the Romy in Mid compound to arrive. Once it does, that is going on the back of the Epic Evo, with the front being the Romy Soft. I'm hopeful this is going to be a great combo for that bike. Otherwise, I will go back to the Albert in the front, with a Rick in the back for the summer (that's fast as hell, but don't look for braking traction from it lol).

The Tacky Chan (Ultrasoft) I ordered is also still on the way. That's going on the front of the Stumpy Evo, with the Albert remaining in the back. Given what I ride is mostly typical Northeast root/dirt/sand conditions (not a bike NNJ chunk guy) I'm actually not expecting it to be great (MM is better suited for that stuff), but I wanted to give it a go.

I'll report back as well once I get a solid couple of rides on the combos.
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Tacky/Albert it’s what I’d like to try, I think it’ll be great, but the Albert in the rear is ruining my linkage 😞. So I’m going to try MM/Tacky next.
 
Bikeworks said:
Thanks for taking the time to write that up! I am waiting on the Romy in Mid compound to arrive. Once it does, that is going on the back of the Epic Evo, with the front being the Romy Soft. I'm hopeful this is going to be a great combo for that bike. Otherwise, I will go back to the Albert in the front, with a Rick in the back for the summer (that's fast as hell, but don't look for braking traction from it lol).

The Tacky Chan (Ultrasoft) I ordered is also still on the way. That's going on the front of the Stumpy Evo, with the Albert remaining in the back. Given what I ride is mostly typical Northeast root/dirt/sand conditions (not a bike NNJ chunk guy) I'm actually not expecting it to be great (MM is better suited for that stuff), but I wanted to give it a go.

I'll report back as well once I get a solid couple of rides on the combos.
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Oh and Romy (soft)/Romy (mid) is going to feel like riding in peanut butter compared to the Albert/Rick.

I’m genuinely curious to hear your feedback once you get out on the Romy and Tacky.
 
The Worst said:
Oh and Romy (soft)/Romy (mid) is going to feel like riding in peanut butter compared to the Albert/Rick.

I’m genuinely curious to hear your feedback once you get out on the Romy and Tacky.
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I hope not. Not that I'm wishing it on you, but maybe you got a bad tire like my problematic TC that I couldn't mount?

I've been running Al/Al on the Epic, so the difference with the Romy won't be as pronounced as when I am running the Rick out back. We shall see...
 
I’m back! I was too lazy to swap tires again, so now I’m following up with an update on the Romy after a few weeks and ~75 miles of riding it in various locations and conditions.

It’s growing on me. I still prefer the Albert as a rear, but I think I was quick to judgement on the Romy. It’s not as slow rolling as I initially thought, that seemed to be more the conditions I was riding in. The grip is ok for the type of tire it is, seems like it took 3-4 rides to break in compared to the others. So I’m updating the score to 7/10. Good tire, not great. I may try it on the back of my hardtail in the near future.
 
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