Schwalbe Tires Review
Based out of Germany, Schwalbe is one of the most famous bicycle tire brands in the world, although it is most popular amongst mountain bikers, commuters and touring cyclists. This is due to the fact that it makes incredibly strong tires that last for thousands of miles and are almost impervious to punctures.
Its best-selling tire is the Schwalbe Marathon, used by commuters and cycle tourists around the world. Many long-distance cycle tourists swear by Schwalbe Marathon and are almost religious about their dedication to the brand. The comically-named tires belie the incredibly strict and detailed engineering that goes into each and every tire.
Designed in Germany, Schwalbe tires are manufactured in both Indonesia and Vietnam, where it produces up to 18 million tires a year.
Recently, Schwalbe has begun using renewable and recycled materials to save on energy and reduce its environmental impact.
Table of Contents
3. Schwalbe Marathon (Touring, Commuter)
Schwalbe Mountain Bike Tires
In 2024, Schwalbe introduced five new categories of ‘super’ tires for it’s Evolution MTB line – Super Gravity, Super Downhill, Super Ground, Super Race, and Super Trail. All the tires incorporate its ADDIX compound technology which comes in four flavors: Speed, Speedgrip, Soft, and Ultra Soft.
Super Race is the lightest MTB tire category with the lowest rolling resistance, featuring RaceGuard puncture protection and three carcass plies. The Super Ground category is next weight up, with Schwalbe’s SnakeSkin fabric protection and three carcass plies. Next is Super Trail at an average 1kg in weight, SnakeSkin fabric, and a mix of two side carcass plies and three plies under the tread.
Clincher vs Tubular vs Tubeless Tires — All Differences Explained
Super Gravity and Super Downhill are the heaviest categories, weighing up to 1.3kg and 1.45kg respectively. They include SnakeSkin fabric with four carcass plies on the walls and up to six carcass plies under the tread. Certain tires are more versatile than others and fit into more than one category with different Addix type availability.
Schwalbe Magic Mary
MSRP $80 – $100
Categories: Trail, Gravity and Downhill
Addix types: Speedgrip, Soft, Ultra Soft
The Magic Mary is Schwalbe’s most popular tubeless tire, aimed at downhill and enduro riders who require the best possible grip. It features large knobs and provides excellent traction, performing very well in both wet and dry weather. On the downside, the Magic Mary is one of Schwalbe’s more expensive tires and is quite heavy at an average 1.25 kg.
It’s available in 26″, 27.5″ and 29″ sizes, with five widths from 2.25 to 2.8″.
Schwalbe Big Betty
MSRP $45 – $95
Categories: Trail, Gravity and Downhill
Addix types: Soft, Ultra Soft
Big Betty is a slightly larger version of the Magic Mary, with a more solid tread and excellent side grip. It’s often used as a rear tire in conjunction with a Magic Mary on the front for extreme downhill riding. At 1.3 kg, Big Betty is a particularly heavy tire and better used only on the rear.
It’s available in 26″, 27.5″ and 29″ sizes, with five widths from 2.25 to 2.8″.
Schwalbe Eddy Current
MSRP $70 – $92
Categories: Trail, Gravity
Addix types: Soft
The Eddy Current comes as a front/rear combo and has been touted as an excellent e-bike tire. The front tire benefits from excellent cornering abilities while the rear has better braking performance and grip on uphills. Designed to hold up the extra weight of an e-MTB motor, the rear tire at 1.4kg is slightly heavier than the front, at 1.3kg.
It’s available in 26″, 27.5″ and 29″ sizes, with five widths from 2.25 to 2.8″.
Schwalbe Hans Dampf
MSRP $45 – $55
Categories: Trail, Gravity
Addix types: Speedgrip, Soft
Similar to Nobby Nic, the Hans Dampf is an all-rounder designed as a trail tire with tightly packed knobs for better rolling resistance. Although its a lighter, faster trail tire, it lacks the grip of some of Schwalbe’s thicker-treaded tires. One nice benefit of the Hans Dampf is that it has a bi-directional tread, which makes it last longer as you can rotate the tires when they wear.
It’s available in 26″, 27.5″ and 29″ sizes, with various widths up to 2.8″.
Schwalbe Nobby Nic
MSRP $50 – $75
Categories: Ground, Trail
Addix types: Speedgrip, Soft
Nobby Nic is a popular do-it-all tire designed for mild trail riding that doesn’t require extreme downhill grip. It’s a fast tire with knobbly shoulders for better cornering at speed and handles well in both wet, muddy conditions.
Nobby Nic weighs 1kg on average, features SnakeSkin fabric from bead to bead and is available in 26″ to 29″ sizes, with varying widths from 2.10 to 3.00″.
Schwalbe Dirty Dan
MSRP $87 – $98
Categories: Gravity, Downhill
Addix types: Ultra Soft
Dirty Dan is a tire that lives up to its name, designed to shred up mud and tear into loose terrain. The tread features large knobs with wide spacers that easily dispense of clingy dirt, keeping your forks clear and your traction tight. All this grip means the rolling resistance isn’t great, so ensure you only use these tires for their intended use: tearing through mud and dirt!
Dirty Dan’s weigh around 1.4kg and are available in 26″, 27.5″ and 29″ sizes, with widths from 2.00″ to 2.35″.
Schwalbe Racing Ray / Racing Ralph
MSRP $82
Categories: Ground, Race
Addix types: Speedgrip, Speed
Racing Ray and Racing Ralph are two aggressive cross-country tires designed for speed and agility. They work best when paired up, with Racing Ralph as the thinner rear tire and Racing Ray the thicker front tire. The combination provides the perfect balance of speed, traction and control for fast riding over varied outdoor terrain.
Sizes are available in 26″, 27.5″ and 29″ with widths from 2.10″ up to 2.25″.
Schwalbe Rocket Ron
MSRP $92
Categories: Ground, Race
Addix types: Speedgrip, Speed
Rocket Ron is a popular lightweight tire that is often sold as stock on many intermediate trail and XC bikes. Super lightweight at only 520g, the Rocket Ron is perfect for flat-out speed but lacks the grip of other Schwalbe tires. For better grip, pair it with a Racing Ray or Nobby Nic.
Available in 26″, 27.5″ and 29″ with widths from 2.10″ to 2.8″.
Schwalbe Thunder Burt
MSRP $92
Categories: Ground, Race
Addix types: Speed
Thunder Burt is a fast, dry-weather XC racing tire designed purely for speed, with grip as a second. It has a smooth inner tread that resembles a gravel bike, with low rolling resistance and knobbly sides for grip while cornering.
Thunder Burt is available in 27.5″ and 29″ sizes, with widths from 2.10″ to 2.35″. At approximately 1.3lbs (625 grams), the Thunder Burt is slightly heavier than the Rocket Ron.
Schwalbe Jumbo Jim
MSRP $119 – $133
Categories: Ground
Addix types: Speedgrip
The Jumbo Jim is Schwalbe’s answer to a fat bike tire, featuring its signature Addix SnakeSkin protection and tubeless design. Considering its massive size, the 26″ x 4.8″ Jumbo Jim is surprisingly light at only 2.8lb (1.29kg). While it’s admittedly a fast fat bike tire, it lacks the strength and thick tread of more serious fat bike tires.
Jumbo Jim comes in only 26″ size, with widths of 4″, 4.4″, and 4.8″.
Schwalbe Gravel Tires
Schwalbe manufactures 3 types of gravel bike tires, the G-One, X-One, and CX. Each one comes in a few variations depending on riding style.
G-ONE
MSRP $48 – $80
The G-One is available as a Speed tire, an All-rounder, a Bite, or an Ultrabite. The tread on each tire increases upwards, with the Speed being incredibly smooth and the Ultrabite resembling an MTB tire.
Schwalbe G-ONE Speed
The G-ONE Speed resembles a wide road tire with extra tread and provides more traction on-road than off. The G-ONE Speed’s leading Evolution line comes with either the Addix Speedgrip featuring Super Ground performance or a smaller OneStar compound with Snakeskin protection.
Sizes range from 27.5 x 1.5″ to 29 x 2.35″.
Schwalbe G-ONE Allround
With slightly more tread than the Speed, the Allround looks more like a real gravel tire. It finds the perfect balance between speed and traction, providing equal grip on road and off.
The Evolution line features Super Ground performance with the Addix Speedgrip compound, in sizes from 27.5 x 1.5″ to 29 x 2.25″.
Schwalbe G-ONE Bite and Ultrabite
The G-ONE Bite adds considerable tread to its design, making it a far more off-road gravel tire. Rolling resistance is still decent, with excellent traction and stability when cornering. If you feel you need even more traction and grip, go with the Ultrabite. The Bite and Ultrabite are available with Super Ground or OneStar performance and Addix Speedgrip or Snakeskin compound.
Sizes range from 27.5 x 1.50″ to 28 x 2.00″.
Schwalbe X-One
MSRP $48 – $80
X-One represents Schwalbe’s Cyclo-cross range of tires, designed for road-style bikes with 700c wheels.
Schwalbe X-One Speed
The fastest tire in the range, the X-One Speed features Schwalbe’s proprietary Multi-Rip blocks for better traction on dry track. Unlike the G-One, the X-One has large side knobs for better stability while cornering.
Available in 700 x 33C size, with a choice of MicroSkin or RaceGuard performance.
Schwalbe X-One Allround
The Allround is a more versatile cyclocross tire for rougher conditions, featuring equal size knobs all over and excellent performance in both wet and dry conditions.
Available in sizes from 27.5 x 1.30″ to 700 x 35C, with Addix Speedgrip and Super Ground performance or a OneStar compound with MicroSkin.
Schwalbe X-One Bite
The Bite is a slight upgrade from the Allround, focused purely on rough off road riding. The thick tread features widely-spaced knobs to easily clear mud and grip better in wet conditions.
Available in only one size, 700 x 33C, with Addix Speedgrip or OneStar compounds and MicroSkin or Super Ground performance.
Schwalbe CX Pro HS 269
MSRP $29
As the name implies, the CX is a lightweight cross-country tire designed for recreational gravel riding. Available only in Performance line with Dual compound, this affordable tire has low durability and puncture protection.
Available in 26″ x 1.35″ and 700 x 30C.
Schwalbe CX Comp HS 369
MSRP $18 – $25
The CX Comp is another lightweight, affordable tire with a slicker centre line for better onroad performance. It’s faster rolling than the Pro but with less offroad grip, more suited for general riding.
Available in a wide range of options, from 20″, 24″, 26″ with widths from 1.75″ to 2.00″ and 700C with widths from 30mm to 38mm.
Schwalbe Marathon Tires (Tour/Commuting)
Schwalbe’s Marathon line of tires are designed for city commuting and long-distance touring, made from ultra-durable, long-lasting materials and with extremely good puncture protection. The Marathon Plus is it’s most popular tire and comes in several other versions, including the E-Plus, Plus Tour, and Plus MTB. Schwalbe has also released two additional E-bike versions of it’s Marathon Plus tires, dubbed the Energizer Plus.
Schwalbe Marathon Plus
MSRP $57
Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires have long been considered the ‘flatless’ tire of the cycle touring community due to their practically impenetrable shell. Many cyclists have recorded 10,000 miles or more before having to replace a Marathon Plus, and many have done so without suffering a single flat.
Marathon Plus tires use a SmartGuard puncture protection belt made from 5mm of highly elastic rubber. The upgraded Smart DualGuard belt involves an additional RaceGuard fabric layer.
They are available in every size imaginable, from small 16″ and 20″ to 28″ and 700C. Widths range from 1.35″ to 1.75″ and 25C to 45C.
Schwalbe Marathon E-Plus
MSRP $57
As the name implies, the Marathon E-Plus is adapted to carry the heavier loads that electric bikes typically incur. For better control at speed, the E-Plus uses the ADDIX-E compound and Smart DualGuard protection.
Available in sizes from 650 x 50b to 700 x 55C.
Schwalbe Marathon Plus Tour
MSRP $57
The Plus Tour features thicker tread specifically for the potentially varied terrain one might encounter during a long-distance bike tour. It uses Schwalbe’s leading Endurance compound with a SmartGuard layer and comes in sizes from 26 x 1.75″ to 700x45C.
Schwalbe Marathon Plus MTB
MSRP $62
Although Schwalbe already produces a wide range of MTB tires, it also makes an MTB version of its popular Marathon plus tire. In widths up to 2.25″, this tire is best suited for XC or trail riding for those mountain bikers who are sick of fixing punctures.
Sizes from 26 x 2.10″ to 29 x 2.25″.
Schwalbe Marathon Supreme
MSRP $76
The Supreme is a lighter tire designed for better grip on tarmac and hard surfaces, with a very smooth surface and excellent rolling resistance. Although it uses V-Guard protection with an Addix compound, it lacks the extreme puncture protection and offroad grip of Marathon Plus tires.
Available in 26″, 27.5″ and 700c sizes, with widths from 1.6″ to 2.00″ and 40C.
Schwalbe Marathon Mondial
MSRP $43 – $80
The Mondial has been touted as the ultimate long-distance, ultra-durable world touring bike tire. It uses the latest Schwalbe EVO construction with TravelStar compound and Double Defense technology. A cheaper version is also available with older Marathon Plus-style RaceGuard protection and Endurance compound.
Available in sizes from 26 x 2.00″ to 700 x 40C.
Schwalbe Road Tires
While still excellent tires, Schwalbe is less famous for it’s road options which consist of the Pro One, Durano, and Lugano.
Schwalbe Pro One
MSRP $81 – $86
This Schwalbe Pro One TLE is a tubeless tire aimed at high-end road bike users looking for an easier to use tubeless experience. TLE stands for TubeLess Easy, and uses advanced technology to ensure the tire provides control and traction equal to tubed tires.
There is also a tubed version, the Pro One Tube Type HS 493, and they are both available in 650b and 700c sizes, with widths from 25mm to 32mm.
Schwalbe Durano
MSRP $49- $59
The Durano is available in Plus version with a SmartGuard belt and in DD version with Double Defense extra protection. The Durano DD offers equivalent puncture protection to Marathon tires but with excellent road grip and rolling resistance.
Durano is available in 650b and 700c sizes, with widths from 23mm to 28mm.
Schwalbe Lugano
MSRP $18 – $40
Lugano is Schwalbe’s cheapest road tire, with a standard, Endurance, and T version. T stands for Tubular, a stronger tire with K-Guard protection and Silica rubber compound.
Lugano are available in 700c only, with widths from 22mm to 32mm.
Where to Buy Schwalbe Bike Tires?
Shop on Jenson USA Shop on evo.com
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