Schwalbe
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Recent Reviews
I recently purchased a 2.6 x 29� magic Mary super gravity front tire for my Turbo Levo expert from Western Bike Works. After a long, waiting period of low inventory on this tire, it was delivered quickly to me as soon as I was automatically emailed by Western Bikeworks. These guys were great. Smooth delivery, no hassles and the product arrived in tact. As the winter progresses here in San Diego with sporadic rain, this tire is great for hero dirt. Love it and I�ll be buying another one next year.
My new bike came with Aerothan tubes installed in Schwalbe tires, and they work great. They are, as advertised, extremely light with excellent rolling resistance. They're also very compact (roughly half the size of a regular butyl tube when folded), so they fit neatly and easily in either a smaller saddle bag or a jersey pocket. They're not puncture proof, but they do at least as well as butyl tubes in resisting punctures.
When I got my first flat (rear tire), I put in a butyl tube, and noticed an immediate difference. It was harder to pedal, harder to accelerate quickly, and harder to hold speed on the road. After I got home, I ordered up some Aerothan tubes, and replaced the butyl tube in the rear tire. I was amazed at the difference the Aerothan tube made.
Are they worth the substantial price difference? Maybe not for a commuter or casual recreational rider, but for performance riding, they can't be beat. And contrary to reports from some reviewers, they CAN be patched, although you must use Schwalbe's glueless patch kit, which is readily available through WBW/BTD. Yes, they're expensive, but they make a noticeable difference on the road. I'm sticking with the Aerothans. The better ride quality is worth it to me.
Great tire for the rear, very similar pattern to the Nobby Nick. Just wish the soft compound for the front was available for those seeking replacements for their Scott and Canyon bikes. I have two Wicked Will Super Ground in the speed grip compound to replace some well loved Super Race in mixed compounds of Speed Grip in the back and Soft (orange in the front) that came stock on my bike. The Super Ground have stiffer side wall between Super Race and Super Trail depending on what terrain you hit with your bike it is a great tweener tire of the 3 types. It is only slightly heavier than the Super Race with more side wall protection and you can really run the pressures low on this tire. 21 PSI rear and 19 front is how I am currently running it for my area. Schwalbe only sells these currently to OEMs and not direct to consumer. :( Great fast rolling tires for dry, hardpacked to hero dirt conditions. If it gets wet/muddy it may be good to switch to a Magic Mary front in soft or ultrasoft compound for some extra grip and mud shedding its a great combo if you are mostly heading downhill in the wet and sticky. For cross country and general trail riding Wicked Will is holding up great and really bites into corners and provides great uphill grip for the trails in my area.
I wanted something for my old Kona Unit that looked good, would roll smooth on pavement, were reasonably priced, and would allow me to go on hard pack/gravel occasionally. These meet all these needs. I�m glad that Western Bikeworks had them available - they were hard to find.