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EB15: Hey, Hey Hey! Schwalbe shuffles in new front & rear specific Fat Albert MTB tires with all-new tread philosophy

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2016 Schwalbe Fat Albert enduro mountain bike tires in front and rear specific treat patterns

For enduro riders, things continue to provide new opportunities to rip down the mountain faster and harder than ever. For Schwalbe’s part, the all-new Fat Albert front and rear tire combo ushers in a new tread block design philosophy for the company in wide 29er and 27.5 options.

The tires’ tread blocks are rounded at the corners with a softer overall look, unlike anything they’ve done before on the mountain bike side. The underlying structure is a bit different, too, creating a tire they say is more flexible and maintains a better contact patch on the ground. They also hinted this could be a growing theme on future tire designs.

More Fat Albert and a close up look at the expanded tubeless-ready road/cyclocross/gravel tire line below…

2016 Schwalbe Fat Albert enduro mountain bike tires in front and rear specific treat patterns

The differences in tread lines are obvious when held next to one of their more popular tires.

2016 Schwalbe Fat Albert enduro mountain bike tires in front and rear specific treat patterns

Front is wide open spacing for good mud shedding, but with treads deep enough to bite into the dirt and substantial enough not to immediately squirm under pressure. The additional siping should help them wrap around the ground’s smaller features to maintain traction.

2016 Schwalbe Fat Albert enduro mountain bike tires in front and rear specific treat patterns

It gets their softer TrailStar compound.

2016 Schwalbe Fat Albert enduro mountain bike tires in front and rear specific treat patterns

Both use their 67tpi Evolution carcass and Tubeless Easy casing with Snakeskin puncture protection bead to bead.

2016 Schwalbe Fat Albert enduro mountain bike tires in front and rear specific treat patterns

Rear has a bit more of a paddle design for good traction when accelerating and decelerating, but also provide decent rolling.

2016 Schwalbe Fat Albert enduro mountain bike tires in front and rear specific treat patterns

It gets their PaceStar rubber compound, which is a bit firmer to decrease rolling resistance.

2016 Schwalbe Fat Albert enduro mountain bike tires in front and rear specific treat patterns

Both front and rear are available in 2.35 widths for both 29er and 27.5 tires. Weights for each are 740g (27.5″) and 780g (29er). Pricing and availability TBA.

schwalbe-one-road-cyclocross-gravel-tubeless-tires01

Schwalbe believes in tubeless for road and beyond. To prove it, they announced an expansive collection of Tubeless-Ready tires for everything from ‘cross to gravel to sand, as well as additional road options. While the collection debuted in July, but most won’t actually be available until February 2016.

schwalbe-one-road-cyclocross-gravel-tubeless-tires05

schwalbe-one-road-cyclocross-gravel-tubeless-tires03

Perhaps their new Schwalbe X-One led them to the rounded tread profiles for the new Fat Alberts? Shame these won’t be ready for this coming ‘cross season.

schwalbe-one-road-cyclocross-gravel-tubeless-tires04

The Big One is a beach racer tire that’s designed primarily for that style of competitive flat land racing in The Netherlands.

SchwalbeTires.com

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Ryan
Ryan
8 years ago

Any more info on the Big One? That might be replacing my Fat Franks when the time comes.

Antoine
Antoine
8 years ago

What’s strange with schwalbe is they seem to get at the same time the best road compound, particularly for durability, and protection from puncture and the worst (high end) compound for MTB. One should absolutely avoid their tire on rocky/dry terrain as they are very fast to wear and are cut like butter.

Colin M
Colin M
8 years ago

@Antoine Totally disagree. “absolutely avoid”? Hell no. The Rock Razor, Hans Dampf, and Nobby Nic are AWESOME rocky/dry tires. They grip grip grip. I don’t care if they wear quicker than X brand. They provide traction, which is what a tire is supposed to do in those conditions.

Love that the Fat Alberts are coming back. The rear was my favorite 26-inch tire for Colorado. Not as sticky as the Hans Dampf but very consistent traction.

Jasen
Jasen
8 years ago

@ Ryan,
check out their website, it will come in 2.35 width:
http://www.schwalbe.com/en/offroad-reader/schwalbe-big-one.html

Mike D
Mike D
8 years ago

Can they introduce a philosophy where their tires aren’t toast after 3 rides? How about a new pricing philosophy so I don’t have to pay ~90$ a wheel?

I Think the Hans Dampf is a great tire, but for my money I’m picking up a Maxxis every time… also great tread patterns, and they actually last a season.

Ryan
Ryan
8 years ago

@Jasen,

Thanks, I hate Schawlbe’s North America site…should have known to go to the “real” site. Crap, no 26″ listed…yet. Nics on the 29, Franks on the 26.

Christobevii3
Christobevii3
8 years ago

February 2016? What! You can hardly find the 700×25 tubeless road tires they already had and can’t get the new one till next year? WHYYYYY

Pete
Pete
8 years ago

I feel like Schwable and whining about tire life go hand in hand. I mean they do wear out fast but I get a full season on a set of riding 1-2x/week and I an fine with that. Also buy during winter/spring sales and pay $60 to $70 per tire.

Ryan
Ryan
8 years ago

I’ve never had the negative issues some have with Schwalbe, far from it actually. It makes me wonder if people are aware of the varieties of each tire—Performance, Evolution, PaceStar, TrallStar, Folding, Wired, Double-Defense, Super Gravity, Hand Made option, LiteSkin, SnakeSkin, etc.

Somebody running Evo Double-Defense PaceStar Nobby Nics, somebody running Evo LiteSkin TrailStar, and somebody running Performance Wire Nobby Nics are NOT going to have the same things to say about them. They’re essentially three different tires with three different purposes but matching tread patterns.

I guess what I’m saying is a Nobby Nic is not a Nobby Nic, a Hans Dampf is not a Hans Dampf, and a Racing Ralph is not a Racing Ralph. There are many options and variables at play for each tread pattern.

aaron
aaron
8 years ago

The wide spaced paddle design rear tire, I feel will wear like similar rear tire tread designs I’ve ridden in the past. From my experiences when used as an everyday tire – the wide spacing usually causes the crown of the tire between the tread blocks to wear out (thru the casting) prematurely, before the tread is worn.

Ilikeicedtea
Ilikeicedtea
8 years ago

@Ryan

That’s far too nuanced for the BR crowd.

They, along with PB, like to do nothing more than bitch and moan. Nothing is ever even satisfactory.

TheKaiser
8 years ago

So Schwalbe finally convinces most of the doubters that reverse chevron edging knobs make sense, counter to decades of accumulated “wisdom” and common sense, and then they do this…return to a conventionally oriented Fat Albert design that looks straight out of 1999.

Having said that, the Fat Albert may very well rock the kasbah, my comment was more in regard to the pendulum swings of what constitutes a “proper” tire tread design, and how it seems to be driven more by novelty than science.

Antoine
Antoine
8 years ago

Sorry guys but wheteher it’s for XC or trail i’ve use ralph, nobby nics, and finally the rock razor hoping it would last a touch much but all those could not survive a single big day day of hard riding in the rocks (like transvesubienne). Ron and razor would become slick if they did not explode straight and the nobby where losing knob and pissing stan after each ride.
I live in another part of the country which is damp and have good experience with rocket ron. Still they should be used with sealant because they don’t protect much but i’m fine with that.
I’ve never bought the light casings.
On the other hand tire like conti trail king or specialized slaughter have very good grip while being tough and long wearing in the rocks.

On the other hand for road clincher i buy only schwalbe cause they’re so good. Durano are just perfect tire for training, safe, no wear, no puncture, rolls fine.

MissedThePoint
MissedThePoint
8 years ago

@TheKaiser: what’s reverse chevron? Having the shoulder knobs slant from in to out, or the other way? I run mine with the leading edge more inboard, which is similar to how many other tire designs that aren’t straight edged.

professed
professed
8 years ago

Schwalbe – the champions of the disposable society – and disposable tyres.

3 months riding and they are useless.

The argument about ‘super sticky/grippy compound means short life’ is rubbish.
They are only marginally better on wet rock than Maxxis 3C Maxx Terra compound.

Why their MTB tyres dont stand up like say their marathon supreme I dont know. Erratic quality is the norm with Schwalbe. Perhaps the indonesian manufacturer?

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