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First impressions & actual weights of new Schwalbe Nobby Nic + Super Race, Trail, Gravity tires

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Admittedly, the actual decade for Schwalbe’s Decade of Super launch didn’t start off so well. Initially, Schwalbe had planned a big launch event for their new tire constructions where we could ride them and get the scoop. Then the pandemic put a hold on all travel plans, and Schwalbe had to rethink their approach.

The next thing you know, a giant box of tires with a super hero (genie? The video at this link will help explain) on it showed up to the office with little information and simple instructions: go ride!

That bit is important because it allowed me to test the tires in the way that I prefer – completely blind. Before reading or hearing anything about the new constructions, I was able to put time on both the Super Race and Super Trail constructions to form my own opinions before reading any marketing copy. Which is why I was very impressed when I finally did read about the new constructions and it matched up to my experience perfectly.

Schwalbe Decade of Super tire on REvel Ranger

Super Race Racing Ralph /  Racing Ray 29 x 2.35″

As noted in the first post outlining the new constructions, there are a lot of tires to consider. To help narrow things down, we filled out a questionnaire about the type and size of tires we would be able to best utilize. For me that meant nothing but 29″ tires for XC, Trail, AM, and Enduro riding.

On the XC side, Schwalbe sent over their Racing Ralph and Racing Ray which use their new Super Race construction.

Schwalbe Decade of Super tire transparent skin sidewall

These also feature their new Transparent Skin construction, which looks really nice on a bike like the Revel Ranger with its deep green finish. Both tires use the red Addix Speed rubber compound.

Schwalbe Decade of Super tire racing ralph

These tires were very easy to set up tubeless, and slipped over the rim by hand. After adding about 2oz of Schwalbe Doc Blue tire sealant to each tire, a quick pop with the air compressor locked the beads into place without any further fussing around needed.

Schwalbe Decade of Super tire treadThe tires have been mounted to Revel’s RW30 wheels with a 29mm internal width for a while now, and they measure just under claimed width at 2.33″ wide.

How do they ride?

As soon as I set out for the very first ride on the Super Race tires, I thought my tire pressure gauge was off. I was running the same 22.5/23 psi I have run in the same Schwalbe tires in the past, but these Schwalbes felt drastically different. There is no missing how supple these tires feel compared to others. They’re so supple, that I was able to add a bit of tire pressure while still getting the ride feel and traction that I was looking for. I ended up around 24-25 psi, with an impressive amount of grip out of an “XC Race” tire.

Schwalbe Decade of Super tire durability

Are they durable?

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not the best tester when it comes to tire durability. I rarely flat, and our trails are very easy on tires. But thanks to an errant rock, I got an early chance to test the sidewall durability on the Super Race casings. Somehow, a large, flat rock got flipped up by the front tire on a fast descent. The rock then bounced back to the rear tire, where it must have grabbed the tire and scraped along until the rock wedged between the rear derailleur cage and the rim. The derailleur is toast. But the tire and rim emerged unharmed, short of some superficial scratching.

I also tested the pinch flat resistance a few times when running the initial lower pressures, and so far, I’ve had no issues. Which again, is impressive considering the bike these are mounted to encourages you to go bigger than most XC bikes would.

Schwalbe Decade of Super tire racing ralph weight Schwalbe Decade of Super tire Racing Ray weight

Weight

Now for the detail you’ve all been waiting for – the weight. Keep in mind that these are the widest tires that Schwalbe offers in the Racing Ralph and Racing Ray, both with Super Race TL-Easy constructions and the Transparent Skin sidewall. That makes the 727g Racing Ray and 743g Racing Ralph seem very respectable in terms of weight.

Schwalbe Decade of Super tires on roots

Super Trail Nobby Nic (Third Gen) 29 x 2.35″

This tire is special not only because of the new Super Trail construction, but also because the Nobby Nic has been redesigned once again. Like the Super Race tires, I had no idea about either of those things before riding them.

To give the Nobby Nics a proper test, I went to the last trail I actually flatted on. This trail network has a great mix of exposed roots and sharp, ledgy, and pointy rocks that can easily kill a tire – especially when you’re going fast.

It wasn’t long until I came up on the first long, fast downhill – one that I haven’t ridden in a long time. Our trails change quite a bit given how much rain we get, and I went into this section expecting it to ride a certain way. Needless to say, I was all over the place at a high rate of speed on a trail with a lot of gnarly off camber, root infested segments. That’s where I was instantly hit by how well this tire holds its line, regardless of the trail underneath. It just felt extremely planted and controlled even in sections where other tires would have a tendency to claw at your front tire, forcing you off your line. Note that in this case I have been riding with an Addix Soft compound on the front, and an Addix Speedgrip on the rear.

Schwalbe Decade of Super tire mud clearance

The rest of the ride proved to be just as good on the new Nobby Nics with the cornering knobs daring you to lean in a little farther, brake later, and corner with more speed.

As noted, I don’t have nearly enough time on these to make any comments on durability, but they feel like they have a very solid construction. There was at least one point where I was sure that I had killed the tire after I gapped into a g-out a little too fast, and landed with the front tire squarely on a pointy rock. I certainly felt the tire bottom out on the rim, but I rode away without any issue.

So far, both the Super Race and Super Trail tires have delivered exactly what is promised by Schwalbe. Both constructions have proven to be better than expected, and assuming they prove to be durable in the long run, look like some great options for your future rubber.

Schwalbe Decade of Super tire Nobby Nic

Schwalbe Decade of Super tire sealant

Again mounted to the Revel Wheels RW30 rims for consistency, these were a bit harder to install thanks to the thicker tire construction. I was still able to mount them by hand though, and if you’re really struggling, Schwalbe offers their Easy Fit mounting fluid applicator to make it easier. Once mounted to the rim with tire sealant, the tires again popped right into place with a quick blast from my air compressor and that was it. No shaking the tire to seal hole. No need to add more air after the fact. After seating the tires, I over inflated them a bit and actually had to let air out by the time I hit the trail.

Schwalbe Decade of Super tire Addix Soft

Like the XC tires, these measure a bit undersized on a 29mm internal width rim at 2.31″. Given that the casing is more stout, it may take longer for them to stretch a bit as they’ve only been mounted up for about a week.

Schwalbe Decade of Super tire nobby nic weight Schwalbe Decade of Super tire nobby nic weight

Weight

While these tires are the same size as the XC tires above, you can see the difference in construction in tread pattern on the scale. Both 29 x 2.35″ tires in Super Trail TL-Easy, the Addix Soft front tire is a bit less at 1098g, while the Addix SpeedGrip rear is 1108g. Not exactly featherweights, but what you give up in weight you seem to make up in control and durability.

Schwalbe Decade of Super tire nobby nic weight

Schwalbe also sent over a set of the 29 x 2.6″ Nobby Nics which check in at 1175g. I’ll report back with actual width on this guy once mounted.

Schwalbe Decade of Super tire big betty weight

Big Betty Super Gravity 29 x 2.4″ Weight

If you read the first post, you know that the Big Betty is back. Schwalbe is recommending it as a rear tire in combination with the Magic Mary up front. While it’s offered in Super Trail, Super Gravity, and Super DH constructions, this one is the Super Gravity option in a 29 x 2.4″ width and Addix Soft compound. On the scale it came in at 1415g.

Schwalbe Decade of Super tire magic mary weight

Magic Mary Super Gravity 29 x 2.4″ Weight

The partner to the Big Betty, the Magic Mary in a Super Gravity construction in a 29 x 2.4″ and Addix Soft compound is a bit lighter at 1264g.

Again, if you missed it, check out the post detailing the new constructions and changes to the Nobby Nic and Big Betty here.

schwalbe.com

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19 Comments
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Colin M
Colin M
3 years ago

What I wouldn’t give for that box of tires to show up at my doorstep. Well done Schwalbe. Sean if you are reading this, feel free to send me a box. I’m so happy to see a more burly Nobby Nic

Jim E
Jim E
3 years ago

Does the Super Race casing replace LiteSkin? Hope not, as the new ones are quite a bit heavier.

E
E
3 years ago
Reply to  Jim E

Agreed, hopefully they keep liteskin casing around.

Bob99
Bob99
3 years ago
Reply to  E

Third that. Lite skin for race day. so much lighter

blahblah1233445
3 years ago
Reply to  E

Super Race is the equivalent of the old LiteSkin. Check the news about each construction – SnakeSkin appears only in SuperGround and thougher mixes. Higher weights for Super Race may be because of TL-E tech. (old LiteSkin was not guaranteed to work without tubes).

Tom
Tom
3 years ago

Great write up. Super Ground seems like the mama bear, about right for most folks, construction.

Curious on weights of that construction..

Matteo
Matteo
3 years ago

Why is that tire companies make it so difficult to understand the differences between their tires. For most manufacturers there are at least 4 -5 different types of branded tech features (Liteskin, red stripes, blue stripes, easy apex, gripon, TL easy, TL ready, performance, double defense, GRID, Black Diamond……) in each tire and it is almost impossible trying to find on their site what each feature means. Make it simple and post it in a logical place on your site.

Jeff
Jeff
3 years ago
Reply to  Matteo

Schwalbe as explanations for most of their compounds, casings and features right below the tire options.

EcoRacer
EcoRacer
3 years ago
Reply to  Matteo

Schwalbe and Continetal have their tech explained on the info page on every tire on their website? Maxxis has a complete page with “bike technologies” explaining all the different acronyms and tech. If you want the info, it is really easy to find. 🙂 Most dealers can even get a cheat sheet/quick referance guide for their store display. (at least here locally)

Sure there are a lot of variations of tires, but there are a lot of places in the world to ride and no single tire works everywhere. But you have to do your part in reading up on what you want to buy for your use.

rustyy
rustyy
3 years ago

When will these be available? Particularly interested in the ralph/ray combo with the transparent sidewall. It doesn’t look like they have any information on any of their new tires on their US consumer web site.

E B
E B
3 years ago

Suppleness is great, but at that much weight penalty? Peculiar to me they launch tires that heavy. Weight still is important… riding a road bike then gravel or cross bike then mountain bike out from the driveway to try spinups proves that easy.

Dylan
Dylan
3 years ago
Reply to  E B

Riffing on the old adage about quality and price…”A torn sidewall is remembered long after low weight is forgotten”.
To be fair the torn side walls were on some specialized tires over a decade ago (absolutely beautiful handling on some smooth groomed trail, but shredded both tires within a fortnight on rockier ground), nobby nics just lost their knobs.

Collin S
Collin S
3 years ago
Reply to  Dylan

It all depends on where you ride at. Here in South East Michigan, zero sidewall protection is needed. The lighter the better. Because of that, I have been able to ride the liteskin Rocket Ron 27.5+ which end up being about the same weight at most 29er tires, yet have way more grip. With the increased weight of the tires, it makes the 27.5+ look alot less attractive.

Gramps
Gramps
3 years ago

Nic went from about 800 grams to 1100 grams in the same size? I would hope they grip better & puncture less, because an Assegai works pretty well at this weight too!

Daniel Lengyel
Daniel Lengyel
3 years ago

Not really. 800g old NN was without Apex. New NN at 1100g is with apex (now called Super trail). They also have NN without apex, only with snakeskin – now they are calling it super ground.. for those weights are roughly the same

GTS7
GTS7
3 years ago

Supposedly beginning of Sept 20 according to arrival dates at online shops.

Ed.
Ed.
3 years ago

thunder burt 2.1. lites skin vs super rece 435g/510g

michele rossetto
michele rossetto
3 years ago

Sorry have the actual width inner rim 29 mm nobby nic 2.6. ? Thanks

Florian
Florian
3 years ago

Hi ! I have 29 wheels ebike with 30mm rim. I want to put a 2.6 on the front ans 2.35 or 2.4 in the rear. But i want a black with both beige sides tyres, not simply black because i want to mach with the colours of my frame. What tyres do you recommend concidering i pedal on the asphalt roads (i need good grip on the corners, puncture protection and to not wear easy aft er few hundred km) and ocasionally in the country side ? Please give me your help with some sugestions. Thank you !

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