With the latest iteration of the Albert, Schwalbe are ushering in a new chapter. The German manufacturer redesigned their first tire from the ground up and significantly changed its internal structure: the most striking feature is the new radial casing, which is meant to provide completely new riding characteristics. We’ve tested the tire extensively and can tell you whether Schwalbe’s claims are true.
Your tires are the only contact points with the ground on your mountain bike, which makes them one of the most important – albeit often highly underestimated – components on your bike. A good tire generates significant traction, both in corners and under braking, and is also a crucial part of the suspension system.
The new Albert is meant to fill the gap between Schwalbe’s classic front tire, the Magic Mary, and their new all-rounder, the Tacky Chan. It’s intended to work as an all-rounder both at the front and rear. For the time being, the new Schwalbe Albert is only available in the € 79.90 Pro version, but a more affordable model is expected to follow soon. This move marks Schwalbe’s first step towards a more streamlined and simplified lineup. Tipping the scales at 1,328 g, it weighs almost the same as Schwalbe’s comparable tire models. The well-known tires. Additionally, there’s an e-bike-specific tire called the Shredda, which relies on a rather extreme tread pattern that was designed to generate maximum traction both up and downhill. However, the most significant innovation is undoubtedly the new radial casing, which aims to strike a previously unthinkable balance, providing a soft roll feeling with a large contact surface while at the same time maintaining a robust stable sidewall.
The New Schwalbe MTB Tires: Albert and Shredda
Schwalbe’s two new tires, which both feature the manufacturer’s new exclusive radial casing (more on that later), are called Albert and Shredda. With this, Schwalbe not only introduce a new design but also move away from the two-part names that they’ve been using over many years. The rubber compounds remain unchanged, retaining both their names and the color coding that distinguishes them.
The main focus is clearly on the Albert, which employs a new tread pattern that was developed specifically for the new casing and the resulting greater tread deformation. The knob layout is reminiscing of the Magic Mary, although the Albert’s knobs are closer together, and the side knobs are significantly shorter, giving the tire a more closed, rounded profile. This design aims to provide a large contact area, ensuring excellent grip in all situations, both at the front and rear, while the smaller spacing of the knobs makes it most suitable for dry conditions. The Albert is available in two widths 2.5” and 2.6”, both in the Soft and Ultra Soft rubber compounds, and with a choice of Trail or Gravity casings. Of course, you can choose between 29” and 27.5” wheel sizes.
When it comes to e-mountain bikes, the Shredda takes center stage. It features an extremely aggressive tread pattern with long knobs that were inspired by motocross tires, designed to provide maximum traction both up and downhill, especially on soft terrain. Given the long, widely spaced knobs, minimizing rolling resistance was clearly not on Schwalbe’s priority list. The Shredda is available both as a front and rear-specific tire. However, it’s only available in 29” wheel size and 2.6” size with Gravity casing and Ultra Soft rubber compound.
The New Radial Casing of the Schwalbe Albert MTB tire
The new Schwalbe radial casing is based on the same structure as Schwalbe’s proven casings, but with a significant difference: unlike all the German manufacturer’s tires – and those of other brands – the threads don’t run at a 45° angle from one tire bead to the other but at nearly 90°. This is where the name of the casing comes from, as the threads run radially around the tire’s circumference, taking the shortest path between the two beads. Most of us are familiar with this construction from their car tires, where it has become standard. However, this design hasn’t been used with MTB tires yet, because pure radial casings only provide the necessary stability in combination with a wire bead. Therefore, Schwalbe chose a slightly slacker angle – the exact angle remains a secret. Nevertheless, due to the slacker angle, the threads overlap less, reducing friction inside the tire when it deforms. This is supposed to ensure better damping without compromising sidewall stability and puncture protection. However, the new casing’s increased deformation is expected to result in slightly higher rolling resistance. According to Schwalbe, the Albert with radial casing should offer the same rolling resistance as a Magic Mary in the old casing, which is mainly due to the tread pattern. For the time being, Schwalbe will be using the new radial casing on their two new tire models, the Albert and Shredda, and at some point in the near future also on their popular front tire, the Magic Mary. All tires with radial casing will be available in both Trail and Gravity versions. Apart from the orientation of the casings, the construction is the same as the familiar Super Trail and Super Gravity casings.
The New Schwalbe Albert MTB Tire on the Trail
We rode the new Schwalbe Albert MTB at the product launch event in Finale Ligure, which is known for fast, rocky trails. After countless runs on classic trails like Ingeniere and Tobogan, we spent a full day testing different tires back-to-back on a designated test track. This allowed us to compare the new Albert against the Magic Mary and the new radial Gravity casing against the familiar Super Gravity casing. Following these tests, we spent several days in bike parks and on our home trails to identify the most striking differences between the tires. We rode the Albert with the Ultra Soft rubber compound at the front and Soft compound at the rear.
When you hit the trail with the Albert in the radial Gravity casing, the tires feel noticeably softer compared to the Super Gravity casing counterpart. This allows the tire to follow the contour of the trail, making it significantly more sensitive to small impacts and effectively damping vibrations from the trail. This is particularly noticeable on the front wheel, reducing strain on the hands. In rough sections, the tire absorbs lateral impacts better, making it easier to hold your line and significantly improving the bike’s stability. Additionally, the tire feels noticeably more compliant when landing jumps, giving you the impression that you’re touching down on a cushion. While this might feel as if you were bottoming out on the landing for a split second, the damping is very progressive, and the tire maintains its stability. The overall ride feel is similar to riding with a tire insert – just without the added weight. However, one difference is that the radial casing doesn’t improve puncture protection – actually, it’s the other way around. Using the same pressure as with the Super Gravity casing, sidewall stability and rim protection aren’t quite as good. Additionally, the tire can feel slightly off on jumps and in strong compressions, as it tends to flex more at the beginning and exhibits a different rebound behavior. However, this can be easily corrected by slightly increasing the tire pressure. After playing around with different pressures, we ended up running approximately 0.1 bar more at the front and rear, achieving similar casing stability while still enjoying a noticeably smoother ride with all its major advantages.
The tread pattern of the Albert has good all-around qualities and has proven itself in a variety of conditions. Compared to the Magic Mary, it offers a more relaxed ride. This means that, thanks to its rounded profile, the transition from the center to side knobs is extremely smooth, ensuring a more predictable cornering behavior. Moreover, the Albert has a predictable breakaway point and wide threshold zone between grip and slide. While the Magic Mary generates more traction with experienced riders – especially on loose terrain – it also has a narrower breakaway threshold: when putting a lot of pressure on the aggressive side knobs, they dig into the ground, but if the tire loses grip, it’s more unpredictable and harder to control. The Albert is in its element in dry conditions, on rocky trails and hard-pack bike park lines. Here, it consistently provides good ground contact, plenty of control in corners, and excellent braking traction.
The new Schwalbe Albert tire has become a favorite of our editorial team, because it performs exceptionally well in almost all conditions and, thanks to the new radial casing, provides better damping. This provides more control, inspires more confidence and puts less stress on your hands. If you like to run the proven Magic Mary at the front, now you can get it in the new radial casing and combine it with an Albert at the rear.
Our conclusion about the Schwalbe Albert MTB tire.
The Schwalbe Albert not only comes in a completely new look but also with radically different riding characteristics. The new radial casing sets new standards in terms of sensitivity, ensuring smoother handling and less fatigue. In terms of stability, the Albert calls for virtually no compromises, proving an excellent all-rounder provided you can leave with slightly more rolling resistance. The tread pattern is suitable for most conditions and provides good traction and a predictable behavior.
Tops
- Cushioned ride feel
- Increased safety
- Reduced fatigue
- Easy to ride
Flops
- Increased rolling resistance due to the new casing
- Limited grip in loose terrain
For more information, visit Schwalbe’s website.
Did you enjoy this article? If so, we would be stoked if you decide to support us with a monthly contribution. By becoming a supporter of ENDURO, you will help secure a sustainable future for high-quality mountain bike journalism. Click here to learn more.
Words: Simon Kohler Photos: Schwalbe
