Schwable Tire Performance Line

stb222

stb222

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I recently started to look at schwable tires after people in here said they are way better than Maxxis. I have always been turned off by them due to the high pricetag. I picked up a nobby nic, super ground, addix compoud on sale and have been happy with it.

I understand there compounds and casings, but my question is regarding the “performance” line and the question is basic, Do they suck?

For maxxis riders, is this line the equivilant to the “dual compound, exo/tr” tires. I.e., their plain ass tire?
 
i believe performance is a legacy compound/casing which is no longer manufactured, so you either sat on the tire for a while or bought a NOS tire that was on sale, IIRC it was their standard option and they had options which increased performance from there.

My only experience with the performance line of tires was on new bikes, so now that i think about it like that it could also be their OEM sales line, either way its not the best of their offerings.
 
Back in my tire whore days, I was big on Schwable tires, mostly for performance and light weight. However, they were not great in loose conditions in AZ. Plus they wore very fast out there and had little performance advantage on those conditions. I took a recommendation from a local rider in AZ and found that a Maxxis forecaster was much better for AZ trails and was adequate here. Now I just ride the Maxxis in both places. I think to depends on what type of trails you ride.
 
I don't have much experience with Scwalbe tires either, but I have been running the Rick's in Addix Speed this spring and get along with them really well. Cornering traction seemed to improve after a couple rides which I think might have had to do with the casing softening up a bit but could also have just been me gaining trust in them or dialing in tire pressure. But I don't feel the urge to swap them out in a hurry which has happened on other tires in recent history.

The TLDR is No, they don't suck.
 
shrpshtr325 said:
i believe performance is a legacy compound/casing which is no longer manufactured, so you either sat on the tire for a while or bought a NOS tire that was on sale, IIRC it was their standard option and they had options which increased performance from there.

My only experience with the performance line of tires was on new bikes, so now that i think about it like that it could also be their OEM sales line, either way its not the best of their offerings.
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They very well might be mainly OEM, however you can buy it aftermarket DTC:

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I have experienced Maxxis tires that are not advertised online correctly and when you get the tire it isn't what the description said. Or it is old stock.
 
stb222 said:
I have experienced Maxxis tires that are not advertised online correctly and when you get the tire it isn't what the description said. Or it is old stock.
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Same. I think the number of sidewall, compound, and size combos makes it pretty hard for most sites to keep up. Some try to put all options onto a single page and let you choose what goes into your cart, or the make a new page for each sku. Either way, not an easy problem to solve!
 
I've run a ton of Schwalbe over the years, in both the old and new compounds. The old compound tires wore fast for sure, especially for my multi-surface rides. I mostly ran Racing Ralphs in that version, and a few runs of Nobby Nics. With the new addix stuff I've run RR in the new and old tread pattern (didn't like the new), Racing Ray, NN, Magic Mary Hans Dampf and probably a few I'm forgetting. The new compounds wear considerably better, especially in the side knobs, with no noticeable loss of traction compared to pre-addix.

They use "performance" in two different descriptions - quality and version, and it's confusing af to decifer. As long as the compound is the addix versions I like, I'm not super concerned. That screenshot you posted supports your theory of incorrect online photos, since they're blue lined, which means addix speedgrip, but yet listed as normal addix, which should probably read addix speed (the only one missing from the 4), and that's a red stripe.
 
KenS said:
I've run a ton of Schwalbe over the years, in both the old and new compounds. The old compound tires wore fast for sure, especially for my multi-surface rides. I mostly ran Racing Ralphs in that version, and a few runs of Nobby Nics. With the new addix stuff I've run RR in the new and old tread pattern (didn't like the new), Racing Ray, NN, Magic Mary Hans Dampf and probably a few I'm forgetting. The new compounds wear considerably better, especially in the side knobs, with no noticeable loss of traction compared to pre-addix.

They use "performance" in two different descriptions - quality and version, and it's confusing af to decifer. As long as the compound is the addix versions I like, I'm not super concerned. That screenshot you posted supports your theory of incorrect online photos, since they're blue lined, which means addix speedgrip, but yet listed as normal addix, which should probably read addix speed (the only one missing from the 4), and that's a red stripe.
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I have been happy with that brand, too Have Racing Ralph on the rear and Rocket Ron on the front. On the 27+ Nobby Nics.
 
Personally I would not use the performance line because I can get the soft compound variants for right around 70 bucks from Europe. Unless the cheapest option is your goal…. I am not a fan of Maxxis’s dual compound because other manufacturers harder compounds are better, such as Kenda.

I am currently using the Magic Mary Super Ground Soft 2.4. It’s been an excellent tire so far, much better than the DHF’s I have used in the past. The Maxxis MaxxTerra’s is softer to touch than Schwable’s Soft but Schwable’s compound is gripper yet faster rolling.
 
They make too many variations in their tires IMO.


The real magic of late come with their radial tires in both the trail and gravity casing. Gravity on ebikes and DH bikes are really good. Trail is borderline slow in the super soft, but the grip is baffling.
 
Oey12 said:
Personally I would not use the performance line because I can get the soft compound variants for right around 70 bucks from Europe. Unless the cheapest option is your goal…. I am not a fan of Maxxis’s dual compound because other manufacturers harder compounds are better, such as Kenda.

I am currently using the Magic Mary Super Ground Soft 2.4. It’s been an excellent tire so far, much better than the DHF’s I have used in the past. The Maxxis MaxxTerra’s is softer to touch than Schwable’s Soft but Schwable’s compound is gripper yet faster rolling.
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That is intwresting because max terra is their regular trail compound and not that soft. Maxxgrip is the soft one and super soft
 
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stb222 said:
That is intwresting because max terra isnt there regular trail compound and not that soft. Maxxgrip is the soft one and super soft
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Respectfully, I would consider the MaxxTerra a trail compound as well as Soft by Schwable. (Sorry @stb222 I may not be understanding you correctly…)

The MaxxGrip and Ultra Soft are more enduro/DH compounds IMHO. I don’t want to pedal either of those compounds on NNJ trails but I bet they are a blast going downhill!

The WTB Vigilante high grip is a little too soft for the trails. And from my experiences I would say it’s in between the MaxxTerra/MaxGrip but closer to the MaxxGrip. Great tire, great compound especially when plowing through rock gardens. But ultimately for me a mushy tire sucks the “spritely”/fun feeling out of the bike in many other sections of the trail.

The soft compound from Schwable is impressive and it’s personally fitting for my usage.
 
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