Schwalbe Addix rubber compound primer
Each tire reveals its compound with a colored strip on the tread.
Schwalbe has completely overhauled the compounds used in its mountain bike tire lineup. This revamp signals good things for riders who love Schwalbe rubber, but who weren’t crazy about its sometimes short lifespan. To help improve performance of its tires in each of its mountain bike categories, Schwalbe hired Wolfgang Arenz, the man who developed Continental’s long-wearing Black Chili compound.
Tread patterns and casings are still the same. So fear not. If you’re a fan of the Magic Mary or Hans Dampf, you can still get them, but they’ll hopefully last a bit longer than before.
They’re also using new machinery heretofore reserved for the auto industry. It includes a cooling phase at each step of the mixing. This allows Schwalbe to better control the outcome of the mix and very specifically manipulate each compound’s characteristics. The result is Addix, a series of four compounds specifically developed for cross-country race, all-mountain/trail, enduro, and gravity. Here’s the breakdown: Speed = XC race; Speedgrip = XC/AM/Trail; Soft = Enduro and Downhill; Ultra Soft = Gravity.
To learn more listen to PR man Sean Cochran explain how the German tire maker came up with the new compound.
//www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePif0AuChgo
The Speed compound is all new, while the other three are replacements for existing compounds. Schwalbe expects the Speedgrip to be the most popular, aimed at general riding in mixed terrain and conditions. It offers similar rolling resistance to its predecessor, but a 62% increase in durability, Schwalbe claims. Interestingly, Schwalbe also claims that compound performance across the range is stable down to freezing temps. Good news for the fat bike crowd.
Schwalbe completely overhauled the compounds used in its mountain bike tire range. From Speed to Ultra Soft, the discipline specific compounds offer increased performance and improved durability.
To quickly identify the compounds, Schwalbe is using a colored stripe on the tread, which wears off in a few rides. It matches the sidewall markings that denote which compound is used.
The Speedgrip compound will be the most popular in the new Addix line.
Good news for consumers is that pricing has not changed, and older tires will be reduced in price. The new line of Addix tires is available now. Head over to www.schwalbetires.com for additional details.
This article is part of Mtbr’s coverage of the 2017 Sea Otter Classic in Monterey, California. For more from Sea Otter CLICK HERE.
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