Schwalbe, Pirelli and Vittoria have all made significant changes to their tyre portfolios:
Swallow
Schwalbe has completely renewed the casings of its mountain bike tyres. The Super Ground, Super Trail and Super Gravity variants are of interest to e-MTBs. Super Trail is a completely new addition, slightly lighter than the familiar Super Gravity carcass, but with significantly more puncture protection than the standard construction (Super Ground, previously Snakeskin). The E-MTB specialist Eddy Current will in future be available with Super Trail at the front and Super Gravity at the rear. A completely new tyre: Big Betty. The grippier alternative to Hans Dampf on the rear wheel for E-MTBs. Schwalbe also wants to put a definitive end to the problem of studs tearing off - by using more rubber. This makes the tyres heavier.
Pirelli
Motorsport specialist Pirelli has only been involved in mountain bike tyres since last year. Now the Italians are launching a special series for e-mountain bikes with their very own tread patterns. Three tyres are designed to suit different conditions: The Scorpion E-MTB M as an all-rounder for touring and trails, the Scorpion E-MTB R as a specific rear tyre and the enduro version Scorpion E-MTB S (in the test from p. 88) for demanding terrain. All three are available in either 27.5 or 29 inch and exclusively in 2.6 inch width. The stable Hyperwall carcass and the Smartgrip+ rubber compound are also common to all of them. With weights of around 1300 grams in 29 inches, the trio is not among the lightweights.
Vittoria
Vittoria is the next Italian tyre specialist to step on the gas in the MTB sector in recent years. In addition to new treads, there is now also a tyre construction that is explicitly designed for E-MTBs. The four models e-Barzo (Cross Country/Tour), e-Agarro (Tour/Trail), e-Martello (Trail/Enduro) and eMazza (Enduro, in the test from p. 88) have all been trimmed for e-use. The focus: durability and a good compromise between rolling resistance and grip. While the moderate e-Barzo (755 g in 29 x 2.35) and e-Agarro (960 g in 29 x 2.35) are quite light, the additional puncture protection is reflected in the weight of the e-Martello (1263 g in 29 x 2.35) and e-Mazza (1201 g in 29 x 2.4).
Florentin Vesenbeckh
Editor CvD
