Tyres put to the test: Do the new tyres keep their promise?

Seconds, hundredths, thousandths. Whereas in the past the beaming winner was showered and allowed to watch the runner-up cross the finish line, today everything moves closer together down to the tiniest detail. We find ourselves in a maelstrom of blink-of-an-eye finishes and photo finishes. The power density is growing, whether in enduro, cross country or marathon. As the tip of the scales, the material can bring the all-important advantage. The tyres in particular, as the only point of contact between the ground and the bike, are of immense importance. Only a few square centimetres have to transmit steering and braking forces and still enable effective propulsion.

Tyres for every MTB application in the test

Many tyre manufacturers are therefore focusing on specialisation in order to better meet the challenges in a wide variety of areas. In addition to the broadest possible all-round tyres, more and more tyres are being developed for specific areas or purposes - sometimes with additional differentiation between front and rear wheels. It is striking that most of the new tyre models for this test were initially available in 27.5 and 29 inch sizes. In total, we had eleven completely new tyre developments take part in our comparison test:

Cross country tyre category - super light and fast

Requirement: First and foremost, a race tyre must roll well, should be as light as possible, but still offer a certain degree of puncture protection, traction and cornering grip. The test field: 29er semi-slick tyres for dry conditions, three extremely light and only minimally profiled. The choice for specialists. All three models will also be available in 26-inch and some in 27.5-inch.

1. Continental Speed King 29 x 2.2
2. Hutchinson Black Mamba 29 x 2.0
3. Schwalbe Thunder Burt 29 x 2.1

Category All Mountain tyres - the all-rounders

Requirement: the best of everything. All-mountain tyres are all-rounders and should be able to cope with all conditions. On the one hand, they should roll well, on the other hand they should always offer sufficient grip and rarely run out of air.

1. Continental Trail King 27.5 x 2.2 (also available in 26 and 29 inch)
2. WTB Beeline 27.5 x 2.2 in 27.5 inch

Enduro tyre category - strong and safe

Requirement: Good traction and high puncture protection are the measure of all things. The higher rolling resistance, especially on the front wheel, is acceptable for good grip and good damping. The tyres, which are reinforced for better puncture protection, weigh between 860 and 1086 grams. Mavic and Schwalbe offer special front and rear tyres. The test field: Six new 27.5 and 29er enduro tyres. Here, too, there will be alternative sizes to which the results of this test can be transferred, except for a few parameters.

1. Bontrager SE4 29 x 2.3
2. Mavic Crossmax Charge 27.5 x 2.4
3. Crossmax Roam XL 27.5 x 2.3
4. Schwalbe Magic Mary SuperGravity 27.5 x 2.35
5. Schwalbe Rock Razor SuperGravity 27.5 x 2.35
6. WTB Vigilante Team Issue 27.5 x 2.3

The results of the BIKE test and all the mountain bike tyres mentioned above can be found below as a free PDF download.

BIKE is also available as a digital edition.

Downloads:

Tyre test (pdf)