For MTB tires, Schwalbe has five casing options (with the prefix “Super“) and four rubber compounds (with the prefix “Addix” and color coded). They cover disciplines from Cross Country, over Trail and Enduro, to Downhill.
| Schwalbe EVO Line | |
|---|---|
| Casings | Super Race: Cross Country racing Super Ground: Light-duty trail and Cross Country riding Super Trail: All-around trail riding Super Gravity: Enduro, DH, and e-bikes Super Downhill: Downhill racing and long-travel e-bikes |
| Compounds | Addix Speed: XC racing Addix Speedgrip: XC and Trail Addix Soft: DH & Enduro rear tires Addix Ultrasoft: DH & Enduro front tires |
I’ve been riding Schwalbe for over 10 years and I must say the current EVO line made tire choice so much more streamlined and easier:
Most tires are usually available in no more than two compound and casing options.
So the choices are already narrowed down to fit your type of riding – from XC to DH. Check the chart of all Schwalbe MTB tires below.
List of all Schwalbe MTB Tires
Find out the actual tires suitable for your riding discipline first before getting looking at available casings and compounds
Tip: Navigate this list based on the type of riding you do. Besides tire names and intended MTB disciplines, it also lists casings, puncture protection and rubber compounds.
How to pick the right tire
Here are the basics: As a general rule, Cross Country tires require lighter casings and harder compounds, while Downhill tires need to have stiff casings with soft rubber. For All-Mountain and Enduro there’s room to play around depending on the types of surfaces you ride.
A quick disclaimer: There is no single perfect tire for any condition and riding.
It’s always a compromise between traction and durability, weight and protection, or compliance and stiffness. So knowing what you need from a tire is half the battle.
1. Select for type of riding
In any case, it’s best to start with the MTB riding discipline to narrow the selection down initially.
Then pick one of each of the remaining compounds and casings that matches the type of riding. Aggressive downhill or long XC rides where rolling performance is key.
2. Combine front and rear tires optimally
Know hwo you want each to perform. Generally, front tires need to corner and brake better, while rear tires need to withstand more abuse.
In other words: softer casings and compounds up front, harder ones in the back. Many riders also pick different tread patterns front and back, but that’s our last step.
3. Pick the casing
With knowing what each wheel needs to handle, pick the casing accordingly. This is the basis for the tire and may also dictate the compounds and treads available.
Front tires require more compliance and have to endure fewer impact forces.
Rear tires bear most of the weight and take huge impacts.
From thin to stiff, Schwalbe casings are:
- Super Race: Cross Country racing
- Super Ground: Light-duty trail and Cross Country riding
- Super Trail: All-around trail riding
- Super Gravity: Enduro, DH, and e-bikes
- Super Downhill: Downhill racing and long-travel e-bikes
4. Rubber compound
Select for the most important characteristics of the rubber actually making contact with the ground.
It’s a compromise between traction or rolling resistance and durability – or soft and hard compounds.
From hard, fast rolling to soft, grippy Schwalbe Addix compounds are:
- Speed: XC racing
- Speedgrip: XC and Trail
- Soft: DH & Enduro rear tires
- Ultrasoft: DH & Enduro front tires
5. Tread pattern selection from the few options remaining
By this point, only a couple of tire treads should be up for debate now. This is a choice largely depending on the trail surfaces you find yourself on mostly.
Rock slabs, loamy dirt, root carpets or hard pack dirt. The choice is yours, and Schwalbe has treads designed to perform on each.
If you want to know what to look for in a tire tread and how they’re designed to work, this article all about MTB tire treads may be for you.
Addix compounds
ADDIX is Schwalbe’s current line of four mountain bike tire compounds.
The four compounds are:
Speed (red),
Speedgrip (blue),
Soft (orange), and
Ultrasoft (purple).
The four classes of compounds are classed relative to each other so you just decide on the level of grip, rolling resistance, and durability you want to have for any given tire.
Downhill compounds are always softer than Cross Country ones.
ADDIX Speed is Schwalbe’s hardest MTB tire compound designed for Cross Country (XC) mainly and also All-Mountain Trail. Marked by a red stripe, these tires roll fast, last long but don’t offer much grip. Ideal for XC races or urban riding.
ADDIX Speedgrip is a hard but versatile compound used for Cross Country (XC) and All-Mountain Trail riding. Marked by a blue stripe it leans more towards grip at the expense of more rolling resistance for a good all-round compound.
Because of it’s characteristics, it’s a popular choice for front tires while Speed is more for rear tires.
ADDIX Soft is a softer, but still durable MTB tire compound used for Enduro and Downhill mountain biking. Good grip at the expense of rolling speed makes it a popular allrounder for technical terrain. Marked by an orange label, it’s often used as a rear tire or in hard-pack conditions.
While ADDIX Ultrasoft is the softest compound designed for aggressive Enduro and Downhill mountain biking. Often used as a front tire or for mud tires, it offers the most grip – which comes with more rolling resistance and less durability.
Marked by a purple stripe, it has great low-temperature properties for traction in all conditions and seasons.
Casings
Schwalbe MTB tires come in the 5 casings, ranked from light to heavy-duty:
- Super Race
- Super Ground
- Super Trail
- Super Gravity
- Super Downhill
Super Race sits on one end of the extremes: 3 layers of a thin, light casing and compliant for acceleration traction. While Super DH is built like a heavy tank: three layers of sidewall protection on top of the 6 casing layers.
They differ in the number of carcass layers used in the casing and in their puncture protection inserts (Snakeskin, Apex, Chafer and Raceguard).
They differ in stiffness, comfort and flat protection. Race is super light and thin, while Downhill is extra thick, heavy, stiff and puncture resistant.
It’s important to choose the right one and to match it with the a matching compound. Schwalbe doesn’t let you stray off-path luckily and only offers optimized casing and compound combos.
Performance vs EVO Line
EVO are the best tires Schwalbe has to offer. They are designed for specific types of riding and terrains. They come in ADDIX compounds, are all folding bead and tubeless casings (TLE = tubeless easy).
The Performance Line exists parallel to the EVO Line and is generally cheaper, heavier and less performant (ironically enough). This due to only one “Performance” compound and casing used.
So fine-tuning to specific needs isn’t possible. They’re also the only Schwalbe tires available with wire beads.
For some types of riding like Dirtjump, Pumptrack and commuting Schwalbe Performance tires are ideal.
