The Decade of Super: Five Carcasses that Change Everything
Sat 8th Aug, 2020 @ 9:30 am
Addix followed by Super: Two years ago Schwalbe came out with their new edition of MTB-compounds, now five innovative carcass constructions have emerged – fully differentiated for their intended purpose, without compromise. And recognisable by their names: Super Downhill, Super Gravity, Super Trail, Super Ground and Super Race.
Season after season, more and more people discover mountain bikes as their passion. Each rider lives the adventure of MTB in her or his way and with completely individual requirements and ambitions. Therefore, mountain bikes today are more specialised than ever – from light-weight cross country race bikes to modern trail bikes to downhill rocket sledges, with or without a motor. Developments and differentiation happen more and more dynamically in the MTB world. “Therefore, we have analysed each construction based on its scope and spent countless hours of development and tests to optimise them down to the last detail,” says Product Manager MTB Carl Kämper. This is how ground-breaking tire constructions emerge, which fulfil the most diverse requirements.
Five new constructions mark the latest level of evolution in Schwalbe’s Evolution Line. “The carcass in combination with the rubber composition and tread determine the characteristics of a tire, just like the skeleton in humans. One cannot see the construction, but it supports and holds everything together. The carcass has a massive impact on rideability; it defines performance, puncture protection and the weight of a tire. Therefore, it is essential to ride a purpose-built carcass,” says Carl Kämper. “The best tread and optimal rubber mix don’t bring much if they sit on the wrong carcass.”
Legends get better and better: New edition of Nobby Nic and Big Betty.
Nobby Nic, the third generation, light-weight “all-grounder” increases performance for its unique scope: Tour, All Mountain, Trail, Down Country, Cross Country. Schwalbe gave it an aggressive tread design with more clear and significantly more stable shoulder knobs: They allow for more precise handling to the limit. Overall, the new tread brings improved performance during acceleration and braking as well as cornering grip. Self-cleaning properties have also stepped up a level for even more reliable performance in wet conditions. Its large fan club now gets to choose between the Super Trail construction with Addix Soft and the Super Ground construction with Addix Speedgrip.
Also, with Big Betty, Schwalbe has made an impressive relaunch. During the late 1990s and the early 2000s, Big Betty had a cult following. Now she’s back – with extra strong shoulder knobs, long, supported braking edges and outstanding self-cleaning properties. Available as a Super Downhill or Super Gravity construction with Addix UltraSoft or Soft Compound. Downhill World Cup rider Nina Hofmann has tested the prototypes for months and was thrilled: “The extra strong shoulder knobs are very grippy in corners. And the alignment of the centre knobs ensures both super easy rolling and, thanks to the extra supported braking edges, maximum braking performance. Big Betty on the rear wheel and Magic Mary on the front is my new downhill combination.“
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