Schwalbe Albert tyre mini review
Posted: Mon Mar 31, 2025 8:45 pm
So I got hold of a pair of the "radial" Alberts for the Epocalypse, gravity sidewalls, 2.6, 29er flavour. Ultra soft front, soft rear.
Straight out the box on my local trails I pretty much equalled my Strava PBs on my favourite trails in Friston, first time on singletrack after winter with so-so fitness and I've detuned the speed box from unlimited to 20mph over winter to extend the battery range.
The front grip is very good on South Downs hardpack, almost bottomless. I kept going into corners at my usual "max" pace and realising that I could've carried more speed into them. Very confidence inspiring. Rooty sections could be ridden pretty much as if they weren't there (let's see what they're like in the damp and wet).
We then had 4 days on Dartmoor where the grip on the very dusty/ dry conditions was outstanding with the only front end slides being me deliberately provoking them. Even on the wetter trails (streams occasionally borrow a bridle path for their route) the grip was very good. Grip on granite was outstanding, I had a bike technology saving me moment when the DH track that I was on had a new route that turned into a bloody steep 10ft granite block to loam section that the bike just laughed off.
Back in a perfect Friston today, I had two hours at flat chat for me, equalling many PB's and a few improvements. As I got tired I had a few "drop the inside shoulder" front tucks and got away with all of them. I'm utterly fried typing this, I got home with both the battery and me in the red)
I'm sold on them, I feel that the front has a much more to give grip wise (I was running an assagai before), the rear is fine but trail braking at extreme angles it can be lock up a bit snappily, more so than the Minion DHR it replaced.
Pressures, internet seems to think start 5 psi above your normal pressures and fiddle from there, after fiddling I'm at +4psi so 25F and 27R.
Straight out the box on my local trails I pretty much equalled my Strava PBs on my favourite trails in Friston, first time on singletrack after winter with so-so fitness and I've detuned the speed box from unlimited to 20mph over winter to extend the battery range.
The front grip is very good on South Downs hardpack, almost bottomless. I kept going into corners at my usual "max" pace and realising that I could've carried more speed into them. Very confidence inspiring. Rooty sections could be ridden pretty much as if they weren't there (let's see what they're like in the damp and wet).
We then had 4 days on Dartmoor where the grip on the very dusty/ dry conditions was outstanding with the only front end slides being me deliberately provoking them. Even on the wetter trails (streams occasionally borrow a bridle path for their route) the grip was very good. Grip on granite was outstanding, I had a bike technology saving me moment when the DH track that I was on had a new route that turned into a bloody steep 10ft granite block to loam section that the bike just laughed off.
Back in a perfect Friston today, I had two hours at flat chat for me, equalling many PB's and a few improvements. As I got tired I had a few "drop the inside shoulder" front tucks and got away with all of them. I'm utterly fried typing this, I got home with both the battery and me in the red)
I'm sold on them, I feel that the front has a much more to give grip wise (I was running an assagai before), the rear is fine but trail braking at extreme angles it can be lock up a bit snappily, more so than the Minion DHR it replaced.
Pressures, internet seems to think start 5 psi above your normal pressures and fiddle from there, after fiddling I'm at +4psi so 25F and 27R.
