Fat Alberts vs Rubber Queen vs ?

Bike Forum

[closed]

Fat Alberts vs Rubber Queen vs ?

15 posts & 11 voices | Started 1 year ago by psychle | Latest reply from psychle

Tags:

No tags yet.

psychle - Member

Ah, a what tyre thread... always fun to have

What with these buggers being so silly expensive (£40 a tyre FFS?), I'd like to make sure I'm spending wisely...

So, what have been ya'll experiences with these two? I'm looking for a high(ish) volume, fast(ish) rolling all rounder type of tyre - will be used mainly in the Surrey Hills through Summer and the occasional trail centre forray... tyres are going on my Enduro SL, currently shod with Specialized Eskar Controls (which I've found fine tbh, just fancy trying something different).

Over to you STW

Posted 1 year ago #
Whyte1 - Member

Maxxix Highroller 2.35 singleply maxpro kevlar bead THE END

Posted 1 year ago #
anc - Member

Schwalbe's carcasses are far more durable on rocks(ust) new fat alerts are a fantastic here in the lakes, mate runs the highroller lust over the same stuff and they are fragile. Wouldn't touch a conti up here again as I've never got a set to last more than 10 rides, but haven't tried the rubber queens so could,'t comment on their durability

Posted 1 year ago #
scaredypants - Member

Schwalbe's carcasses are far more durable on rocks(ust)

dunno about the fat feckers but nobby nick UST got cut to buggery very quickly on flinty trails round my way (thick enough, but too soft) - then agian, I reckon a LUST carcass would too as they seem pretty thin

Posted 1 year ago #
Edric 64 - Member

Use any rubber and learn to ride .Bike tyres cost as much as my car tyres these days so I use whatever is in the garage !!

Posted 1 year ago #
Northwind - Member

Do you like leaning the bike over and going round flat corners with any degree of speed? The Rubber Queen's pretty good at everything else but they really surprised me with the lack of cornering grip. Straightline, great, volume, great, rolling resistance, pretty good. Cornering grip, no. Not good at all. And it's not like I'm heroic in the corners so if I can't trust them, there's something lacking

Just gone back from those to a 2.35 stick-e nevegal which has less volume but goes round the same corners faster without a hint of slippage, is probably slightly better gripwise the rest of the time (though hard to compare, the RQ does find grip in surprising places) and maybe a little more draggy, but then it cost about half as much.

Oh, one other thing, if you have any thoughts of doing tubeless... I did get mine to go airtight-ish eventually, but it took a bit of faff and a heck of a lot more sealant than normal. Not an ideal tubeless tyre

Posted 1 year ago #
reggiegasket - Member

I run a UST 2.25 Albert on the rear and a standard Fat Albert 2.35 on the front (set up ghetto tubeless). Great pairing. I'd put them up against the Contis any day. Never been impressed with the Contis myself. But the Schwalbes have been good everywhere - Lakes, Alps, and they get a hard time on the 456.

Posted 1 year ago #
anc - Member

Scareypants the fats have the snakeskin carcass makes a huge difference on the rocks

Posted 1 year ago #
haddock - Member

I've used Fat Alberts, Alberts and little Alberts, all snakeskin. The snakeskin works great but the compound is hard and they wash out without warning in the wet.

I was riding up at Whinlatter (wet slate), then bought a Panaracer SC Rampage from cyclewise half way through the day, fitted it there so to make a direct comparison (I like my tyre geekery). The SC Rampage was way gripier and rolls a lot quicker. Now wearing the Alberts out over summer, they're ok in the dry, but are really to draggy for a summer tyre - they would suit grit stone and granite, Peaks, Dalbeatie places like that but dont really do anything that well.

Posted 1 year ago #
anc - Member

They have a triple compound on the new fats and I ride whinlatter a lot and have never had a grip issue. The cheaper schwalbe may use a hard compound.

Posted 1 year ago #
duntstick - Member

+1 what Haddock said

I have an older FA on the rear and the newer triple comp one on the front.

Don't like either of them in the wet, but very good in the dryer, rocky conditions we have here.

Posted 1 year ago #
anc - Member

What pressure you running them? They have a sweet spot at about 28psi, loads of grip on wet lakes rock. Brill tyre!

Posted 1 year ago #
CaptainFlashheart - Member

Rubber Queens FTW!

Posted 1 year ago #
LoCo - Member

UST Fats anyday

Posted 1 year ago #
psychle - Member

... I should've known that asking a 'what tyre' question is fairly pointless on STW!

I've popped for the Fat Alberts now, shall see what I think of them in use... they better be good for the price!

Fair call from Edric though:

Use any rubber and learn to ride .Bike tyres cost as much as my car tyres these days so I use whatever is in the garage !!

The way I ride, rubber isn't really the limiting factor!

Posted 1 year ago #