I recently bought a Magic Mary (SnakeSkin/TrailStar variety) for the front, which I love.

Now I’m looking to pair it up with another Schwalbe tyre on the rear.

I considered the Nobby Nic, but I have a tendency to pinch flat, so would prefer something with the Super Gravity carcass (in TrailStar compound).

That leaves the Hans Dampf or another Magic Mary (I think the Rock Razor would be sketchy for this time of year, Dirty Dan would be overkill).

What are your thoughts?

MM/HD makes for a pretty good loose condition combo. Plenty of grip, predictable and not stupid draggy.

Depends how muddy it is I guess!I have HD pacestar on the back, tried MM F&R when it wasn’t super muddy & it just felt so slow. (Tubeless though)

Rock Razor all year round for me, it’s rocky here though

I’ve gone for a NN in double defence as I’m worried SG will be too heavy/slow for general riding, and so far so good (Only had it on for 2 rides but I punctured 2 weekends in a row on the previous tyre).

I struggled to fit a 2.35″ MM in, (side knobs rubbing under pedalling/hard cornering) so I’d be interested in what my alternatives are (preferably Schwalbe as its WRONG to mix brands) if I decide I do want SG casing.

This is the eternal question, isn’t it?

Hans Dampf SG for me on one bike at the moment, WTB Trail Boss Tough/Fast on the other.

Bit knobbier than a Rock Razor and at least as tough as the Super Gravity carcass.

Ideally I’d have a DHR2 in SuperGravity/Trailstar.

Hans Dampf works for me. However, the Trailstar compound isn’t very durable on the rear.

not a Schwalbe on the rear but I paired mine with a Shorty just need to be wary of wet roots and rocks but great for getting through the muck.

Maxxis High roller 2 3C , unless it really has to be Schwalbe…
I find the hans dampf too draggy on the rear and the nobby nic scary 😆

WTB vigilante on the back

High rollor 2 on the back of the five
Dhf minion on the back of the Alpine both with a Mary front, I have to say I prefer how the minion breaks when pushed to hard the raise lugs have just enough to stop it going completely

HD Pacestar is not draggy at all. Grip is fine though not as good as a softer compound of course.

HD is rubbish at sticky mud unfortunately, it blocks up with mud really badly and loses most of its grip. Not too bad otherwise but a tyre like this really needs to be able to handle that

Compound is a hassle too- the pacestar’s quick and durable but not very grippy, the trailstar’s still reasonably quick and grips alright when it’s new but the knobs break up quickly and the tyre loses a lot of grip as soon as the edges are off the blocks. You can reverse it though to improve that a bit, the tyre’s symetrical so once the braking edge wears you can flip it.

TBF the only reason to buy one is if it has to be schwalbe- it’s the only tyre they have that can do the job, but it’s adequate at best. Rock Razor is actually ace but obviously not doing the same job, Nic is really quite rubbish.

Vigilante.

Vigilante looks quite promising actually.

How draggy is it? Any worse than a Trailstar HD?

It’s draggy, but nowhere near as bad as the 2.4 HR2 that came with the bike. Anchoresque.

Cheers, those 2.4in HR2’s were hard graft, I briefly had one in 26in form.

MM up front paired with a Vigilante on the rear for Winter Scottish non trail centre type sillyness.
I couldnt find a Shwalbe tyre that was any good on the rear.
HD just cloggs up and wont clear no matter how fast you go.
RR is amazingly quick and better than expected grip level wise when on the dge of the tyre but you’d be insane to run one on steep muddy trails.

The Vigilante seems to have enough volume to avoid pinches and clears pretty well.
I’ll ditch it again once there is a chance of dry trails…. maybe August who knows

Vigilante on the back for me too, paired up with a Conti Der Baron Projekt on the front – perfect for mixed winter conditions. The Vigilante’s the TCS Tough, fast-rolling, casing – so no faffing with punctures as they’re tough as old boots and really easy to air-up tubeless.
Just ordered a TCS Light, fast-rolling, for the front of the 29er too

Mary up front and a High Roller 2 on the back. Good in all but the wettest/sloppiest of conditions as a year round combo. Not Schwalbe, but still…

Very happy with the nobby nic on the rear, running procore though.

Find hans dampf utter toss. Not that much more grip than a rock razor, one of the slowest tyres I’ve tried, knobs tear off in a ride or two.

Even tried a custom cut on the hans dampf, removed transition knobs so they cleared, put ramps on the central knobs for rolling, wore out in a couple of rides.

Dampf here.
Excellent tyre, can’t fault it.

Never had an issues with HD but I am hardly an expert as I have NN, and FA too and frankly I can’t tell the difference. Always run in pairs same front and back, yes I know 😳

I’ve gone for an aggressor on the back, only two rides so far, whinlatter and on-piste glentress. Seems pretty good to date, though I imagine it’ll not handle proper mud amazingly, blocks seem much more open than an HD though.

Currently got MM trailstar HD pacestar and think it’s a good setup. HD is showing signs of wear after about 4 months but other than that it’s a good compromise on speed/mud grip.

Last year I had a Shorty/ HR2 3C combo and whilst I loved the Shorty the High Roller just never cleared of mud on slower descents and I ended up pushing up climbs as the rear tyre was just a ball of mud. I changed mid winter to the MM/HD and the HD felt faster, this was backed up by Strava times on my road ride to my local trails (pinch of salt).

It sounds crazy but the Rock Razor is more versatile than it looks, I’ve had good experiences with it in the mud, on steep stuff you do need to brake earlier but it’s very useable.

Generally run a Rock Razor all year round but can get sketch on steep off-piste loose stuff so have been after an alternative.

Tried a Dampf and whilst predictable were draggy as hell (even Mary rolls better) and clogged easily. Nobby Nic rolls better and clogs less than Dampf but found the sidewalls not quite as strong as MM/RR/HD still a better option than a Dampf imo though.

Currently trying a cut Mary which I’m pretty impressed by, rolls better than a Dampf grips better than a Nic. Does depend on your bike and how/where you ride, Razor will be going back on for anything pedally, drier or surfaced.

Part worn Advantage

NN or DHR2 for me at the moment, both seem to do the same job but the Schwalbe seems to have more volume than Maxxis tyres so using it on the back of my hardtail currently.

On my FS this isn’t a problem so I’ve gone Maxxis/Maxxis with a Shorty front, DHR2 back.

I’ve been amazed how good the Nobby Nic TrailStar both ends is after coming off a Mary up front and DHR2 out back. I’ve put the NNs through their paces and they’ve stood up really well.

Even on -48% terrain in wet slimy loam where I was pushing my limits being coached the Nics weren’t the issue… I was!

I’ve got plenty of Hans Dampfs hanging up part used and new… I just can’t find reason to put them back on a bike anymore – they just clog up in mud. I either prefer the Mary up front or just run Nics both ends.

The DHR2 is one of the best rear tyres I’ve tried though and when the oldest rear Nic I have expires that’s going back on.

I’ll run a Schwalbe TrailStar up front all year. I change the rear tyre a fair bit more.

kiksy – Member

Last year I had a Shorty/ HR2 3C combo and whilst I loved the Shorty the High Roller just never cleared of mud on slower descents and I ended up pushing up climbs as the rear tyre was just a ball of mud.

The shallow knobbed versions of the hr2 (which I think is all of them apart fromt he 2.4s, but not sure…) just aren’t that hot tbh. Quite sideways too. DHR2 kicks the arse of it imo and weirdly is a great front tyre in the dry

I find the HD ok (I run them front and back) but agree they are useless in mud.

Ive got a trailstar and pacestar tat ive run back to back on the same bike, rims etc to compare. I find the trailstar is much grippier. However the pacestar only rolls faster on the tarmac stuff. Off road theres virtually no difference in it. The difference is equivalent to running the trailstar at 30psi as opposed to 27.

I also found that because I had less grip on the pacestar it started to wear a little faster.

If anyone would like a 26” pacestar HD ive one in the garage to try.

DHR2 kicks the arse of it imo and weirdly is a great front tyre in the dry

DHR2 is indeed a cracker, been running it up front all year on the hardtail – keep thinking about chucking the Shorty on but doesn’t seem worth it.

The DHR2 is one of the best rear tyres I’ve tried though and when the oldest rear Nic I have expires that’s going back on.
I’ll run a Schwalbe TrailStar up front all year. I change the rear tyre a fair bit more.

Agree with you regarding Mary, DHR2 and the uselessness that is the Hans Dampf. I’m totally underwhelmed by the new Nics though. Ok they’re an improvement on the old one, but that wasn’t hard! They’re OK on firmer terrain and if you don’t lean over too far, but they’re fragile and they clog badly in any mud!

Recently found conditions where the Mary isn’t ideal. When riding soft, damp loam the Mary can clog badly. Not wet enough to be mud, but not dry. Here a Shorty is ideal, but these conditions aren’t the norm. Otherwise the Mary is a fantastic all rounder on the front. I’d swap back to a 2.5 Minion for somewhere like BPW, but the Mary is pretty much de facto now for me.

I need to get over my OCD of non matching tyre brands, as the DHR2 is the best rear tyre I’ve used for 6 months of the year. The other 6 months, the Rock Razor is, without doubt, Schwalbe’s best tyre!

It really is stupid, but I don’t like to run mismatched brands, time to man up and go with performance.

I am running a Fat Albert on the rear with Magic Mary upfront, I find the FA clears mud much better than a NN or HD, its a bit more draggy though.

It really is stupid, but I don’t like to run mismatched brands, time to man up and go with performance.

I’m the oppo, try to avoid matching rubber!

I’ve got to ask, what does everyone mean by “draggy” rear tyres?

Generally tyres that are grippy are those of a softer compound, and these can be slower, or draggier as said above. More noticeable on the rear.

marc – Member

I’ve got to ask, what does everyone mean by “draggy” rear tyres?

Depends on the job really. Like, if you’re xc racing than my dhr2 would be draggy, for winter #enduro racing I’d call it fast rolling, lots of people would prefer a knobbier tyre.

(just using racing here because they’re more consistent, my idea of XC still benefits from big chunky tyres, other people might choose something fast rolling for their xc)

Anyone tried the Conti Der Baron Projekt? They get good reviews, but at over 1/4lb heavier than an MM Evo (650b), seem heavy (not as heavy as a SG MM though…