Had been looking for a 650b Baron to replace my front Trail King for the winter gloop with no luck so decided to order a Magic Mary instead. Obviously as soon as the MM was dispatched I’ve found a Baron on one of the German sites. As I have complete ocd when it comes to having the same make of tyres front and back I have a Hans Dampf to run with the MM, but really like Continental tyres.
What I’m trying to ask is which is the better tyre, the Magic Mary or the Baron?

Not tried a Mary and only just moved to 650b but am liking the Der Baron so far. Used to have the old 26″ one and found it similar so far. It burped a bit in a rock garden but stayed up and was fine, is alright in mud and on man made stuff. Had to use a bit more sealant than I thought I’d need but it’s held air well since.

I can’t comment on the Barons as I am yet to try any, but the Magic Mary is very grippy front tyre and very little rolling resistance, I was running Hans Dampf on the rear but not enough grip so bought another MM for the rear, very happy with them both apart from both tyres appear to have a 5-6 mm side to side wobble!

I don’t really notice it when riding but it still annoys me after spending £100 on new tyres

Forgot to mention they both went up tubeless very easy with only a Joe Blow Track pump, have both held pressure since the second ride

I just swapped out a Trail King for a Baron on the front of of my SB66, & the improvement is astounding.
I used to think the Trail King was ok, but compared to the Baron, it’s a pretty mediocre front tyre. The Baron just won’t let go.

Where can you buy 650b Der Barons?

Cheap magic Mary on merlin at the moment £33

I got mine from one of the German sites.

Thanks for all the replies. I think I’ll give the MM a go and see how I get on with it.

MMs front and back, Schwalbe seem to have pulled off the trick of making a winter tyre than actually rolls well too. I love them and the fact they’re cheaper than Maxxis Shortys and Continental Der Barons is an added bonus for me.

The Mary is a pretty damn good tyre – I was using one on the front all year round on my Rune. One thing I have found with Schawble tyres is that once they wear and the tread starts to tear, the performance drops off big time. The big plus for me is that they are easy to set up tubeless.

I was looking for a der Baron so I could move my front Trail King to the rear because the rear one is nailed. But I couldn’t find any so have just bought a pair of Minion DHR II’s.

Being lazt, which site has the der Baron in stock?

I found the Baron on bike-components.de though it’s a bit pricey as its the special edition one with the Continental fender.

Going back to the Magic Mary, is a HD a good match on the rear this time of year?

Considering trying out the 27.5 Magic Marys for general all year trail/DH lite use. Is this a decent option?:

http://www.rosebikes.co.uk/article/schwalbe-magic-mary-evolution-tyre/aid:718719?gclid=CjwKEAiA18mzBRCo1e_-y_KLpXISJACEsANGmvYertfJEK4_6H3hmtiUM9He7-MN-purjnxhQv-sdhoCiXjw_wcB

Seems like a good deal, but I know little about Schwalbe compounds – normally a Maxxis man as they have such good calenders 😉

Will the 26″version fit in a Reba?

Magic Mary

I’ve been running the new Conti Baron Projekt 2.4 for a couple of months now and they are brilliant especially when you are going from rock to hard pack to sand to deep mud and roots.

The Review | The Continental Baron 2.4 Projekt tyres

Continentals traditionally have appalling sidewalls which are like an ashtray on a motorbike here in the Lakes.

How’s the new Baron’s sidewall holding up on the rough stuff?

New Baron runs the Protection Apex sidewall – reinforced sidewall near the bead to aid stability, durability and help absorb rim impacts a little. Can run them lower without the vague flat tyre feel that you would with softer carcasses (I’ve got a standard Trail King 2.2 Protection on the back of one bike, and a Trail King Protection Apex on another – pretty marked difference in feel).

Both great tyres, using both, still 26″ on my SB66. Baron a bit harder wearing and better in mud. MM great all rounder but prone to that breaking / tearing at the bottom of the lugs over time which is a bit annoying for an expensive tyre. Great on steep tech stuff, wet rock and roots.

I’m a little bit of a spinner so find them both a tad arduous over long distances, more than 15 miles, or on a climbing day I tend to swap them out for Bronson’s and for less tech or mudfest routes.

For tubeless MM’s go up a dream first time and stay rock hard, Baron’s need to be inflated and ridden to seal, use plenty of sealant when new.

Anyone any opinions on the rosebike link I posted above for MMs? I’m not very familiar with Schwalbe compounds