Magic Mary Radial

I haven't tried the gravity, but the trail casing is extremely supple (for a 1200g tyre).

I have the normal version of the MM on the front, it is the Ultra soft DH version as it was all I could get my hands on at the time. Aside from the added weight I can't really tell the difference between the DH version and the trail version.

Question - If the radial tyres offer more grip over the normal versions would it be worth going the the Soft version for longevity?

At the back I use the Big Betty in soft compound, I like it mostly as a summer tyre. For me I don't like how it performs on technical climbs, I find that the square edge knobbles spin out when trying to negotiate obstacles, especially in the damp. I think something with ramped knobble would do better in those situations. I'm think something like the TC, not seen any news of those going over to radials.

Hi,

Are you using the trail or gravity carcass? what bike are they fitted to and riding weight please? Considering these for 19kg Transition relay and im 80kg riding weight and ride light.

Ta

Any new experiences now the weather has turned?.

Tempted to try these in some form but also tempted to give some Kryptotals a go too.

Mine (trail magic mary) is underweight, came it at 1160 vs the claimed 1220. Not that this is a big deal but every online report I've seen has them a bit overweight (pretty much par for the course for tyres, infuriating as it is)

Haven't ridden it enough to really comment on performance, I need to spend some time fannying around with pressure. But it does definitely deliver to some extent on the promise

1143g https://r2-bike.com/SCHWALBE-Tire-Magic-Mary-Trail-Pro-29-x-250-Radial-ADDIX-Ultra-Soft-TLR-Black

Personally I'm sticking with Wild Enduro Front and still waiting for the Kryptotal Fr Trail Soft. The Mary doesn't seem right for hardpack and the Albert clogs worse than an Assegai according to the MBR review.

At the back I use the Big Betty in soft compound, I like it mostly as a summer tyre. For me I don’t like how it performs on technical climbs, I find that the square edge knobbles spin out when trying to negotiate obstacles, especially in the damp. I think something with ramped knobble would do better in those situations

Leading edge ramps cause less braking traction, gain better rolling speed. Never seen a trailing edge ramp.

Leading edge ramps cause less braking traction

Doesn’t sound right, are you sure?

The braking edge on a tyre is the rear edge not the front.

Look how a tyre wears when you ride steep trails all the time.

Always the rear edge of the knobs that gets worn down more.

When I rode a lot more flatter XC type stuff my tyres would wear down in an evenish way.

Now about 90% of my riding is steep handcut trails they tear the rear of the knobs more than wear down evenly.

Yeah, agree with the two above. ramps on the leading edge of the knobs on the rear tyre  give better rolling resistance at the expense of some climbing traction (ie more likely to spin out going up hill) . They don't really affect braking

Interesting comments above. I saw a review on YouTube last night claiming the radial Albert cleared better than the Assegai. Given a recent bad crash in damp clay with an Assegai I was looking for something a bit more versatile and even considering going back to the DHF up front.

I think its not going to be much different to an Assegai - they're pretty similar treads although the albert is a slightly closer spacing, so I can see how people would think it wont clear so well but there's more to it than just that one factor. They're similar enough treads. The Albert is probably closer to a Kyrptotal  F:

Onzadog
Free Member

Interesting comments above. I saw a review on YouTube last night claiming the radial Albert cleared better than the Assegai.

TBH I think if you're comparing clogginess at all with an assegai that's probably a bad sign, they are (at lower speed) one of the cloggest modern tyres I've used, they need speed to clear. I think I said earlier but I think this is partly about pro-led and downhill-led development, it's probably never a problem if you're greg minaar and going at a million miles an hour all the time but when you're me at the golfy in december with a fully clenched arse it's not so good. Maxxis need some absolute cowards on their test team

At the back I use the Big Betty in soft compound, I like it mostly as a summer tyre. For me I don’t like how it performs on technical climbs, I find that the square edge knobbles spin out when trying to negotiate obstacles, especially in the damp. I think something with ramped knobble would do better in those situations

Leading edge ramps cause less braking traction, gain better rolling speed. Never seen a trailing edge ramp.

Doesn’t sound right, are you sure?

Damn, I meant driving traction. As in a more ramped tread would make the poster's climbing even worse.

Interesting comments above. I saw a review on YouTube last night claiming the radial Albert cleared better than the Assegai.

Amateur tyre reviewers in "don't know what they heck they're talking about" shocker. Like many of us here 🙂

On the picture above, I’m assuming it’s not the camera angle, because the lines on the centre block don’t quite match up, but that Schwalbe tyre hasn’t even been bonded together straight.

I am absolutely not spending that much on a tyre that looks that poorly manufactured. And that’s ignoring the fact they still haven’t worked out how to keep the tread attached to the carcass.

On the picture above, I’m assuming it’s not the camera angle, because the lines on the centre block don’t quite match up, but that Schwalbe tyre hasn’t even been bonded together straight.

Nah its not the angle, and Schwalbe are the worst of the major brands for that, but it does look worse than it would otherwise due to the unusual horizontal sipe that crosses the middle line. Ive not seen a tyre with that before and it makes the smallest mis-alignment look way worse.

The alignment doesn't personally bother me, and the block life of the current tyres is as good/better than other brands I've tried. Its been a while since I had a Schwalbe tyre where the blocks just fell off.

So how we getting on? I've just bought a replacement for my front Magic Mary trail ultrasoft, was very impressed but not satisfied with it, going to try a Highroller 3 now that the Exo+ has arrived. This is super long, sorry, I am a tyre pervert and I'm also sorting out my own thoughts with this post! This is all from a "competent but not awesome rider" perspective, frankly I don't give a single crap what pros think of a tyre, it's irrelevant to most people. All the testing around the scottish borders and mostly in the tweed valley, it's been a fairly dry winter which I think is pretty much ideal magic mary territory. On a Bird am9 on coils, and on a titus loco moto #endurohardtail. I think always paired to a dhr2 rear.

First things first, yep the "radial" thing works, in fact it is fantastic, it is exactly what they claimed it is and honestly might end up being the biggest step forward in tyres since the first Hillbilly or TLR as standard. I like pretty low pressure generally cos I'm very light and don't mind a little smear but obviously not everyone is like that... This, you can either have this at your normal pressures and have it still act soft in the good ways, or have it at a higher pressure for stability and have it still feel as soft, it is awesome- basically changes the rules on this and changes the compromise that all tyres have, and is the only tyre that actually makes me not hate riding a higher normal-person pressure. For someone like me that likes soft feeling tyres, but who also wants a stabler tyre for corners more than I do and can't tolerate smear, it'd be even better. It is quite a lot slower than a normal Mary mind you but that's an excellent tradeoff for harder use, you could build my favourite tyre ever on this carcass for sure and I hope someone does. I think there <might> be another less obvious tradeoff, more of that later.

But... I'm not satisfied with the complete tyre, in the end. The centre is spot on, the rubber could be a little softer but it's perfectly capable... but it's just so <round>, and on top of that the sideknobs are small and super sloped, it feels like I've squeezed it onto a 717 or something instead of a 30mm. And they're pretty much unsupported too, which I think might be exaggerated by that super reactive carcass giving way beneath them more easily than normal? So there's ime a lack of side grip which is really pretty intrusive on offcambers, rut edges, ugly line changes etc like dropping into parallel gullies, considering how well the tyre performs the rest of the time. It's quite an oldschool feeling thing, this, it reminded me of early 2000s tyres when everything was more compromised and nothing excelled at everything especially in the soft.

So, frinstance, up at the golfy on a soft but not swampy February day, absolutely loving it, it's making things feel easier when it's mostly "middle of tyre" work, not just grippy but super composed, I'm thinking this is overall the best tyre I've ever used in these conditions... (I'd ask for softer rubber than the Ultrasoft for wet stone, but it's not drastic and the radial helps with that), then inspired by all that I try and work an offcamber, or ride a slightly brave transition from a high line into a gully, or make a little mistake and bump an edge I shouldn't and it just runs out of edge and gives abruptly and falls to the bottom, earlier than even something midrangey like a dhr2 would. Quite specific situations but stuff that happens often enough especially on a tyre that feels so good. Oh yeah I never really ran out of grip in corners, I think it's something that happens when you're a long way into the sides, and frankly I don't ride flat corners hard enough to find out.

(I went back up the next day on a maxxgrip dhr2 to test that idea, and rode a bunch of the same trails in the same conditions, of course the dhr2 was less good much of the time but it did never once caught me out like thta, and basically let me ride how i wanted without fuss. And was more consistent and, well, trustworthy, consistency is so valuable in a hard-use tyre. Putting the two tyres side to side the Mary is visibly round, in fact it's clearly the smallest radius'd tyre out of every tyre I have fitted currently, even though one of those is an assegai squeezed onto an old narrow rim)

It's not that it doesn't work, it's just lacking a balance but balance is important, balance is where trust lives. I mean, I went for entire rides where it wasn't an issue at all but because that specific sort of trail feature didn't exist, and by the end I was thinking about it quite a lot and making decisions I didn't want to make based on it. I'd give up straightline/centre grip for more sidegrip, or drag for more sidegrip. And I'm not sure you'd have to give up anything much just to have more sideknob support and have them be just a little taller and squarer, frankly like absolutely everyone else's midspikes now are. But a tyre that's this slow, and this excellent at times, kind of needs to not have that hole imo.

I don't remember ever feeling that about the normal Mary tbh. But then it is quite a bit faster which gives it those excellent allrounder chops. This is why I wonder if the carcass might be effectively taking away support from the knobs and not just doing good stuff but also deflecting under sideload more easily (I'd like to try the dh version) Looking at pictures (I don't have a standard Mary to compare any more) the radials look like they might blow up rounder across the board, but I'm not sure about that?

This one, well it's noticably slower than a Soft Argotal and sure it's got more grip and composure quite a lot of the time (cos Conti ****ed up on the rubber and haven't released the supersoft enduro they need to yet) and the Conti just has no answer to the carcass tricks, but the MM is competing in the same space and it has a lot less grip some of the time. I'm not totally happy with the Argotal either, for this sort of riding when it gets slippier, but I slightly prefer it because of that consistency. (I a/bd the Argotal and MM on the hardtail and settled back on the argotal there)

It's not even <that> much faster than a maxxgrip shorty, and sure it's better on hardpack but the shorty will get you safely down ugly stuff that the Mary won't even try, and give you margin for error in ruts and such. Not as cleverly, but it's just got better rubber and tread on its dumb old carcass. Now comparing a MM to a Shorty might sound daft but the slow carcass of the Schwalbe essentially pushes it into a harder category than it'd usually be in, and to be fair it massively helps it to compete in that category.

What I want, I realised, is an Argotal and a Shorty and a DHR2 on this carcass 😛 Or, maybe this Highroller 3, if it works out like I hope. Or maybe Big Betty. I'm not sure I have a use for it in faster rubber though I can see it could work for some. Dead curious to try the Albert when things are drier.

Or, a fresh design or Mary V2 midspike from Schwalbe (have not tried the Shredda or seen one in the flesh but I guess that with the radial carcass it'll be like pedalling a paving slab? And tbf it still looks very round for such a spiker)

The Mary is over a decade old, and I don't think the tread's changed much if at all in that time? And it's still excellent. Maybe they've just pushed that old dog a bit too far. I realised I always describe the enduro soft argotal as "A Magic Mary except better at absolutely everything all of the time" and I totally stand by that but, this Magic Mary is "A Magic Mary but way better at some stuff and worse at others" and tbf I'm not sure it's as good on balance.

Massive impressive ambitious swing and a near miss. Or, maybe, knocked it out of the park 9 times out of 10 but an unexpected miss the remaining 1, which ends up less good than a solid hit 10 times our of 10, this is not territory where a tyre can ever afford to miss.

Kinda excited about this Highroller though. I was holding out for a Maxxgrip Exo, that's such a good combo in the dhr2 but exo+ will do and they're down to £55 at Biketart. I'll miss the carcass sorcery.

Ive just put a magic mary radial (trail,ultra soft) on the front of my fuel exe - coming from a continental argotal supersoft DH. I've only done 3 rides on it so far , but I like it, it really takes the edges off the bumps, like your suspension is working a bit better. I dont think I have the pressure ( I went 3 psi higher than I ran the previous tyre at) right yet though, think I need to go up a couple of PSI as it felt slightly squirmy at one or two points.

I still have the conti kryptotal rear on the rear, just waiting to wear that out , then I'll probably try an albert radial on there.

Posted by: julians

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I'll probably try an albert radial on there.

I've recently fitted an Albert radial DH soft to the rear to go with an Albert Radial DH super soft on the front.

I can't decide if it's draggy or not as I've also switched from a 27.5 to 29 rear wheel, not changed the gearing and it's been a bit soft under tyre recently.

Previously on a Kryptotal R in DH soft.

Love the front, still unsure about the rear.

My kryptotal fr super soft & r soft combo is about ready to be replaced and I’d like to try the schwalbe radials but I’m a bit torn on whether to go with an Albert or Mary for the front.

One thing I love about the contis is that they work well all year round, though admittedly with a bit of compromise in the mud.

My question is which tread is the better all rounder front tyre? How well does a radial Mary handle summer conditions and how well does an Albert handle winter conditions? Also, how do the 2.5 and 2.6 variants compare?

Most of my riding is Surrey hills type terrain, more dirt and roots, not so much rocks. And I’ll be putting an Albert on the rear.

@appltn, I wouldn't usually post this since it's a lot of "I don't know" but I'm not sure any civilians have done a uk summer on a radial tbh so probably this is as good a bet as anyone's! I took mine off before this dryer spell.

I reckon the carcass magic could be even better in the dry, with the extra hardness and chatter, it probably won't have the heroic lifesaving "I can't believe there's grip here" feel but for smashing through dry stone and roots I'm 100% sure it'll be awesome. I'm imagining charging down sainte foy cattle tracks or blown out washboard downhill, it ought to eat that stuff up. Though it could also feel excessively slow if you're not getting the same advantage from the tread and tack. But it could be a great payoff on that one wet day or when you change plans at the last minute. I'd say for sure it'll be fine, it just might not be ideal. British summer tyre job is difficult especially if you're picky like me.

Just based on the fact you like the kryptotal for year round I reckon  the mary might not be the right choice for you, it's one step up pretty much. I definitely wouldn't be happy on a kryptotal front for year round, I could be happy on an argotal or mary. But I've not used an Albert at all even in nonradial so just can't compare. 

(tbh midspikes tend to struggle a wee bit with loose-over-hard, summer built paths and roads and trailcentres or even stuff like lower-level innerleithen crumble, if they can't bite sometimes they skate. The standard Mary can be like that, I've no idea if the new one will though, it's different enough)

Has anyone here tried a direct comparison with the pro trail and pro gravity casings? I'm tempted by an extra soft Mary pro from Tredz (£59 with a £5 off voucher code)  for my Enduro bike, but not sure which to go with.  I'm about 85kg in riding kit and ride fairly hard but I don't usually get many pinch flats so I tend to ride fairly light casings (currently on an exo+ assguy and DD dhr2) so I'm thinking trail.... but then these are very different so maybe the gravity is a better bet? 

Any thoughts?

First ride today on radial tyres. 
I fitted a Magic Mary trail ultra soft front and an Albert gravity soft rear onto my Mondraker Raze. Set them up with 27 f and 32 r which is about 4 psi more in the front and 6 in the back than the assegai f and DHR2 r, both 3c maxx terra exo+, that they replaced. 
Pretty impressed with them tbh.
I didn’t notice much more drag when climbing which is good. First thing I noticed on the trail was that they have a similar feel to plus tyres when riding along in that they seem to roll nicely over the little roots and stones. Thankfully they don’t seem to have the squirm that the plus tyres did in faster corners.
I’m off to BPW Thursday, keen to see how they get on there. 

I think maybe the issue with the Albert in mud is that the knobs are a bit lower  than the Assegai , so with a certain mount of mud, they are less likely to stick up and out

edit: it didn’t quote ;

@peanutcracknell

I would still go with the radial trail if you currently ride EXO. Yes, it’s a more suppple traction feel, but the overall feel of the tire is normal for its casing level. The radials Gravity is still a very strong/stiff casing. 

So if you have been happy with the support and feel of the light casings like EXO or EXO+, stick with the trail version. If need be, you can always add an insert to get some extra casing stability and rim protection if you find it’s a little bit to flexible or prone to rim strikes, for you. 

I would say, the Gravity casing is a fair bit stiffer feeling than Maxxiss double down, so if you were in DD with Maxxis, and were holding off on Schwalbe’s super gravity casing because you worried it was too stiff for you, the new Gravity Radial would be the right choice.

I was impressed with the tyres at BPW plenty of grip and no burps or punctures.

I’ve been riding with Albert soft trail front and rear lately and have found even at around 35psi that the trail casing on the rear is a bit squirmy. Going up a few more psi helps but then it feels too harsh.

Going to go back to the gravity Albert on the rear as I could run that a bit softer. 
The Albert on the front is decent in the current conditions.