With riding disciplines becoming more and more specified, the need for more and more specificed components is also rising. Specific components go beyond stanchion diameter and cogs on a cassette, they also extend to tires. Aggressive riders and rocky, rough trails require a burlier tire to prevent flats and rim damage. Cross country racers, on the other hand, need something light that rolls extremely well.

    These disciplines, and many others inbewteen, place different weights on various things in a tire and Schwalbe does an excellent job at making sure the niches are filled.

    Here at The Lost Co, we tend to focus on trail, enduro, and downhill applications for components and tires. With that, we primarily stock and sell Super Downhill, Super Gravity, and Super Trail. In order to help you decide what you need for your riding applications, we will cover all compounds provided by Schwalbe.

    The skeleton, or construction, of a tire plays a huge part in support, puncture resistance, and rolling resistance. A tire with a light construction, such as the Super Race, will provide a little less support, slighlty less puncture resistance, but it will be able to roll fast. Generally speaking, those who are using Super Race tires are less likely to encounter terrain where more support is needed and punctures are less likely to happen. A tire with a heavy construction, such as Super Downhill, will have the upmost support, the best puncture protection, but it will roll much slower. When gravity is your friend, but the terrain is not, Super Downhill is the way to go. The tire's support will help you plow through roots and rocks, while the puncture protection will make sure you don't get any snake bites or fall victim to sharp objects.

    With five different tire constructions (which we will cover shortly), how do you decide which is best for you? For better or for worse, there is no direct answer other than; it depends on what attributes to you value most?

     If you know you're going to be riding very hard over very unforgiving terrain, then the choice may be obvious. If you know you're going to be racing Cross Country and are after the fastest rolling tire, your decision should be easier. If you don't fall directly into one of those two camps, then a little brain power might be required.

    Lets dive into each construction Schwalbe offers in order to give you a more clear idea of what's out there.

    Well.......... It depends.

    I think you have the general idea of why you might choose one over the other but lets dive into specific applications.

    If you are riding in the bike park, do not get a construction below Super Gravity, especially for the rear tire on your bike. That back tire of yours is going to take a beating at high speeds over break bumps and rocks. Save yourself some frustration and a long walk to the bottom of the lift, and get a durable, supportive tire. The lighter constructions are more susceptible to pinch flats, ruptures on your sidewall, and punctures - all of which are much more common when moving fast. Concerning the front tire, you can be a bit more flexible, but I wouldn't go below a Super Trail. This will save you a little weight and allow the tire to stay more planted.

    On my personal daily driver bike, a 170mm/165mm bike, riding around Bellingham, I rock a Super Gravity in the rear and Super Trail in the front. The Super Gravity provides more support and is less likely to flat when I inevitably case a jump or get off line and smash some rocks with my rear wheel. The hits I am taking don't quite require a Super Downhill like the repeated hard hits in the bikepark. Further, it's nice to save some weight when I am pedaling up a fire road for an hour or two.

    On a 140mm all-mountain bike, I typically use Super Trail tires. Generally speaking, the trails I am riding and the stress that is being put on the bike is less, so the support and the burliness of the sidewall are less of a concern.

    While certainly not an end all, be all rule, in general - the more travel you bike has, the burlier construction you should go with. When riding big burly downhill rigs with 200 mm's of travel, you guessed it, you should probably use the Super Downhill tire. When riding a short travel XC bike, Super Race or Super Ground makes the most sense. One instance where this is not the case is on some hard tails. A few friends who I ride with ride quite gnarly, steep, and chunky trails on their hard tails. In this case, you of course would want to go with a burlier sidewall to fit the terrain. A Super Gravity may not be out of the queston in the rear.

    Schwalbe mountain bike tires come in five different constructions (Super Race, Super Ground, Super Trail, Super Gravity, and Super Downhill) in order to appease to niche audiences across the different mountain bike disciplines. We generally recommend a firmer compound on the rear, and a lighter one on the front. The back tire takes much more abuse, and therefore calls for a burlier construction. Saving a little weight on the front of your bike when you can is never a bad idea.

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