Over the past few years Schwalbe has been gaining momentum, producing some great mountain bike tires like the Nobby Nic. I recently had a chance to test the 2010 Fat Albert 26 x 2.40 Evo Snakeskin Triple Nano (one of 7 Fat Albert flavors) and at $83.55 MSRP it’s not necessarily what I would consider a cheap tire. Do I think it’s worth the money? You gotta read on to find out…

The Fat Albert is available in front and rear specific tires, each with 7 configurations depending on width and tire compound. I tested the Evo Snakeskins on my FR bike because this tire claims to combine great traction with relatively decent weight. Out of the box the Fat Alberts came very close to their advertised weight (750 grams) and installing them was a snap. I inflated the tires to 38psi (after a bit of debating) and I was off to Blue Mountain with my OPUS Nelson and gear in tow for some serious slope time.

After abusing the Fat Alberts thoroughly on the slopes I can honestly say these perform very well in most of the terrain I have around my area. Some of the trails I rode during my tests were heavily rooted and rocky while others were nearly flat and hardpacked with a fine layer of dust on top. I even pointed the Fat Alberts down a few steep and loamy slopes (think North Shore).

At 26 x 2.4 this tire is well suited for heavier riders (it’s rated for loads up to 330lb. per tire at max pressure). The large volume and low TPI casing allows for more squish before a rim strike. I’m 190lbs with equipment on and I didn’t suffer a single rim ding while racing down the rock gardens at Blue Mountain.

One thing I learned to love about running the Fat Albert front and rear is the level of traction I got on the trail. In certain off-camber turns the Fat Alberts kept the bike on track, holding lines that other tires I’ve tested simply couldn’t hold. I found I got even more traction out of these tires in moist terrain, usually under tree cover where the soil doesn’t dry out as much. It’s a good thing too – those parts of the trail are usually the most technical with switchbacks, roots, and zig zag turns.

Perhaps the best thing about the Fat Albert tire is its predictability and evenness. When you pitch some tires into corners they tend to change their traction characteristics which can make the rider feel a bit uneasy – but not the Fat Albert. These tires ride very much like another favorite tire of mine, the Maxxis Ardent. Pitching the bike kept the same traction level as I went from the center tread to the transition knobs and finally the U-shaped cornering knobs. Perfect, especially when you’re going fast and threading the bike through steep, technical corridors.

Braking was excellent with the Fat Albert tires thanks to the tremendous amount of grip they offer. Of course that grip comes with a bit of a trade-off  in terms of increased rolling resistance. That’s not to say this is a bad rolling tire but it’s certainly not the best I’ve seen. On flats you tend to feel the tire below you which to me means there’s a bit of energy loss.

If you’re looking for a tough, predictable tire that will corner great, brake great, and survive nearly anything you can toss at it then these are for you. Looking for a tubeless or more economical version of this tire? Check out the Schwalbe website for more Fat Albert configurations.

I would like to thanks the folks at Schwable for sending the tires for review.

Maxxis is a name in MTB tires that needs no introduction. The company has been around for over 40 years producing high quality tires for almost everything that rolls, especially mountain bikes. This time around I tested the Maxxis Ardent 2.4 (MSRP about $50) which is one of the newer, large volume tires for the freerider / trail rider.

The Ardent is categorized for aggressive trails and medium to wet conditions with an emphasis on cornering control. If you look carefully at the photo below you can see two rows of very sharp and aggressive side knobs which will really grab and hold your line through the corners. Featuring a 60 TPI casing and 60a rubber compound, these tires will take rocky abuse and should last a long time.

Installing the Ardents along with a set of the Maxxis Freeride tubes (26x 2.20- 2.50, 1.2mm thick) on my Mavic Crossmax SX rims (removing the tubeless valve stems), took very little time at all. In fact I spent more time gathering the talcum powder and necessary tools to remove the valve stem than actually installing the tires and I didn’t even need a tire iron. The job took about 5 minutes per tire to dust up the tubes with powder and slip the Ardents on the rim (minding direction). Inflated the tires to 40psi and I was off.

I decided to take the tires to the 3-stages trail which is right next door to two great spots – Blue Mountain and Kolapore. 3-stages features a run that’s about 1km of just winding downhill with tight and twisty turns, lots of rooted sections and rock gardens plus tight singletrack which provides a great cardio workout. Basically 3-stages is the perfect place to put these tires through their paces!

Climbing with the Ardent tires was pretty awesome, especially considering this is meant to be an all-purpose tire. The aggressive multifaceted center tread really keeps this tire going in almost any type of terrain, grappling at everything and propelling the rider forward. Even getting caught up on rooted sections going up or down didn’t sway this tire’s progress. Likewise, the stable casing and tread really kept this tire pointing in the desired direction without any hints of wandering. The tough casing also helped absorb the abuse of step descents without a hint of trouble even when barreling through rock gardens and rooted terrain. This tire is like a laser with exacting tire placement on demand.

The Ardents really made me feel comfortable in the corners and I quickly learned to trust them when hitting the turns hard. With tons of grip and absolutely no squirm, I never even felt the tire roll when I was threading my way through tough rock gardens.

While the Ardent tires will run comfortably on nearly any trail surface, they really shine on terrain that is slightly on the softer side of things. I found that the great traction the Ardents offer drops off a bit when hitting dry hardpack or dust over hardpack. The tire basically seems to push more when it encounters hardpack and in these conditions it gets just good traction – not great. Hitting rivers and muddy spots was a no-brainer as these tires shed the gunk and kept moving along, ready for more.

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Overall I gotta say the Ardent is one of my favorite tires in this size category. They are not uber-expensive, they wear well, they’re super stable, and most of all they offer tons of traction. These tires are like the stability control system on a Porsche Turbo: they make anyone look like they are as good as an F1 driver.  I wouldn’t hesitate in recommending these to anyone who loves to ride.

My overall impressions:

9 out of 10 for climbing
9 out of 10 for rolling and efficiency
9 out of 10 for loose conditions
9 out of 10 for cornering
9 out of 10 for stopping in a straight line

Specs from Maxxis:

Durometer 60a rubber compound
Usage: All Mountain / Freeride
Conditions: medium to wet
Size: 26 x 2.4
Weight: 855 grams