What do you think about radial MTB tires?

Radial mountain bike tires are gaining positive early feedback, and we want to know what riders think about this emerging tire construction design.

By Jeff Barber
August 16, 2026

19 comments

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Close-up image of a mountain bike tire resting on grassy ground, with the text "Schwalbe Albert Gravity Pro TLR 29x2.50 Soft Radial" visible on the sidewall. The background is blurred, emphasizing the tire and the surrounding grass.

Radial mountain bike tire designs are relatively new, and early feedback is positive. For such a simple change with a lot of upside and few if any downsides, radial mountain bike tires almost seem too good to be true. Whether you’ve tried them or not, we want to know what you think.

If you’ve ridden on radial mountain bike tires, tell us which ones and how they performed in the comments below.

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Close-up view of a mountain bike rear tire on grassy terrain. The tire features a textured tread pattern, and part of the bike's frame is visible in the background, showcasing dirt accumulation. The focus is on the tire, highlighting its rugged design suitable for off-road cycling.

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19 Comments

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kippcarlisle Massachusetts // 2008
Aug 16, 2026

Just waiting to try them once more brands offer them in lighter casings …

3 reply

mtssea North Carolina // 2021
Aug 21, 2026

Schwalbe sells trail casing radials too in addition to gravity

0 reply

Claude Bike Italy // 2019
Aug 17, 2026

this!

Zoso 2016
Aug 17, 2026

Same. What are the options in trail tires? (too lazy to research)

boxcarmtb Colorado // 2018
Aug 16, 2026

I have ridden a lot of tires, ultimately settling on Maxxis as my go to brand over the years. When Schwalbe released their radials I tried them and now it is all I ride. I have gravity and trail casing versions of the Tacky Chans and Alberts and a trail casing Magic Mary. Tires are the first element of suspension on your bike and these deliver increased traction through a damping characteristic I haven't experienced in other tires. The pressure can be a little different, I tend to run around 3psi higher in the radials than I would in a similar casing of another tire. I find them to be fast and compliant in all situations. The way they conform to terrain provides confident grip that allows you to charge wet roots, blown out duff, loose over hard pack, chunder, everything. I personally don't have a downside to them.

2 reply

dlawson 2018
Aug 17, 2026

I agree … I switched to Schwalbe Alberts (front and rear) after many years riding Specialized Butcher (front) and Elininator/Ground Control (rear).
Radials take some adjustment because they perform/feel differently than other tires, but it would be very difficult to go back.
As others have mentioned - I would prefer a little more aggressive front and a little faster rear, BUT the Albert’s outperform the Specialized combos I relied on for nearly a decade.

1 reply

vandall 2019
Aug 16, 2026

wow, that's great, I tried the Magic Marys and was disappointed in how fast the side knobs tore off. Maybe they have improved enough that I should give them another try.

Are you sure you got the actual radials and was it gravity or trail casing? Lots of sites are selling the old Mary's that do tear up easily. I got an MM front / Albert rear in Jan 2025 and have ridden near weekly since (western NC) and still zero signs of side knob cracking at all on the Mary, just starting to show some on the Albert. I'd have otherwise run through about 4-5 sets of Maxxis by now... its unreal.

Douglas Hill California // 2020
Aug 20, 2026

Did you run gen 1 (last year’s) or new with some blue letters on sidewall “like “Pro”? Those are new, 2nd gen versions with improved sidewall

cuban2thecore166 California // 2019
Aug 16, 2026

I only run Schwalbe Radial Tires. I've used the Magic Mary Trail Soft up front with Albert Trail Soft rear, as well as The Romy Trail Pro Soft on front and Tacky Chan Trail Pro Soft on the rear. In my opinion Schwalbe radials are superior to other brands, and I will continue to use and depend on them for all my builds and rides.

Roger that - ditto on the Schwalbe's - easily the single most durable and grippy tire I've ever owned, hands down.

MTBnRN Illinois // 2014
Aug 17, 2026

I have an albert gravity soft x magic mary trail ultra soft in radials on my trail bike. Being able to run higher pressures gives a ton of grip in almost every condition except loose over hard. Still trying to get the psi dialed for those conditions.

Adrien Belliveau 2026
Aug 17, 2026

It depends. If you're pointed downhill or mostly ride techy XC (like I do).

I swapped out the Maxxis Dissectors for Albert Trails on my Tallboy and they lasted 2 rides before I removed them. The tires performed exactly as advertised with more grip over roots & rocks and a larger contact patch. However my previously lively and peppy Tallboy rode like it was drunk. I couldn't get them off fast enough for new Dissectors so that the "fun" could be restored.

I have now installed them on my Trek Fuel EX-e and enjoy them on that bike.

So be weary, coming from a relatively fast rolling tire (eg. Disectors or similar), for me, there was a noticeable increase in rolling resistance and overall speed. This difference is likely less if you're already on grippier compounds.

skypig Australia // 2013
Aug 21, 2026

I’m recovering from bi lateral wrist surgeries. I’m running Flexx bars to reduce the pain.
I fitted an Albert Trail Pro and at 24psi compared to the 19psi I was running in my Assegai the reduction in shocks past on to my wrists over roots and rocks was greater than the improvement gained from the bars. Quite amazing.
1. The bars are good for reducing “slap down” type shocks. The tires for roots/rocks.
2. I was told to start with 20% more pressure. Hence 24 v 19. I’m using 22 now and can’t notice any difference to 24.
3. Grip is phenomenal (hard pack. Extra soft compound)

I’m not sensitive to these things: I couldn’t really detect a difference between the DHF and the Assegai, but this radial is a step up.
I won’t be using anything else for now

philn3 California // 2019
Aug 17, 2026

I’ve been riding the Alberts front and rear on my SB140 LR for about six months.

Pros: They perform exactly as advertised. On the descents, they’re fantastic—tons of grip and confidence. Point them downhill and let ’em eat.

Cons: I don’t think rolling resistance gets mentioned enough when people talk about radial tires. There’s no denying the physics: a bigger contact patch means more rolling resistance. Great on the way down… but on the way up, your legs definitely get the memo. 😂

Maybe so but 1) you can go up 4 vs. 3 psi (or more) and 2) grip & confidence can also = more speed. I've heard others mention "squirm" but I've only continued getting faster & faster times, continually so I'm not seeing / feeling anything like that and also adjust psi based on trails / terrain... maybe play around some w/ that. I'm wondering if the squirm is more w/ trail vs. gravity casings tho - I wouldn't know as I have only grav casings

streighty Oregon // 2015
Aug 20, 2026

Agree, but I will always opt for downhill grip with as little uphill penalty as possible. Schwalbe radials do just that, IMHO. I run the MM up front and the Romy in the rear. I was running the Albert in the rear, but the Romy seems to roll better. I'll use the Albert in the front when I go to the rocky desert this fall.

Schwalbe radials have been the single most durable, grippy and notable tires for my uses (downhill / enduro and trail) since tires have gotten really good. I would formerly wear out 2-3 Maxxis tire sets per season (year round in western NC) and after buying a set of M-Mary / Alberts (front/rear) in Jan 2025 and with about 8-900 trail miles on them, the Mary still barely shows any signs of serious wear and the Albert is only just showing cracking a the inner base of side-knobs. I've mostly ridden these at Rock Ck, Windrock, Sugar & Beech and even going 3 psi higher, I'm stunned at the grip and suspension feel these give. I have heard some people say the radials are "spongy or yielding in corners" but I've not experienced anything like that, and l I think that may be the trail vs. gravity casings - these have been nothing but solid.

I'd be on my 5th set of Maxxis had I not gotten the Schwalbe's, and am only just now considering a rear Albert so I've also saved about $750=800 so far by dropping $100 per radial in Jan 2025. I will maybe try some other radial brands now, just to check myself but the Scwhable's, to me, are Level 1000 everything I've wanted in a tire for 36 years. The fact that so many other brands are not going radial lends support to the concept.

Dennis Bittner 2025
Aug 20, 2026

Uphill singletrack performance is most important to me (on SL eMTB running 200W max). I switched out the Maxxis DHRs I had been running for an Albert radial (trail casing) in the back and love it for the increased traction. The Albert also provides a lot of security for me on DH. I am still running Maxxis Assegai in the front and haven't tried a radial there, because I don't think it would improve uphill performance. I am keeping Maxxis Assegai up there. It works well for my style on UH and DH in coastal California and Tahoe loose conditions.

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