We tested 10 sets of Schwalbe Magic Mary and Big Betty tires on a broad mix of terrain and have a lot to report back on.
Fitting the Schwalbe Big Betty and Magic Mary tires to our full fleet of E-MTB test rigs proved to be a struggle at times with their tight tolerances on the beads, but with some perseverance and the occasional profanity we got them mounted and aired up. After 100,000ft of vertical testing in a week on sharp edges and smooth rolls interspersed with high-speed rock gardens, we were astounded to suffer from zero flat tires, despite even destroying two rims. A truly impressive feat for a group of hacks like us, taking some heavy eMTBs to their limits on unfamiliar trails.
Traction and predictability across a wide range of conditions was the standout theme amongst all our test riders. We had one bike show up with tires from another major brand mid-way through testing, and we all felt that we just did not have the confidence that we had become accustomed to on the Schwalbe tire combo. The Magic Mary and Big Betty combination offered consistent grip and cornering confidence throughout testing that left us all very impressed.
For my 170-pound mass, I opted to run 24psi front and 26psi rear on the 2.6” casings, which I found to be the optimum setup to keep the sidewalls soft enough to conform to the trail while not deforming during hard cornering. The soft rubber compound is both sticky and slow enough to rebound that I never felt on the edge of grip and held up reasonably well for the test duration showing only a small amount of wear come the weeks’ end.
The Big Betty on the rear provided a great climbing tire in both 29 and 27.5”, hooking up well across a variety of ground conditions. On the descents, the narrowly spaced side knobs give the rider supreme confidence that the rear will not give out from under them during hard cornering efforts. Braking traction is also impressive, allowing for late braking in all but the muddiest of conditions without losing traction and skidding. The rolling speed of the Big Betty is reasonable, but it would not be our first choice for a tire to take on the longest rides in hardpacked terrain.
As you know, we think the Magic Mary is a great front tire that offers oodles of predictable traction across the full spectrum of conditions and may be as close as we have found to a perfect all round front tire. The only downside we could think of is the slightly slow rolling speed in high-speed smooth sections, and the occasional knob-squirm on the hardest packed corners. These are only minor nuances though, and we struggle to recommend against the Mary for most aggressive riders.
At $183 for the Big Betty and Magic Mary pairing, these Schwalbe offerings sit up at the top of the pricing scale for mountain bike tires, but we believe it is a case of you get what you pay for, with performance and durability to aid in the justification of their price.
In their Big Betty and Magic Mary combination, Schwalbe have produced one of, if not the best all-condition tire combinations on the market for riders seeking excellent traction without a sufferfest of rolling resistance. The pairing of Super Gravity casing on the rear with Super Trail on the front was faultless through a tough week of punishment on E-Bikes, offering impressive durability without a ton of excess weight.
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