Schwalbe have produced tyres which have transformed and set new standards across whole sectors of the bike market; such as; G-One range in Gravel bikes, Marathon in cycle touring, Magic Mary and Hans Dampf in MTB. Unlike many bike tyre brands, Schwalbe’s market focus is on bicycle, wheelchair and scooter tyres. Schwalbe also produce more specialised tyres for smaller size wheels found on recumbent, BMX and kids’ bikes which other tyre brands neglect.
Beginnings
The Bohle family were Schwalbe’s founders establishing the company in 1922, the third generation of the Bohle family now manage the business. Swallow tyres of Korea partnered with them in the 1970’s and business developed and expanded ever since. Schwalbe translates as Swallow in German language.
Tubeless or Tubed?
Schwalbe were at the forefront of tubeless technology with their TLR (Tubeless Ready) tyres which offer a relatively painless and straight forward pathway into the world of tubeless tyres. Committed to tubeless technology, they produce rim tapes, valves and sealant to complement their extensive range of tubeless tyres for all types of bike riding, terrain and conditions. However! Schwalbe also recognise that some customers prefer to use tubes and so provide ‘Tube Type’ tyre options as well as an extensive range of inner tubes to cater for a very wide range of tyre sizes.
Road
Lugano – Entry level road bike tyres featuring K Guard puncture protection. Low cost, high durability and high quality marks the Lugano as a great entry level tyre.
Durano – Great commuting or training tyre, excellent puncture protection and great durability without feeling overly heavy. The Double Defence protection uses a smartguard layer, together with a special fabric to protect against punctures. The grippy Addix tread compound makes for a quality winter training tyre.
One – High Performance road tyre, featuring the super race carcass, addix compound and puncture protection (Except the TT version). Ones are the fastest tyres which Schwalbe have ever produced. They offer a great mix of speed, traction and puncture protection. The top spec Evolution line features a triple compound for outstanding grip both in wet and dry conditions.
Gravel & Cyclocross
G-One – Gravel Tyre range which covers all types of gravel. The relatively smooth & fast rolling ‘Speed’ version, ‘Allround’ is more intermediate for dry and wet trails, the ‘Bite’ and ‘Ultrabite’ are suited to wetter, muddier tracks and off-road trails.
X-One – 33mm width Cyclocross tyres are available in the same 3 options as the gravel tyres, depending on terrain types; Speed, Allround and Bite. The ‘CX Pro’ version tyre offers a classic cyclocross tread pattern with more varied widely spaced knobs for grip on different surfaces.
MTB
Schwalbe make tyres for all types of mountain bike riding, from cross country to slopestyle and downhill. The table below shows intended use. The tyre range is comprehensive and nicely named after humans, adding, strangely, to their appeal; Hans Dampf (Roughly translates to Handy-Man in German) to Magic Mary, Rocket Ron, Nobby Nic, Billy Bonkers and Dirty Dan. What a family…
Touring
Marathon – Touring tyres need to be reliable, puncture resistant and very durable. The marathon is renowned the world over by touring cyclists. The first edition was developed by Schwalbe for Wolfgang Reiche, an around the world cyclist. Wolfgang reported findings back to Schwalbe as he completed his 73,000 kilometre trip over four years. By the time Wolfgang was in Bali, the first edition Marathon was sent for him to ride. The Marathon has been upgraded and improved with several options and variants added to the Marathon range. These include tyres designed specifically for Ebikes.
Specialist Tyres
Schwalbe are also specialists at dealing with the difficulties of riding in the harshest of conditions. Ice Spiker tyres feature 361 tungsten carbide & aluminium spikes which dig into Icey surfaces.
