Schwalbe Big Betty EVO Super Gravity Addix Soft 29 x 2.4in tyre review

Schwalbe's recent redesign of the Big Betty has brought it up to date with a new tread pattern that features large, widely-spaced central horizontal blocks to create plenty of braking traction and clear mud, while the side knobs are designed to improve cornering grip.

The new Big Betty is available in plenty of carcass and compound options, but I’ve opted to test the second-toughest Super Gravity casing and second-softest Addix Soft compound.

Schwalbe Big Betty EVO Super Gravity Addix Soft 29 x 2.4in performance

The tough Super Gravity carcass made the Big Betty tricky to mount, but once on it inflated without issue using a track pump and held air for the entire test period, only needing 27psi to fully seal on to the 30mm wide test rims.

The carcass was well damped over rough terrain, reducing deflection on bumps while crossing cambers, and I struggled to flex or burp the tyre even when cornering very hard with low pressures.

This translated to confidence-inspiring cornering traction and its edge was predictable to find, only drifting when it was pushed very hard.

Grip on rocks was good, too, but over wet roots it struggled despite the soft compound. This could be caused by the lack of parallel knobs across the centre of the tyre’s tread limiting its ability to bite over the top of roots.

General grip was good across most terrain types and despite the large, soft blocks, the tyres didn’t drift around on trail.

Rolling speed wasn’t great, however, although braking traction was impressive, which was clearly this tyre’s focus.

On my test rims the Big Bettys had a fairly round profile and their centre knobs stood proud of the shoulder tread that still angled outwards. This created a slightly squarer profile than the Schwalbe Magic Mary.

Schwalbe Big Betty EVO overall

The Schwalbe Big Betty EVO is a great tyre for a host of conditions and terrain types, just watch out for wet roots.