Schwalbe says the Magic Mary is a downhill and enduro rider’s favourite, but here at BikeRadar, we think trail riders can take advantage of the aggressive tread pattern, too.
It has strong shoulder knobs for cornering, with an aggressive and open central pattern that should help it bite into the ground and clear mud.
It’s available in plenty of different casings and compounds to suit specific needs – such as lighter casings for trail riding – but for a UK conditions front tyre, the Addix Soft rubber and Super Trail carcass should provide the best balance of grip, support and weight.
- Mountain bike wheel sizes: 26in, 650b and 29in explained
- Best mountain bike wheels | Mountain bike wheelsets rated and reviewed
- Weight: 1,244g
- Width: 2.26in (measured on 30mm rim)
- Best suited: Front, all conditions and terrains
Schwalbe Magic Mary Super Trail Addix Soft TL Easy performance
The Magic Mary’s rounded profile with high central blocks and angled side knobs meant rolling resistance was surprisingly low for such an aggressive tyre.
Cornering predictability was impressive due to the rounded profile permitting higher lean angles before traction loss.
Grip was great on all terrain types from mud through to hardpack, with the Magic Mary blending the performance of a Minion DHF and WTB Verdict – its sticky compound gluing to hardpack terrain, while the large knobs dug into softer ground.
Grip over rocks and roots, even when they were wet, was good, and despite the soft compound I didn’t notice any vagueness or wallowing from the tread. The carcass didn’t fold or flex in the turns and felt well-damped over bumps.
Thanks to the large centre blocks, braking traction was also commendable. Under high braking forces the tyre refused to skid or slide over the terrain, instead it bit hard into it.
The Magic Mary inflated on my test rims (30mm internal width) without a tubeless inflator and remained airtight, requiring only 20psi for the bead to seat on the rim.
Schwalbe Magic Mary Super Trail Addix Soft TL Easy overall
A top all-round performer that strikes a perfect balance between grip, stability and rolling speed, the Magic Mary is a true fit and forget option.
How we tested
We pitted 10 all-mountain/enduro tyres against each other on a host of conditions, testing back-to-back on the same trails, to find out which one we think is worth your time and money.
The five pairs of tyres were all fitted on the same 30mm (internal width) rims and inflated to similar pressures, with slight variances to reflect tyre volume.
Also tested
- Maxxis Minion DHF 3C MaxxTerra EXO+ TR 29 x 2.5in WT
- Maxxis Minion DHR II 3C MaxxGrip DD 29 x 2.4in WT
- Schwalbe Big Betty EVO Super Gravity Addix Soft 29 x 2.4in
- Specialized Butcher Grid Trail T9 29 x 2.3in
- Specialized Eliminator Grid Trail T7 29 x 2.3in
- Vee Tire Co Attack HPL Top40 compound Tubeless Ready Enduro Core 29 x 2.5in
- Vee Tire Co Snap Trail Top40 Compound Tubeless Ready Enduro Core 29 x 2.35in
- WTB Judge TCS Tough Fast Rolling 29 x 2.4in
- WTB Verdict TCS Light High Grip + Slash guard 29 x 2.5in
Product
Brand | schwalbe |
Price | 62.00 GBP,89.00 USD |
Weight | 1244.0000, GRAM (29x2.4) - |
Features
br_TPI | 50 |
Features | Compound: Addix Soft |