thehammerdog

I am in the market to get new MTB tires size 2.4 for my hard tail....I heard good things about schwalbe tires any on eever use them and if so where can I get a pair cheap...I see that theygo about $60 each

bikinfool

I've been trying a set of the Fat Albert 2.4s with the sidewall protection (Snakeskin) thing on my newest Heckler. Good all-rounder, wearing fairly well. I like them. They're expensive even at the wholesale level. Noticed there's some wirebead 2.35 Fat Alberts on sale now on their website for 29.15 each...

theextremist04

all my experience with them has been with super-lightweight racing tires (furious fred, racing ralph, etc.) but from my experience their tires are pretty decent. but yeah, i wouldn't even consider them if i didn't work in a bike shop.

pinkrobe

I'm going with a Nobby Nic + Big Betty setup for next year. Chainreactioncycle.com sometimes has them on sale, but shipping can hurt if you don't make mandatory minimum order sizes. If I get [yet another] wheelset, I'll do it all at once and save.

Pocko

The Schwalbes are extremely expensive over here but I just had to try it cuz they look so cool!! I got the foldable 2.4 triple compound Big Bettys and they each came in a very expensive looking box too (over packaged I felt).

I tried them because I've been looking for a light weight "big tire" substitute for the Maxxis HighRollers which I used for freeriding in pine-tree forest terrain. The soil is a mixture of sandy river bed, yellow clay, dark reddy-brown topsoil, loose gravel, exposed roots, and pine needle coverings. Hardpack and powdery loose in summer, slippery-slimey and loamy in the rain.

The one I've got on the bike now is Geax Sturdy 2.25 but it looks and feels more like a 2.4 and causes swingarm clearance problems on my other bike (Giant AC). It has a similar-ish tread pattern to the BigBetty but has a narrower foot print.

The BigBetty shines and is great when dry over medium to hard pack top-soil, but clogs up with muddy clay and pine needles more than the Geax Sturdy in the wet. You can also feel the rolling resistance slow the bike down a lot more on the BigBetty than the Geax... but the Betty corners better.

Neither of them come close to the low rolling resistance, zero-clog, and cornering ability of the 2.5 super-tacky compound HighRollers - as a jack-of-all trades tire for mixed terrain. But they're just too darn heavy for "all-mountain" use... and they wear out real fast. I have only used the 2-ply, but heard that a lighter single-ply is apparently available.

I now ride mostly urban and easy trail, so I took Schwalbe Big Bettys off... they're just too expensive to wear out on semi-pavement (where they excel).

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ca7erham

Could you post a link? I looked around on their site and I couldnt find them.

Also, anyone know the actual width of the 2.4s?

Pocko

For the Bettys, roughly 59mm or 2-5/16 inches...

ca7erham

Dang, almost everything I've ever had was a bit smaller then the what it was rated at.