Schwalbe has launched its MTB tyres in the Evo line with a new Addix compound developed from scratch. The company claims to have solved the typical trade-off between grip, rolling resistance and wear across a much wider range than before with the development of the Addix compounds.
“Never before at Schwalbe we took such an ambitious step with the compound. We haven’t left a single stone unturned, not with the formula and even less with the process. To mention but two advances: in terms of durability, our tyres have become much more impressive across the board, and the low-temperature properties are now excellent, and not only in soft compounds,” commented Markus Hachmeyer, Senior Product Manager at Schwalbe, about Addix.
“Improving grip and rolling resistance, durability and damping are the standard conflicting aims of tyre technology. Enhancement of one property always comes at the expense of another,”Hachmeyer adds.
With Addix, Schwalbe claims to offer significantly improved solutions, particularly regarding the lifetime of its tyres, and marks a new level of performance, not only in competitive use, but for all MTB disciplines.
“For the Addix compound, we use a state-of-the-art technology which is not generally used in the bicycle tyre industry. The mixing process allows for an almost infinite number of parameter variations and, with the new production hardware set up especially for Addix, this gives rise to entirely new formulas.”
The new MTB Addix compound comes in four versions. The use of which compound is clearly marked on the tyres with a coloured lining. The new specifications of each version are:
1. Addix Speed which has a red identifier: The new compound for XC Race specialists rolls better than the previous PaceStar compound and has a considerably extended service life.
2. Addix Speed grip with a blue identifier: The compound with widest range of use is most suitable for cross country, all-mountain and trail. According to Schwalbe the durability is 62 percent higher compared to its predecessor PaceStar, with grip up by 35 percent.
3. Addix Soft with the orange identifier: The compound is used just as often in demanding all-mountain and trail riding as in the enduro and downhill world. It has impressively good rolling characteristics and at the same time outstanding damping, both of which are also evident at low temperatures. It’s also ideal for e-MTBs.
4. Addix Ultra soft with a purple identifier: The new compound with maximum damping for hardcore use in enduro and downhill. Seriously improved low-temperature properties in terms of grip and damping, compared to the previous VertStar compound, make it suitable for year-round use.