Schwalbe: All Out for Super Gravity – Magic Mary & Rock Razor Launch, Fort William World Cup
June 12th, 2013
By Factory Jackson in Tech
Nothing gets past the eagle eyed race fan, especially radically new tyres that help propel riders to the top step of the podium. We are of course talking about Steve Smith and his stellar performances at the worlds in Leogang and the World cup finals in Norway, where he put the then unnamed and prototype Magic Mary’s onto both podiums and taking his career first World Cup win. Schwalbe’s Michael Kull was tight lipped on the new tyres back in Austria and persuaded us not to publish the photos, although everyone else did… It doesn’t matter now as in a few months these will no doubt have a few more podiums under their belt and will be in your local Schwalbe dealer.
Words & Photos: Olly Forster | Additional Images & Text: Schwalbe, Nathan Carvell & Thomas Gaffney
The Schwalbe Magic Mary
While we haven’t ridden on the Magic Mary, we’ve ridden enough tyres to know that these simply look like they’re gonna work and work really well, and a tyre that you can run in a variety of conditions and trail surfaces equals a tyre that you know and that’s the key. Time spent on the product will always translate to a better understanding of where your grip is coming from and that will make you faster. Downhill is weird in that your on the bike for a few minutes every half hour, so a tyre that you can fit and leave on regardless of where your riding or what the weather’s doing will be a massive bonus for both pros and amateurs alike.
Aggressive, fast rolling and intended for wide range of conditions, the Magic Mary is a tyre we’ve been keeping an eye on since it first popped up last year. The ramped center knobs will reduce rolling resistance, while the angled outer knobs will prevent rollover during hard cornering.
“Intermediate competition profile with an aggressive, open pattern and strong shoulder knobs – the best choice for around 80 percent of all routes.”
The Schwalbe Rock Razor
Designed for hardpack and loose over hardpack conditions, the Rock Razor is a tyre best suited for use on the rear wheel with a more directional tyre up front to handle cornering and driving. The Rock Razor’s tall outer knobs and fast rolling, low profile center knobs will translate into one quick tyre that we could very well see being raced on DH bikes come Pietermaritzburg…
“The semi-slick tire is the fastest of the Super Gravity series. With Hans Dampf or Magic Mary on the front wheel it is the best combination for Enduro races on dry ground.”
The Super Gravity Range
Schwalbe is now launching a complete range with the new Super Gravity technology. There are altogether four models, including the brand-new Magic Mary and Rock Razor, to cater for every performance requirement from Enduro to Downhill. All tires are also available in the 27.5 inch size.They have sturdy sidewalls and they are puncture-proof like a downhill tire, but at the same time they deliver “much surer and responsive handling” according to Stevie Smith, who won the World Cup in Hafjell (Norway) on Magic Mary. “Many of the top teams in the Downhill World Cup and in the Enduro World Series are already using Super Gravity tires,” reported Michael Kull from Schwalbe Marketing.
Putting the Super Gravity Hans Dampf’s through their paces – check our review The first tire with this technology was Hans Dampf in 2012. Today Schwalbe offers tires for all conditions, from dry to muddy: Dirty Dan, Magic Mary and Rock Razor. The Super Gravity versions represent an impressive 700 gram saving for the bike when compared with the equivalent downhill tires. All Super Gravity models are Tubeless Ready and can be ridden without a tube. The allrounders: Magic Mary and Hans Dampf. Magic Mary, the successor to the popular Muddy Mary, has an intermediate profile specifically designed for competitions, with chunky shoulder knobs for increased braking traction and cornering grip, even in soft, muddy terrain. Kull: “Magic Mary is the best choice for about 80 per cent of all routes, that’s how versatile it is in its applications. These range from Enduro tours to bike-park riding and the Downhill World Cup.” Hans Dampf is similarly versatile. “Although not quite so extreme. It is generally more docile as regards handling and is suitable above all for all-mountain riding,” clarified Michael Kull. We’re big fans of the Dirty Dan here at Factory Jackson and can only see the application of Super Gravity technology as one that will push the performance and weight saving envelope even further. To read the Dirty Dan review, go Dirty Dan and Rock Razor – the specialist tires. Dirty Dan, the mud specialist tire that helped Danny Hart become Downhill World Champion in 2011, is now lighter and faster with the Super Gravity carcass. The semi-slick Rock Razor tire is the fastest in the Super Gravity series. When fitted to the rear wheel it helps riders eat up any dry and fast route. With Hans Dampf or Magic Mary on the front wheel it is the best combination for Enduro races on dry ground. By the way, the name was chosen via a crowd-sourcing competition on Schwalbe’s Facebook page. For 2014 the Super Gravity range will include the new Magic Mary and Rock Razor as well as the existing Dirt Dan and Hans Dampf, which are also available in a SnakeSkin version and at 700 to 800 grams, is ideal for all-mountain. The only purely downhill version (wire-bead tire, double carcass, 1250 g) is only available in the Magic Mary. From left to right: Rock Razor, Hans Dampf, Magic Mary and Dirty Dan. Super Gravity Carcass – With Completely New Wrapping Super Gravity is an innovative carcass technology. Until 2012 Schwalbe used only dual casing, i.e. a double carcass construction, for a downhill tire. This effectively consists of four layers that overlap on the cap where they form a total of six layers. The Super Gravity carcass, on the other hand, is produced by Schwalbe like the carcass of a motor cycle tire. Again this involves two layers of carcass. But this time they overlap across the sidewalls rather than under the cap (this is called the “turn-up method”). The result is still four rugged layers at the side, but only two under the cap, which means four layers fewer than you get with a tire designed purely for downhill. This technology is so extraordinary that Schwalbe has applied for a patent. To make the outer cover even more cut-resistant, the technicians at Schwalbe gave it a robust, flexible SnakeSkin layer. The developers also turned their attention to the apex. This small wedge, which is also used to strengthen automobile and motorcycle tires, plays a key role as regards the tire’s sturdiness in the bead area, where the forces that can penetrate the tire have the greatest impact. The new apex, now with its optimized shape and its harder rubber mix, counteracts these forces. First Ride Development Program By borrowing technology from motorcycle production, Schwalbe has managed to create a synthesis of downhill and freeride tires that has given rise to a new tire category. Super Gravity embodies the desired properties to such an extent that the tire is the best choice not only for downhill and enduro races, but also for freeriding. “Solid at the sides, but flexible in the middle – that way it can adapt itself dynamically to any ground conditions,” commented Kull. The requirements for this tire have come from various sources, including the teams and drivers that Schwalbe has been working with closely as part of the company’s “First Ride Development Program” – MS-Mondraker, Scott11, Giant, Devinci and others. Wellknown Schwalbe riders are Danny Hart, Emmeline Ragot, Stevie Smith and Sam Hill, who are all world leaders in downhill racing. Schwalbe Super Gravity tires will be available from summer 2013 and will cost 59.90 euros. Diego’s Hair Gamble… On the left is the charming Marcus Hachmeyer, Schwalbe’s head of Product Management and on the right is Diego Di Napoli, the UK’s main man when it comes to performance rubber and Schwalbe’s representative at pretty much any event you go to, foreign or domestic… On to the bet. In Diego’s defence, we were all pretty confident that Danny Hart was going to have it on Sunday. He was his usual calm and calculated self all week end and went on to smash qualification. Diego was so sure, he said he’d let someone shave his locks off if Danny didn’t win… Danny didn’t win and it was game on for junior women’s winner Tahnee Seagrave who was more than keen to offer her services with the clippers… Lets just say Mrs Napoli was fond of her husbands lovely hair! Great products, great people and a brand that invest both their time, money and in the case of Diego, their hair into this rad sport. Stay tuned for more from Diego who’ll be feeding us news from the World Cups this year and for more information on Schwalbe’s range of tyres and products, hit the logo below and stay tuned to Factory Jackson for more on Schwalbe’s latest tyres over the coming months. 
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