Review: Schwalbe Nobby Nic Addix Speedgrip tyre for AM and Trail
Benny took the Nobby Nic Addix for a ride across the Alps. It’s a great all-around weapon for trail riders! Learn more!
Tyres form the only contact area between your bike and the ground. This makes them a very crucial component with huge influence on your bike’s ride performance. Although tyre manufacturers like Schwalbe designate a lot of R&D funds towards their improvement, many riders underestimate the importance of good tyres and the right tyre choice based on the type of riding. If you feel at home on the trails, but are not averse to the occasional, gnarly descent, the new Nobby Nic Addix might be just right for you.
Tyre Choice
Selecting the right tyre starts with a self-check. Ask yourself, where you ride, what you ride and what qualities your tyre of choice should have. In my case, as I was about to ride across the French Alps, I needed a fast tyre with above average puncture protection and a lot of grip. Quickly, I came across Schwalbe’s Nobby Nic with the new Addix Speedgrip compound made for XC, AM and Trail. For this new version, Schwalbe promises even more grip and durability, while rolling resistance is even further reduced.
Schwalbe’s Addix Speedgrip compound can easily be identified by the blue ribbon.
First Impression
You will recognize Schwalbe’s new Addix Speedgrip tyres by the blue strip that runs through the tread around the whole tyre. At first touch, when unboxing it, the rubber felt super soft. The individual studs appear large and spaced wide apart.
Mounting the tyres was child’s play, both tubeless and with tube. I did not use any tools to get it on my wide Syntace W35 rims and the tyre popped into place at around 2 bars. The 2.4” version is already a pretty wide tyre.
Wide-spaced centre studs and a lot of lateral support through big shoulder studs – the Nobby NIc Addix.
Benjamin’s test bike. Keep in mind, he is over 2 metres tall.
On the trail
I have been riding the Nobby Nic for the most part of this season, which included the before mentioned Alpine crossing in Southern France, an Enduro race in Belgium, a road trip to Scotland and countless runs on my local trails around Aachen. In total, I clicked about 1200 trail kilometres on the tyres. Regarding flats, I never ran into any problems besides a nasty oversize Scottish thorn that was simply too big to not cause any damage. At that point, I was riding the tyres with tubes, but I don’t believe tubeless would have made a difference.
Overall, the Nobby Nic’s performance was flawless, be it with tubes or without, on loose ground or rock surfaces. The proclaimed all-rounder held true to Schwalbe’s promise as a reliable companion no matter what the trail threw at me. The traction of the side studs is awesome when turning and I believe that the reduced rolling resistance saved me valuable energy on more than one occasion when the day’s stage turned out to be longer than expected. In addition, the Nobby Nic gives good feedback and is predictable in its performance, which makes it a great tyre for beginners as well.
1200 kilometres and just one flat. The Nobby Nic is very reliable.
Benjamin on Scottish Trails.
Tried and tested, Benny used the Nobby NIc to cross the French Alps.
Slightly less convincing was the tyre’s grip in the mud and when wet. Control and handling is still fine, but the grip on the front wheel could have been better on the seemingly always wet trails of Wales and Scotland. If I go again, I will opt for Schwalbe’s Magic Mary in the front in combination with Nobby Nic in the back.
The tyres durability leaves no reason for complaint. The 1200 kilometres have eaten away very little of the tread. This tyre is built to last.
My verdict
Great grip, lateral support and reduced rolling resistance are usually trade-offs. However, Schwalbe’s rubber engineers have upped their game in all areas and produced a new Nobby Nic Addix that outperforms in all these areas. It’s a perfect all-rounder for AM and Trail as long as it does not get too wet and muddy.
