New 29er Tire from Schwalbe

Unicycles and Equipment
28

Yes, outer edge of the rubber to outer edge of the rubber.

I mounted it up this evening, but forgot to measure bead to bead first.

The tire went on the KH 29XC 38mm rim quite easily. Not so loose that I’m worried about it popping off, but should be no problem for in-the-field flat fixes.

The Pacestar rubber feels plenty sticky to me.

The tread looks very good. The blocks are closer together and more evenly spaced than on my Stout, so it likely will have lower rolling resistance than the Stout. At the same time, my highly scientific measuring method (hold one in each hand) does indicate that the Hans is lighter than the Stout.

I measure the max width of the tread and sidewall (which come out the same) as 58mm. This is with the new tire mounted on the KH 29XC 38mm rim, at 20 psi.

From just weighting the wheel (haven’t ridden it yet), I’m quite happy with the response of the sidewalls.

Every indication is that this is a very good 29er muni tire. I think the only way to determine whether the Hans Dampf or the Ardent is “better” will be for an experienced rider to try each of them back-to-back in varied conditions. From the numbers, it appears that the Ardent is slightly larger (consistent with the 2.4 vs 2.35 manufacturers’ listings). It will be interesting to see how the Ardent sidewall thickness measures out – if the Hans has better sidewalls, this could cancel out the advantage of the Ardent’s slightly greater size. Comparing the tread patterns will likely come down to personal preference. The Ardent might have an advantage on slippery roots from its stepped tread design, while the Hans might have an advantage on rock from its more even tread footprint.

29

OK, for what its worth here are some measurements I made tonight from my new Hans Dampf and a used (but still good condition) Ardent 2.4.

Ardent 29" 2.4

  • bead to bead - 155mm
  • tread width (spread flat) - 65.4mm
  • sidewall thickness - 0.8-0.9mm (I took about 5 measurements)

Hans Dampf 29" 2.35 (Trailstar compound)

  • bead to bead - 152.5mm
  • tread width (spread flat) 60.9mm
  • sidewall thickness - 1.2-1.3mm (again multiple measurements)

I agree with uniShark that it is a nice looking tire and feels solid. Ill be mounting it on my MTB for now though as I am really happy with the Ardent on the uni so Ill let UniShark report on its feel.

30

Schwalbe makes good tires, his one sounds like a winner, I might just have to get one :slight_smile:

31

Hmmmm, sounds like my sidewall measurement was off. It’s a new caliper with manual scale that I’m not used to for small measurements, so I trust your reading.

32

Captiv8er measurement

The Captiv8er 29 x 2.3 is 145 mm measured flat edge to edge.

33

Sorry to add yet another 29" tire to this thread but I thought this was pretty interesting: Vee Rubber (the company making the new 36" tire) has a 29" tire with the same tread that will be available in 2.3 and 2.4 widths. If (and it’s a big ‘if’) the sidewalls are the same as those used in the 36" prototype they could be somewhat decent.

34

Yup, and they also have some nice mid width 26er DH tires around 1000gm in widths up to 2.7

The Kevlar Shield on my Devast8er makes for a sweet sidewall/casing, kinda heavy though, but it’s to be seen how that tech transfers to the other tires. I’d take a 1000gm 29er tire if it was a better tire than the Ardent, but it has to be significantly better…

I ordered a Hans Dampf last night, should be riding it by this weekend, $81 shipped from Cambria, hope it’s worth it :astonished:

35

I’m glad you’re getting one, hard to find someone who has tried more tires than you! I think the Hans will be great here, where it’s mostly dry, and more rocks than roots. I’m curious how the Hans and Ardent will compare on more slippery conditions. You’ll probably also be riding it before me - I’m having a broken screw removed next week. . .

36

Hans is mounted and ready to go, 16psi feels about the same as 18psi on my well loved Ardent 2.4, I was tempted to ride tonight, but I’m a bit worn out from two good rides over the weekend.

The Hans rubber is suprisingly sticky, even in the Pacestar compound, weight was 878gm in contrast to my used Ardent 2.4 at 803gm, sidewall is obviously stiffer, same for the tread/casing.

My non scientific measuring, read as I have no caliper: 62mm x 55 mm at 16psi. When stretched out flat the Hans was slightly wider than my lightly used 26 x 2.4 and slightly narrower than my well used 29 x 2.4

The Hans is at least as big as the Ardent 2.4 and might be a tad fatter once it stretches out.

I’ll post a review after a few rides.

37

Is 62mm the width and 55mm the height?

38

Yup.

It is very close to the size of my Arrow Racing 26 x 2.6, may even be a tad wider on the tread; the Arrow side knobbies are alternating design whereas the Hans side knobbies are a solid edge like the Intense DH.

Knobbies appear to be deeper than the Ardent and a bit harder, though sticker, so it’ll be interesting to see how they handle on hardpack. If this tire is as sticky as it seems, there is no reason to get the sticker tread unless you like your tires to wear out quicker :roll_eyes:

Side wall is somewhere between the Ardent and the Duro/Arrow, not stiff like the Ardent DH, more rubbery, not sure if this is the Snakeskin sidewall effect, but it feels good bouncing around.

Eight hours to ride time…

39

Not that it necessarily translates to uni’s but I rode my 29er MTB yesterday with the Hans Dampf on the front and it rocks! I am used to having a 2.4 Ardent on this bk but I took it off and put it on my uni. On tacky to wet trails with lots of rocks and wet roots the grip of the Hans was amazing (Trailstar compound). Definitely better than the Ardent (which I thought was good too). It probably rolls a bit slower though on hardback and on the road to the trailhead though.

I ran it at lower pressure than I felt comfortable running the Ardent too so all adds up to a nice looking uni tire. Ill be keeping it on the MTB for now though as I love the Ardent on my uni and since I ended up getting the softer compound on the Hans I don’t want to wear it down to quick on the uni.

40

So, I did a nice big loop last night, suffering though the beginning heat and humidity of early summer, but I just had to get Hans on thr trails :roll_eyes:

Pre set up: KH 29, KH FR 47mm rim, Ardent 2.4 @ 16-18psi
Post set up: KH 29, KH FR 47mm rim, Hans Dampf @ 14-16psi

First off, I really like the Ardent 2.4, it has been a great tire for me, wet or dry, I have ridden this tire may miles over the past year + and my only complaint in that time is that the Ardent could use a slightly sturdier casing and sidewall, BUT taken a complete tire it is a very balanced design.

Last night my ride with Hans @ 16psi started with a 100yds of asphalt, so the first thing I looked at was crowning issues; the Hans does not crown hadly as much as the Ardent. So then I headed into some firm up/down flowing single track, I found the Hans to be a bit firmer than the Ardent, “fewer hard hits” as I went over roots and landing off smal drops was more secure/stable.

Then I headed into some technical, rocky ledges, steady climbing for 1/4 mile, Hans handled quite well, stuck to the rock at least as good as the Ardent, fewer hard hits as expected. The climbing felt good, the Hans seems to hold a line better than the Ardent and was easier to transition across rough terrain.

From there I headed into a technical downhill, mostly firm dirt and some root drops, a little firm mud, Hans did as well or better than the Ardent. I was getting zapped by the humidity at this point, so I missed a couple lines and had to go back and do them again, otherwise Hans was working well.

After a break I headed into a mixed single track section along the water, a little firm mud, lots of roots, some rock, Hans was feeling a bit too firm probably cuz I was getting tired, so I dropped the pressure to 14psi. Things were very different, tire was noticeabley slower and I struggled a bitto stay on my line, but I chalk some of that up to being fatigued. After a little bit I get back in the swing, my riding felt better and I was able to clean a series of “climbing” root stairs that usually gives me trouble. I also noticed that even at 14psi I was still not getting much in terms of hard hits, so the casing was very supportive even at low psi.

The last technical section is an easy downhill into a wood bridge leading to a rooty/rocky/eroded hill climb that I have never cleaned; came cloase last week on my 26er. Well, I cleaned it, smoothly and without much strain, suprising considering my fatigue. Was it the tire?

So, after one ride, Hans 1, Ardent 0, but with some caveats: The Hans rides firm, even at 14psi, so for light folks this might not be comfortable, though maybe at 12psi it would be fine. In terms of ride quality the Ardent is more comfortable and maybe faster, though I wouldn’t say that Hans is slow, because it’s not. Hans is a firmer casing and lands drops far better than the Ardent, more like a light DH tire such as my Arrow 26 x 2.6, so for folks whouse their 29er for tech muni, the Hans would be a better choice than the Ardent.

In conclusion, noting that I have only taken one ride; though it was a good test ride, I would say that the Ardent is a great tire for XC and light Freeride, but for Freeeride and light DH the Hans is a far better choice. Now the price, wow, $80 delivered is not cheap, but tires seem to last for a while…

My question now is whether a 26 x 2.4 Hans would be a nice 26er tire :smiley:

41

Here are a few pics of my new just mounted Hans Dampf. I measured the casing width with a caliper at 62mmm on a KH FR 47mm rim at 20psi. The knob width is slightly less at 59mm. Now I’m off to get it dirty.:slight_smile:

Hans 003.jpg

Hans 004.jpg

42

I posted more review of Hans on the 29er tire review thread:

Looks like Munimag is double posting, I’m curious to see what he thinks after a ride…

So, in the interest of full disclosure, I do not own now or in the past, stock in any tire company, nor do I operate a tire wholesale franchise, I just really like gear and for me the tire is the most important part of a uni…that said, I really like Hans, so don’t expect a follow up comparison with an Ardent anytime soon as I don’t really want to swap them out :stuck_out_tongue:

More Hans to come, I might even buy a caliper :astonished:

Hey Munimag, that “old KH” is just ripe for a D’Brake upgrade and an Oracle hub :slight_smile:

43

I just finished my first ride on the Hans, a 9 mile route that I take frequently and have been recording my time on. I really like the tire and found it easy to ride. It is very responsive and maneuverable. I was able to better my best time on this route by a few minutes. I had the tire inflated to 20 psi and found it a little bouncy and some rooty sections. I will try letting out a few pounds on my next ride. Overall it is now my favorite 29er tire, although the only other 29er tires I have tried are the Stout and the Dissent.

44

Yeah, bouncy at times, that is my only “complaint”, but it’s not all the time, just at certain speeds and cadence. I’m thinking it’s a function of having high volume and a lot of rubber on a thin casing (aka Larry).

Have you not ridden an Ardent? It’s worth a try, if I remember I’ll bring mine down to the munifest so you care to try it out.

Ayone else going to take the plunge?

45

Got the Hans Dampf Pacestar in the mail today.

I’m too worn down from earlier rides to give it a decent test now but did take it for a quick spin around the block and a few test hops. My first impression is that I was taken aback at just how “quick” this tire feels. It feels faster and more responsive than my old tire, which was admitadely worn down. I guess I also judged the book by it’s cover and assumed the tire to be heavy. I beleive that it’s lighter than my old Stout.

Can’t wait to test it on a trail.

HD_UNI.jpg

46

I have the Trailstar version

On a Sun Ringle MTX 33 (which is 33.5mm wide) the tread width is 59.5mm and side wall 56.4mm all taken with a digital vernier

So the slightly narrower rim only really effects the sidewall width as a pointed out in another thread the rim is only a few mm smaller than the KH XC 29er rim so nothing to right home about. It is pretty light at 660g and more importantly doesn’t have a brake side wall which I HATE on a disc wheel I like my wheels all black. The rim also has a very deep V cross section making it very rigid and resulting in shorter spokes so giving a stronger wheel overall.

Anyway I degrees I have only messed about around the neighborhood but the tyre feels great and at 20 psi is supple enough not to fold unless you do a massively acute angle side hope. I am off for a VERY muddy ride in a few minutes which will consist of foot deep mud, loose wet shingle, razor sharp flint and super slippery wet chalk so a pretty good test :stuck_out_tongue: I am coming from a 26x2.4 Conti Rubber queen on a 31mm wide rim which has been fantastic other than the flint killing my first tyre so the snake skin side walls will be a bonus on Hans, I am also impressed this 29" tyre is actually than the 26" conti :slight_smile:

I will post back in a few hours with my post ride report

20121004_141138.jpg

47

I’m pretty happy with Hans / Ardent level tires and not really looking for anything beefier right now but…

Maxxis has posted info on a (long rumored) 29x2.5 Minion, dual ply, 1255g. Sounds like it will be somewhere between a Hans and a Dissent. It’s even showing up (as coming soon) on some dealer sites.

It will also be available in a 1015g, single ply version.