The Schwalbe Nobby Nic SnakeSkin Tubeless Ready is a performance tire for the serious rider or occasional racer, combining unshakable grip with wicked speed.
Strengths: Extremely good grip in dry conditions; Great cornering; Very low rolling resistance.
Weaknesses: It's not really an all-round tire. It slips easily on wet roots, rocks, leaves, etc.
If you have to ride on asphalt to get to the trail, they wear very fast.
Bottom Line:
These are not general purpose tires. They rule in dry off-road conditions, but you have to be careful when it's wet, and regular roads destroy them quickly.
Strengths: Fast on dry, hard, loose, sandy conditions. Cornering grip is fantastic. Wicked easy tubeless setup.
Weaknesses: Pricey, moderate wear & lifespan
Bottom Line:
Review of Nobby Nic 2.4 Evo Tubeless ready with snakeskin setup tubless on a pair of Easton Haven Wheels. Simply put: A bling setup for AM/Light FR! I might go continental Mountain King if only for the price but otherwise I am 100% happy with these tires, even at their high price. Quality is top notch and they performance has never let me down.
Submitted by
Nevells
a Cross Country Rider
from USA
Date Reviewed: April 5, 2012
Strengths: Handles well. Good grip on dirt.
Weaknesses: Price
Bottom Line:
Third ride I got a puncture that was to big for sealant to plug. In the middle of the tread. Patched it and on the next ride I got a small hole in the sidewall. After a bit of fussing with it I did get it to seal, but it took a while. I like the way these tires ride and handle in corners but I am not happy with the fact I;m getting holes. For 79 bucks a pop they should withstand alot more abuse than they have. I guess if you ride where there are NO rocks at all you would be ok with these.
Submitted by
dustyvelo
a Weekend Warrior
from Columbia, MD
Date Reviewed: March 30, 2012
Strengths: Weight, large block knobs, rolling resistance (for an all-arounder)
Weaknesses: Retail price is hard to swallow - not used to ANY tire prices over $50! Never will be.
Bottom Line:
Going into the fall last year I wanted a tire that was on the lighter side for it's size), would set up tubeless and had the grip I needed for soft east cost trails. This tire was referred to me on a short list of solid all-arounders by a popular blogger. I run 2.35 front and rear. They set up super easy on Stan's rims - even using a floor pump. They hold air like a champ. I've run these with 60lbs of air for rolling on the road and go about 23 on the trail. No cuts, no lost nobs - just surprisingly smooth rolling on our loamy to hardpack trails. They've been cornering like a champ and climbing had been spot on. At roughly 720 grams, these tires are decent for their intended use and accelarate well for me. In the late spring I will likely head toward a lighter tire for even smoother rolling and lighter weight, but could likely use these, if need be.
I got a good price on mine and that has made the experience all the better!
Similar Products Used: nevegal, crossmark karma, ardent
Bike Setup: giant trance x0
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Submitted by
FreakKit
a All Mountain Rider
from Québec, Canada
Date Reviewed: March 10, 2012
Strengths: 2008 2.4 tire with snake-skin. I really like these tires; they had a very good grip in dry condition. Never had any issue with the sidewall, they had showed sing of tear but were holding just fine. The braking and climbing were impressive with them.
Weaknesses: I was always very careful when riding in wet condition, they are ok in mud but when you try some wet rocks, they were scary!
Bottom Line:
I can’t tell you about the newer one but mine in dry condition were impressive. I will probably not buy these tires at full price but since they were with my bike, I give them a try and I don't regret it.
Bike Setup: Ransom 30 2008, Talas 36 RC2, 1x9, 165lbs, run the tire at 26-28...
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Submitted by
SkAb
a Weekend Warrior
from Cortez, CO, USA
Date Reviewed: January 1, 2012
Strengths: These tires came on my bike, and are the only stock tires I've ever liked. They lightweight, versatile and an all around decent tire. They climb fairly well on the rear and hold the line in most situations.
Weaknesses: Wear quickly and are easily torn up by sharp rocks. I did wipe out once on a loose corner and badly injured my shoulder (couldn't ride for a couple months), but there are only a few tires I can think of that would have held the line in that situation.
Bottom Line:
This tire may appeal to racers who need lightweight high-performance tire for only a few rides in milder terrain. But the desert Southwest will chew this tire up and spit it out. I like them well enough, but wouldn't pay full retail when there are better tires out there for the same price or cheaper. When these are kaput, I'm going to replace with a Specialized Purgatory in the rear and Captain Control in the front.
Submitted by
Mattley
a Cross Country Rider
from Cincinnati
Date Reviewed: December 7, 2011
Strengths: Lite weight, low rolling resistance, good looks
Weaknesses: Poor cornering grip, poor traction on hills
Bottom Line:
I like my combination of NN front and RR rear, but after tearing a Ron I put the Nic in the back, and I was disappointed (but it was free) It doesn't grip well going up hills, wet or dry, especially if there are roots. IF you ride smooth (like you're supposed to) and just spin it grips better. I am not confident leaning the bike over in corners as much with the Nic in the back, but it does roll super fast and weighs nothing compared to my WTBs. I would be very disappointed if I had purchased this tire, especially for the $80+ MSRP
Similar Products Used: Rocket Ron, Velociraptor, Fire XC pro
Bike Setup: Hardtail, XT, Red Metal 5, Elixir R
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Submitted by
E. Guido Soda
a Cross Country Rider
from Bham, AL
Date Reviewed: December 4, 2011
Strengths: Just what I needed in an everyday, wet-weather/winter tire. Digs in on most every condition I've put it through thus far - loose over hard, roots, rock gardens, the technical stuff, whatever. Grips ten times as well as, and only slightly slower than the "race tire" I'm coming off of. Admittedly I only have three or four rides under my belt with this tire, and I was going to wait a little longer for a review, but the increase in trail adherence is undeniable with the resistance being negligible at best.
Oh, and it climbs like a homesick mountain goat - holy cow does this thing get up a hill. Where it is really noticeable is in the short uphill bursts requiring a quick transition from cruising to pumping...they minimize that effort required to get up the short, quick climbs. Sustained climbing seems to be improved, as well.
Weaknesses: No bike tire has any business being $85, retail.
Bottom Line:
Again, I only have a handful of rides, and I haven't lost a knob, had a sidewall tear, or anything else like that...BUT I have thrown the kitchen sink at it. I have done some jagged rock technical, wicked climbs, nice jumps/drops and lots of singletrack, these things are for real. I have it on the front wheel with an Exiwolf 2.3 on the back; that Exiwolf is going bye-bye...these things roll light and strong. If you aren't racing, and need more grip - get 'em.
With all that said, I can't give it a 5-chili vakue rating, as they are priced WAY too high. Look for a bargain....
Similar Products Used: Conti, Geax, Bontrager, Tioga
Bike Setup: Trek Superfly 100 Elite AL
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Submitted by
Kirwyn
a Weekend Warrior
from New Mexico
Date Reviewed: November 15, 2011
Strengths: Rolls really well, grips way better than it has a right to.
Weaknesses: The 2.25 is a 2.1, the 2.35 is a 2.25-2.3.
Bottom Line:
Mounted to 819s, run with tubes at 40 psi. I am riding rocky, washed out rutted singletrack and desert hardpack trails. I have not experienced the issue with knobbies peeling off as some other posters have.
The tires grip way better than they have a right to. The hold off camber turns and changeups, brake really well. On top of this they roll pretty fast. Much faster than nevies, the best comparison I can think of is that they roll like WTB mutanos with twice the grip.
These tires are expensive, however: anybody can make a heavy tire grip well, and lightweight or fast rolling tire that slides all over the place. Forging a successful compromise between these three characteristics is what sets these tires apart.
Submitted by
Chad
a Cross Country Rider
from Philadelphia, PA
Date Reviewed: September 5, 2011
Strengths: Lightweight, Fast rolling, Good grip in all conditions.
Weaknesses: Sidewalls are a little weak, Wears pretty fast
Bottom Line:
I bought my Hammerhead 100X recently after swapping out a Giant Reign 2. The Nobby Nic's came on the hammerhead, and I was very leary to ride in the wet. However, I've ridden several times on several varied terrain including 3 days after the hurricaine. Yesterday I rode in French Creek, PA whose trails have more rocks than mud.
This tire has held up very well. The rear is showing some wear. However, it rides fast, holds a good line, has plenty of cushions at 2.3 inches. I don't ride through steams or anything, but this tire did very well on moist rocks covered with moss. Worked great on aggressive XC including roots, logs, rocks, and small drop off's. I beat the crap out of them on rocks, and never as much as one pinch flat. There is a small tear on one section of the sidewall through one of the layers. However, this has not proved to be a problem at all. My success with these tires may be due to the fact that that Hammerhead 100X is the best bike I've ever ridden, but they also seem to hold much better than I've expected. Extremely fast and light tires at around 590g a peice. The mutanoraptors were good tires, but too much rolling resistance.
I've done probably 20 hours of research and came up with 2 good tires for all around riding that are both fast and relatively light. The WTB Exiwolf and Hutchinson Toro Enduro. I've opted to buy the Hutchinson's only because WTB no longer makes a 26" 2.3 version for some reason. I'll have to update to let you know if the Hutchinson's outperform the Nobby Nic's and hopefully I will not regret switching.
Bike Setup: Hammerhead 100X, Fox shocks front and rear, Mavic rims
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Submitted by
Turveyd
a Cross Country Rider
from UK
Date Reviewed: August 27, 2011
Strengths: Light weight, roles very fast good on dirt type terrain.
Weaknesses: The hard middle compound has zero grip over rocks so if your upright and hitting wet rocks or riding wet slabs forget it zero control very scarey, never ridden a tire this bad.
Bottom Line:
If your route involves any wet rocks do not ride with this tire, if you forget ride in zig zags to keep the outter softer knobs gripping keep her up right and you'll slide all over the place.
Similar Products Used: I've tried most tires going.
Bike Setup: Whyte E5 XT almost stock
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Submitted by
greasyslope
a Weekend Warrior
from Rocky, mountains, USA
Date Reviewed: July 22, 2011
Strengths: light weight, rolls well
Weaknesses: expensive, average grip, wears quickly, not aggressive enough
Bottom Line:
This tire gets a lot of hype, so I got one to try as a rear tire. I was fairly disappointed. Perhaps, it's the trails I ride (rocky mountain with a lot of variety, including rocks, loose over hard, wet, dry, etc.), but I felt as an aggressive rider, that these didn't cut it. Their grip on wet roots and rocks was definitely subpar, they don't corner that well, and they look pretty toasted after about 3 weeks of riding. Not good for an expensive tire. Maybe they're good on loamy hardpack, I don't know. I can't recommend them at all. They roll ok.
Strengths: Tubeless Ready. Soft knobs grips like crazy (probably won't last that long though). Super fast due to very low rolling resistance for a tire worthy of all mountain. Ultra light, actually the lightest full knobs tire in the market right now at 492gr (weighted). THE RACE TIRE TO USE!
Weaknesses: Never ending pin holes even with lots of sealant! Seems like every time I pump the tire I find new pin holes at the area where the carcasses are combined. This effectively makes the tires FOR RACE DAYS ONLY. I don't even want to think about brushing the thin sidewalls on rocks. Probably would get it torn right away...
Bottom Line:
Best all around tire I've ever used. Very fast at turns and straight line even on pavement. Very stable. Problem is ultra thin sidewall which leaks air all the time. But to be fair I see similar problems with all tubeless ready tires that are under 500gr. As usual they sacrifice the sidewall thickness. I've heard this problem doesn't exist with the Snake Skin or Double Defense versions but those are as heavy as the Hutchinson Toro or Cobra which also have additional sidewall protection layer.
Anyway, I'll most definitely get the Snake Skin once these wears out or get torn. 3 stars due to the problems and very limited usage, 5 stars as far as performance goes.
