This tire is designed for Hardcore Bikers, looking for real ""slippery"" tires. The increased cross section permits low pressure riding with the known advantages of great shock-absorption, traction and cornering. There’s no better call than Fat Albert for fearless Hardtail Freeriders. Double the volume- double the fun.
Submitted by
monty
a Cross Country Rider
from plain falls, nj, usa Date Reviewed: May 30, 2009
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$50.00
Strengths:
Extreme traction and grip; tough sidewalls.
Weaknesses:
heavy; slow rolling; difficult to mount; wears too fast; expensive
Similar Products Used:
kenda nevegal, geax barro
Bottom Line:
get this tire if you ride lots of rocks and cambers.
the first 20 miles were unimpressive, even downright disappointing as the tires lost traction on climbs and damp rocks. but the tire seem to come to life around the 20 mile mark and gripped everything from damp rocks to wet cambers. Best traction I've ever had on a rear tire.
wears too quickly. side knobs fall off at about 100 - 150 miles and more knobs will follow. eventually the snakeskin fabric will show. however, the tire still holds air and performs exceptionally after 600 miles of trail riding.
snakeskin is tough as nails. almost pays for itself as its difficult to shear a sidewall.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
9 renin
a Cross Country Rider
from Port Jervis, New York Date Reviewed: May 22, 2009
Favorite Trail:
technical
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$65.00
Purchased At:
don't remember
Strengths:
weight - volume ratio
Weaknesses:
knobs ripped off within weeks, to such an extent that Stan's wouldn't plug the hole. the crappiness of that is compounded by the fact the tires are expensive. oh yeah, they're also lousy in mud or even when just wet
Similar Products Used:
Z-Max (back in the day); Michelin all mountain 60 TPI 2.2 (great); Rampage; bontrager jones
Bike Setup:
Yeti 575
Bottom Line:
Might be good in more forgiving terrain, but if you ride where there are a lot of rocks don't buy this tire. So far the Michelin all mountain 60 tpi 2.2's i got to replace these tires have out-performed the fat alberts on every level except riding on pavement, where the alberts were a bit smoother. but who cares about that?
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
alwayslivingthedream
a Cross Country Rider
from Truckee Date Reviewed: May 16, 2009
Favorite Trail:
so many
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$1000.00
Purchased At:
Cyclepaths, truckee
Strengths:
Burly and fat for a 2.4
Weaknesses:
A little heavy but lightest in class for ust. Expensive
Similar Products Used:
Michelin mountain ust x trem 2.5, Rolls great but to heavy
Bike Setup:
Nomad, 36 rc2, dhx air, xtr cranks, Turbo dropper(sick) mountain king 2.4 ust(light, not so fat no good for front, it breaks away on hard pack turns. Stans no tubes Flow rim.
Bottom Line:
So far it's been great. Not sure how it will hold up in the long run, better on loose than hard pack. I'm a big fan of ust and would never go back. Ok so you figure it weighs 960 grams but you will not be using a tub 150grams. I got one flat last year on glass mountain ride,(all rocks) and that was on mountain king 2.4 as a back and I must admit I hammered the piss out of that tire. I wish kenda and wtb and maxxis would work on Product Development and give us more options. A lot of people give me sh2@$$@ over tubeless but these are the same people I lend my one tube that I carry for flats. Tubeless is the future..
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Submitted by
Vato
a Weekend Warrior
from Chandler, Arizona Date Reviewed: December 29, 2008
Favorite Trail:
National Trail, South Mountain
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$50.00
Purchased At:
Cactus Bikes
Strengths:
Good grip.
Weaknesses:
Durability. I bought two tires and set one up on the rear of my Giant Reign. A few rides later there were several knobs missing exposing the casing. I replaced the tire with the other one and after 4 rides there is at least 5 knobs missing.
Similar Products Used:
WTB, Maxxis.
Bike Setup:
Giant Reing.
Bottom Line:
At $50 each it's reasonable to expect the tires to last more than 5 rides. I just read that I am not the only one having this issue, and suspect that there are others out there.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
will
a Weekend Warrior
from portland, oregon, usa Date Reviewed: May 21, 2008
Turner 5 spot, mavic m618 rims, wtb weirwolf 2.1 ust on the rear, fat albert on the front...
Bottom Line:
I wanted a big betty but settled with the fat albert as it was my second choice, and Big Betty ust's are freakin hard to find... this is a sweet confidence inspiring tire, holds it's line, grips on anything, also sheds mud pretty well, which is a weakness of the weirwolfs. way better then weirwolf ust as a front tire, but the wtb ust is also a 2.1 tire ( to narrow). I also like it better then the 2.55 weirwolf LT, it bites in and grip better. One thing i don't like so far is that there are mini air leaks on the tire, i can find them when wet, the tire looses about 6-8 psi over 24 hours. guess i need to dump some stans in there. michelins seem to be the best for holding air in my experience. overall i am super happy with the tire, i am giving it 5 stars because most people use stans anyways, so the little leaks aren't really that big of a deal. can't wait to try a big betty ust, if i could ever find one...
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Submitted by
Neil
a Cross Country Rider
from Denver, CO Date Reviewed: September 28, 2007
Great all-rounder by Schwalbe. It grips predictably and rides well. Leaves, wet trails, and loose trails are handled well by the Albert (2.25 UST). The more I ride it, the better I like it. The confidence it provides is priceless. It just works better than most other tires in its class (somewhat knobby all-rounders). I like thi sa lot better than the Nobby Nic, which is more XC oriented but can slide fast when it's wet. When it's dry the NN does quit ewell though it still can't match the Albert in anything but outright acceleration.
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Submitted by
Alec
a Cross Country Rider
from Irvine, CA Date Reviewed: March 23, 2007
Favorite Trail:
San Juan, Moro, Aliso, etc.
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$50.00
Purchased At:
The Path Bike Shop
Strengths:
Durability, weight, Snakeskin side walls and more!
Weaknesses:
None!
Similar Products Used:
Kenda UST Nevegal and UST Blue Groove, WTB Mutanoraptor 2.24, Schwalbe Racing Ralph 2.25 & more...
Not sure how anyone is experiencing bad things with this tire... I weigh 205-pounds and I really abuse my bike/rims/tires... I've used the 2.35 (UST) Fat Albert on the front and the 2.25 (UST) Albert for the rear. I placed approx. 1000 miles on the Front tire in the past year and it still looks and runs almost like new. My Mavic CrossMax XL's might need replacing before my Schwalbesss. The rear Albert tends to wear out more often, but I'm still happy with it. Depending on trail conditions I've dropped the psi down to 28 and it has held it with no problems... Overall, I would recommend the Schwalbe Fat Albert (UST) Snakeskin’s all day long!!!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jason
a Cross Country Rider
from Hagerstown, MD Date Reviewed: November 15, 2006
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$48.00
Purchased At:
Mountain High Cyclery
Strengths:
Excellent traction, reasonable weight
Weaknesses:
Poor durability
Similar Products Used:
Kenda UST Nevegal and UST Blue Groove, Maxxis UST 2.35 High Roller, Hutchinson UST Python
Bike Setup:
Turner 5 Spot
Bottom Line:
I have a love/hate relationship with this tire. On our rocky East Coast trails it give great traction in all weather conditions. I have been running the UST Albert (2.25") and it is definitely a bigger volume tire than the 2.35" High Rollers. With Stan's sealant I have only once lost air on the trail, and that was after putting a 3" gash in the sidewall. The rolling resistance is reasonable for this size tire - I even used it for a 20 mile cross country race and, while not ideal for this application, it was acceptable. Up to this point, lots of love for the Schwalbe Albert.
But here's the hate part: these tires have the worst durability that I've ever seen. Its not that the rubber on the knobs wear down - that I could live with. After the first month of riding the side knobs of the tread start tearing off - I was missing 3-4 knobs after only a month of use on the rear tire. By two months 8-10 knobs were missing.
After seeing the durability problems with my first set of Schwalbe Alberts, I tried the UST Nevegal/Blue Groove and didn't like them nearly as much - nowhere near the volume, not as much traction and Kenda doesn't want you to use Stans. I liked the Alberts so much more that I decided to give them another go. With the second set of tires, the rear tire only lasted two months before the casing blew out where one of the knobs had torn off. Insult to injury, there is almost no wear on the tread of this tire at all - if the knobs wouldn't tear off there is plenty of milage left on it. I have purchased a total of 5 of these tires, and I have had the same experience with all of them - I'm convinced that this durability problem is reproducible.
If this tire were cheaper, I'd be tempted to keep buying it - I like it that much on my bike. But at the price that Schwalbe charges for their tires, I just refuse to keep paying $50 a pop for a tire that will only last 2-3 months.
I'm still looking for the perfect tire. If Schwalbe could figure out how to give these tires a longer life on the trail, this could be it. But for now, my search continues.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Derek
a Cross Country Rider
from Calgary, AB Date Reviewed: August 4, 2006
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$40.00
Strengths:
Great climbing, great cornering, great braking and cheap. I'm amazed. Great trailbike tire.
Weaknesses:
A little heavy and a bit higher rolling resistance, but not too bad if you aren't out to win races.
Similar Products Used:
Kenda Nevagal 2.1 UST
Bike Setup:
Heckler, Pike Air, XT
Bottom Line:
I have only used this tire on a couple rides but it is awesome. I had trouble with the Kenda tires puncturing on rocks (multiple times), so if these hold up then I will be a happy camper.
The tires ride like a downhill tire at a lighter weight. I might even take them out for some light chairlift riding. They seem like a perfect match for my bike, since I am not out to win an XC race or anything.
They perform excellent and I have no complaints yet. If they don't stand the test of time, then I will be sure to post a follow up review.
I highy recommend these tires for anyone with a "trailbike" who pushes the envelope a bit. They are one of the only larger UST tires I have been able to find.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Andrew Klauser
a Cross Country Rider
from Feldafing Date Reviewed: August 1, 2006
Favorite Trail:
yes
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$40.00
Purchased At:
www.hibike.de
Strengths:
Solid, beg volume; low rolling resistance/good grip/
Weaknesses:
none
Similar Products Used:
lately used tires: Michelin XCR Mud, Schwalbe Nobby Nic 2.24, WTB Mutanoraptor 2.24, IRC Trailbear 2.5, Michelin XCR MUD tubeless, Schwalbe Racing Ralph 2,24 tubless (with conversion kit). Use very light Latex tubes only (Michelin C4 Latex, about 120g; Panaracer Greenlites 100g)
Bike Setup:
Hot Chill Zymotic Harttail with a wide, welded yoke for wide tires, Mavic Crossland Black wheelset, Marzocchi Dirtjumper 3, Formula disk (20cm rotor) brake, Thompson stem, seatpost, King headset, Raceface cranks, SRAM Plasma Derailleur, ATAC pedals….
Bottom Line:
I’ve bought a black Mavic Crossland Wheelset cheap (180 Euro) for the last winter season. I wanted to mount a disk brake (for the wet ‘n dirty season), and was looking for something not to expensive that could be dumped without shedding tears after some salty seasons. I have already experimented with a tubeless conversion kit, a messy and not durable proposition; but surely good enough to convince me of the advantages of going tubeless. So I grabbed the opportunity not only to get a disk compatible front wheel, but to buy a tubeless compatible wheelset. When mounting tubeless tires, be sure to have some CO2 patrons at hand. The first fill succeeds only with those. During winter, two Michelin XCR Mud tubelesses 2,0 inch (aroung 720g) performed their flawless duty, mostly on tarmac. This winter there was sinply to much snow to get offroad. You have to get air into them every three to four days (with an ordinary air pump). Rolling resistance is definitly much lower with tubeless tires. Also the feel of the tire is more cushy even if you don’t take to low pressure riding immediately. Tubeless is really another kind of riding. Some years ago a Conti Latex tube exploded on me while going down a steep slope, resulting in a severe kock on the pumkin. A fortnight ago a Michelin Latex C4 (combined with a Schwalbe Nobby Nic 2,24) on my other hardtail has blown up, too. Simply ripped oppen for 15cm. Thank God, the Michelin tubes are so constructed that it happened in the dead of night. So nobody was damaged except perhaps a randy beetle sniffing at my arab steed.
Now I put theses fat babies on this bike (920g). A true revelation. Drove them on tarmac, hardpack, loose stuff, wood soil, never in the wet, though. Drove them at 2.5 and 3.0 bar, at 2,0 and 2,5 bar. Will go lower soon. The perfect feel of any tire. Runs like hell, dampens like a cushion, grips like glue. Obviously I can’t comment on flats, durability an so on. Hitherto the Fat Albert are more air tight than the Michelins. And feel way better with respect to cushion and grip. The Michelins run like hell, too, even slightly faster, I suspect.
So: - there is no alternative to tubeless tires, not even conversion kits - choose a big tire to ge most from the tubeless system, eg. Fat Alberts. These are really verrryy good. - don’t care about the small extra weight
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
jesper w
a
from Copenhagen Date Reviewed: May 11, 2006
Favorite Trail:
Red track
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$40.00
Purchased At:
online europe
Strengths:
Light, good volume, get topmarks in german mags, regarding rolling resistance, grip, and weight.
Weaknesses:
Can be hard to get somewhere
Similar Products Used:
bontrager jones, nokian front tire, mic. wildgripper.
Bike Setup:
Intense 5.5 , pike team air, chris king wheels, Nokian nbx 2.3 kevlar(best rear tire for trailbiking)
Bottom Line:
VIP! get the Schwalbe fat albert front only snakeskin, as it is lighter than the standard version, and grips better. the tire is the best front tire i have ever used for trailbiking, it does not drift or loose grips, whatso ever you throws at it. I use it for all year riding, and i have to bike 17 km to get to the trailhead, and the rolling restiance is superlow, nice!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
thebronze
a Cross Country Rider
from dallas Date Reviewed: January 3, 2005
Favorite Trail:
nshore
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$45.00
Purchased At:
Freds
Strengths:
High Volume, Soft Ride, Big Traction, Good Cornering and Braking.
Weaknesses:
Little Bit Heavy
Similar Products Used:
Blue Groove, Pythons, Racing Ralphs, Mosqitos
Bike Setup:
Burner
Bottom Line:
Excellent front tire, very soft and springy feel at 35psi, adds to suspension, good predictable cornering and braking, an excellent climbing tire, digs in well, good in sand, decent mud shedder, a bit heavy but knobbies are just that way. Every bit as good as the blue groove. I would not run this in the back unless you are a downhiller or need serious traction. It does not accelerate well in the rear and feels sluggish due to the weight and traction. RR or Python is much better in the rear.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
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