[Jdub]

After being on Kenda Blue Groove/Nevegals for the last 1.5 years, I decided to try the Schwalbe Big Betty. I had previously resisted temptation due to the weight penalty of the Betty, which is somewhere in the 800+ gram range if I remember correctly.

So I stripped off the Blue Groove which had started pushing through the corners as our trails continue to get more and more dry. Big Betty went on easily, and has a nice, wide footprint on my DT5.1 rim.

The first thing I noticed is how much stuff the tire throws. The short gravel road to the singletrack had me dodging debris left and right. Once to the singletrack, the tire tracked considerably better than the Blue Groove in the loose over hardpack stuff. The added weight wasn't noticeable even on the climbs, and the tire rolls suprisingly well.

The one added bonus was the Betty at 30psi made my Pike Air feel much better on the small bumps than the Blue Groove at 32psi. I'm keeping the Nevegal on the back for now, as to just change one thing at a time but may try the Nobby Nic or another Betty at some point. More time one the Betty is needed in different conditions, but so far I'm very impressed with the Big Betty.

 

[westin]

I've found that all my brand new tires pick up debris and throw it around in my face for the first few minutes no matter how gnarly the tread. It's from the oils and residue collected on the rubber from storage, handling and transport.