Schwalbe's "Buzz Cut" Prototype XC Race Tire

All of the secret components that brands have been working on over the off season are spilling into the races now, like Schwalbe’s prototype cross-country marathon tire. First reported by Bike Rumor, our onsite photographers also sent over close-ups of the redesigned tread from the Nove Mesto World Cup season opener.

The blue lettering of the “First Ride” hot patch signifies Schwalbe’s prototype and the tan wall could be solely to draw some attention. There’s a red line down the center to denote the Addix Speed compound, although there’s no telling what kind of casing or TPI is used.


As for the tread, it’s closest to the Thunderburt, a fast-rolling, semi-slick tire with widely-spaced, medium-sized shoulder lugs but is much more uniform in block spacing. It’s also entirely different than the Racing Ray / Ralph combination of front and rear specific tires, but appears to be used as front and rear tire choice.

The new design features three identical rows of hollow, square blocks, with a siped transition knob, and a lower height shoulder lug that is spaced tighter than those found on the Thunderburt.

We’ll check in with Schwalbe to see what other information about the new tire we can drag out of them. If we were to guess, this much more evenly spaced tread will be an addition to the lineup, rather than a replacement.