With its new Clik valves and the Tacky Chan tyre, Schwalbe has been working seriously hard in the last couple of months. Now, the brand has pulled the covers off of two new MTB tyres, the Albert and the Shredda, with the Shredda featuring a 10mm tread depth, making it the most aggressive tyre the brand has ever made. The exciting feature found on both is the new Radial carcass that promises 30 per cent more contact area and "more grip, safety and comfort". 

• Types of bike tyres - how to find the best tyre option for you 
• Tubeless mountain bike tyres - everything you need to know
• Mountain bike tyres - Everything you need to know about off-road rubber

Schwalbe claims that its new tyres are "turning the MTB world on its head" and that's because they're built with an all-new carcass design that does things a little differently. Dubbed Radial, the carcass employs threads that run at a more obtuse angle, rather than the 45 degrees used on non-Radial tyres. This is a technology now used on the new tyres, as well as the Schwalbe Magic Mary. 

Schwalbe says that this new arrangement makes sure that overlaps in the carcass material are shorter and less tense. With that, the tyre should be able to deform more selectively, according to the brand, so the tyre is more flexible without compromising strength. If it all sounds quite techy, well it is, and Schwalbe has made a whole YouTube video visualising and explaining it. 

As the tyre is more flexible but just as strong, Schwalbe reckons that radial tyres provide 30 per cent more contact area than regular tyres at the same pressure. The brand goes on to state that if the pressure is increased by 50 per cent, the contact patch will still be 15 per cent greater as the flex in the carcass is retained. The result is a supple and compliant tyre that's not influenced as much by air pressure, which means suspension performance and comfort should remain the same.

Of course, a larger contact patch means more grip, more damping and more comfort through better impact absorption.

With the new Radial carcass, the tyres are built using recycled carbon black, or rCB for short. rCB comes as a direct product from the brand's recycling system and Schwalbe says that it replaces all of the fossil-based carbon black it used prior. With that, 80 per cent of CO2 equivalent is saved but without affecting the tyre's performance.

Radial construction is being released on three new tyres, the Albert and the Shredda Front, and Shredda Rear. The Albert is a tyre that benefits from the learnings found during the development of the Tacky Chan and is the answer to the question, "what should a tyre look like that gives me a lot of security in every situation?"

2024 schwalbe albert.jpg, by Liam Mercer

We'll admit, it looks fairly similar to that one tyre from that tyre brand... That aside, Albert gets the same shoulder lugs as the Tacky Chan for their ability under lateral load but its tightly packed centre tread makes the Albert a good all-rounder, says Schwalbe.

Adding to the list of bold claims in Schwalbe's press release, the brand states that the Shredda sets a "completely new standard in terms of grip". It's available in front and rear-specific models and both are built to excel in more technically demanding situations. The Shredda front gets the deepest tread depth Schwalbe has ever made, being 10mm deep at the shoulder knobs and 8mm in the centre.

2024 schwalbe shredda fr re.jpg, by Liam Mercer

The Shredda tyres get a lot of inspiration from motocross tyres with pyramid-like centre knobs for stability and durability and angled shoulder knobs that deform and close. The Shredda Rear isn't quite as aggressively treaded but the lugs form bridges in a bid to boost stability and durability, as well as better traction under braking and acceleration. 

Schwalbe's new Shredda and Albert Radial tyres are available in 650b and 29x2.5in sizes while the Albert gets an additional 2.6in width in both wheel sizes. There are also Addix Ultra Soft and Addix Soft compounds to pick from.

The Albert Radial as well as the Shredda Front and Rear tyres can be picked up for €79.90. We'll be back with UK pricing as soon as we know.

• www.schwalbe.com

You might also like:

• Your complete guide to the Fox Shox fork range
• off-road Opinion - E-bikes aren't a menace, it's all about trail etiquette
• The best gravel and adventure bikes you can buy for under £1,500