The most important facts in brief

The Wicked Will is no stranger to Schwalbe's portfolio. The former "downhiller" is now following the trend and mutating into a down-country tire. Center lugs with small ramps on the leading edges ensure smooth running. These are interrupted to provide sufficient propulsion at the same time. Pronounced "siping" - small indentations on each surface - is intended to provide more grip. The shoulder lugs from the downhill sector offer long gripping edges for good grip when cornering. Schwalbe is launching the new tire in three carcass constructions: Super Race for high speed with low weight, Super Ground for the ideal mix of weight and puncture protection and Super Trail for high lateral stability and pronounced puncture protection. The first version comes with brown and the other two with black sidewalls. The tire dimensions of 29 x 2.4 inches and the Addix Speedgrip rubber compound are the same. They should be available from specialist retailers from the first quarter of 2022.

First impression

The tested Super-Ground version weighs 837 and 879 grams, which is okay for a tire with a puncture protection insert. The tread pattern is very reminiscent of the Nobby Nic, which was revised last year.

In use

Tubeless mounting on a DT Swiss carbon rim is a breeze. From the very first few meters in the backyard, you can feel how well it rolls, at least on asphalt. It also feels like you're at the trail entrance faster than usual. When riding off-road uphill, the Wicked Will offers sufficient climbing characteristics on dry and damp surfaces. Only when the ground is muddy does it quickly reach its limits due to the rather low center lugs. The good rubber compound partially makes up for this shortcoming, but the Wicked Will cannot keep up with coarse-tread alternatives.

On flat terrain and downhill, the tire offers snappy cornering grip even with low air pressure and the side knobs don't buckle. It takes a lot of lean angle before it breaks out and then only at the rear. On downhill trails with tight berms, the tire tends to wallow, requiring a lot more air pressure than on single trails. The braking behavior is good-natured and always easy to control. Damping and self-cleaning are at an average level. There were no punctures at "normal" air pressure. There were no punctures during the three-week test period. However, due to the weather and snow conditions, the tire could not be ridden on rugged and rocky trails in the Alps, but only in the lowlands on various forest trails and on the Bieltrail.

It's really impressive how well it rolls. On the Bieltrail, it had to undergo a comparison test with massive enduro tires. In the off-camber sections and in the lower rock field, the Schwalbe tire had slightly less grip, but you had to brake in numerous sections and corners because you reached much more speed.

Conclusion

Is Schwalbe's Wicked Will now a good down-country tire? Clearly not. At least not the tested Super-Ground version, which is suitable for much more and can be confidently defined as a very good trail tire. The Wicked Will is a top all-rounder that masters all types of terrain except deep, wet ground with flying colors. The handling is pleasing and it showed no weaknesses. The low rolling resistance is truly unique, it rolls and rolls and rolls really fast.

Recommendation

The new Wicked Will is ideal for anyone who prefers good rolling characteristics to maximum grip. It shows only minor weaknesses, but there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all tire. If you own several bikes but always want to ride the same tire, this product is an ideal candidate thanks to the three different carcasses.

Price: EUR 62.00

Manufacturer/distributor

www.schwalbe.com