With stable blocks, an aggressive tread design and the new Addix rubber compounds, the Hans Dampf tire is now getting a comprehensive modernization. With the new design, Schwalbe is responding to the trend that bikes are becoming more powerful and geometries more extreme year after year, while trails are becoming more technically demanding. The new Hans Dampf aims to meet these demands with precise control and performance at the highest level. At the same time, the rubber remains true to its reliable, good-natured character, explains Carl Kämper, Junior Product Manager Mountain Bike at Schwalbe. With the new Hans Dampf, competition riders and weekend heroes alike should have maximum riding fun, regardless of whether it's for enduro, all-mountain or bike park use. To cut a long story short, Kämper says: "We recommend it for everyone for whom Nobby Nic is still too tame and Magic Mary too extreme".

Reliable variety

The up to 50 percent larger blocks offer a grip edge that does not tear off in any position, curve or extreme situation, according to Schwalbe. Even when drifting, the tire can be easily controlled and caught again and again.

The shoulder blocks are given particularly stable support, which prevents them from buckling during fast, aggressive cornering and increases the service life of the tire. With a lot of material, the coarse, stable front row blocks should provide a full, defined feel and plenty of grip, for example in root passages. Product Manager Kämper is satisfied and convinced: "The tire rolls like on rails, there is always grip, without deformation. In the second row, the rear row blocks provide additional safety in extreme situations and drifts. These are the studs that save me when the going gets tough. They grip a little later, but effectively, even in loamy and loose soils. They also extend the feeling of constant grip across the entire tread pattern well into the limit."

The so-called transition blocks, i.e. the lugs between the middle of the tire and the shoulder, are designed with elliptically arranged lugs to create a predictable, reliable feel in every situation. Large double blocks in the center are designed to promote propulsion and braking traction through precise power transmission with low flex. The intermediate four-block arrangement complements the propulsive double blocks for even more traction when braking and driving.

Easier assembly

In order for these ingenious lugs and their position to be able to play to their strengths, the self-cleaning system must function optimally. This is achieved by the more open design with plenty of free space across the profile. Like in a drainage channel, the collected mud is pushed out of the side of the tread as it rolls off. Another plus when things need to move quickly in the workshop: The non-directional tread makes installation easier.

While its predecessor was often used as a combination partner for the rear wheel, the new Hans Dampf masters all requirements, whether precise guidance characteristics at the front or traction at the rear. It is available in all standard mountain bike sizes for a wide range of applications. Kämper says of the rubber compound: "Our all-round recommendation is Addix Soft. The compound impresses with its smooth running, damping and grip for enduro and downhill as well as for demanding all-mountain and trail riding. Incidentally, this also applies to e-mountain biking: the Hans Dampf has everything that's fun about it."

The new Hans Dampf is available in these sizes: 29 x 2.35, 29 x 2.6, 27.5 x 2.35, 27.5 x 2.6, 27.5 x 28, 26 x 2.35 and in 24 x 2.35 as the ideal tire for the trend towards high-quality children's MTBs.

www.schwalbe.com