WICKED WILL:
A TIRE WITHOUT LIMITS
It is Schwalbe's most versatile MTB tire to date: The new Wicked Will rolls light-footedly uphill, proves control on agile descents and is on all trails between downhill and cross country at home - or in short: in the downcountry. The three versions of the Wicked Will are impressively presented by the well-known pro bikers Emily Batty, Scottie Laughland and Amoury Pierron.
Downcountry is one of the trends of 2021. It is a broad field of application that appeals to a very large number of riders - for routes from the midday round to the crossing of the Alps. Numerous downcountry bikes are now rolling onto the market for this purpose, mostly lightweight, downhill-oriented cross country Fullies with little suspension travel. "Our downcountry tire is fast, but not as fast as a classic cross-country tire. It's aggressive, but not as aggressive as a trail tire," explains Carl Kämper, Schwalbe Product Manager. "For riders who rely on grip and traction downhill but want a fast tire with good rolling characteristics uphill. Like on alpine crosses with lots of altitude, where you don't want to struggle with rolling resistance, but really want to have fun on the descent."
Profile - every millimeter used for grip
The Wicked Will's tread combines the grip of a trail or downhill tire with the tread depth of a cross country tire. It is as shallow as possible to improve rolling characteristics and save weight. Center lugs with small ramps on the leading edges ensure easy running. The ramps are arranged intermittently to provide sufficient propulsion at the same time. Through pronounced siping - small indentations on each surface - every millimeter is used for grip. The shoulder lugs from the downhill area provide long grip edges and give extremely good grip in the curve. Despite this good traction, the tire rolls off extremely low vibration and quiet. "Wicked Will combines speed and grip in one tire and is the new all-rounder between Nobby Nic and Racing Ralph," explains Carl Kämper.
Tip: The tire can also be ideally combined. If the downhill is the focus, with a more aggressive profile such as Nobby Nic or Magic Mary on the front wheel. Or as a fast, XC-heavy combo with a Racing Ralph on the rear.
Three carcasses, three famous testimonials
Wicked Will comes in three carcass constructions on the market: Super Race for high speed with light weight, Super Ground for the ideal mix of weight and puncture protection and Super Trail for high lateral stability and pronounced puncture protection.
For each of these versions Schwalbe sent a specialist, or a specialist on tour: Emily Batty, Canadian World Cup rider in cross country, Scottie Laughland, ex-professional and bike influencer from Scotland and the French professional downhiller Amoury Pierron, "one of the fastest downhillers of all time," according to Carl Kämper. In impressive videos, which Schwalbe publishes on its homepage and via social media, they present "their" tire version in rapid motion.
Schwalbe will introduce its Wicked Will downcountry tire to the public and media at the World Cup opener in June in Leogang, Austria. The tire, which is part of the 2022 collection, will be available in bike shops from spring next year. Versions: 29x2.40 Super Race, Super Ground and Super Trail with Addix Speedgrip compound.
Wicked Will Video: https://youtu.be/rCoAYqSd69A
Further information
SCHWALBE | Ralf Bohle GmbH
Press Office
Otto-Hahn-Straße 1 | 51580 Reichshof-Wehnrath
Phone: +49 22 65 109-0 | press@schwalbe.com
www.schwalbe.com