Schwalbe Thunder Burt Super Race 29 x 2.1 off road rolling resistance results 📊

Given the remarkable speed of the Thunder Burt, many folks want to know which casing option is truly the fastest one. Schwalbe utilizes their Addix Speed compound on all the TB models, but there is a choice between the tan sidewall Super Race construction and the black sidewall Super Ground construction. The Super Race is described by Schwalbe as "The ultimate competition design for XC racers – when speed counts" along with the Super Ground as "Our improved SnakeSkin construction for a wide range of applications – from XC to All Mountain."

The Super Race TBs I tested weighed an average of 567 grams, a bit over advertised but still 20-30 g lighter than the Super Ground TBs in the same 29 x 2.1 size. The Super Race has a slightly thinner sidewall at 1.05 mm compared to the Super Ground at 1.10 mm and they certainly feel different in hand. The Super Race would certainly be considered the more supple tire and are a bit harder to inflate but not bad at all. They measured 52 mm wide and 49 mm tall on a Reserve 25GR rim. I did puncture one of these but Orange Seal did it's job quickly and I had no other problems during testing. Drum testing results have some variance between models here, as many already know.

My testing shows that the Super Race has a small advantage (0.0040 CRR) over the Super Ground (0.0042 CRR) on smooth pavement, but across all off road testing areas the two options are identical in their rolling speed. As we have seen with other tires, it is really tough to predict absolute off road efficiency without testing off road. Schwalbe has blended the best attributes of the two casing options discussed here to create the XC PRO casing offered on the newer Rick MTB tire, which I think is a smart move. Some of their pro riders have been on Thunder Burt Race PROs…so there are updated labels, but I don't know anything definitive beyond that.

All outdoor results are my own via Chung/VE testing protocol. PSI notes below…

Everyone wants to know…what pressure am I using? Obviously, larger tires will require lower pressure than smaller ones to get the best speed and handling in general…especially off road. The Wolf Tooth Advanced calculator is very good in my usage for gravel and mtb tires. The Rough Gravel setting seems to get quite close to best pressure for not only rolling efficiency (yes, even on gravel that’s not super rough) but also comfort and handling. I will start with that based on the measured tire size, go ride some, recheck pressure once the tire warms up, then reasess the setting based on how the tire is riding. If it feels obviously harsh, go down 1 psi…. If it feels squirmy or I am smacking the rim on hard hits, I will go up 1 psi, maybe 2 in that situation. Often I end up sticking quite close to what the calculator says initially but it isn't written in stone. Rolling efficiency is actually almost identical (reference some testing I posted spring 2025 for this graphically) across a bigger span of tire pressures off road than most realize, which means it is quite easy to get the pressure where the tire will be fastest…the rest is fine tuning to rider preference. Even though I’m testing, I am also enjoying being out there so take the extra steps to see how the tire performs best. Ultimately there is no magic “best” pressure… it is up to rider preference with no real speed penalty unless you really mess it up one way or another, and that is a big reason I am explaining this in such detail. It’s not to justify my results, it’s to encourage folks to keep an open mind about how they set their tires and get the best ride possible. All the Smooth Pavement testing I do is with the tires set to the PSI I would use for riding on average pavement, so in practice about 5-7 psi higher than I would use for off road riding.