Back in 2021 I wrote about my terrible experiences with Schwalbe tires and said they were garbage. My intent was to help fellow cyclists avoid the flats, manufacturing defects, expenses and hassles that I encountered. Fast forward a few years to 2025 and I just got a reminder that this is still true.

I resurrected a 1980s mountain bike for a friend and for an upcoming multi-day gravel ride suggested he get a set of Continental Cross King tires. I’ve been using them for a few years and they have been excellent: tough and knobby enough to handle technical downhills (Tiger Mountain), while lighter and faster than common downhill knobbies like the Maxxis Minions. The Cross King is a good XC tire for all-around riding – the best that I have used.

My friend ignored this advice and instead got a set of Schwalbe knobbies based on positive reviews he found on the internet. Over the next 2 weeks he got 4 flats on a mix of pavement & gravel riding, nothing even technical. He brought the bike back to me for other maintenance and the front tire was flat, so call that 5 flats.

Fortunately that big gravel ride is still a couple of weeks away so I put those Schwalbe tires where they belong (the garbage bin) and installed a set of Cross Kings for him.

Friends don’t let friends buy Schwalbe tires – ‘Nuff said!