The document discusses Schwalbe's new ADDIX tire compounds. It provides details on the formulas and advanced raw materials used to develop the compounds, as well as a new precise mixing process. The document introduces the four ADDIX compounds - SPEED, SPEEDGRIP, SOFT, and ULTRA SOFT - which are designed for different tire applications and disciplines. It also includes commentary from Schwalbe's head developer and compounder discussing the significant improvements the ADDIX compounds provide over previous compounds.

1. DO NOT PUBLISH BEFORE 04/19/2017
THE NEW COMPOUND
FOR ALL LEGENDARY MTB TIRES

2. SPEEDGRIP
SPEED
SOFT
ULTRASOFT
02

3. 07
FORMULA AND RAW MATERIALS.
Every rubber compound is made up of natural and synthetic rubbers – along with
many other solid and liquid ingredients. Carbon black, silica, silanes, oils, sulphur
anti-oxidants to name just a few ... The quality of all these raw materials determines
whether a tire will be outstanding or just mediocre. There are countless options for
selecting, combining and measuring them, so a good formula requires highly
specialized expertise, high-quality raw materials and extensive testing – it goes
without saying that the final recipe is top secret.
ADDIX. FORMULA AND RAW MATERIALS.
ADDIX is created using completely new formulas. We purchase advanced raw
materials, carefully test for quality and diligently source the best worldwide. Basically,
we have significantly increased the filler content for silica and we now control the
mixing process more accurately than ever before. As a result, ADDIX compounds are
characterized by one thing in particular: they solve the trade-off between grip, rolling
resistance and wear across a much broader range.
07

4. 09
TECHNOLOGY.
ADDIX. TECHNOLOGY.
ADDIX is produced in a completely new mixer using a new process that we have
designed. We now have hardware throughout our plant that we are using to
implement what is currently the most advanced and precise mixing process in
the bicycle tire industry. Entirely new dimensions are opening up to us because
we can infinitely vary all the parameters. It’s this high-end mixing technology,
controlled by our specifications, that actually makes completely new compound
properties possible – with ADDIX we’re achieving a whole new level of perfor-
mance and quality.
TECHNOLOGY.
The formulas are only one part of the equation. The mixing process is the other.
Here the margin for error is small. The difference between hitting a home run and
making mistakes are minuscule. The interdependence between the parameters
which define the physical and chemical process is extremely complex and even
changing only one of the parameters can produce an entirely different result.
So to achieve success, there are three things that have to interact perfectly:
the formula, the process and the technical equipment – and all three are trade
secrets, of course.
09

5. XC RACE XC / AM / TRAIL ENDURO / DOWNHILL ENDURO / DOWNHILL
MAGIC MARY
DH •
SG • •
TLE APEX* • •
TLE •
DIRTY DAN
DH •
SG •
HANS DAMPF
SG •
TLE • •
ROCK RAZOR
SG •
TLE APEX* •
TLE •
FAT ALBERT FRONT TLE •
REAR TLE •
NOBBY NIC
TLE APEX* •
TLE •
ROCKET RON
TLE • •
LS •
RACING RALPH
TLE • •
LS •
THUNDER BURT
TLE •
LS •
FURIOUS FRED LS •
DIRTY DAN XC LS •
JUMBO JIM
TLE
•
LS •
*TLE APEX exclusively available for 27.5+
COMPOUND
TIRE
10

6. 11
ADDIX. ALL NEW.
ADDIX makes all of our legendary EVO mountain bike
tires better. With four compounds – SPEED, SPEED­-
GRIP, SOFT, ULTRA SOFT – we can respond to every
demand. The names define the range, they refer
specifically to the character of the compound. All the
tests in the lab and in the field demonstrate that,
ADDIX performs better than any other compound
before it – in all disciplines: XC, AM and TRAIL,
ENDURO and DOWNHILL. ADDIX is immediately
recognizable by the label on the sidewall and the
colored stripe in the tread.
MISSION IMPOSSIBLE.
A tire should have four key characteristics: great
grip, low rolling resistance, good damping and high
durability. Claims which are diametrically opposed in
reality. A very soft tire with high damping always
suffers from faster wear. A tire with a lot of grip will
never impress with the lowest rolling resistance. So
a single compound can never be the answer to
everything. It’s always going to be about smart
compromises. Whether a compound is ultimately
the best compromise is something you only find out
when it’s pushed to the limit under the precise
conditions for which it’s been designed.
ALL NEW.
11

7. XC RACE
XC / AM / TRAIL
12

8. ENDURO / DOWNHILL
ENDURO / DOWNHILL
13

9. 100%
DURABILITY DAMPING
ROLLING PROPERTIES
GRIP
XC RACE
ADDIX SPEED is the compound for XC race specialists.
It catapults our XC tires into a new performance dimension.
Here’s the answer for those who’d like to go even faster. There’s only one thing that ADDIX
Speed really loves and that’s speed. So the rolling resistance has been chopped yet again.
It’s lower than the previous PaceStar, but at the same time ADDIX Speed is more durable
and more resilient.
Rolling prop. Damping Grip Durability
ADDIX Speed 110% 105% 115% 125%
PaceStar Compound 100% 100% 100% 100%
14

10. 100%
Rolling prop. Damping Grip Durability
ADDIX Speedgrip 94% 115% 135% 162%
PaceStar Compound 100% 100% 100% 100%
XC / AM / TRAIL
ADDIX SPEEDGRIP, the universal compound. It definitely has
the widest range of use. Perfect for XC, AM and Trail: for the majority
of EVO tires there’s a version with ADDIX Speedgrip! It replaces the
previous PaceStar compound where a significant, though not the only
difference, during extensive use is more mileage and a longer life.
Lots of everything: speed, grip and durability. Combining all three characteristics to achieve
the perfect compound is almost impossible in theory, but now we’ve done it with ADDIX
Speedgrip to an extent that we never thought possible!
DURABILITY DAMPING
ROLLING PROPERTIES
GRIP
15

11. 100%
Rolling prop. Damping Grip Durability
ADDIX Soft 120% 104% 112% 149%
TrailStar Compound 100% 100% 100% 100%
ENDURO / DOWNHILL
ADDIX SOFT is a compound that bridges many disciplines.
It’s just as at home in the enduro and downhill world as it is in the
demanding discipline of all-mountain and trail riding. It also impresses
when used in combination with other ADDIX tires – more speed:
Soft on the front, Speedgrip on the back. Or more damping:
Ultra Soft on the front, Soft on the back.
Rides superbly and provides impressively good damping. That’s ADDIX Soft. We’ve dug
deep in the tire builder’s bag of tricks to create the perfect balance between the two. The
result is a compound that’s amazingly good fun and yet is significantly more durable than
the previous TrailStar compound.
Tip: ADDIX Soft is also ideal for e-MTBs. Here it really plays to its strengths of “great
damping and powerful grip”, and due to the optimized low-temperature properties it does
this all year round!
DURABILITY DAMPING
ROLLING PROPERTIES
GRIP
16

12. 100%
Rolling prop. Damping Grip Durability
ADDIX Ultra Soft 110% 105% 106% 112%
VertStar Compound 100% 100% 100% 100%
ENDURO / DOWNHILL
ADDIX ULTRA SOFT is the ADDIX compound for hardcore use
in enduro and downhill. Sensationally good damping has been further
improved over the previous VertStar compound, while at the same time
ADDIX Ultra Soft is suitable for all-weather use due to significantly
improved low-temperature properties when it comes to grip and
damping.
Extremely soft to cope with very difficult challenges. ADDIX Ultra Soft appears to stick
to the ground, literally clawing its way into the subsoil because there’s only one goal in sight:
maximum damping and maximum grip.
DURABILITY DAMPING
ROLLING PROPERTIES
GRIP
17

13. THE HEAD DEVELOPER.
Not only has Markus Hachmeyer been riding MTBs in almost all
disciplines for more than a quarter of a century, he’s also been
the head developer of Schwalbe treads for almost as long, and
there is not a tire that he hasn’t helped to develop.
Markus, you’ve been involved in all the major turning points at
Schwalbe. How do you see ADDIX?
It’s a really big thing. Never before have we taken such an ambitious
step with the compound. In actual fact, we’ve left no stone unturned,
not with the formulation and even less with the processes. We’ve
really gone to town on it: new mixer, new team, new goals. And to be
fair, we were pretty well set up even before that. It’s just that with
ADDIX we’ve clearly got even better, and what I’m particularly
pleased about – in precisely those areas where we were seen to
have weaknesses. Now we can provide convincing answers, for
example about the durability or the low temperature properties of the
two soft compounds.
Previously, all the EVO compounds for MTBs were also multiple
compounds. Is that going to continue?
Whether we’re using a mono or multiple compound in a tire will be
one of our trade secrets. With ADDIX, mono/dual/triple is one tool
among many but it’s no longer in the foreground as it was a few
years ago. What we’ve achieved with ADDIX, to an extent never seen
before – depending on the compound’s properties – the tire’s
performance remains stable over its lifetime. And tires with ADDIX
have a longer lifetime! That’s what counts.
All the legendary EVO tires are now available with the new
ADDIX. As a tread designer, these are all your offspring. Does
the new compound really make such a huge difference?
Yes. Of course, the wow effect is not going to be the same for all of
them. With one you’ll experience the difference more in longer
distances and with another more in extreme conditions. There are four
very different compounds and tires for very varied discipline. But if the
tires are all my offspring, then all I can say is that I’ve always been
really proud of them and I’d never have believed that they would be
capable of such a career move.
19

14. THE HEAD COMPOUNDER.
Wolfgang Arenz is undisputedly the best-known and most
highly acclaimed specialist for tire compounds in the bicycle
industry. After working for other tire manufacturers, he has
now been head compounder at Schwalbe for two years.
Wolfgang, what was it that persuaded you to move to Schwalbe?
The huge opportunities I have here. Schwalbe only knows one
product: bicycle tires. I notice this every day. There’s a special
intensity at work here. All the strategic considerations revolve around
the one topic, new ideas are always welcome and everyone works
towards the same goal. Here, my expertise is not only in demand for
new formulas. I can actually help to shape the entire manufacturing
process. This could mean small optimizations in the details, but
equally it might be radically creative suggestions. There’s targeted
investment in innovations for the industrial workflow. As a rubber nerd,
these are absolutely ideal conditions for me.
How were you received by the team? After all, you used to be
competitors.
It was a fantastic experience from day one. When you’re as
specialized in a subject as I am, it’s amazing fun to have real partners
by your side in development who understand as much about tires as I
do. They also challenge me – top of the list Markus Hachmeyer, but
the other product managers are just as demanding.
They’re not just satisfied with my first shot at the ring. They want
more, they want the finished product. It’s a new kick, it’s wonderful.
You’ve now set new benchmarks for MTB tires with ADDIX.
What’s next?
It goes without saying that the innovations made possible by ADDIX
are not just reserved for mountain bike tires. Anyone who knows me,
knows how close to my heart racing bikes are, but there was another
reason why I moved to Schwalbe. There’s no one else who takes tires
for everyday use, for city and trekking, as seriously as they do. There’s
a great tradition and great foresight for this at Schwalbe, and that’s a
challenge I find just as exciting as the sporty high-end tires.
21

15. MAGIC MARY
FOR ALL LEGENDARY
MTB TIRES.
22

16. HANS DAMPF ROCK RAZOR DIRTY DAN
23

17. NOBBY NIC FAT ALBERT FRONT FAT ALBERT REAR
24

18. RACING RALPH ROCKET RON THUNDER BURT
25

19. FURIOUS FRED DIRTY DAN XC JUMBO JIM
26