MTB Tire Test: Schwalbe Thunder Burt Super Ground Addix Speed

The Thunder Burt is now Schwalbe's fastest mountain bike tire as they discontinued the ultra-light Furious Fred a while back. Over the past few years, there have been various versions of the Thunder Burt. The current generation has moved to Schwalbe's Super casings with a Super Ground and Super Race version available in several sizes. As the name suggests, the Super Race should be a bit faster than the Super Ground, while the Super Ground offers a bit more protection.

It's been a while since we've tested an MTB tire, and we get quite a lot of questions asking us why there aren't more MTB tests. The answer is quite simple: Our Pro Members decide which tires get tested, and more votes for MTB tires means there will be more MTB tests. It looks like the Super Race version of the Thunder Burt is racking up quite a few votes and has a good chance of being tested in the near future as well.

The Schwalbe Thunder Burt Super Ground looks promising as it uses Schwalbe's fastest version of their Addix compound: Addix Speed. Although not all tires with the Addix Speed compound are fast, and we've been critical of the consistency of Schwalbe's Addix compounds. It looks like our sample of the Thunder Burt Super Ground came out of the factory with the Addix Speed compound as it should be. This Thunder Burt is very fast, even though it's much heavier than the specified weight.

Manufacturer Specifications

Manufacturer Specs
Brand	Schwalbe
Model	Thunder Burt Super Ground Addix Speed
Year	2021
Supplied By	Bought in store
New or Used	New
Mileage	0 km
Price Range	High
Buy At
Manufacturer part number	11600657.02
EAN	4026495879750
TPI	67
Compound	Addix Speed
Bead	Folding
ETRTO	57-622
Size Inch	29"
Width Inch	2.25
Specified Weight	615 grams
Max Air Pressure (psi)	54
Made In	Pro Data
Available Sizes	29x2.10 29x2.25 29x2.35 27.5x2.10

Schwalbe Thunder Burt Super Ground Addix Speed Test Results

Size, Weight, and Thickness Measurements

Size, Weight, and Thickness Measurements
Specified Weight	615 grams
Measured Weight	680 grams
Measured Width Carcass	53 mm (un-round)
Measured Width Tread	54 mm
Measured Height	51 mm (un-round)
Measured Knob Height Center	1.5 mm
Measured Knob Height Edge	3.9 mm
Measured Total Thickness Center (excluding knobs)	1.6 mm
Measured Total Thickness Sidewall	Pro Data
All size measurements are taken at an air pressure of 35 psi / 2.4 bars on a 17.8 mm inner width rim.

Rolling Resistance Test Results

Rolling Resistance Test Results
Inner Tube	None (40 ml sealant)
Measured Width	53 mm
Rolling Resistance Real tire width in mm: 47-50 = 42 psi/2.9 bar 51-55 = 38 psi/2.6 bar 56-60 = 34 psi/2.3 barHigh Air Pressure (38 psi / 2.6 bar)	Pro Data
Rolling Resistance Real tire width in mm: 47-50 = 35 psi/2.4 bar 51-55 = 32 psi/2.2 bar 56-60 = 29 psi/2.0 barMedium Air Pressure (32 psi / 2.2 bar)	Pro Data
Rolling Resistance Real tire width in mm: 47-50 = 28 psi/1.9 bar 51-55 = 25 psi/1.7 bar 56-60 = 23 psi/1.6 barLow Air Pressure (25 psi / 1.7 bar)	15.7 Watts CRR: 0.00471
Rolling Resistance Real tire width in mm: 47-50 = 21 psi/1.4 bar 51-55 = 19 psi/1.3 bar 56-60 = 17 psi/1.2 barExtra Low Air Pressure (19 psi / 1.3 bar)	Pro Data
Rolling Resistance 55 psi / 3.8 bar	Pro Data
Rolling Resistance 45 psi / 3.1 bar	Pro Data
Rolling Resistance 35 psi / 2.4 bar	Pro Data
Rolling Resistance 25 psi / 1.7 bar	Pro Data
The MTB section is a multi tire size section, air pressures have been adjusted to the measured casing width. All numbers are for a single tire at a speed of 29 km/h / 18 mph and a load of 42.5 kg / 94 lbs. Use the formula: RR (Watts) = CRR * speed (m/s) * load (N) to calculate rolling resistance at a given speed and load.

Puncture Resistance Test Results

Puncture Resistance Test Results (higher is better)
Total Puncture Score Tread	26 Points
Total Puncture Score Sidewall	Pro Data
Tread Puncture Force Sharp Needle	Pro Data
Tread Puncture Force Blunt Needle	Pro Data
Tread Total Tire Thickness	1.6 mm
Sidewall Puncture Force Sharp Needle	Pro Data
Sidewall Puncture Force Blunt Needle	Pro Data
Sidewall Total Tire Thickness	Pro Data

Hard Surface Static Grip Test Results

Static Grip Test Results
Wet Grip Average	56 Points
Wet Grip Center	Pro Data
Wet Grip Edge	Pro Data
Measured Knob Height Center	1.5 mm
Measured Knob Height Edge	3.9 mm
Grip in points = coefficient of friction * 100 MTB grip test rim width = 30.0 mm
Wet Grip Test and Off-Road Tires (info)

Conclusion

The Schwalbe Thunder Burt Super Ground with Addix Speed compound is an extremely fast tire even though our sample is quite heavy. We're happy to see an Addix Speed tire that rolls faster than the old PaceStar compound versions that made Schwalbe famous back in the early part of this century. We're hoping Schwalbe fixed the consistency of the Addix Speed compound, and we're going to see consistently good results from tires with the Addix Speed compound now.

We're still not sure why the weight of Schwalbe's tires keeps on increasing every generation. We wouldn't have been happy as an end consumer when the promised weight is 615 grams, and you end up with a 680 grams tire. We're looking forward to testing the Super Race version of the Thunder Burt, but we're a bit puzzled the specified weight of the Super Race is 645 grams while the Super Ground is 615 grams. Maybe there is an error in the specified weight of the 29x2.25 Super Ground.

Very fast tire if you don't mind the weight.

RATING: 4.5 / 5
TEST VERDICT: Highly Recommended

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