Schwalbe Hans Dampf: First Impressions

Wet rocks and unfamiliar trails are always a good place for a first test ride on a new set of tires. Trails where you know every inch by heart are essential to picking apart the finer details of a tires performance, but heading into the unknown in less-than-perfect conditions will quickly reveal any quirks or shortcomings in a tires personality.

Standing at the top of “Severed D” in North Vancouver at the end of a week full of rain, I was about to find out how Schwalbe’s redesign of its Hans Dampf had changed the tires personality. I’ve spent plenty of time on other Seymour trails, but this would be my first time down Severed. Likewise, Hans Dampf isn’t a new name to the Schwalbe line-up, but a complete reworking of the classic tire.

Schwalbe’s made some big changes to Hans, the most obvious of which is the larger and substantially better supported cornering knobs. These are designed to bit better for more aggressive riding, but also to last longer than on previous iterations of the Hans Dampf. Schwalbe also raised the height of all the centre knobs, and beefed up a row of elliptically arranged transition knobs. The previous generation of Hans Damp benefited from Schawlbe’s new Addix rubber compound, which carries over to the tires current version.

RELATED: Meet Hans, Schwalbe’s new look all-rounder tire

Hans Dampf comes in a wide range of sizes and casings in all wheel sizes, even a couple 26″ options. The version I’m testing are 29 x 2.35 tires in Super Gravity casing, which features Addix Soft compound and a full wrap of puncture resistant Snakeskin protection. Hans tipped the scales at 1188g, though the Super Gravity is the most aggressive and heavy duty version of the tire. Getting the tires on the rim was no problem, and the bead easily snapped into place at under 30 p.s.i. with a floor pump. The tires measured just shy of 2.35″ advertised width on a 29mm internal width rim, so you shouldn’t have to worry about them measuring wide if your frame has tight clearance.

2018 Schwalbe Hans Dampf, with substantially bolstered side lugs

Unpredictable west coast spring weather, which has a way of delivering a wide range of conditions in a condensed period of time. As it worked out, a dry week followed by plenty of rain – combined with moving around the coast a little – allowed me to test out the Hans Dampf’s on varied trails and conditions. From dusty high speed clearcut trails, always the first trails to start getting marble dust try, to extra slick freshly we rots and rocks and and plenty of time on the well known corners of my home trails.

Beefed up transition knobs give the Hans Dampf a more consistent feel as you roll from centre to side knobs, making for very predictable grip at all angles as you roll the tire into corners. The taller and better supported side knobs are solid during aggressive corning, and do feel easy to bring back when they start to drift as Schwalbe claims. It’s not the same level of support as Schwalbe’s full DH Magic Mary tire, but the Hans Dampf is plenty supportive for anything short of the World Cup circuit.

Back in North Vancouver, the Hans Dampf’s guided me down Severed with confidence, making sure tire’s and I both arrived at the bottom intact. The tire is very predictable right away, which encourages you to start pushing to ride faster and try find the limits of the tires traction. First impressions are that Schwalbe’s improvements to the Hans Dampf have made it a solid option for aggressive trail riding to enduro racing.

The Hans Dampf’s are destined for many more miles this season, so check back later on for a full test, including long term wear and durability.