TYRES !!! ~ Which do you use ?

[02jze]

Looking at some good grip street tyres for my ebike.
Whats the best.?
I would love to be able to corner on dirty walkways at the moment my front wheel loses traction and is hell scary.

[chvidgov.bc.ca]

I prefer Schwalbe Marathon Plus. I HATE FLATS, with torque arms on, or tricky-to-get-off hub motors, or Shimano Nexus internal hubs. A bit heavy, with all that extra flat-proofing rubber, but they roll good. Check them out.

[recumbent]

I prefer Schwalbe Marathon Plus. I HATE FLATS, they roll good.

I second that motion, they also have tread on the sides for gravel, sand, and grip edges of sidewalks where they meet the road if you approach it on an angle.
Don't know if this is just recumbents, but when i used another tire with less tread on the side, my bike slipped and almost wiped out. But the Schwalbe tires grab, or climb edges better when approaching from an angle. Hope this makes sense, hard to explain, but it's a common hazard.

I got 6,000km,s (4,000mi) from a set of Schwalbe's. You want to spend the extra few dollars on good tires, because it's the only thing attaching you to the road.

[02jze]

Yeah i know what you mean. My tyres are not that bad i guess its only on dusty or dirty paths i run into trouble.. i might see if they smoke. Then ill have to get new ones...

[Zoot Katz]

I too run the Marathon Plus in the 1.95" size on one bike and find them excellent on pavement and gravel paths.
The other bike is running 2" Schwalbe Big Apple tires and are even better for steering out of ruts plus they dampen more of the vibration.

[AussieJester]

MaXXis HookWorms




KiM

[GASSTINKS]

Schwalbe Marathon Plus. I've had great luck with these and am on my third set. Just be prepared for a battle putting them on your rim; they're stiff as hell and you'll probably bend or break a few tire irons (the plastic ones at least).

[liteCycles]

Another option - Continental Travel Contact

I don't like mixing it up with cars. My commute is 25 miles each way - 2 miles on gravel and the rest deep on the shoulder with all the debris. Never had a single flat even while using only normal tubes - no Stans or similar product. These are basically slick tires in the middle portion so there is not a thinner more vulnerable area between the lugs. Before these I would periodically get a staple or piece of wire right between the lugs.

http://www.jensonusa.com/store/product/ ... Tire.aspx#

[gestalt]

Those contis' are great durable tires, on our rickshaws we use those on the mountain bike and hookworms on the trailer. great combo and considering that we are often pulling 1000lbs of people not counting bike/trailer/rider I would consider the few flats we did get quite reasonable.

[The Mighty Volt]

Schwalbe Fat Frank

[Mark_A_W]

Marathon Plus are awesome for avoiding flats. I ran for 10,000k with only one flat, compared to 2 in a week with Maxxis Overdrive Kevlar.

But Marathon Pluses, have NO GRIP. On wet bitumen they are terrible, I have the scars to prove it (actually a damp tyre on dry bitumen). The compound is very hard, for long life.



Currently I run Hookworms, they have more grip. I have fitted Panaracer Kevlar liners and Slime tubes. The are big and fat, good grip....but VERY HEAVY. I noticed the difference even on an ebike.

[dumbass]

Marathon Plus are awesome for avoiding flats. I ran for 10,000k with only one flat, compared to 2 in a week with Maxxis Overdrive Kevlar.

But Marathon Pluses, have NO GRIP. On wet bitumen they are terrible, I have the scars to prove it (actually a damp tyre on dry bitumen). The compound is very hard, for long life.



Currently I run Hookworms, they have more grip. I have fitted Panaracer Kevlar liners and Slime tubes. The are big and fat, good grip....but VERY HEAVY. I noticed the difference even on an ebike.

I am only guessing but even with slimed tubes it is possible to get a flat. I ask this because I was wondering it the slime creates a problem patching the tube. Have you ever patched a slimed tune on the run (trail) with standard self sticking patches? Any problems?

[AussieJester]

I am only guessing but even with slimed tubes it is possible to get a flat.

If you ripped a big enough hole it would be. You can get slime from Automotive stores
dunno about in the USofA but here it is nearly half price the bike stores charge, you can get it for
4x4/light trucks it has bigger 'chunks' in it, haven't grabbed it myself as yet as i only just found out
about the automotive stores stocking it grrr been paying inflated prices for pissy little bottles from the bike shop
NOT ANYMORE!!! I mentioned i havent had a flat since i used it in my wheel chair tires, not entirely
true i have had dozens but the slime seals them, often found out by slime on the hand when wheeling,
have never bothered patching the slim sealed tubes, just pumps them up and change the tube next tire change.

KiM

[Mark_A_W]

I haven't had a flat yet with the slime tubes - not even a slime "prevented" flat.

I carry both stick on patches and a spare tube with me..and a spanner, allen keys, duct tape, leatherman tool, cable ties...etc.


I'm commuting to work though, not riding trails.

[dogman]

Bell brand kevlar comfort bike style. 15 bucks at wall or K mart. Stop laughing, they run 2-3000 miles, have a solid center rib for great rolling resistance, and the tread pattern is excellent for cornering on the layer of sand in every corner in town. Here in the desert, street slicks = death. On a tour, you can find them every 50 miles at the next wallmart if you trash one.

Inside is a thorn resistant thick tube, and 4x4 slime. Lots of it.

Patching a slime coated tube sucks. You have to get to water so you can really wash the part you want to patch thorougly. Usually the only reason I would patch a tube is if some bit of sharp stuff puts a hole in the top of the tube. Along the outer edge, the chunks in the 4x4 slime plug up to 1/8 holes. It works best on the thicker tubes, where the chunks have to push through a longer hole than on a thin tube.

[spinningmagnets]

Here's a 7-page discussion on tires used and results obtained... (tires, balloon/urban type?)

http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=455

[full-throttle]

The reason you're losing traction on the front is more likely to do with not having enough weight on the front rather than tire choice, 02jze. Try leaning forward a bit more and see if it helps.

[Arlo1]

I got 2.5x16 moped tires to work on my bmx! takes a little work but they are cool!

[all74]

I'm using Schawabe Fat Franks. They grip ok on the hard stuff but don't take them on loose gravel! They boost the diameter of my wheel alot and tackle gutters and bumps pretty well. I'm running that at 50-60psi and rolling resistance seems low. At low speed there is some noticeable turning resistance due to the big contact patch. Also you do need a fair bit of clearance in your frame for these to work, and they, make my 60mm fenders/mudguards look tiny. Lastly, I have a long frame (Yuba Mundo) and i get the chain rubbing the tyre in low gears.

Mark
My Yuba Mundo Build http://www.keller74.wordpress.com

[Lyen]

For the best range and the least rolling resistance, I use the Continental Ultra Gatorskin Tire - 700 x 25. Very durable tire for commute & lightweight too.

[Kingfish]

I use Continental Contact Reflex 26x1.75 on my front-wheel drive.
http://www.conti-online.com/generator/www/de/en/continental/bicycle/themes/city/citytyres/contact/contact%20_reflex_en.html

I think it’s a great tyre; it grips well in all conditions – especially rain, and it wears like iron. They do look a bit skinny though.
I am reconsidering what tyre I would put on the rear of my next bike having gone through the other tyre thread. What I am looking for is a top-notch well-protected fatty tyre that grips well. I am willing to give up a bit on protection as I can add my own liners/tuff-tube if I can get speed, grid, durability, and a nice fatter size.

The best that Schwalbe has is the Marathon series (Supreme for example) but then I can’t get above 2” width, while the Continental CityContact has one that is 2.1” wide. Bontrager Cruizer has a 2.35 though the specs are vague. Lastly, Maxxis Holy Roller – Urban is 2.4” wide.

Clearly I like the Fat-Bob look, but not the plain slick.

[MrBoots]

I use all sorts of tires on my various bikes. My favorite set would have to be Continental Tour Ride puncture-protection tires. Used them with Slime tire liner and Q-tubes self-healing tubes. It adds a little weight to the bike but in the 2 1/2 years that I've run this combination, I've never had flats (went nearly 5k miles before they wore out). It's also got great tread balance so I can feel confident in almost all types of weather. I second the Ultra Gatorskins too, though they're not the most comfortable tires.

[johnrobholmes]

I got 2.5x16 moped tires to work on my bmx! takes a little work but they are cool!

Pirelli m75 eh? Good tires! I have some 16" bridgestone tw9's that I am dying to try. They are super light for a 4 ply DOT rated tire! How is the rotating mass on those m75's?

[Arlo1]

I got 2.5x16 moped tires to work on my bmx! takes a little work but they are cool!

Pirelli m75 eh? Good tires! I have some 16" bridgestone tw9's that I am dying to try. They are super light for a 4 ply DOT rated tire! How is the rotating mass on those m75's?

It doesn seem to bad. Its not like a typical ebike spins up to to high of speeds. Mine being one of the higher ones at ~100 km/h at full 100v charge no load. thats still ~850 rpm. I did knotice these tires are a touch loose on the rim like 2 wraps or duct tape or a extra thick rimband would solve!

[johnrobholmes]

My TW9's didn't seem much looser than a typical bmx tire. It still took some good effort to pop the bead on, although I managed it buy hand. Once pumped up I doubt there would be any problems at all.