CCS Tire Upgrade: Schwalbe, Conti, Maxxis...

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DanInStPete

Well-Known Member
I'm thinking I may upgrade my tires. Though I don't feel any particular need to do so I've always believed, for cars, motorcycles and bikes, that as the only part of the machine that actually touches the road, tires deserve serious attention.

I've done a lot of searching and found a few references to what some people like, but not a whole lot.

I'm hoping anyone who has upgraded, or is planning on it, might want to chime in on what they chose and why?

I should add that for me rain performance isn't much of an issue since I don't commute. My wet riding will be limited to getting caught out in it on exercise rides or day tours.
 
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I’ve got 28x2.0 Schwalbe Marathon Almotions on my original Cross Current. I would get the 2.15” version if I could do it all over again but I wasn’t sure if they would fit when I was placing my order. Great tires with low rolling resistance and a very good ride quality at reasonable pressures (<40psi). No punctures in ~6k miles. The stock tires are 45mm and I think a true 50mm tire would be a tight fit. The Almotions run narrow on my Cross Current rims (much closer to 45mm than the advertised 50mm.) Schwalbe has a lot of great e-bike options at various sizes and levels of puncture protection.

I think my ideal speed pedelec commuter style bike would have clearance for 2.8” Moto X tires. At 20-25psi I think the ride would be amazing.
 
Just got Marathon Pluses which seemed like a very popular choice. Despite being the same stated size, they're noticeably narrower than the stock Kendas. They roll faster. Ride feels a bit stiffer but I may have the PSI a little high.

Also curious as to the max tire size. And what would you have to do to go tubeless?
 
@Dunbar so you have the 2" Almotion, and you think the 2.15" would fit? That has to be close to maximum width then, at almost 55mm?

@Asher yes those tires seem to be extremely popular and I did consider ordering them, but I wanted to make sure I’m not missing anything.

Tubeless. Sounds interesting but I’m not up on it at all. I’ll have to do some research.
 
DanInStPete said:
@Dunbar so you have the 2" Almotion, and you think the 2.15" would fit? That has to be close to maximum width then, at almost 55mm?
Click to expand...

Yes, they should fit if your rear wheel is fairly true. The 2” Almotions measured almost identical in width to the stock Kendas once installed on the stock rims. So you can use the stock 45mm Kendas as a reference on your bike (just eyeball the clearance on your bike.) If you have ~2mm of clearance on either side they should fit.
 
Marathon Plus (45) left, Kenda right. Kendas are much wider, also much boxier, kinda squared off shape.

If Schwalbe sizing is internally consistent, you've got room to go above 45.
 

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Damn the Schwalbe Supreme is a beast. Several hundred grams lighter than the Plus, wider and less rolling resistance. And with tubeless, you can get great puncture protection and use lower pressure.
Edit: bicyclerollingresistance.com says the Almotion has lower resistance though it weighs more. Has more puncture protection too. The resistance difference gets smaller at higher pressures.

Would love to hear from someone do tubeless with these. Or wait until I do 10k miles on my Pluses :).

One thing I was thinking about ebikes becoming a more popular, useful form of transport, we may need to move beyond the model of "hey let's sell you a good frame and drivetrain, and then stuff it with mediocre peripheral parts." But without charging Stromer like prices.

https://www.schwalbe.com/en/tour-reader/marathon-supreme.html
 

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Asher said:
One thing I was thinking about ebikes becoming a more popular, useful form of transport, we may need to move beyond the model of "hey let's sell you a good frame and drivetrain, and then stuff it with mediocre peripheral parts." But without charging Stromer like prices.
Click to expand...
I completely agree. I understand that offering tire options probably means someone at the Distribution Center here in the US is going to have to unpack the bike from China and change out the tires and reinstall at least the rear wheel, but I'd be willing to pay extra for that and have it ready to go out of the box when I get it. I'm sure there are other companies, but E-Glide is the only outfit I see offering installed tire options.
 
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PCDoctorUSA said:
I completely agree. I understand that offering tire options probably means someone at the Distribution Center here in the US is going to have to unpack the bike from China and change out the tires and reinstall at least the rear wheel, but I'd be willing to pay extra for that and have it ready to go out of the box when I get it. I'm sure there are other companies, but E-Glide is the only outfit I see offering installed tire options.
Click to expand...

Long term, I think the solution is to do it at the factory, for all units of a given model. You could do a premium model (CCS+ or something).

If most of your customers are doing a part swap, you might as well save them the hassle and do it at the factory.

I think the current model may be a vestige of the manufacturer-dealer relationship - "we'll make bikes that will provide you more business, because your enthusiast customers will want to swap out parts."

Look at the Titan of bike direct sales: Canyon. I looked at a road bike of theirs, and everything was well specced for the price.

Of course, you also have to manage costs so that you can offer products at multiple price levels, and offer a good value for each. Conversely, I wonder if Juiced could move a lot of bikes if it sold kits with just a frame, battery, motor, rear wheel. Separate the parts, and it's easier to ship out exactly the config the customers want.

Re the airless tires, I'm guessing it's not a monumental improvement over existing airless options, plus it may be years till it's an option stateside.
 
Wow @Dunbar thank you for that resource! Excellent information. I'm back and forth between the Almotion and Energizer Plus.

The Almotion has amazing rolling resistance and may be my first choice, disregarding price.

The Energizer Plus however is specifically made for ebikes, and I think is the only tire rated by Schwalbe for speed pedalecs, having their ECE-R75, E-Bike Ready, 50 km/h rating. Part of this is the tire compound which is supposed to give better grip for cornering at higher speed.

The Energizer is also almost half the price.

The only advantage I can see to the Marathon Plus is puncture resistance, since it is much heavier and has much higher rolling resistance. I am personally more interested in any increase in range and grip.

Has anyone tried the Energizer Plus?
 
Dunbar said:
Asher, check out the following link for e-bike tires. The Marathon Almotion actually has lower rolling resistance and better puncture protection than the Marathon Supremes. The only downside to the Almotions is the extra weight but I consider that a non-issue on an e-bike (especially a hub motor bike where the rear wheel already weighs 10lbs. +.)

https://www.bicyclerollingresistance.com/tour-reviews
Click to expand...

Yeah, had mentioned that in an edit to the post. Seems like Schwalbe thinks the Supreme is the fastest, and they may have revised the tire since the BRR report.

Someone said they spoke to Schwalbe and said all their marathon tires are pretty much safe for ebike use, but they are not all certified because the certification costs a lot of money. Ie the absence of certification does not mean the tires are not ebike ready. May want to ask Schwalbe.
 
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Most of the Schwalbe touring tires have the 25 km/h rating for ebikes, but I think only the Energizer Plus has the 50 km/h rating.

Yeah, I like the Supremes too...
 
bob armani said:
Question: My bike tire size is 700c X 28c. Will the 28 by 2.00 fit my current wheels without changing them? I like the Energizer Plus specs. Looks like they do not make my specific tire size that is currently on my wheels.
Click to expand...

28" is almost a half inch bigger than 700. Can't imagine that would work. Never tried it though.
 
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