Como 3.0 - Slipping & sliding - different tires?

[kcrider]

I typically only ever ride on a paved path. However whenever those slick Nimbus tires encounter thin layers of mud on the path, it might as well be like riding over ice and today I took a rather nasty spill as a result. In the interest of retaining whatever skin I have left, I'm wondering if getting knobby(?) tires would help? If so, would I get the same size tires (650b x 2.3) or would they need to be thinner cause of the knobs in order to fit? I plan to go to my LBS soon and pose the same questions but just curios if any of you have tried different tires on your bike and what your experience was like after doing so.

 

[AguassissiM]

@kcrider

Welcome to the forum.

My bike came with knobby tires, they are awesome for riding on the beech or snow were they provide much needed grip, however they are quite noisy on pavement and slide very easily on wet surface or mud as yours did, I had a nasty spill myself on a wet wooden bridge with the knobies, bike went one way and I slid about 20 feet, good thing there was only one person that witnessed it and the only thing that was damaged was my ego and dirty clothes.
Now days I have change to less noisy tires and do like them a lot. Have to use my bell al ot more often since the tires are almost silent.
I'm sure someone with more experience will chime in.

 

[rob_s]

As above, the trigger sport comes with the Vado. Great tire in the mud and light sand. Also great for the road.
https://www.specialized.com/us/en/trigger-sport-reflect/p/156234?color=229149-156234

The Vado comes with a 700x47 so that would likely be the best for the Como but your local shop would be the best to advise as I do not have a Como.

 

[Marci jo]

Glad you weren’t hurt and only one witness! I went down last year stopping my Vado. Didn’t have a good grip on the handle bars and I think the heavier weight of the ebike didn’t help. In the microsecond after the fall my first thought was “Ok, who saw me! Were there any witnesses?!” No injuries but 3 Good Samaritans stopped their cars to check. ?.

As far as tires, slick mud is nasty. I too ride mostly paved paths. I can only say that I switched out the new tires on my Vado. It came with slick 2” wide tires and with huge side walls. As a result the bike was high off the ground and handled awkwardly at slower speeds. I called it “wrestling a rhino”. The new tires (Trigger I think) are around 1.6 and slightly knobby tread. Love em! Bike is way more nimble, easier to handle at slow speeds, and maybe a few pounds lighter. Great gripe but I still am super careful if I encounter mud.

My local bike shop is great. They encouraged me to not go too thin (1.5”?) for fear of flat tires. I believe your lbs will help you, especially if you speak with a mechanic.

 

[gadgetnut]

Hello @kcrider and welcome, hope you are mobile and feeling well. Some friends of mine have fun in wet mud but for the kind of riding I do it can be treacherous. I imagine there are tires that perform well in mud but these might not be the tires you want to use the other 90% of the time on dry roads. When I approach wet mud I'm very, very cautious- I have walked and/or turned around.

Despite hearing good things about them, I really ended up hating the Nimbus tires that came on my 2019 Como 5.0. I felt nervous going around corners with anything less than a perfect surface, lost traction a few times, and finally got a flat from clamshells on a path I had been riding for years with other bikes. A good friend with lots of experience steered me toward Super Moto X Reflex by Schwalbe. He characterized the Super Moto X as an optimal tire on my bike with great puncture protection, good rolling qualities, excellent road tread and okay off road tread. I installed the Super Moto X tires a couple months ago and they make an amazing difference! More secure, more fun!

 

[kcrider]

In the microsecond after the fall my first thought was “Ok, who saw me! Were there any witnesses?!”

That's too funny, that was the first thing that went through my mind as well!

@gadgetnut Those Super Moto x Reflex tires look pretty cool! I like that it's more of a road tire just with more tread. I went into the bike shop today and though the tech was not in, the sales associate suggested something like Fast Tracks (can't remember the name but they look like mountain bike tires.) Wasn't too excited about them so I'm going to go with your recommendation and see if they can do the Super Moto X Reflex tires instead after I talk to the tech. The guy also pointed out that I have a broken spoke and that my rim is wobbly so there's that. Between the tires, rim, and their "tuneup", they'll have it for a week . Maybe longer if I have to order tires.

Thanks for the information, everyone!