Great reviews on Bikes--How about tires?

[Tony Simpson]

Court, et al,
As a newcomer to E bikes, I find your reviews, comments and forums are an incredibly useful resource. I am about to pull the trigger on my Visacard and buy a first E-bike, however I've got one unanswered question:
We live near Seattle and in the beautiful Northwest are blessed and cursed by abundant rainfall. The bike I like has Schwalbe Big Ben tires, which from reviews, sounded good for my rural urban, mostly paved road riding. However I recently saw a blog comment stating that the rider found they needed to be careful riding on Big Ben tires in wet conditions. Do you or any of the experienced folks out there have any similar experience or, ideally, recommendations on better tires to use for riding in the rain?? Many thanks!

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

Court, et al,
As a newcomer to E bikes, I find your reviews, comments and forums are an incredibly useful resource. I am about to pull the trigger on my Visacard and buy a first E-bike, however I've got one unanswered question:
We live near Seattle and in the beautiful Northwest are blessed and cursed by abundant rainfall. The bike I like has Schwalbe Big Ben tires, which from reviews, sounded good for my rural urban, mostly paved road riding. However I recently saw a blog comment stating that the rider found they needed to be careful riding on Big Ben tires in wet conditions. Do you or any of the experienced folks out there have any similar experience or, ideally, recommendations on better tires to use for riding in the rain?? Many thanks!

If you are looking for 27.5" sizes, Schwalbe Super Moto X is an excellent tire. It a high volume balloon tire and has the same tread pattern as the Big Ben but much wider.

For wet conditions, Schwalbe techs recommends Energizer Plus. They are specifically made for E-bikes and offer excellent road grip. They are not as wide as Super Moto X but very good quality tires neverthless.
(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)

Schwalbe HQ is not far from Seattle. You could give them a call and seek their input as well.

 

[Robert Youngken]

(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)
Court, et al,
As a newcomer to E bikes, I find your reviews, comments and forums are an incredibly useful resource. I am about to pull the trigger on my Visacard and buy a first E-bike, however I've got one unanswered question:
We live near Seattle and in the beautiful Northwest are blessed and cursed by abundant rainfall. The bike I like has Schwalbe Big Ben tires, which from reviews, sounded good for my rural urban, mostly paved road riding. However I recently saw a blog comment stating that the rider found they needed to be careful riding on Big Ben tires in wet conditions. Do you or any of the experienced folks out there have any similar experience or, ideally, recommendations on better tires to use for riding in the rain?? Many thanks!

If you are looking for 27.5" sizes, Schwalbe Super Moto X is an excellent tire. It a high volume balloon tire and has the same tread pattern as the Big Ben but much wider.

For wet conditions, Schwalbe techs recommends Energizer Plus. They are specifically made for E-bikes and offer excellent road grip. They are not as wide as Super Moto X but very good quality tires neverthless.
(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)

Schwalbe HQ is not far from Seattle. You could give them a call and seek their input as well.

Great Reply Ravi.
I just want to add, being a near-Seattle person as well, and a motorcyclist, that there is not a silver bullet tire for rain.
You always have to back way off of your usual riding dynamics. If I thought a specific tire--like the Energizer Plus mentioned by Ravi--was
a better rain tire, I would put it on but I would still ride with great caution in the rain.