Grippier tires for Gazelle Medeo T10+ ?

[BarryAZ1]

I've put a bit over 500 miles on my T10+ and I love most aspects of the bike. The smooth application of power it amazing. I've gotten 55 to 65 miles of range on most rides. I did add a suspension seat-post to smooth the ride. Two main complaints so far:
(1) At 28mph, you REALLY want to get down out of the airflow a bit. Hard to do that safely with these handlebars. It's a problem that should I should have seen coming, but I had never spent much time riding at anything near 28mph before. So, as it is, I just don't spend extended time at this kind of speed.
(2) The stock Schwalbe Marathon Performance tires have surprisingly little grip on rough surfaces or gravel.

I find (2) to be pretty limiting. I'm very careful about my speed and maneuvering on anything other than smooth asphalt. Even taking a turn on a city street that has seams or breaks in the surface can be a hair-raising act, especially if there is traffic. And in gravel - forget about it. I suppose I could go lower than 50psi. Would I get more flats? I've already had two.

Has anyone tried a grippier (knobbier) tire on this bike? The issue that I see is clearing the fenders. There's a bit of room there -- but not much. My local e-bike shop hadn't had this question before, so they weren't much help. To be fair, this isn't meant to be a mountain bike, but you really ought to get a bit more confidence on rough pavement, IMO. I'm guessing that the pavement is much nicer in the Netherlands, vs. Phoenix.

Any suggestions would be appreciated!

 

[PedalUma]

The tire that you have are very nice. You could go with these, putting in Mr Tuffy, so as to prevent over 90% of flats with out deadening the feel or increasing rotational weight by a significant amount. https://www.modernbike.com/schwalbe...lack-reflective-active-sbc-punctureguard-e-25

 

[Pauly D]

I've put a bit over 500 miles on my T10+ and I love most aspects of the bike. The smooth application of power it amazing. I've gotten 55 to 65 miles of range on most rides. I did add a suspension seat-post to smooth the ride. Two main complaints so far:
(1) At 28mph, you REALLY want to get down out of the airflow a bit. Hard to do that safely with these handlebars. It's a problem that should I should have seen coming, but I had never spent much time riding at anything near 28mph before. So, as it is, I just don't spend extended time at this kind of speed.
(2) The stock Schwalbe Marathon Performance tires have surprisingly little grip on rough surfaces or gravel.

I find (2) to be pretty limiting. I'm very careful about my speed and maneuvering on anything other than smooth asphalt. Even taking a turn on a city street that has seams or breaks in the surface can be a hair-raising act, especially if there is traffic. And in gravel - forget about it. I suppose I could go lower than 50psi. Would I get more flats? I've already had two.

Has anyone tried a grippier (knobbier) tire on this bike? The issue that I see is clearing the fenders. There's a bit of room there -- but not much. My local e-bike shop hadn't had this question before, so they weren't much help. To be fair, this isn't meant to be a mountain bike, but you really ought to get a bit more confidence on rough pavement, IMO. I'm guessing that the pavement is much nicer in the Netherlands, vs. Phoenix.

Any suggestions would be appreciated!

I will let you know how the Schwalbe G One Ultrabite's work out. I did it on recommendation from Chris at Propel....he said same thing that you did and suggested more grip than the stock tyres offer. Said they clear the fenders just fine....and I believe the T10+ is exact same frame as my C380+ if I'm not mistaken.

 

[Alaskan]

• Schwalbe Johnny Watt tires have low rolling resistance(=Speed) high grip both on and off road
• Superior flat protection and durability. Great tire for mixed road and trail riding, that will not slow you down
  Should not need any added flat protection.
• Available in 622 x 60
  
  I have them on my 2018 R&M Delite and find them to be as stated by Schwalbe:

Johnny Watts unites smooth rolling on hard ground
with longevity and puncture protection.

• Versatile tread for a wide range of use from asphalt to off-road
• Blocks with large contact areas for excellent rolling, little vibration and high durability
• Steady and forgiving cornering behavior on hard ground

https://www.schwalbetires.com/bike_tires/off-road_tires/Johnny_Watts_604|

 

[BlackHand]

I've been happy with the switch from Super Moto-X to the Johnny Watts on my Haibike. The SMX always felt a little skittish to me on gravel, wet asphalt, and across surface transitions. The JW's sacrifice some crispness in cornering on good asphalt, but they make up for it with their predictable handling on such a wide range of surfaces.

I expected them to feel like more of a trade off since 90+% of my riding is an urban commute but they've been a nice upgrade.

Looking at the pics of the T10+ EBR review it looks like the fenders and fender stays have room for knobbier tires as long as you stay pretty close to the same size.

 

[PedalUma]

I've been happy with the switch from Super Moto-X to the Johnny Watts on my Haibike. The SMX always felt a little skittish to me on gravel, wet asphalt, and across surface transitions. The JW's sacrifice some crispness in cornering on good asphalt, but they make up for it with their predictable handling on such a wide range of surfaces.

I expected them to feel like more of a trade off since 90+% of my riding is an urban commute but they've been a nice upgrade.

Looking at the pics of the T10+ EBR review it looks like the fenders and fender stays have room for knobbier tires as long as you stay pretty close to the same size.

I have been using gravel tires on some of my builds. They are good for urban and trails. The edges are soft and knobby so sharp cornering on concrete and asphalt is mushy but on trails it is nice and they are good commuters. Just use tire liners and maybe a couple of oz of Stan's inside the tubes to prevent flats. Super Moto-X has superior fast cutting cornering on hard surfaces and better flat protection. The WTB Ventures have more bounce and feel when going up and down curbs or taking a transition edge or pothole.

 

[BarryAZ1]

Thank you ALL for the many detailed suggestions! I have some work to do.

 

[gadgetguy]

I would suggest that you install Tannus armour liners and lower the tire pressure. I have over 1,500 miles on this bike with the Schwalbe Marathon E-bike tires and have not had a flat.