How much difference do street tires make compared to knobbies

[il Munduato]

I opted for the Schwalbe Al Grounder and so far I'm liking everything about them with 450mi of use.
The Johnny Watts were a little better off road but I hated them on pavement.
I'm finding the Schwalbe chart reliable

I had a set of Kenda Kwick Drumlin that have a tread pattern similar to what Stefan describes and they weren't too bad either.

 

[MartsEbike]

What is the tyre size?

Those are 27.5 x 2.8 tyres.

I opted for the Schwalbe Al Grounder and so far I'm liking everything about them with 450mi of use.
The Johnny Watts were a little better off road but I hated them on pavement.
I'm finding the Schwalbe chart reliable

Those look interesting... One to add to the shortlist!

 

[il Munduato]

That's what happens when you installed tyres similar to Moto-X and decided you wanted to take a shortcut through the forest...

View attachment 184014

For this and similar reasons my Vado 6.0 is equipped with 47 mm Specialized Pathfinder Pro (was Specialized Electrak 2.0 in the photo). Pathfinders have a smooth centre tread with small knobs progressively becoming bigger outside.

I have found Schwalbe Johnny Watts (different submodels) very similar in the design but with wider tyres.

Kwick Drumlin
BEYOND THE ROAD
The Kwick Drumlin E-Bike certified urban bike tire is hard to beat: K-Shield protection and a long lasting compound make it a reliable companion. Burly side knobs give confidence and grip on wet or loose conditions. Approved for use up to 50km/h.

Kwick Drumlin

The Kwick Drumlin E-Bike certified urban bike tire is approved for use up to 50km/h, has K-Shield puncture protection, and a durable, long lasting compound.

shop.kendatire.com

Larger tire size availability is why I went Schwalbe... but I found the Johnny Watt severely lacking in road performance and quite dangerous on th dance floor when it comes to cornering and aggressive braking. Sure they roll easily but when you switch out to a smooth center tread you'll realize they introduced a slight vibration with the nobby tread design.

The Al Grounder solves all for me and for where and how I ride.
ymmv

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Marts, AI Grounders do not come in 2.8" I think. I recommend you research Johnny Watts in 27.5 x 2.8". I chose that tyre when I looked for a road silent tyre with excellent grip off-road when I owned an e-MTB.
If you can go down to 2.6", Schwalbe offers plethora of models, AI Grounder, Johnny Watts 365 etc.

Your e-Wild look like extreme tyres you actually do not need.

Kwick Drumlin

I just want to say Specialized has been a quality tyre manufacturer since 1976, so I do not need to look at Kenda

 

[il Munduato]

Marts, AI Grounders do not come in 2.8" I think. I recommend you research Johnny Watts in 27.5 x 2.8". I chose that tyre when I looked for a road silent tyre with excellent grip off-road when I owned an e-MTB.
If you can go down to 2.6", Schwalbe offers plethora of models, AI Grounder, Johnny Watts 365 etc.

Your e-Wild look like extreme tyres you actually do not need.

I just want to say Specialized has been a quality tyre manufacturer since 1976, so I do not need to look at Kenda

Well Kenda started in Taiwan 1962...so schwalbe is late to the game.
They're not novice
The Kwick Drumlin is an excellent tire if you ride as I do 80/20 - road/off road.
That said I never mounted an easier tire than the Al Grounder 27.5 x 2.6

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I'm simply not interested in Kenda It was Specialized that brought quality bike tyres first in the U.S., globally later.
Kenda has a poor representation in Poland.
My buddies gravel cyclists ride all quality brands but it is not Kenda.

Schwalbe has a long history as they started quality tyres in Europe with manufacturing in Indonesia in 1973. The number of sizes, types and flavours is really impressive.

 

[il Munduato]

I'm simply not interested in Kenda It was Specialized that brought quality bike tyres first in the U.S., globally later.
Kenda has a poor representation in Poland.
My buddies gravel cyclists ride all quality brands but it is not Kenda.

Schwalbe has a long history as they started quality tyres in Europe with manufacturing in Indonesia in 1973. The number of sizes, types and flavours is really impressive.

I understand that... But just because Schwalbe is good doesn't mean Kenda is bad.
And who really gives a f$@& about your budies. I've used both and like both.
There's lots of good tires... Continental, Perelli, Michelin.. etc... etc... etc
People get blind by what the buy/do and can't seem to understand there's benefit to diversity.

 

[MartsEbike]

Haha yes its good to give other brands a try. You never know what you might be missing!

Shame the Kendas don't come in wider sizes... Up to 2.2" wide... I've been running 2.8" for years now and have become use to the feel of it.

Also checked out the Specialized Pathfinder Pro tyre as recommended by Stefan but unfortunately they don't have the sizing available for my bike.

The Schwalbe Al Grounders come in 27.5 x 2.6" width! That's not far off what I have now, so may make a purchase of these soon to try out...

 

[DDBB]

I hope I've made the right decision with the super moto X tires. My riding is mostly pavement but there's a 2 mi. stretch of dirt road I ride with hills that can stay wet long after a rain. The cheap kenda knobbies that came stock on the bike handle this with no problem whatsoever even as they seem to be at least half worn out on the rear after 1,000mi. I like the idea of smooth tread in the middle and knobbies on the outsides of the tire but I've already bought the moto X tires and they were NOT cheap. I paid the same for car tires back in 91'

 

[MartsEbike]

I hope I've made the right decision with the super moto X tires. My riding is mostly pavement but there's a 2 mi. stretch of dirt road I ride with hills that can stay wet long after a rain. The cheap kenda knobbies that came stock on the bike handle this with no problem whatsoever even as they seem to be at least half worn out on the rear after 1,000mi. I like the idea of smooth tread in the middle and knobbies on the outsides of the tire but I've already bought the moto X tires and they were NOT cheap. I paid the same for car tires back in 91'

They're pretty good across light "gravel" conditions... Broken tarmac paths etc... hard terrain... dry soil.

Its wet grass/mud/sandy ground where you need to be most careful!

I was out on my bike earlier today (using Super-moto X tyres) encountering paths like this! A little sketchy but nothing too tackling if you take it easy.

 

[PCeBiker]

My riding is mostly pavement but there's a 2 mi. stretch of dirt road I ride with hills that can stay wet long after a rain.

It helps to remove your fenders so the tires don't get jammed if you're gonna do any serious mudding.

 

[il Munduato]

It helps to remove your fenders so the tires don't get jammed if you're gonna do any serious mudding.


View attachment 184063View attachment 184062

Why not increase the distance between the tire and fender? They still work well with a few inches of clearance.

I hope I've made the right decision with the super moto X tires. My riding is mostly pavement but there's a 2 mi. stretch of dirt road I ride with hills that can stay wet long after a rain. The cheap kenda knobbies that came stock on the bike handle this with no problem whatsoever even as they seem to be at least half worn out on the rear after 1,000mi. I like the idea of smooth tread in the middle and knobbies on the outsides of the tire but I've already bought the moto X tires and they were NOT cheap. I paid the same for car tires back in 91'

Don't sweat it... I guarantee you cream yourself the first ride on the MotoX
Just go low PAS/ low gear when it gets sloppy.
Still be careful as there is no one tire for all situations. Even my beloved Al Grounder fall short for All Ground

 

[DDBB]

Nothing I ride gets that sloppy. If it looks like that, I'm not riding through it!

 

[PCeBiker]

Why not increase the distance between the tire and fender? They still work well with a few inches of clearance.

I fell over half a dozen time before I realized the front wheel wasn't turning.

It was kinda fun. I learned a new skill. You ride it a lot like this when the wheel stops turning,..

Actually, it might be closer riding this new fangled thing?

 

[PCeBiker]

Nothing I ride gets that sloppy. If it looks like that, I'm not riding through it!

I didn't know what I was getting myself into that day.
I managed to ride around the edge of the first dozen mud puddles before I had to ride through them. Then I reached the point of no return.

Now I turn around when I see muck or puddles.