Longest lasting tire recommendation

[bobwatts]

Hello!
As a retired mechanic, Service Writer, and a business owner of 50 years, I am also a Professional Tinkerer. A couple of years ago I built a bike that currently has almost 3600 miles on it.
The bike uses an EGO battery for power (I have 22 of them and figured I would put 'em to use) and is capable of 35MPH, although with a better battery it could probably go faster. Details deleted, as you would probably find them boring.
As I mentioned, at almost 3600 miles I am almost ready to replace the front tire for the third time. (front wheel drive). As this is a pretty tedious procedure, I would like to know if anyone has any suggestions to make for a tire that would last a lot longer. I did some searching and really didn't find any information that pertains to tire duration on this forum. I admit that I probably missed it, as I'm guessing this has been discussed before.
My tire size is 26X2.125. Bike is only ridden on warm days on pavement, NEVER off road or in the rain. Current tire is a Schwinn "Cruiser Hybrid Bicycle" tire which I originally selected because of the plain street tire tread pattern and somewhat square shoulder, as well as being pretty wide.
My only criteria are a tire that lasts a long time. I don't care about tread pattern or any other detail. (although I won't use a knobby tire).
Looking forward to suggestions.
Thank you for allowing me to join your fine forum.
bobwatts

 

[fooferdoggie]

about the longest lasting out there. https://www.performancebike.com/sch...lTHr_YasSYs_dzvkxArOeT0jG9NM9nxBoCjfkQAvD_BwE

 

[mrgold35]

It might be a pain; but, can you rotate your tires 1/2 through tire life? I do this with my rear hub Radrover and that extended my tire life by +50%.

 

[bobwatts]

Hello mrgold35 and fooferdoggie

fooferdoggie, I have had my eye on those schwalbe tires. I don't see one in my size however. I may have missed it.
mrgold35, yeeaahhh.... I could rotate the tires, but it really is a pain. I can't turn the bike upside down, so I have to make a "jig" every time I change the front tire, plus deal with the wire harness (which I have to completely remove back to the controller) and the two front torque arms. If I could turn the bike upside down, it wouldn't be so bad. I may build a handlebar "jig" so I *can* turn it upside down.
The back tire is about done anyway at 3600 miles, and interestingly, I have had to replace the rear wheel three times. So that is four wheels on the rear since riding this thing. The front wheel is the same one.
Besides, at 70 years old, I don't relish removing ANY wheel.
My biggest problem is brakes. I have gone through almost 3 dozen sets. Next bike will definitely be a disc brake bike.

 

[jabberwocky]

As fooferdoggie said, the Schwalbe Marathons are really good for a durable bicycle tire. Designed for touring, where durability is more important than weight or rolling resistance. Main downside is they are pricey. There are a bunch of different versions, the plus is the mass market super durable version. They make it in 26x2. https://www.biketiresdirect.com/product/schwalbe-marathon-plus-26-tire-hs-440 They also make an E-Plus now (for ebikes) but I don't see any 26" options.

In my commuting days I was a fan of the Panaracer Pasela Tourguards. Reasonably light and fast rolling, decent durability. I generally got ~2500 miles out of each set, but that was on a normal bike not an ebike. Looks like 1.5 is the widest they have in 26": https://www.biketiresdirect.com/product/panaracer-pasela-protite-26-inch-tire

Getting only 1200 miles out of a tire says you're putting some wear on them.

 

[fooferdoggie]

It might be a pain; but, can you rotate your tires 1/2 through tire life? I do this with my rear hub Radrover and that extended my tire life by +50%.

best not to do that the wear pattern changes and it can make things wonky. but why go to the effort just change each tire as needed.

 

[fooferdoggie]

I though I replaced that link here is the 2" one.

Schwalbe Marathon Plus Tour Tire (Black) (26") (2.0")

Schwalbe Marathon Plus Tour Tire Description: The Schwalbe Marathon Plus Tour Tire has heavy-duty trekking tread for asphalt or off-road, allowing this... 11159358

www.performancebike.com

 

[jabberwocky]

best not to do that the wear pattern changes and it can make things wonky. but why go to the effort just change each tire as needed.

My procedure has always been that if a set of tires has one tire thats worn out, I purchase a new tire, put the one from the original set that is worn but still has life on it on the rear and put the new one on the front. Generally you always want the front tire to have the most tread because its much more dangerous to get a flat or lose traction on the front than the rear.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

As I mentioned, at almost 3600 miles I am almost ready to replace the front tire for the third time. (front wheel drive). As this is a pretty tedious procedure, I would like to know if anyone has any suggestions to make for a tire that would last a lot longer. I did some searching and really didn't find any information that pertains to tire duration on this forum. I admit that I probably missed it, as I'm guessing this has been discussed before.
My tire size is 26X2.125. Bike is only ridden on warm days on pavement, NEVER off road or in the rain. Current tire is a Schwinn "Cruiser Hybrid Bicycle" tire which I originally selected because of the plain street tire tread pattern and somewhat square shoulder, as well as being pretty wide.
My only criteria are a tire that lasts a long time. I don't care about tread pattern or any other detail. (although I won't use a knobby tire).
Looking forward to suggestions.
Thank you for allowing me to join your fine forum.
bobwatts

Welcome aboard!

Good question. Closely related questions I've also been wondering about: What counts for "long-lasting" in an ebike tire? Drive wheel? Non-drive wheel? Would it ever make sense to rotate tires?

You covered some confounding factors in any answer to your question or mine, including front vs. rear drive wheel. Others include total tire load, average rider+motor drive wheel torque over time, and riding style (including throttle use and average speed).

I generally ride at low assist with occasional blips of throttle for instant bursts of speed or torque — mostly in traffic. The Specialized Crossroads Armadillo hybrid tires on my 70 pound, 500W, 65 Nm hub-drive have 2,200 miles on them, ~90% on pavement, ~30% on hills, mostly below 18 mph.

No clear sign of wear up front despite the descents.

Clear wear on the rear drive wheel, but probably a lot of service life left. No idea if that's good or bad at 2,200 mi, but willing to bet that it would have been worse with frequent full-power throttle use or ghost-pedaling.

Paved roads here are seldom completely free of sand. If that promotes micro-slip, could accelerate wear. If so, tread pattern might become a factor.

 

[bobwatts]

Hi Gang!

Appreciate all the responses, and it's obvious I joined the right forum!
OK, I guess I had better add a few details....When I decided to build this thing back in 2022, I did *some* research on the cheap electric conversion kits, and decided to just buy one from Amazon. Kind of threw a dart, and selected the one I ended up using. I'll supply the brand if anyone is interested. The bike frame is a plain old nothing, steel, heavy, practically junk. I needed a particular style to match my idea of installing the electronics. If I had it to do all over again, I would certainly do things much differently, especially brakes. Since I never thought things would go well, I decided to not spend a lot of money to begin with.
When I originally just threw this thing together, I fully expected to be returning the kit, as I didn't expect it to work. I have some really steep hills where I live, (some of which I would guess are about 15° or so) so I used a 1500 watt kit, and decided to use a front wheel kit because I thought it would be easier to install. (turns out FWD with a lot of power is completely unsafe. I won't do that again.) It will effortlessly spin the front tire, but I have traction control built into my right hand. Besides, there is the tire wear issue. However climbing steep hills the front tire does slip sometimes, and I'm sure that contributes to the wear issue.
Well, the ONLY thing that has been trouble free is the conversion kit. I have had lots of other problems, specifically getting this thing stopped (more on that later), tires, rear wheels, brake cables, etc. This thing will literally fly up the steepest hill with no problem which was completely unexpected and the very first thing I tested. Even if I stop in the middle of the hill. So that was a pleasant surprise. Climbing hills was the highest priority and turned out to be a non-issue.
Another problem is I'm an old Hot Rodder. I must go fast. (many years ago I used to have very fast cars, and built lots of carburetors for race cars, one of my old jobs, used to work for Holley Carburetor also. Also, being a computer tech and amateur electronics tinkerer helped with the build) So, if I'm going less than 25MPH, I feel like I'm not moving. And that is the biggest problem. Which leads to the problem with the brakes. I live in a subdivision with a lot of stop signs. And trying to get the bike to stop going down a hill is impossible, so I usually go very slowly down a hill, (using the brakes the whole time) which I never expected to have to do. I gave up trying to find brake pads that work, I just keep changing them and cleaning the rims. The bike weighs about 60lbs unless I'm hauling groceries, and I weigh about 185, so that is a lot to stop going too fast.
At my incredibly advanced age, my knees are no good, and I can't pedal. So, it's throttle only. If it breaks down, I walk, or make a call. Fortunately, that has only happened three times, and close to home.
I may build another bike, now that I know stuff "works", and there will be a lot of changes. But the one I have now works.

s, just is hard on tires.

 

[jabberwocky]

Koolstop salmon pads are the best rim brake pads I've used. If you've gone through that many pads you should definitely check your remaining rim life. Rims wear out like pads and a rim failure at speed is no bueno.

I mean zero offense, but if you're a speed demon you definitely want to upgrade the base bike there. There is almost nothing on a walmart bike I'd trust at 20+mph. Just seeing that big hub motor mounted to a cheap walmart fork makes me wince. You're asking a lot of a bunch of parts that were made by the absolute lowest bidding factory in china; eventually something major is going to fail. It looks like the fork wipers have completely detached and are just sitting there. Maybe watch craigslist and FB marketplace for an old 26er downhill bike or touring bike or something.

 

[bobwatts]

jabberwocky, you are completely accurate in everything you posted, no argument. Like I posted, this thing is basically junk.
I didn't originally mention I was using a Walmart bike because I was pretty sure that would get me ostracized.
(believe it or not, this thing "feels" solid, doesn't rattle or shake, and rides acceptably. Before I discovered cars many decades ago, I rode thousands of miles a year on bikes)
That is another reason I am using TWO torque arms. I did have enough sense to use a steel fork.
One of the rear wheels DID wear out the rim. (close to home. The other two break downs were flats) Another broke a spoke, and another was junk. Didn't know until I installed it.
(I bought a bunch of bikes for parts)
I have been watching for a similar bike frame with disc brakes so I can move everything. I will probably end up buying a new bike like I want, now that I know this stuff works and will actually climb a hill.
Like I originally typed, I didn't think these kits would go up a hill.
Another reason I haven't upgraded to a real battery is the top speed would probably cause me to get hurt. (and I have 22 EGO bats. )

 

[PSm]

about the longest lasting out there. https://www.performancebike.com/sch...lTHr_YasSYs_dzvkxArOeT0jG9NM9nxBoCjfkQAvD_BwE

100% agree on Schwalbe tires being an excellent choice, with the particular model depending on your use case and size needs.

When I used to have heavier e-bikes, I got maybe 8000 miles on I think the Schwalbe Marathon Greenguards.

 

[mrgold35]

best not to do that the wear pattern changes and it can make things wonky. but why go to the effort just change each tire as needed.

It is very easy to remove/rotate the front or rear tires on the Radrover (probably less than 30mins). I was just getting 2X the wear on the rear tire compared to my front tire (70lbs ebike, rack+rack bag, me +275lbs, commuter backpack, work commute 50-70 miles per week at 16-20 mph). Zero issues rotating tires half-way other than more tire life. Worked for me; but, may not be a good solution for everyone.

 

[fooferdoggie]

It is very easy to remove/rotate the front or rear tires on the Radrover (probably less than 30mins). I was just getting 2X the wear on the rear tire compared to my front tire (70lbs ebike, rack+rack bag, me +275lbs, commuter backpack, work commute 50-70 miles per week at 16-20 mph). Zero issues rotating tires half-way other than more tire life. Worked for me; but, may not be a good solution for everyone.

well those tires are low psi and not exactly higher performance tires so I doubt there is much difference. but I usually get 6000 to 8000 miles on tires by that time they both need changed.

 

[mrgold35]

well those tires are low psi and not exactly higher performance tires so I doubt there is much difference. but I usually get 6000 to 8000 miles on tires by that time they both need changed.

I think we might see future ebike tires with longer treadlife tires. I was was lucky to put 1500 miles in 3 years on my old pedal bikes compared to +7000 miles on my ebike during that same time period (3 sets of tires, 3 sets of brake pads).

 

[fooferdoggie]

I think we might see future ebike tires with longer treadlife tires. I was was lucky to put 1500 miles in 3 years on my old pedal bikes compared to +7000 miles on my ebike during that same time period (3 sets of tires, 3 sets of brake pads).

the problem with that is you get a harsher ride.

 

[mrgold35]

I usually adjust my tire PSI range depending on the weather, surface, and riding environment like I do with my cars.

 

[jabberwocky]

jabberwocky, you are completely accurate in everything you posted, no argument. Like I posted, this thing is basically junk.
I didn't originally mention I was using a Walmart bike because I was pretty sure that would get me ostracized.
(believe it or not, this thing "feels" solid, doesn't rattle or shake, and rides acceptably. Before I discovered cars many decades ago, I rode thousands of miles a year on bikes)
That is another reason I am using TWO torque arms. I did have enough sense to use a steel fork.

Dude, no judgement intended. You've put 4k miles on it so presumably you know your machine.

Nothing inherently wrong with Walmart bikes. They are very cheap bikes which is just where some peoples budget is. Lots of people use them for city commuting, I see them here in my town all the time chained up outside businesses during the day.

I just wouldn't use one as a base for a higher speed build, and you did say you like to go fast. The fork and headtube junction would squirrel me out, especially with a front hub motor. I've never seen a walmart bike where the fork wasn't a huge noodle. If you're going a high speed and grab some front brake and something up there fails, you're probably gonna faceplant (I've seen it happen to a friend, fortunately on a dirt MTB trail so he mainly got a mouthful of dirt instead of knocking teeth out).

Best of luck with finding a better base bike!

 

[indianajo]

My only criteria are a tire that lasts a long time. I don't care about tread pattern or any other detail. (although I won't use a knobby tire).

Pity. My knobby Kendas & Giants outlast street tread tires about 3 to 1. About a fifth as many flats too, as long as I keep the knobs taller than 3/32". Cost about half or 3/8 of what those Schwalbe wonder tires cost. I too have a front hub motor, but only peak at 25 mph down steep hills.
If found going from discount store bikes (Pacific Quantum, Diamondback, Huffy) to a $1800 Yuba, that I spend zero time tightening spokes, truing wheels, adjusting stretched cables, replacing plastic or pot metal cranks. I broke a rear axle on the diamondback at my enormous 180 lb, and the Pacific the rear axle came unscrewed and dropped the balls on the road. I have about 11000 miles on the yuba and just had to replace the pedals, but not the cranks. My smallest front sprocket is worn since I pedal about 80% of the distance. Tires about every 2000 miles, chain every 5000 miles, brake pads about every 4000, front shifter at 8000 miles. 3 geared hub motors, one battery. 3 controllers, the ASI controller the pins burned off in the rain. (Do not buy ASI except for desert racing). I have had 7 seats I didn't like and had to make my own to sit comfortably.