New tires for a Radrhino, which ones though?

Rakku

Active Member
Hi there, a few days ago I had my first flat on my Radrhino after 500km.
Pretty happy with the bike, but upgrading it bit by bit to my liking.

I want to go tubeless, but unfortunaly the Kenda Juggernauts are not tubeless ready, according to Rad Power Bikes support.
I do think the rims should work with the right rimtape and the right tires.

Any recommendations for tubeless tires and everything else needed (rim tape, sealant etc)?

And Im looking to upgrade to hydraulic brakes, but I have literally no clue about them and what brands are usable and what not.
If you have any ideas regarding that, please comment on that too.

Thanks alot!
 
I have two of the 750w North American version Radrovers since Sept/2016 with +4400 miles between them. The Kenda Juggernauts do get a lot of flats because the knobs are spaced so far apart and the tire is pretty thin between the knobs. I ended up using Mr. Tuffy tire liner for 4" fat tire bikes and Stans tire sealant (two 2oz bottles per tire directly in the tube). That cut my flats way down; but, I still had a few from road debris (4" wood nails, broken glass, etc...). I added a Topeak rack+bag and pack all the tools/parts/pump I need to change a flat on the road (including a spare tube). I've actually had to use everything at least twice after +4400 miles of riding (better than pushing the ebike home +6 miles).

I've thought about going tubeless; but, I don't know how it would work when I have the kind of flats from road debris like I mentioned above? My tube couldn't be repaired with a flat kit and the hole in the tire was too large for the sealant to work (all leaked out in less than 20 feet). Replacing the $13 tube was the only way to get me back on the road without calling the wife to bring the vehicle.

My Kenda tires wore down after 1000 miles and I upgraded to Vee8 26X4" 120tpi. I don't think Vee tire company makes these tires anymore; but, they are way better for work commuting, trail riding, and more flat resistant compared to the Kenda. A lot of urban riders like Maxxis Hookworms or Origin8 Supercell as replacements for mostly paved roads and light trail riding. I haven't found a fat tire replacement like the Vee8 if you like split the difference between paved roads to single-track riding.

I just upgraded my brakes to TRP Spyke and brake cables to Jagwire. The standard brakes didn't have the emergency stopping power I needed when work commuting at 18-22 mph (Radrover:75lbs, me:280lbs). The old set-up always needed adjustments and the brake cable strands would start to break around the brake handles and calipers. I also think my original brake pads were starting to glaze over and were very noisy at times. The TRP Spyke and Jagwire upgrade was very easy direct swap to do in less than a hour to remove old, install new, adjust, test ride, and final adjustment. TRP also make a hybrid self contained mineral oil hydraulic brake caliper that uses existing brake cable to operate (same install time as the Spykes). I decided against going this route because they were 2X the cost of the TRP Spykes and I needed to do 2 ebikes.

HUGE difference in stopping power with the TRP Spykes and Jagwire. I can now stop at 20-0 mph is much less distance with the same amount of pull compared to the original brakes (with no brake noise screaming like a banshee). It has only been a few weeks and I have to give it time to see if braking distances starts to fade, any noise increase, or if any adjustments are needed every few weeks like before.
 
Thanks for your advice!

Just 5 minutes ago I switched out the flat tube with a new one.

Here in germany, many manufactures, bike shops and riders swear on the brand "schwalbe" (meaning swallow).
Price wise they are middle to high class and they seem to have a really good reputation here.

The only thing I didnt notice, the valve isnt a schrader one, its a sclaverand.
Now I have one tire with schrader and one with sclaverand, pretty annoying but hey, I´d rather not switch out a perfectly working tube just for a valve.

The bikeshop where I purchased the tube recommended against tubeless or at least said that he wouldnt do it for his own bikes.
Too much hassle and messy, in case that the rims and tires arent perfected for tubeless installation.

I think I´ll go your route with the TRP Spyke and Jagwire cables, seems like a good idea.

I dont really like the stock brakes, the wires seem to wear out extremly fast.
Either that, or the brake pads vanish into thin air.

Lets see how far I´ll get without having any issues.

Just ordered a good pump and multitool for the road and I guess I´ll keep a sparetube in my backpack.
 
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