I have a RIZE RX ebike that came with Kenda knobbies. I got the bike middle of last summer and rode with the knobbies the rest of the season. They were loud tires and it always sounded like an angry swarm of bees was around me. I just had my local shop install Schwalbe super motor X tires and the difference is phenomenal. The super moto X is more of a road tire and since my riding is 90% paved this switch made sense. The bike is so quiet now it's almost hard to believe and it seems to roll much better with power off. I'm sure I'll see a little gain in range as a result. People do take the moto X tires off road but they are suited to light off road duty, mud, water and loose sand would challege these tires.. I was shocked at the price of the tires. A little over $50 a piece. I remember buying new car tires for my Honda car in 1990 and paid $50 a tire. I was thinking after a whole winter off from riding the bike I wouldn't notice much difference when I rode with the new tires, boy was I wrong. If you have an ebike with knobbies but mostly ride pavement, I strongly suggest these tires or something similar.
New tires
- Thread starter DDBB
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indianajo
Well-Known Member
Best of luck. I find Kenda knobbies do not go flat if tires are changed out when knobs are > 3/32" tall. Roll over the trash.
Noise? I can still hear the cars fine through the full face helmet. I ride pavement 99%. It does help to buy the ones with a ridge straight down the middle.
My first set of tires, white street ones, lasted 700 miles before the flats occured. Knobbies, I get a year or ~2000 miles out of each. I reuse the tubes 2 or 3 times. Cheap ****ese ones.
I could not get kenda knobbies at universalcycles 9/2022 so I bought Continental Traffic 2.1". On the bike now. They are not that much easier.
Noise? I can still hear the cars fine through the full face helmet. I ride pavement 99%. It does help to buy the ones with a ridge straight down the middle.
My first set of tires, white street ones, lasted 700 miles before the flats occured. Knobbies, I get a year or ~2000 miles out of each. I reuse the tubes 2 or 3 times. Cheap ****ese ones.
I could not get kenda knobbies at universalcycles 9/2022 so I bought Continental Traffic 2.1". On the bike now. They are not that much easier.
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spokewrench
Active Member
- Region
- USA
I hated the Kenda knobbies that came on my Radrunner. I loved the tires that came on my Abound until I had a puncture at 30 miles. They were only 25 tpi, as well as I could measure. I switched to Schwalbe pickups. I think most bike tires these days have only 1 ply, but these have two plies of 67 tpi each. (They've raised it to 2 x 73).
I got another flat before long, but now I've been 1900 miles with no more trouble. The roads where I ride are trashy. I don't see any wear. (Now I wish I'd measured the tread depth when they were new.)
Schwalbe gives the Super Moto 4 bars for asphalt and 2 bars for gravel roads. They give the Pickup 3 bars for asphalt, 4 for gravel roads, and 1 for dirt roads.
I got another flat before long, but now I've been 1900 miles with no more trouble. The roads where I ride are trashy. I don't see any wear. (Now I wish I'd measured the tread depth when they were new.)
Schwalbe gives the Super Moto 4 bars for asphalt and 2 bars for gravel roads. They give the Pickup 3 bars for asphalt, 4 for gravel roads, and 1 for dirt roads.
The Kenda knobbies were indeed wearing well, 1,100mi. and the rear looked like it was about half worn out.. That said, I've read the super moto x lasting as long as 6,000mi.. They do have "green guard" whatever that is so hopefully flats won't be an issue. I also use flat out
PedalUma
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Petaluma, CA
Super MotoX are so fast on the worst broken pavement! I love those tires. Pickups last for many years on heavy cargo bikes. My friend Natalie has ridden every day for four years on her mid-drive conversion Mundo, never had a flat, and never needed to rotate front to back. She has been through several sets of pads and three drivetrains.
spokewrench
Active Member
- Region
- USA
spokewrench
Active Member
- Region
- USA
I must have had about 2800 miles on my Kenda knobbies when I sold the bike. The tread didn't look badly worn except that some green was showing through on the right of the back tire. That's because right turns are tighter than left turns.
spokewrench
Active Member
- Region
- USA
I never heard of rotating tires on a bicycle. In 1970 I found that it was a bad idea on a motorcycle. The classic BMWs had interchangeable wheels, which could run identical tires. Because they were wearing differently, I pulled the axles an swapped the wheels. The first time I leaned to corner, the back wheel swung way out. To get the bike upright while cornering, I locked my knee over the saddle and swung my head down near the pavement, as passengers sometimes do in sidecar racing. I rode slowly home and put the wheels back where they belonged.
My bike tires are identical front and rear. I did consider rotating the kendas and probably could have got 4,000mi. total out of them by rotating but that constant buzzing on pavement was really annoying and the high rolling resistance was a bummer. Really happy with the schwalbe super moto X tires so far. Feels like the bike will roll forever compared to the kendas.
PCeBiker
No-Hands No-Pedaling No-Credentials
- Region
- Canada
My new e-bike came with Kenda nobbies and I swapped them out for Schwalbe Super Moto-X after my first test ride.
It's challenging and fun at the same time.
It's challenging and fun at the same time.
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PCeBiker
No-Hands No-Pedaling No-Credentials
- Region
- Canada
That's just the lighting when I took the picture.
Here's another picture of the front tire,..
It's actually kinda weird ?
I am on gravel roads for more than 90% of my riding though, and it's almost Completely Flat around here.
I rarely need to use the brakes and can ride along for half an hour without having to slow down or stop.
I'm also using Flat-out Sportsman Formula, but I didn't bother with Tannus Inserts or Mr. Tuffy tire liners with these tires.
I've had no flats (except one that didn't count when my rim tape shifted and the spoke hole cut into the tube.)
My Super Moto-X tires were only $35 each, but they aren't green guard like your tires.
Mine are rated "Race Gaurd" with a little less puncture resistance I guess?
I like the Moped rating and the wire bead.
I can't fold it up as a spare tire, but I think that it's a more durable tire with less chance of popping off the rim?
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No idea about durability but I would hope for the cost, the tires would last a long time. I see some schwalbe tires "value" priced but certainly not the super moto X with greenguard. I know some have reported getting 6,000mi. out of a set and that sounds good to me. I'm guessing pavement might wear them down faster than gravel but I don't really know. I also have flat out in the tubes
PCeBiker
No-Hands No-Pedaling No-Credentials
- Region
- Canada
I also bought a Schwalbe Hurricane tire, thinking it might have low rolling resistance but still be able to climb outta ruts, but the tire looks Really flimsy by comparison to the Super Moto-X tires, and it not e-bike rated, so I never did install it,..
PCeBiker
No-Hands No-Pedaling No-Credentials
- Region
- Canada
I'm pretty sure that makes a Huge difference.
Heavy braking, and higher power output (going up hills or into the wind) makes a big difference as well.
A heavily loaded ebike can scrub out your tires a Lot faster too.
My e-bike is ~85 pounds with about 185 pounds for me, my spare battery and tools.
I've got about a pound of Flat-out in each tire as well.
Half a quart of Sportsman Formula in each tire.
It comes in a bag now, and a half empty bag travels nicely in my tool bag.
It's not as bulky as the bottle and you don't have to hold the bag upside-down to squirt it into the tube.
I bought some valve caps with a built-in valve core tool, so I'm always ready to inject more Flat-out if I need it.
(Or clean the valve core if it plugs up.)
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