Schwalbe Johnny Watts (and other Schwalbe SUV tyres) User Club

Stefan Mikes said:
He said you can safely ride your JW at 30 psi as long as you ride the asphalt only.
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OK, I think we'll start at 28 psi and take it from there.
In the future, when we do have some non-pavement, it's usually well packed and not steep nor tight turns, so that might be OK too.

Running tubed now. Concerned about eventually getting the tire off the rim - I've not found a way to remove my Maxxis Chronicles without destroying them. I tried clamps, standing on the tire, pliers, etc. On the 27.5x3.0 size, the clamps and pliers just slide off. The Park tire tool is like $75, and it's for putting tires on. I think maybe I need to leave enough air in the tire so that the whole thing doesn't just collapse. Note that even when I've got one side off (cut), the other side is not any easier to remove. It feels like it's glued there, but once cut it comes right off with no stickiness whatsoever. So, it's just a really tight bead on the rim.

Maybe a heat gun to soften the tire and let it stretch? But, at any rate I would have had zero chance of patching or changing a tube in the field. I read about people needing 70 psi to seat the bead and think they're going to have the same problems...
 
Deacon Blues said:
Is anyone running this tire tubeless?
I've got a set on my e-mountain bike and would like to eventually go tubeless, but there is no mention on the Schwalbe site.
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I never found it in print, but a few have tried it and were successful I believe.
I went with Conti Rubans instead as they are definitely tubeless rated.
 
Rome said:
I'm rolling on Eddy Current on my other bike and very pleased with all around performance I went with them because they are E bike specific tires.
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All variations of JW are advertised as "SUV e-bike tyres" too.

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See the cobblestones. We had to ride a cobblestone fire-road segment. My brother Jacek (in pale yellow-green jacket) was riding that segment at a very high speed, which was met with envy by all other riders here. It was not only the full suspension on his Giant Trance E+ 2 Pro but also Johnny Watts 365 (tubed) 27.5 x 2.6" run under 1.4 bar (20 psi). Necessary to mention Jacek weighs less than 70 kg (around 150 lbs).
 
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smorgasbord said:
I'd be interested in, when it's time, how hard it will be to remove those tires from the rims without damaging either.
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I see no point to run tubeless at high pressure. The benefit of tubeless is the tyres actually can be ridden at the pressure lower than the tubed approach as there is no danger of the "snake bite" of the inner tube.
 
Stefan Mikes said:
I see no point to run tubeless at high pressure. The benefit of tubeless is the tyres actually can be ridden at the pressure lower than the tubed approach as there is no danger of the "snake bite" of the inner tube.
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I think the 70 psi was only to seat the tire bead, and after that he reduced the tire pressure. I had something similar on my old Maxxis Chronicles - had to run the pressure to about 50 psi (IIRC) to seat the bead, but then ran the tires at about 20psi (with Tannus inserts). And removing 3 of them so far I've been unable to do so without damaging the tire.
 
When my brother was installing a tubeless tyre on the e-MTB, he just "shot" high pressure air from an automotive compressor for a very brief moment, just to hear the "pop" of the tyre setting onto the rim. No issue to remove the tyre later.
 
Stefan Mikes said:
When my brother was installing a tubeless tyre on the e-MTB, he just "shot" high pressure air from an automotive compressor for a very brief moment, just to hear the "pop" of the tyre setting onto the rim. No issue to remove the tyre later.
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Yeah, that's what I did with my old Maxxis Chronicles - did a quick shot to about 50 psi, heard the bead pop, immediately let some air out and checked the tire bead around the rim for evenness. And, it's been a bear to remove. Of course, it's been pretty cold (in the mid 40's F) in my mostly unheated garage, so that's likely a major contributing factor.
 
Over here in the colonies (AKA Australia), the Johnny Watts are currently unavailable with little/no stock in the country and the supplier waiting on a backorder. Looking at international sources suggest that the shortage is worldwide (I did find a UK seller with stock of the JWs, however). Does this imply that Schwalbe is letting the stock run down in lieu of a soon-to-be released, updated version of the Johnny Watts or is it just the dreaded 'supply chain' issues that seem to be still prevalent across many industries? I don't want to order a pair if there is an updated version of the tyre in the works. Rumours? Opinions?
Backstory: I am looking at a 2022 Focus Thron 2 6.9 (non EQP version) and ideally have the JWs fitted ASAP at purchase (and have the OEM tyres for when I want to go on a long trail trip). I want the bike as an all-rounder but mostly for bikeways/roads and occasional trail riding. The tyres that come with the bike (Hans Dampf and Nobby Nic) are off-road oriented. I could go for the Smart Sam, but reading this thread and the blurb from Schwalbe makes me think the Johnny Watts is the perfect tyre for my requirements. I've had a test ride of the Thron 6.9 with the Hans Dampf and Nobby Nic combo and it makes riding on the roads/paths feel like you are piloting a tractor. I have the Smart Sam on my Focus Aventura and they are quite good on the roads/paths, but are fairly noisy and also squirm when the bike is leaned over while cornering. They are, however, a good all-rounder for use on the trails. The 6.9 (non EQP) comes with provision for a Focus kick stand and rear rack and the wiring is there for an after market light/s. The EQP version is kitted out these accessories but misses out on quality wheels, running gear, and the Fox shocks.
 

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What is the availability of Johnny Watts 365 where you are? Equally good tyres with improved performance below 10 C.
 
I haven't checked the availability of the 365s. However, I live in the hotter part of Oz and we rarely experience below 10'C daytime temperatures. In the middle of winter, the average daytime temp here is 21'C.
I've just looked at the JW 365s on the Schwalbe website. If they can also handle hot roads (when the days here hit 35-40'C), they might be worth considering. Looking at the tread pattern, they seem like a variation on the Smart Sam, although not as aggressive. According to the Schwalbe site, the tyre has more rolling resistance than either the Smart Sam or the standard Johnny Watts.
RE-reading this thread, it seems as if the 365s do indeed have more rolling resistance and make more noise than the standard Johnny Watts. I'd be interested to know which of the two Johnny Watts tyres handles the best on roads/pavements in warmer climates. As for wet weather, I'd imagine the 365s would be better (safer).
PS The local importer of Schwalbe does not stock the 365s However, I can get them from international sources (ditto the stock Johnny Watts)
 
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How are the 365s in warmer weather?

From Nov/Dec to Feb/March we'll see 40F temps with plenty in the freezing range, but also warmer days.
 
gogogasgas said:
5s However, I can get them from international sources (ditto the stock Johnny Watts)
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The Geman online sites aren't shipping Schwalbe to NZ anymore, only happened in last year. Same for Shimano a few years ago, luckily Aliexpress don't care about parallel importing rules. Otherwise my drivetrain would cost lot more to maintain.
 
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TrevorB said:
The Geman online sites aren't shipping Schwalbe to NZ anymore, only happened in last year. Same for Shimano a few years ago, luckily Aliexpress don't care about parallel importing rules. Otherwise my drivetrain would cost lot more to maintain.
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What about retail availability of Schwalbe in NZ?
 
I have changed my JWs to the Marathon Plus MTBs.

So far, so good. Tyre noise on roads is minimal (can’t hear anything above the engine noise) and grip on loose stuff is very good.

Appearance wise, very similar to the JWs and very pleased with them.
 
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