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

[BeltzerNYC]

catastrophic failure on sidewall at around 2k miles. I am hard on them (run a rear passanger) but my Super Moto X didn't go down like this (just lost tread at around 2k)

 

[DaveMatthews]

catastrophic failure on sidewall at around 2k miles. I am hard on them (run a rear passanger) but my Super Moto X didn't go down like this (just lost tread at 4-5k)
View attachment 122635

No puncture, just a rip/wear?

 

[BeltzerNYC]

No puncture, just a rip/wear?

yea didn't look like a puncture. LBS said the sidewall was poor. I dunno maybe something hit it but I was on a very short trip (2blocks) and the flat was after I parked the bike.

 

[BeltzerNYC]

My Superdelite came with Johnny Watts. So far I like them and don't have any complaints., but I am starting to think about which tire I will get next. I'm on track to ride ~6000 miles per year, so I'm expecting by the fall I'll need replacements. 95% of my riding is on pavement, with the remainder being dirt/gravel trails. Nothing muddy or extreme. I use the bike much like most people use a SUV.

The main alternative that I'm considering is the Super Moto-X. It seems like it better fits my usage. But since Schwalbe decided to use different scales on their site, you can't directly compare the two tires and know if the difference is due to a different scale, or the tire its self. For those of you that have ridden on both these tires, do you find the Super Moto-X to have less rolling resistance, or better on-road grip?

how long did they last for you? how many miles do people have?

 

[DiggyGun]

how long did they last for you? how many miles do people have?

I’ve just had my bike serviced at 1910 miles and the tyres were fine showing little wear or damage.

I do a mixture of roads, bike paths, off road trails and gravel.

They handle everything that I throw at them.

 

[TrevorB]

I doubt they are rated for passengers, so not unexpected failure.

 

[BeltzerNYC]

I’ve just had my bike serviced at 1910 miles and the tyres were fine showing little wear or damage.

I do a mixture of roads, bike paths, off road trails and gravel.

They handle everything that I throw at them

they were great up until this point and they looked like they could go for at least 5k miles plus

I doubt they are rated for passengers, so not unexpected failure.

hmm maybe but I see many people saying most tires are 300lbs plus and I'm under that with my daughter. I mean most bikes are 275lbs and I'd be under that too. again I had 2 other sets of tires, on being super motos that didn't end up like this.

 

[BeltzerNYC]

No more 27.5 x 2.8 Johnny Watts on amazon.
I got eddy on order.

thinking about going with the Schwalbe Pickups 27.5x2.3. Anyone try them? if they don't work out well moving to contis.

 

[rtp]

@Rome I ordered both sets from either Jensenusa or ModernBike.
I picked up a second set for my new wheelset build. Will keep an eye on them going forward, but no issues so far (although I'm not over 500miles on them yet).
Sadly, there aren't that many truly similar tires out there - Continental has eRuben Plus but they stop at 2.6" width in 27.5 best I can tell. I'd expect the Eddy Currents to be noisy when any pavement is involved.

 

[rtp]

Adding - a few haven't had the best experience with the eRubens either: https://electricbikereview.com/forums/threads/continental-eruban-plus-tires.41828/

Will be watching my JWs but at the moment no plans to shift from them. YMMV.

 

[rtp]

Dang it! You got me thinking of cancelling eddy current. I don't want mix match tires.

If you give the eddy currents a try, pls report back.
Looks like jensen and others have JWs 27.5x2.8 in stock, $50ea with free shipping at the moment..

Schwalbe Johnny Watts Tire - 27.5 x 2.8, Clincher, Folding, Black, Performance, RaceGuard, Addix, Double Defense

Like no other, the Johnny Watts tire unites smooth rolling on hard ground with longevity and puncture protection. <ul> <li>Versatile tread for a wide range of use from asphalt to off-road</li> <li>Blocks with large contact areas for excellent rolling, little vibration and high...

www.modernbike.com

 

[Rocket Dan]

I got them.

Suspension of these tires is like riding on clouds, even a higher pressures they are great !
Noise is good for a knob tyre but quiet, a word often used here to describe them, they are clearly not. They are clearly audible.
Also the breaking power at the front wheel lacks a little because of the space in between the knobs. But the grip on pavement is great given the knobs and the distance between them.
If it had a small hard center ring like the hurricane or at least less holes between the knobs in the middle they would be perfect.

 

[Rocket Dan]

I just swapped out my Schwalbe G-one speeds, which I loved but they were too prone to flats, for a set of Johnny Watts 2.35” tires.

Have you tried out the G-One Allround yet?
It's the G-One with thicker tiny knobs and better protection. Seme like the perfect gravel tire to me.

 

[DiggyGun]

I have the Johnny Watts on my Nevo3, which has 27.5” tyres. Just ordered a Small frame Nevo3 for Mrs DG, which has 26” tyres. Unfortunately, the JWs don’t come in 26”, so had to look at another style. The LBS spoke directly with Schwalbe who suggested the Marathon Plus MTB, so we are giving those fitted.

 

[Rocket Dan]

Let us know about how the Marathon Plus MTB is. On paper it has a relatively high rolling resistance. Other than that the stats are good.

 

[DiggyGun]

Let us know about how the Marathon Plus MTB is. On paper it has a relatively high rolling resistance. Other than that the stats are good.

Will do, this is a quick comparison between the two, but they are very similar.

 

[Rocket Dan]

Unfortunately Schwalbe has moved the Marathon Plus MTB from the Trekking/Road rating system into the MTB rating system. Maybe you can find the old one from a feew months ago in which you could still see the regular rating.
The MTB rating system unfortunately doesn't specify the road and off road grip individually.

But in terms of rolling resistance you can recalculate the rating into the trekking rating by multiplying the number by 0.6.
This would mean around 2 1/2 out of 6 for rolling resistance which pretty low compared to the Johnny Watts with 4 out of 6. But if I remember correctly the MTB was rated 3/6 for rolling resistance.

 

[Rocket Dan]

I found it:

But looking at the profile I could imagine that as soon as the middle has become a straight even line from wearing down the knobs that stand out 1 mm or so, then looking like the Schwalbe Hurricane, the rolling resistance on roads will get lower.

Aside from that the Johnny is the better tire because it is better in any category except puncture protection.
But what are you supposed to do if it isn't offered in 26.
But there are also factors that aren't mentioned in those ratings which can make a tire good on paper worse and vice versa.
I ran the Johnny Watts which suspend beautifully almost like a fractional full suspension. Then I bought the Schwalbe Al Grounder which on paper is almost equal but better road grip, but after having installed them they turned out to be hard like stone. No suspension effect whatsoever despite 2.35 width.

 

[TrevorB]

Rolling resistance isn't issue on ebike unless long distance touring. For general riding comfort is far more important, that's where JW compliance and volume make big difference. For any tire less rolling resistance and comfort is at max pressure.

 

[Alaskan]

Compliance is mostly about air pressure and volume but pliability of sidewalls plays an important role as well. The thinner side walls of the Johnny Watt also add to their comfort but probably make them more liable to getting a sidewall torn on a rock.