Schwalbe tire question

[Jenniferd]

Hello Guys...I just wanted to update you on my journey with my bike since last October. I have had no end of trouble with both Reckless bikes and my Gazelle. To catch you up to date...above is my dilemma on my third rear flat! and I had a fourth after this. After the 4th flat, I was forced to purchase an 'upgraded' new tire for an additional $100. In total I was at Reckless bikes 4 times to fix tires.

At this same time in the fall, along with all the flats I was having, I began to have trouble with the left brake. Each time I went in, the guys would 'repair' it, and it would fail shortly after.

In January I filed a written formal complaint with the owner Paul Dragan, who had the bike in twice to look at before replacing the brake system entirely. He has replaced my shimano brakes with Magura brakes...any comments on what these are appreciated....This bike has been in and out of the shop for 7 months now....

The bike seems to be working now, and my concern is that my warranty is up in May. I would like to find a reliable bike shop and mechanic in Vancouver..or even in British Columbia! who I can feel that I trust for my Gazelle. Any advice is much appreciated.

 

[AHicks]

Jennifer, there are a bunch of us that swear by a product called Slime for flat prevention. It's cheap, you can install it yourself if you can pump the tires up afterward, and it WORKS. You can get it anywhere. So there's that.

Then, regarding tires, I just removed a set of Schwalbe Marathons because after riding a few hundred miles on them, I felt the ride was too stiff as well.

This is what I went with. It's more of an old style balloon type tire, and the ride is very noticeably better

Amazon.com : SCHWALBE - Super Moto-X Tire - 26 x 2.4, Clincher, Wire, Black/Reflective, Performance Line, GreenGuard, Snakeskin : Sports & Outdoors

Amazon.com : SCHWALBE - Super Moto-X Tire - 26 x 2.4, Clincher, Wire, Black/Reflective, Performance Line, GreenGuard, Snakeskin : Sports & Outdoors

www.amazon.com

 

[Allroads]

when riding on pavement one can feel every crack so try lowering the pressure. On my Marathons I'm at 35 psi

 

[BarryAZ1]

Yeah the SCHWALBE reflective sidewalk and logo on my G-Ones are basically stickers. My sidewall stripe is good and evenly applied but the logo stickers are getting pretty torn up already. That’s ok by me as long as the reflective sideway stays good and visible. I used the flash on my phone to take this picture which shows how well the reflective tape shows up, even in full daylight!View attachment 69468

Hi Dallant,

I'm interested in your experience with those Schwalbe G-One's. Were those the original tires on your Trek? I have a Gazelle T10+ that came with Schwalbe Marathons. I'm finding that they don't have great cornering traction in dirt and gravel. Having experienced one broken collarbone already (not on this bike), I'm a little skittish about that. I'd like to replace them with something like the G-One's. There's an 'Ultrabite' version -- not sure about the difference. My bike has fenders like yours. They APPEAR to have enough clearance (see pic) to MAYBE fit the G-Ones in there. If necessary, I could remove the fenders. I'm hoping to hear that you went through a similar replacement...

Regarding the reflective stripe -- On my Marathons, it doesn't appear to be a sticker. If you look closely at the photo, you might be able to make out the ridges of the sidewall pattern running right through the reflective stripe and the lettering. On my wife's bike, which has Schwalbe Big Apples, the stripe is smooth - not showing the sidewall pattern. If it's a sticker, it's stuck on there very well.

Thanks,
Barry
Phoenix, AZ

 

[Dallant]

Hi Dallant,

I'm interested in your experience with those Schwalbe G-One's. Were those the original tires on your Trek? I have a Gazelle T10+ that came with Schwalbe Marathons. I'm finding that they don't have great cornering traction in dirt and gravel. Having experienced one broken collarbone already (not on this bike), I'm a little skittish about that. I'd like to replace them with something like the G-One's. There's an 'Ultrabite' version -- not sure about the difference. My bike has fenders like yours. They APPEAR to have enough clearance (see pic) to MAYBE fit the G-Ones in there. If necessary, I could remove the fenders. I'm hoping to hear that you went through a similar replacement...

Regarding the reflective stripe -- On my Marathons, it doesn't appear to be a sticker. If you look closely at the photo, you might be able to make out the ridges of the sidewall pattern running right through the reflective stripe and the lettering. On my wife's bike, which has Schwalbe Big Apples, the stripe is smooth - not showing the sidewall pattern. If it's a sticker, it's stuck on there very well.

Thanks,
Barry
Phoenix, AZ

Yes they were the originals, at 27.5 X 2.25”. I replaced the rear one with the same tire. I am pleased with their performance but really haven’t cornered real hard/tight in dirt or gravel but would guess the G-Ones would corner better than the ones you showed. Best of luck.

 

[Mike TowpathTraveler]

Since @Jenniferd has not replied back since April, it's safe to assume she has not experienced any more flats. But her situation does bring up the need for everyone pedaling more than a mile or two away from to become capable of fixing a flat tire out on the road. Flat tires and fixing them roadside has been with us since the creation of the first tube and clincher tire.

There are lots of youtube videos out there to help prepare you. Doing practice runs in the comfort of your home or driveway of removing your tire, breaking the bead, inspecting your rim strips and reinstalling everything can make a real-life flat less a traumatic experience when you get a flat while out on a ride.

Slime: Just a temporary.....temporary......fix that may or may not seal the puncture, depending on the size of the puncture. And it will make a mess inside your tire as it's sealing or not sealing the puncture, something to keep in mind if you are forced to use a vulcanizing patch on the punctured tube.......

Tubeless: Could be a bear to set up a tire tubeless; maybe best left for a bike shop to accomplish. But even tubeless cannot self repair a large puncture; for that, one best be equipped with a tubeless plugging kit (and hope the puncture can be filled with that plug!)

Patches: The best alternative to fix a flat. You can get them as simply stick-on or for the best repair, the patches that require rubber cement to bond the rubber patch to the tube. I've used both types and have had good luck with both. However, if you have an off-road tire requiring the lowering and raising of tire pressures, I believe the vulcanizing patch is your best bet here.

Finally, Magura hydraulic brakes are a top tier brand. I have them on my Haibike Full FatSix and aside from routine pad replacement, have been completely trouble-free. Every season or so, it would be a good idea to have the shop bleed your brakes and inspect them.....or if you are a do-it-yourself type, you can do it at home with the Magura brake bleeding kit and some Magura mineral oil.....

 

[AHicks]

Slime: Just a temporary.....temporary......fix that may or may not seal the puncture, depending on the size of the puncture. And it will make a mess inside your tire as it's sealing or not sealing the puncture, something to keep in mind if you are forced to use a vulcanizing patch on the punctured tube.......

I think most of us are (or should be) using Slime (or some similar product) as a flat PREVENTATIVE. In this use it works really well to all but eliminate most leaks.

I would not endorse it's use after the fact to seal a flat tire.

The "mess" is water soluble, so not that big a deal if it ever needs to be dealt with (been there!).