Schwalbe's New for 2020 Hurricane Tires - A Review

[Alaskan]

I recently installed Schwalbe's latest hybrid tire, the Hurricane on my Riese & Muller Homage, replacing the Rock Razors that came on the bike and the Super Moto X that I replaced those with. I installed the 27.5 x 2.4 Double Defense Raceguard with reflective sidewall stripes. I inflated the tires to 35 psi in the front and 40 psi in the rear.

The Hurricanes at quite smooth in the middle with tiny knobs like a gravel tire on either side and substantial lugs at the shoulders. They score strongly across the board in rolling resistance, road grip, off road group, protection and durability.

• They are truly whisper quiet.
• They roll almost as smoothly as the Marathon Supremes, which is my gold standard for fast, quiet and smooth riding 2" and greater tires.
• They have excellent road grip in dry or wet conditions
• They are far better than the Super Moto X off road - smoother and quieter than the Super Moto X

I subsequently installed them with Tannus Armour. I combined these with Tubolito inner tubes to offset the some of the added weight of the Tannus Armour. I dropped the tires to 25 psi front and 30 psi rear. I did this mainly because my wife and I are heading down to Southern California soon and I wanted the extra flat protection to guard against goat heads. They add 15mm of added puncture protection at the crown of the tire. No slime involved.

I am super pleased with the effect that the Tannus Armour has on the ride quality of these already excellent tires. The ride is significantly softer over bumps with minor road imperfections all but disappearing from my awareness. There is a muffled quality to the ride both in terms of sound as well as sensation at the saddle. The Tannus Armour has enabled me to lower the tire pressure, achieve a more comfortable ride and maintain good rolling qualities with not apparent loss of speed.

I recently installed this combination on my Delight Mountain. With its Fox Suspension, the ride quality is superb.

 

[pelman]

Thank you for the wonderful write up Alaskan. I am interested in putting Tannus Armour our bikes as well. Did you go down a tube size as Tannus recommends ? The hurricane looks like a good compromise between Super Moto and rock razor? I appreciate your advice!

 

[Alaskan]

Tannus recommend a 1.5-1.95 if I recall correctly. The Tubolito tube I had is sized from 1.8-2.5 this is the smallest tube they had for a 27.5 tire.

 

[pelman]

Tannus recommend a 1.5-1.95 if I recall correctly. The Tubolito tube I had is sized from 1.8-2.5 this is the smallest tube they had for a 27.5 tire.

Thank you.

 

[Mr. Coffee]

I'm probably going to switch to these tires, without the tannus armor, this spring when the snow melts and I'm back on my bike.

Given that I didn't have a flat in over 6000 miles of riding in 2019 (Smart Sams + Slime Tubes) I'm hoping that I get that performance and a better ride with the Hurricanes.

 

[FlatSix911]

I recently installed Schwalbe's latest hybrid tire, the Hurricane on my Riese & Muller Homage, replacing the Rock Razors that came on the bike and the Super Moto X that I replaced those with. I installed the 27.5 x 2.4 Double Defense Raceguard with reflective sidewall stripes. I inflated the tires to 35 psi in the front and 40 psi in the rear.

The Hurricanes at quite smooth in the middle with tiny knobs like a gravel tire on either side and substantial lugs at the shoulders. They score strongly across the board in rolling resistance, road grip, off road group, protection and durability.

View attachment 44327

• They are truly whisper quiet.
• They roll almost as smoothly as the Marathon Supremes, which is my gold standard for fast, quiet and smooth riding 2" and greater tires.
• They have excellent road grip in dry or wet conditions
• They are far better than the Super Moto X off road - smoother and quieter than the Super Moto X

I subsequently installed them with Tannus Armour. I combined these with Tubolito inner tubes to offset the some of the added weight of the Tannus Armour. I dropped the tires to 25 psi front and 30 psi rear. I did this mainly because my wife and I are heading down to Southern California soon and I wanted the extra flat protection to guard against goat heads. They add 15mm of added puncture protection at the crown of the tire. No slime involved.

I am super pleased with the effect that the Tannus Armour has on the ride quality of these already excellent tires. The ride is significantly softer over bumps with minor road imperfections all but disappearing from my awareness. There is a muffled quality to the ride both in terms of sound as well as sensation at the saddle. The Tannus Armour has enabled me to lower the tire pressure, achieve a more comfortable ride and maintain good rolling qualities with not apparent loss of speed.

I recently installed this combination on my Delight Mountain. With its Fox Suspension, the ride quality is superb.

Great review... thanks for sharing your experience. Do you have any photos of the Tannus Armour system installation or photos of the mounted Hurricanes?

 

[Alaskan]

Great review... thanks for sharing your experience. Do you have any photos of the Tannus Armour system installation or photos of the mounted Hurricanes?

Here is a youtube video on installation. For a first timer, it was not nearly as easy as it looked. I ended up asking my wife help out. Having three hands would have been perfect.

I'll shoot a picture of the tires mounted on the Delight when I get a chance.

 

[Alaskan]

@FlatSix911

 

[Alaskan]

By the way, I am such a stickler that I align the inflation and tire size information with the valve stem centered. That way there is never any need to spin the tire around searching for it. In my book that is the right way to do it.

 

[Mulezen]

Bridgestone airless coming to Tokyo

Bridgestone Says Airless Tires Are Coming Soon To Bicycles And Big Rigs

Japanese tire giant Bridgestone is hoping to beat Michelin’s so-called Tweel to the airless tire market with a new model launching soon for semi trucks, according to a report from Automotive News. Bridgestone’s airless tires use a web of recycled thermoplastic instead of pneumatic pressure to...

jalopnik.com

 

[Deleted member 18083]

I align the inflation and tire size information with the valve stem centered.

Exactly what I do!

This information is not easy to find, especially on dirty tyres in the dark.

 

[FlatSix911]

Bridgestone airless coming to Tokyo

Bridgestone Says Airless Tires Are Coming Soon To Bicycles And Big Rigs

Japanese tire giant Bridgestone is hoping to beat Michelin’s so-called Tweel to the airless tire market with a new model launching soon for semi trucks, according to a report from Automotive News. Bridgestone’s airless tires use a web of recycled thermoplastic instead of pneumatic pressure to...

jalopnik.com

Interesting technology... I will look forward to seeing the public mobility bikes at the summer 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.

 

[smorgasbord]

Tannus recommend a 1.5-1.95 if I recall correctly. The Tubolito tube I had is sized from 1.8-2.5 this is the smallest tube they had for a 27.5 tire.

What tire pressure(s) are you running with this setup in your Delite? Do you vary the pressure for different conditions?

I'm in the process of setting up with 27.5x3.0 tires, tannus inserts and tubolito tubes and wondering what pressure to start with.

 

[Alaskan]

What tire pressure(s) are you running with this setup in your Delite? Do you vary the pressure for different conditions?

I'm in the process of setting up with 27.5x3.0 tires, tannus inserts and tubolito tubes and wondering what pressure to start with.

I am running the 27.5 x 2.4 Hurricanes with 35 psi rear and 30 psi front.

 

[smorgasbord]

I am running the 27.5 x 2.4 Hurricanes with 35 psi rear and 30 psi front.

Wow, that's a lot more than I would have expected. My tires say 30psi max, and off-road people run them in the teens. I filled them to 22psi and will take it from there. I guess a lot depends on whether I'm on pavement or trails.

 

[Alaskan]

At 3" you are running fat tires which have much lower psi specs. I prefer a thinner tire for sportier, more nimble performance. For my riding style, mostly on paved roads, a 2.4' tire is a good balance between comfort and performance. The Schwalbe new Hurricanes are rated 23-50 psi.

 

[Captain Slow]

Interesting. I had never heard of Tannus armour before. So I have to ask, what are goat heads? Some type of thorny plant?

Thanks for the review on the tires, sounds good.

 

[Alaskan]

Punchervine (Goathead) - Tribulus terrestris

Tribulus terrestris is an annual plant in the caltrop family (Zygophyllaceae) widely distributed around the world, that is adapted to grow in dry climate locations in which few other plants can survive. It is an invasive species in North America. Like many weedy species, this plant has many...

sewardslandscape.com

 

[smorgasbord]

I prefer a thinner tire for sportier, more nimble performance.

I'm coming from the old-school analog road bike world (TI/Carbon frame, drop handlebars, Campy chorus 10-spd, 23mm tires inflated to 100/110 psi), so this Plus and Fat tire stuff is all new. On my analog bike, I freak out if I see some sand has washed onto the road, but now with the 27.5+ it's a different world.

I can certainly see where the 2.4" size is right for you. I may end up there, too, but right now fatter tires with motors are a ton of fun.

 

[FlatSix911]

I am running the 27.5 x 2.4 Hurricanes with 35 psi rear and 30 psi front.

I'm coming from the old-school analog road bike world (TI/Carbon frame, drop handlebars, Campy Chorus 10-spd, 23mm tires inflated to 100/110 psi), so this Plus and Fat tire stuff is all new. On my analog bike, I freak out if I see some sand has washed onto the road, but now with the 27.5+, it's a different world.

I can certainly see where the 2.4" size is right for you. I may end up there, too, but right now fatter tires with motors are a ton of fun.

I was used to running 100+ psi back in my road race days... now I am very comfortable with 25-30 psi on 27.5+2.8" Nobby Nics with my E MTB.