Tires - size does matter?

[Merle Nelson]

Youtube vid pegs it as pretty doable....unless tires are tight on rims anyway.

 

[Elkman]

Thank you all for your informative posts. As a relative newcomer to eBikes, I have learned a lot from browsing your various threads.

I live in So. Cal and in addition to road adventures I’d like to take advantage of the plentiful trails throughout the Santa Monica mountains. In this day and age of advanced technologies, is there one bike that can be a top performer on the streets and the trails, and which WW model could best serve both purposes? Is it still necessary to have a road bike and a mountain bike?

My current eBike is a cruiser style with custom 3 inch road tires. Neither the bike nor the tires are particularly well suited for trails. Although I am enamored with R&M and think that the Superdelight might be the answer to my needs, after reading your posts, I am thinking about joining the WattWagon (I am already on the Wentz Wagon).

Although I never considered going “fat” and don’t love the look, after reading and digesting the WW information, I actually think that the CrossTour might be the best bike for me. I am on the wrong side of 50 and have already learned that falling off a bike at my age is not fun. I have also learned that taking to the trails as an inexperienced rider with a heavy, ill equipped bike can be exceedingly dangerous.

After safety, comfort is another top priority. While my preference would be full suspension (also for safety) I am thinking that the 4 inch tires on the CrossTour might be a reasonable trade off against the FS of the Travalanche (and the FS and narrow tires of the Superdelight)? I’d love to know your thoughts on whether the CrossTour could be a safe, comfortable, and enjoyable ride on trails as well as streets?

I understand the range limitations of riding on all surfaces with rugged, 4 inch tires. But wouldn’t a dual battery setup make up for the range issues? I am not into bike racks and would need a dual battery setup anyway to venture out from the house, as opposed driving to my rides.

While we are on the topic of tires, I’d like to hear some advice on steps that can be taken to avoid flat tires in remote areas such as mountain trails. “Tubeless“ setups, puncture resistance, tire ratings, etc.? It seems to me that there are many more things that can go wrong on a eBike as opposed to a conventional bike, including with the extra stress put on tires in off road settings. The thought of getting stranded on a remote mountain pass with a heavy bike that cannot be manually ridden out of the canyon is freightening enough to me to keep me home and on the couch.

Is it possible to have one bike (and one set of tires) that can be equally effective and enjoyable on the streets as on beginner and intermediate mountain trails? Is the CrossTour that bike?

Thanks.

The "gravel" bikes are the best compromise betweeen a city and a trail bike. Most have tires that are 2.3 to 2.5 inch width and some have a front suspension fork. In soft dirt or sandy areas a wide tire provides a lot more traction but it also means modifying the bike rack wheel supports and possibly needing to carry around a folding motorbike ramp. It may be possible to put on slightly wider tires on the bike's rims but I would check with a good bike shop before making the bike purchase. The Giant Stance E+ 1 Pro with its 2.4" wide tires or similar EMTB bikes will be the best for dual duty.

Don't overlook the gears as they are much lower for a trail bike than for a commuter bike and this makes all the difference in the world. The gravel bikes will have lower gears and a derailleur that can handle a wide range of cog sizes.

In hilly areas around where I live the problem is more about having enough traction and I have had to walk up hills that were too steep even in my lowest gear to grind my way up without the rear wheel slipping and breaking traction with my mountain bike. A big part of the reason for me buying an e-bike to bave the motor assist with 4" wide fat tires with an off-road tread. The fat tire bike is not ideal for trail running though the woods but most of where I ride it is realatively open and no rocks to negotiate.