Where are the bike tire nerds?

[geekeasy]

I just got a XP Lite that came with knobby 36PSI 2.6" tires. They provide great shock absorption but are too slow for using around town. I'd like to get something with a bit lower rolling resistance and a bit higher pressure for better speed and range.

But there are endless options. Any advice on the right compromises to choose here in terms of width and pressure?

I'm considering the Schwable Big Apple's at 2" and up to 70PSI. But is that a bit too narrow? Should I look for options more like 2.4"?

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

I just got a XP Lite that came with knobby 36PSI 2.6" tires. They provide great shock absorption but are too slow for using around town. I'd like to get something with a bit lower rolling resistance and a bit higher pressure for better speed and range.

But there are endless options. Any advice on the right compromises to choose here in terms of width and pressure?

I'm considering the Schwable Big Apple's at 2" and up to 70PSI. But is that a bit too narrow? Should I look for options more like 2.4"?

If you're looking for bike tire nerds, you've come to the right place. But they'll need more to go on. Do you commute or just ride recreationally? Do you need to retain some offroad capability? How much puncture protection?

I'm no expert, but I like my 2.3" Specialized Crossroads Armadillo hybrids. The "Armadillo" part signifies Specialized's highest level of puncture resistance. They have smooth center treads for pavement and side lugs for softer surfaces. The tire track at lower left shows how the side lugs engage with a little sinkage.

At 2.3", they're wide enough for damp beach sand but not dry. Rated for 20-50 psi, so I run them at 35. Rolling resistance on pavement is low enough to ride the flats without assist.

 

[geekeasy]

If you're looking for bike tire nerds, you've come to the right place. But they'll need more to go on. Do you commute or just ride recreationally? Do you need to retain some offroad capability? How much puncture protection?

Great questions. I'll be riding in the streets of Oakland, Berkeley, and San Francisco. So bumpy roads with potholes. Not planning on doing any offroad, beyond some short hard-packed dirt trails which are easier riding than the bumpy roads.

As for puncture protection, moderate but not extreme. If I ever get a flat in the worst case I can just call a Lyft to take the bike home.

And I'm now looking at the Schwalbe Moto-X. Road tread, 2.4", and it can go up to 65lbs but I can also run it down to the 35 which I'm currently at.

 

[rob feature]

That's some fat rubber for city riding. Not sure how low you can go with your rims, but narrower tires that make more contact with the surface (slicks, semi-slicks), will probably be the most efficient. They wear a lot slower than more aggressive rubber too.

I've had good luck with Maxxis Torch, IRC Boken Plus and WTB Horizon...nothing larger than a 2.1. All tubeless (the best puncture protection ).

 

[indianajo]

2.1" is the largest that will fit my bike. I would not run less than 40 psi, although it takes 55 on the back of my bike to keep the rim from banging on the holes & ridges. I buy Kenda or giant knobbies for best trash resistance. I keep the knobs taller than 3/32". No slime, liners, or tubeless. I carry a fold flat panaracer fire XC 2.1" tire in the pannier in case another road hazard slices the sidewall of the tire. Had to push the bike 7 miles with 40 lb groceries the first time that happened. Was a 96 F day. I usually get 4000 miles out of the tire without a flat. Two years. Maybe one flat every other year or 4000 miles. Knife through the sidewall because the bike was locked up and upset a wannabe thief does not count. I can change tube & tire even on the power wheel in 30 minutes.
The whole fat tire phenomenon leaves me cold. 30 psi gives too much resistance. I pedal unpowered about 80% of the distance for the exercise. No fluffy beach sand or powder snow in my future. When it snows here the plow pushes big ridges of ice into the bike lane. Wet icy stuff. Powder is in the Rockies.
When switching from fat to normal, watch the rim width. My rims are about 1" wide.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I'm considering the Schwable Big Apple's at 2" and up to 70PSI. But is that a bit too narrow? Should I look for options more like 2.4"?

Just to say something as a tyre nerd

Every bike or e-bike comes with wheel rims of a specific inner width, which is optimized to the installed tyres. A dramatic change of the tyre size (such as 2.6 to 2.0") will make the tyre profile being wrong. Please stick to your 2.6" tyre size, only look for a more slick tread if possible.

 

[Bill G]

Great questions. I'll be riding in the streets of Oakland, Berkeley, and San Francisco. So bumpy roads with potholes. Not planning on doing any offroad, beyond some short hard-packed dirt trails which are easier riding than the bumpy roads.

As for puncture protection, moderate but not extreme. If I ever get a flat in the worst case I can just call a Lyft to take the bike home.

And I'm now looking at the Schwalbe Moto-X. Road tread, 2.4", and it can go up to 65lbs but I can also run it down to the 35 which I'm currently at.

I ride super moto-x tire (27.5 x 2.4) on a R&M Nevo 3 and really like them. It sounds as if we're riding in similar environments, so I don't think you'd be disappointed.

 

[Explorer-1]

Maybe: endless-sphere.com or MTB forums

 

[nutdriver]

Once various tire size options / and tires have been explored, I have found this website to be a great source for exploring usable tire pressures.

https://www.renehersecycles.com/tire-pressure-calculator/

 

[geekeasy]

Thanks for the help everyone.

I did some more research on my own. It seems that lower weight and lower wind resistance from smaller tires don't matter much on e-bikes. It surprised me to learn that there seems to be only a very slight difference in the rolling resistance between narrow and wide tires. And there seems to be a huge difference in comfort between narrow and wide tires. So, I think I'm going to stick with relatively wide tires.

Stefan Mikes: I should have said that the Lectric Lite actually comes out of the factory with one of two tires and you randomly get what you get. One set is 2.6" which I got and the other is 2.4". So there will be zero issue if I go a bit smaller than what I have now.

nutdriver: The calculator looks great, but unfortunately it doesn't go up to the 61mm tires which I'm looking at.

Bill G: Yeah, I think I'll pick up a pair of those Super Moto X tomorrow. What pressure are you running yours at?

Though, in terms of pressure I can always just start with the tires near max pressure (60psi out of 65 max?) and then gradually reduce it until I find the right balance of comfort vs efficiency. These super moto-x are designed to go as low at 30PSI which i lower than where I have my tires now.

 

[offthewall]

I’m on my third set of tires in 10 months for my Allant+ 8S. The original stock tires, while very smooth on the road were a nightmare on anything slightly slippery (grass, gravel, etc). At about 700 miles, I replaced them with Super Moto X’s. While infinitely better on the slippery stuff, they had noticeably increased rolling resistance on smooth dry pavement. Those were on the bike for only about a week. I then went to Super Moto’s. Ah, heaven… I’ve put about 200 miles on the Super Moto’s so far and they are even smoother on pavement than the stock tires and as good as or slightly better than the X’s on the loose stuff. Highly recommended!

 

[nutdriver]

I’m on my third set of tires in 10 months for my Allant+ 8S. The original stock tires, while very smooth on the road were a nightmare on anything slightly slippery (grass, gravel, etc). At about 700 miles, I replaced them with Super Moto X’s. While infinitely better on the slippery stuff, they had noticeably increased rolling resistance on smooth dry pavement. Those were on the bike for only about a week. I then went to Super Moto’s. Ah, heaven… I’ve put about 200 miles on the Super Moto’s so far and they are even smoother on pavement than the stock tires and as good as or slightly better than the X’s on the loose stuff. Highly recommended!View attachment 175190

For the past 20 years I have only ridden Schwalbe tires. Always very happy with their performance and value.

 

[Gionnirocket]

Just to say something as a tyre nerd

Every bike or e-bike comes with wheel rims of a specific inner width, which is optimized to the installed tyres. A dramatic change of the tyre size (such as 2.6 to 2.0") will make the tyre profile being wrong. Please stick to your 2.6" tyre size, only look for a more slick tread if possible.

Yeah... They make different rims for each tire width

 

[Gionnirocket]

Not a tire nerd. My preference on selecting tire is to look for addix, TL ready and super gravity.
my bike came stock with maxxis on Sunringle rims. Replaced it with Schwalbe Setting it up for tubeless it was difficult to mount tires. Schwalbe Eddy Current is heavy duty tires.
I use mayonnaise to lube the rims for installation.
On my ebikes I don't notice the difference in speed.
It goes fast as I want to on any surface.

Mayonnaise? That shouldn't be your go_to for all things difficult to mount.
You never heard of soap & water?

 

[Gionnirocket]

Mayonnaise looks like tire sealant.

It also looks like. .

 

[mschwett]

I just got a XP Lite that came with knobby 36PSI 2.6" tires. They provide great shock absorption but are too slow for using around town. I'd like to get something with a bit lower rolling resistance and a bit higher pressure for better speed and range.

But there are endless options. Any advice on the right compromises to choose here in terms of width and pressure?

I'm considering the Schwable Big Apple's at 2" and up to 70PSI. But is that a bit too narrow? Should I look for options more like 2.4"?

what width are your rims? seems like some people are putting 20x2.125 tires on their XP lites for city riding with good results. there are tons of tires available in that size - if you’re not riding off road you really don’t need the knobs. get something smoother and roll faster

 

[geekeasy]

Got the super moto x installed. I'm running them a 50PSI. This bike is now much faster with much better acceleration, and I don't think I lost any significant amount of comfort.

Awesome upgrade for the XP Lite.

 

[juggernaut]

The Supermoto X is a great choice. My wife runs them on her e-bike, whereas I have the semi slick Supermoto‘s on mine.

 

[offthewall]

The Supermoto X is a great choice. My wife runs them on her e-bike, whereas I have the semi slick Supermoto‘s on mine.

View attachment 175402

I feel the Super Moto's (NON X) are the best tires for a commuter e-bike. Fantastic on pavement, good on loose gravel, sand and grass - everything I run into and over on my rides.

 

[juggernaut]

I feel the Super Moto's (NON X) are the best tires for a commuter e-bike. Fantastic on pavement, good on loose gravel, sand and grass - everything I run into and over on my rides.

I have to agree and I’ve had mine for about one year now commuting to and from work each day.

In fact the bike shop I bought my ebike from has retro fitted them to all the same model e-bikes they have sold after trialling mine. They owners love them for their smoothness and comfort, and report greater battery range as expected.