Schwalbe Big Apple 26"

The big apples are engineered to add suspension with the least amount of drag. Get the biggest one that will fit your rim if added suspension is your goal. I have used the big apples for years. Not needed if you have suspension.
 
I used to run the 2.35 wide BA on my Catrike Expedition. Its a really nice tire if you need suspension or to add to what you have. When it was time to start the Etrike build I changed the BAs to Schwalbe Crazy Bob 2.35 wide on the back and 1.85 wide on the front. The Bob's sidewalls will take 150 Kg of weight and are certified for Ebike/Trike use. they are also a balloon type tire but run at a lower pressure 30-35 PSI. The ride isn't bad, better then Marathons by a wide margin and they have a pretty good grip on the road. As always YMMV.
 
ebent said:
The big apples are engineered to add suspension with the least amount of drag. Get the biggest one that will fit your rim if added suspension is your goal. I have used the big apples for years. Not needed if you have suspension.
Are there any downsides to fitting a Big Apple tyre to a bike with suspension?
 
HypnoToad said:
ebent said:
The big apples are engineered to add suspension with the least amount of drag. Get the biggest one that will fit your rim if added suspension is your goal. I have used the big apples for years. Not needed if you have suspension.
Are there any downsides to fitting a Big Apple tyre to a bike with suspension?

There's not really a downside for running them on a bike that already has suspension. It just gives it a little more cushy ride. Schwalabe Big Apples tires are advertised as the "Balloon Bike" tire because it holds a larger air volume that acts like a suspension to soften up the ride. I run the 2.35" Big Apples one of my FS commuter ebikes.
BigApple1.jpg


The 2.5" Maxxis Hookworm tires are also a good choice and I run them on another FS ebike. The Hookworms have a thicker and more grippy rubber on the tread so it's heavier and doesn't roll as fast but also grips better especially on wet pavement.
 
If I had a suspended trike I would use big apples if the suspension did not give me all I wanted. Just visualizing as I do not have any suspended bikes. I am considering the new Catrike Road. It has a rear suspension. I imagine I'd want big apples on the front.
 
yopappamon said:
Make sure you have clearance for big tires. I bought 2.5" hookworms and they wouldnt fit on the frame i bought them for. They wouldn't clear the rear dropout pivot.
This was on your Blackcomb right!
On mine I just used a Dremel to remove a little material from that strut and it fit fine.
 
You can get 2.00 inch schwalbe marathons cheap on amazon. I love mine, no flats, lots of tread, roll like road bike tires.
 
Sacman said:
There's not really a downside for running them on a bike that already has suspension. It just gives it a little more cushy ride.

Plus improved traction and wear compared to a smaller tire.

It's important not to overinflate a tire like the Big Apple. Yes, it can tolerate 60psi no problem, but that does not allow the tire to do what it does best. Try 30psi for that, if your rims are at least an inch wide.

Chalo
 
I run 26x2.15. The 2.3 won't fit. If you want cushion then pump up to 45 psi max, I found that is the sweet spot between efficiency and cushion even though my bike is full suspension. But ultimately you would need to tune it to your bike. Some are harsher than other so you might have to go a bit lower for a more cushy ride.
 
I have a full suspension bike and run the big apples at 60psi, I just like the way they look and also roll better on concerte at the high PSI

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BATFINK said:
I have a full suspension bike and run the big apples at 60psi, I just like the way they look and also roll better on concerte at the high PSI

Nothing wrong with that, but you'd get similar ride quality with lower cost and weight using 26x1.5 at 100psi.

Chalo
 
They definately roll great. I've got 28" or 700cc whatever x 2.00. I think I started out at 50psi.

There was some brown ones on sale last year at chainreactioncycles. Shipped to Canada was fast and good price. I recommend that co..
 
Chalo said:
BATFINK said:
I have a full suspension bike and run the big apples at 60psi, I just like the way they look and also roll better on concerte at the high PSI

Nothing wrong with that, but you'd get similar ride quality with lower cost and weight using 26x1.5 at 100psi.

Chalo

If comfort is a part of ride quality, then definitely no. Suspension does work well for low to mid speed bumps, but tyres work better for hi speed bumps. This is also part of the reason why I use fat tyres with geared motors. They are delicate mechanical devices with thin axles and numerous bearings and the more shock you throw on them the sooner they fail.
 
miuan said:
Chalo said:
BATFINK said:
I have a full suspension bike and run the big apples at 60psi, I just like the way they look and also roll better on concerte at the high PSI

Nothing wrong with that, but you'd get similar ride quality with lower cost and weight using 26x1.5 at 100psi.

If comfort is a part of ride quality, then definitely no. Suspension does work well for low to mid speed bumps, but tyres work better for hi speed bumps. This is also part of the reason why I use fat tyres with geared motors. They are delicate mechanical devices with thin axles and numerous bearings and the more shock you throw on them the sooner they fail.

My point was that if you put 60 psi (4.1 bar) into a big fat tire like that, it will be at least as hard as a 1.5" (38mm) tire at 100 psi (6.9 bar).

Fat tires only deliver their ride quality benefits if you use low enough pressure for them to work.

Chalo
 
Chalo said:
Fat tires only deliver their ride quality benefits if you use low enough pressure for them to work.

Correct. But even at equal air fill volume, a fat tyre will sustain a taller square edge obstacle due to its greater profile height, while using a skinny tyre you already start denting the rim and pinching the tube. So with a fat tyre, you always gain something. Either more comfort (less air fill) or failure resistance (at equal air fill). The price paid is increased rolling resistance, since there is more rubber to deform.
 
miuan said:
So with a fat tyre, you always gain something. Either more comfort (less air fill) or failure resistance (at equal air fill). The price paid is increased rolling resistance, since there is more rubber to deform.

Tests on sporting bicycle tires have shown that fatter tires have slightly lower rolling resistance, all else equal. It makes sense, really-- at the same pressure, the narrower tire puts less rubber on the ground, but it's getting distorted more to establish its contact patch.

The conventional wisdom about fat tires being slower is largely due to the fact that fat tires rarely have construction and thickness similar to narrow ones.

Chalo
 
John in CR said:
I thought the primary reason was more aero drag.

That begins to matter around 20mph, and is much less significant at lower speeds. But it's difficult to make fair comparisons between narrow and wide tires in regard to speed when the fatties are almost always thicker-walled than their narrower counterparts.

Nothing on a typical e-bike makes very much sense when it comes to aerodynamics. For most of us, there's more to be gained by getting comfy than by getting aero.

Chalo
 
okay, to get back on topic.. rode my 2.35 Fat Frank today, which is basically a Big Apple casing with different thread pattern. Got a flat at 37mph on asphalt that didn't seal up with stan's. Perhaps a hookworm would cope better. Had to take bus to work. Left the hole in the bottom position so it rests in a barn of latex. Hopefully when I come back and pump it up, it'll seal.
 
miuan said:
okay, to get back on topic.. rode my 2.35 Fat Frank today, which is basically a Big Apple casing with different thread pattern. Got a flat at 37mph on asphalt that didn't seal up with stan's. Perhaps a hookworm would cope better. Had to take bus to work. Left the hole in the bottom position so it rests in a barn of latex. Hopefully when I come back and pump it up, it'll seal.

Hookworms don't have armored belts; they're just thick and stiff. Big Apples have kevlar belts, which are great for tears and OK for cuts, but almost no use against small thorns and wires. It's a woven material, after all.

Sometimes you just have to fix flats. Sealants make that process a lot messier, more complicated, and more time consuming. Swapping a tube is not a big deal. Cleaning out a gooey mess of expensive puckey before you can even begin fixing the puncture is a nuisance.

Those who don't live in goathead country and face multiple punctures per ride might find it easier to man up and repair punctures as they occur, without the added hassle of sealants and liners complicating the process. You can even do it Dutch style, without taking the wheel off the bike.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=467at5FyKyU

Try that with Stan's or Slime all over the place. Not gonna happen.

Chalo
 
Changing the tyre dutch style would be handy for me as getting a hub motor axle out of my front forks can be quite a lot of hassle, and it also means I have to carry around a 19mm spanner wherever I go.

I'm tempted to pick up a couple of these tyres, and the store has both the folded and wire bead versions.

Would the folding version be easier to change dutch style compared to the wired bead version?
 
So I picked up my bike in the afternoon. Gave the wheel some revolutions, then tried to inflate. Some goo squirted out and in a matter of seconds, the hole was patched. As I continued inflating the tyre, at some point it broke loose again so I repeated everything and made it seal at a higher pressure. Done a couple rides since then and it seems the tyre is finally sealed.

Edit: after a couple of days the tyre still loses all pressure in 24 hours. But during a ride, there is no problem. It seems I just lost too much Stan's as I tried to seal it up, as these are the typical symptoms of running low on goo... will try to fill it up and see if the problem goes away.
 
They re-designed the big apple not too long ago. Made the sidewalls thinner or more flexible. I still have my Hank slicks 2.2 tires on. They seem to last forever. It's not as pointed as the big apple. Big apple is expensive now.
 
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