Help me choose the right tires.

[cal3thousand]

Never use metal spoon or screwdriver on a aluminum rim definitely asking for trouble at the very least just a scratched up rim, and a little soapy water sometimes dry if I'm in a hurry but I normally just pull it off by hand it's not as bad as you would think.

I feel that if I don't have a tire lever, I don't have the tools to change a tire. So, I don't ever go anywhere with patches unless I also have my levers. I can't stand scratched rims. Especially on painted disc rims.

 

[electr0n]

Getting a flat tire without having a patch kit and a pump sucks! Specially on a heavy ebike. I've had this happen to me several times. I carry a tube, patch kit, wrenches and a screw driver on my daily commute or if I'm going far from home. The times I didn't have the tools sucked. I ended up walking the bike home or destroying a rim trying to ride a flat.

I'm in need of a new set of tires for my bike too. Up until now I haven't given it much thought. I just threw on whatever tire came on the bike but I think for safety it's better to have a thicker heavier tire on there in my case since I'm often speeding around at 60kph and it should also provide a bit more cushion and flat prevention as well. Many of the popular brand name bicycle tires I find are expensive compared to say Pirelli ml75 moped tires which are way thicker and more durable. I'm leaning towards CST CYCLOPS since that is similar to the hookworms at less than half the price.

 

[mythprod]

I've had a couple of blow outs when I first built the ebike because I was using cheap wal-mart tubes that were popping under the weight. Purchased a freeride tube from maxxis and it's been holding up very well. I carry crescent wrench and other tools with me as well as a tube and patch kit. It's not that much weight to add to my backpack and I'd rather have it and not need it. :wink:

 

[neptronix]

My specialized armadillo 1.95" never let me down - it's gone through multiple patches of goat head stickers and rolled over bits of glass without problems.. I believe that tire is now called the specialized hemisphere armadillo.

However the Schwalbe marathon mondial is supposed to be one of the best tires you could possibly buy ( in every way ), as stated by many different touring cyclists:

http://www.schwalbetires.com/bike_tires/road_tires/marathon_mondial

The wire bead ones are quite good if you can tolerate a 2.0".

I've recently puchased a pair of the schwalbe 'e bike' energizer pro tires and they are unfortunately a letdown for the most part. Great rolling resistance, but not enough grip during braking ( then again i am 250lbs ), and real bouncy when road irregularities are hit. Well, that's a 1.75" tire for ya i guess..

Anyway if you are doing 40-45mph, you really need a step above a bicycle tire. You might find a bicycle tire fat enough to get you good grip, but it won't last too long at all. You will also have bad grip at high speeds and during acceleration too. It's just not safe. You need to start thinking about either a motorcycle platform, or going to scooter/motorcycle tires. I ran a 16" motorcycle tire in the rear of my magic pie bike and it was awesome. Felt very confident even at 43mph

 

[KevXR]

Good info on the Park glueless patches. The last glueless patches I used were worthless and I gave up on them. Good idea to buy quality tubes on a heavy bike.

My last 2 flats were at the same time. I ran over blackberry thorns, which are nearly invisible in the tire/tube, but sure let the air within a block, which luckily was at my house. (Someone must have been gardening.) After repairing the tubes, I added Slime.

"Be prepared." One of the best things you will learn in the Boy Scouts. Be innovative is a good idea. I like the idea of using a spoon handle (better) or key (really desperate). Removing a tire really depends on the tire. I've had some that fall off the rim. (Who needs tools?) and some that I would swear have a wire bead a rim size too small. No patch kit, no pump, you are dependant on the kindness of strangers. I stop or ask when I see someone having problems.

 

[EdwardNY]

Wanted to thank everyone for the recommendations.
I also wanted to let everyone know that I bought the CST Cyclops tires and I am very happy with them.

First they were very cheap at around $13 dollars per tire. I have driven with them a few times and must say that they deal with both on road and off road very well. I was able to climb very steep grassy/dirt hills no problem with the tires. I am able to drive over grass at fast speeds without problems. I really do not feel much difference with them compared to my knobby tires off road, however I do not push the bike very very hard off road either. Driving off road was a concern as I like going off road but do not want knobby tires because I drive mostly on pavement and my knobbies wear away very quickly.

I have no way of really testing them out on pavement as both my knobby and the CST cyclops seemed to have no problems with gripping the pavement. I think compared to my knobbies when I brake hard I don't skid nearly as much, so maybe these tires are gripping better. I hope this was the reason and not my brakes as I noticed that It is much harder to skid out when breaking hard on the CST Cyclops on pavement. I can skid out now but I must press the brakes much harder.

Being 2.4" they deal much better with bumps then my 2.1" mountain bike tires.

 

[The fingers]

Those look like great tires, hope they remain such a good deal for when my MTB needs some new ones.

 

[Ykick]

Thanks for your follow up. Too often these questions fade into obscurity with little or no confirmation how it turned out.

CST Cyclops are a great bang for buck in Urban environments. Panaracer 2.3" UfDa's 'good 2nd choice if/when Cyclops are out of stock and/or hard to find.

 

[cal3thousand]

Thanks for your follow up. Too often these questions fade into obscurity with little or no confirmation how it turned out.

CST Cyclops are a great bang for buck in Urban environments. Panaracer 2.3" UfDa's 'good 2nd choice if/when Cyclops are out of stock and/or hard to find.

+1 on the follow up

 

[parajared]

However the Schwalbe marathon mondial is supposed to be one of the best tires you could possibly buy ( in every way ), as stated by many different touring cyclists:

Marathons are pretty awesome: they have a layer of foam in the tire, making them pretty much thorn and glass proof. Longer stuff like nails still gets through though.

I personally love larger tires. I have taken both 1.85s and 2.4 wide tires to 45mph. On wide tires, high speed is nothing (like riding a motorbike) on skinny tires it is a hair raising, butt pucker experience. Going with "normal" tires going fast always seems to tempt a slide-out, thus keeping you on edge all the time; wide tires are the way to go.

 

[shock]

Just ordered a set of Cyclops from amazon. Worth a try for a $13 fat tire! Ill repost back on how I like them.

 

[Suppressivefire]

Any thoughts on a tire that will give a better ride on a hard tail bike on the street but still good off road, I do a lot of mixed riding street/off road.
Edit: also good at high speeds? Not sure if you can get all these traits out of one tire.

 

[RecRider]

Schwalbe across the board makes excellent tires. You need to pick the one that is right for your style of riding. I really like the Big Apple HS430. I love the Kojak 2" very fast and very light but they are completely slick. I've run just about every brand. Specialized "Armadillo" tires tend to be rough riding but durable. The Fatboys are very fast, but very hard and wear out quickly. I'll shoot through a pair in about 800 miles on my regular bike. However at the same mileage the Schwalbe Durano tires look brand new. I really liked the Geax Street Runners, but they flatted almost every ride. The Conti Town and Countries were shot at about 500 miles (sidewall problem). The Conti Sport Contacts are nice riding but not real long lasting.

None of my bikes will take larger than 2.1 so I can't comment on the fat balloon tires, although I'd like to ride them. Maybe someday I'll get a bike that can handle them.

I also almost never go more than 25mph on a downhill. Although occasionally I'll hit 30mph. I would definitely spend the money on good tires if you are going to be running fast. I haven't seen anything from anyone running the Schwalbe Ebike specific tires (Big Apple 430 is supposed to be ebike compliant but not fully approved).

Tires are all about budget, speed, and riding conditions. But having run a lot of different brands I always find myself coming back to a Schwalbe model. Just wish they didn't cost so much.

 

[cal3thousand]

Any thoughts on a tire that will give a better ride on a hard tail bike on the street but still good off road, I do a lot of mixed riding street/off road.
Edit: also good at high speeds? Not sure if you can get all these traits out of one tire.

I bought DMR Motos for this purpose based on previous reviews. I won't be able to give a full recommendation until 2-3 weeks when the bike is completed and I've had time to ride them.

 

[Chalo]

Any thoughts on a tire that will give a better ride on a hard tail bike on the street but still good off road, I do a lot of mixed riding street/off road.
Edit: also good at high speeds? Not sure if you can get all these traits out of one tire.

Depends on what you mean by "off road". A lot of my customers think riding on a granite surfaced bike path is off-roading and thus requires aggressive knobbies, when in reality slicks or near-slicks do just fine for that.

If what you mean by off road is loose rock, mud, sand, soft moist dirt, or other such challenging surfaces, then a good dual-purpose tire for you would be something like the Kenda Small Block 8, or WTB Nanoraptor. If what you mean by off road is a bike path or gravel driveway, then just use a street tire like the CST Cyclops.

The main factors for good ride quality are the size of the tire and the inflation pressure. For best results, use the fattest tire that fits with a little room to spare, and keep the inflation pressure modest. The right pressure depends on the tire width, rim width, gross weight, and anticipated surfaces. For a tire in the 2.3-2.5" range, start with 35psi in front and 40 in the rear and adjust from there according to feel and performance.

All bicycle tires are capable of whatever bicycle-like speeds you can throw at them. Since unpowered bicycles can reach 60mph or more on downhills, think of anything under 60mph as OK. If you use extraneous junk that raises rolling resistance, like tire liners, thick tubes, etc, then it would be a good idea to check tire temperatures periodically during prolonged high speed runs. If your tire does not get uncomfortably warm to keep your hand on, then you are in the clear.

Elevated speed and power make proper inflation pressures more important, so get an idea of what is right for your rig (not just the maximum rating on the tire sidewall), and check tire pressure frequently.

Chalo

 

[EdwardNY]

Any thoughts on a tire that will give a better ride on a hard tail bike on the street but still good off road, I do a lot of mixed riding street/off road.
Edit: also good at high speeds? Not sure if you can get all these traits out of one tire.

I would honestly try out the cyclops. The more I use these tires the more I like them. For $13 a tire you can not go wrong and if you do not like them then just replace them.

Knobby tires are pretty much out if you do lots of street driving. My knobby tires wore away so quickly in the rear with my ebike. I think the added weight, especially when it was on the rear must have really wore them down.

I have been climbing some very steep grassy/dirt hills with these things and they don't slip. Also been doing lots of grass driving lately since I moved my batteries to the milddle and made sure everything was tight on my bike and the Cyclops seem to hold up perfect. I have yet to feel these tires slip out.

At speed, my bike can only hit 30MPH right now, the bike is perfectly smooth. I think like someone said these 2.4" fat tires really make a difference. They are big, but that is good. I have been jumping curbs all the time and feel it much less than with my 2.1" knobby tires.

If your doing only off road then knobby tires would be the way to go, but if your doing street than knobby tires are a bad idea because they are expensive and wear away too quickly.