Purchasing advice for new puncture proof heavy CARGO HEAVY duty ebike tires

[MarkJohnston]

Hello

I am really stuck trying to purchase a new pair of tires for my ebike. I have spent hours researching and I think I've settled for a model. But before I spend the money and can't return the item I would like your guys advice

I am using just standard 26x 2 inch tires on my ebike. However I have been getting tons of flats. I would like to point out that I've owned 12 different bicycles including this ebike and I've always gotten flat after flat. I've used tire liners and slime to no avail, often those two products creating additional problems and not solving the flat issue.

It's been a toss up for me between the Kenda kwick drumlin, and the schwalbe marathon plus, Im gonna go with the marathon plus because Kenda is kind of a cheapo name brand and the marathon has so many reveiws and raves. SCHWALBE aslo had the pick up which uses a double carcass with an EPI OF 67 vs just the one but no kevlar belts in between. I also load up my rear tire with tons of weight so I've got a ton more weight that needs to be supported so maybe the cargo pick up would be better. What do you guys recommend?

More problems arise here because I've been using these 26 x 2 inch tires on my bike but I have no idea what the official ISO number is for the ebike hub motor. It's a cheap Chinese kit that came with a cheap crappy tire that was super narrow and blew out and off thankfully at low speeds. The tires I have on right now were salvage but they BALOON past the rim which is heard is never good. These rims are quite narrow.

The front rim is 19 mm inner bead width

The rear hub motor is 19 mm or 17 mm inner bead width. I'm thinking it's 19. It's a narrow rim for sure

Tire seems too big to be on such a wheel. The wheel corners ok I suppose but will wash out in the rain. That's already happened a couple times and I've done a 360 donut in the middle of the road. I think it's just the cheap old rubber compound..did I mention these tires were sitting out side in the sun for 4 years?

I've heard about tire slop when you put too big of tires in a narrow rim. I'm thinking I can see that because when I put on gloves I can actually move the fully inflated tire SIDE TO SIDE a little bit with my hands. The sidewalls of the tires aren't parallel with the sides of the rims. I've got pictures of the balloon tires on there right now.. the tires have a bit of wobble to them too when not under load but some tires do naturally have wobble as I heard from a mechanic.

What size of tire should I get ? Stick with the 2 inches because you get more rubber compound between you and the ground? Also that these tires are designed and specced to be run at lower pressures for more comfort i.e. max pressure 70 PSI VS for a 2.0 vs a max of 95 PSI for a 1.5? Im assuming the 1.5 would be EVEN MORE PUNCTURE RESISTANT with that High pressure. But I've been doing ok with 60 PSI and huge knobs to protect me lately.

In conclusion this is all pretty complicated. Tons of models and the worst part is I don't even know the ISO of my wheels. This is a franken ebike I'm afraid. What do you guys think is best? A double carcass wheel or one with 5 mm center foam and runner section. I've heard that the foam can shift on the tire either from bad quality control or from heat and friction perhaps? Or perhaps not? I've attached some pics hopefully helps you understand this wall of text.

 

[amberwolf]

I am really stuck trying to purchase a new pair of tires for my ebike. I have spent hours researching and I think I've settled for a model. But before I spend the money and can't return the item I would like your guys advice

I am using just standard 26x 2 inch tires on my ebike. However I have been getting tons of flats. I would like to point out that I've owned 12 different bicycles including this ebike and I've always gotten flat after flat. I've used tire liners and slime to no avail, often those two products creating additional problems and not solving the flat issue.

Just to note, there is no such thing as "puncture proof", as you ask for in your thread title, unless you use solid non-pneumatic tires, which generally suck, especially for cargo use, for a bunch of reasons. Even then, it's not puncture proof, it just doesn't matter that it's punctured because it's not a single air chamber (it's thousands or millions of them, as a foam core).


If you want a lot of useful information, there are LOTS of threads and posts discussing this particular problem, with many different solutions, each of which is applicable to a specific range of usages. You'd have to decide for yourself whcih ones you can use.


First, since you have "always" gotten flats, you need to analyze what all those flats are from, and note them down into categories. Different flats have different solutions.

Some of those solutions have to be avoidance of the situation that caused them, because there isn't a practical usable solution otherwise, for some bikes or users / usages. Like, if you ride thru areas you know are full of nails, well, just don't do that. Sometimes you can ride thru the area but just always be slow and observant and avoid the pokey bits.

Flats in front and those in back may have different causes, and also different solutions.

If you post your list of flats and situations, and your riding style, terrain, etc., it will help us help you more directly instead of us just each listing the solutions that worked for us in our situations, none of which might be applicable to yours.

My personal "final" solution, when using bicycle tires, has been one of two things (or both):

--use old smooth-tread tire (with it's bead removed and edges sanded down to prevent damage to the tube) as a liner between tube and tire, and use a Slime (or other) anti-puncture liner between the two tires.

-- use old thick tube (with it's valve stem area removed, and circumferentially slit along the inner seam, then wrapped around the actual in-use tube) as a liner between tube and tire, and use a Slime (or other) anti-puncture liner between the outer tube and the tire.

In both cases, using the thickest CST-manufactured tubes I can find, and using the CST City 26" tire (which is slick in the middle, knobby on the edges--I'd skip the knobs but they don't come any other way, and I ahven't found a better grip tire other than the no-longer-made CST General whcih was smooth all over).

This is what I use on both the SB Cruiser trike and had used on the CrazyBike2 when it was still operational and in-use. Only flats I get on this tire setup is if I let things deflate enough that the valve stem gets yanked and ripped, and that hasnt' happened in years. Even letting the tire wear down to the threads inside isn't an issue with the tire-inside-tire version (and not much of one with the tube-inside-tube).

The catch with both versions is that there is more weight, and more rolling resistance, and less bump compliance, so you get a harsher ride.

The good thing is that there is more rubber between the air inside your tube and the pointy crap on the road, so it's less likely for the one to help the other escape.



The other solution, for my 20" rear wheels on both trike and bike, has been to use a motorcycle / moped tire and tube (because a 20" bicycle wheel works, more or less, with a 16" MC/MP tire/tube). This works even better than the tire-in-tire or tube-in-tube; it's much thicker, and it's simpler, but it is several times heavier and has more rolling resistance. If I needed to I could use the same tube/tube or tire/tire method on these, but it hasn't been necessary.


I have also used one of the tires that has a built-in liner/pad, and while I didn't get puncture flats with it, it had so little grip (partly because of too hard a compound) that I couldn't corner safely on it except at very low (less than walking) speeds, and braking was GREATLY diminished, much much longer stopping distances. Not safe in the traffic around here, so after they wore out I never tried them again. I can't remember what the brand/model was, but I think they were Schwalbe? Possibly marathons, but that doesn't sound right. They did make great liners inside other tires afterward, though.

More problems arise here because I've been using these 26 x 2 inch tires on my bike but I have no idea what the official ISO number is for the ebike hub motor. It's a cheap Chinese kit that came with a cheap crappy tire that was super narrow and blew out and off thankfully at low speeds. The tires I have on right now were salvage but they BALOON past the rim which is heard is never good. These rims are quite narrow.

Well, the motor itself doesn't have anything to do with the tire size. It's only the rim itself. The only rim you show markings of show it is a 26" 599-19, so that's the only one you know which tire size to use, unless other rims also have markings. If you measure the other rims and they are identical to this one, then you can use the same size tires on them.

However, if the tire goes on your rim normally, and doesn't come off when inflated, and isn't hard to install, it's the right diameter for the bead.

Width, well that depends partly on what you want out of it. If you install a tire that's too wide for the rim, it may not seat the bead properly; also your risk of pinch flats increases (if you aren't airing them up to full pressure, and/or your load is too heavy for their weight capacity, so they squish down so much that when you hit bumps or potholes/etc the tube inside gets pinched between the tire and the rim hard enough to cut it).

The wider the tire the more air it can hold, so it can give a better ride, but it may also squish more and deform more and cause more resistance to rolling along.

If the rim isn't wide enough for the tire, it also curves the tread surface more than it would for the right width rim for that tire, and leaves you with less tread in contact with the ground (assuming proper inflation for the weight on the tire). That means less braking force before you skid the tire, though you may get more traction in a turn because you may have more tread in contact with the ground at an angle depending on the specific tire design).

The other problem is fit within your frame / fork. If its' too wide, it will rub on the fork or frame when properly inflated, especially with knobbies.

If you really want big wide tires you could change your rims to a wider size; you'll probably end up needing new spokes to go with the new rims.

Tire seems too big to be on such a wheel. The wheel corners ok I suppose but will wash out in the rain. That's already happened a couple times and I've done a 360 donut in the middle of the road. I think it's just the cheap old rubber compound..did I mention these tires were sitting out side in the sun for 4 years?

You've also got knobbies on there, which won't give you as good a traction on a regular road surface as more continuous-surfaced tire would. If you have trouble cornering, it can be because of only having one or two knob tips in contact with the ground, and if one slips down you go.

Softer compounds will grip better, but they are also less puncture resistant and they wear out faster.

You have to choose which functions are more important to you, and compromise on the others.

What size of tire should I get ? Stick with the 2 inches because you get more rubber compound between you and the ground? Also that these tires are designed and specced to be run at lower pressures for more comfort i.e. max pressure 70 PSI VS for a 2.0 vs a max of 95 PSI for a 1.5? Im assuming the 1.5 would be EVEN MORE PUNCTURE RESISTANT with that High pressure. But I've been doing ok with 60 PSI and huge knobs to protect me lately.

The knobs are just keeping the tire itself off the road; using tires as thick as the knobs would do the same thing but give you better traction and a less vibratey ride on a normal road.

Tire width doesn't put more rubber compound (meaning surface thickness?) between you and the ground, only tire thickness does that, and that is not necessarily related to any other feature of a tire. It may not even be stated by the manufacturer, and is something you may have to measure yourself with the tire in hand.

 

[MarkJohnston]

Ok but in my experience trying to fit on tire liners is impossible. I hate them because it's impossible to know whether they are centered correctly with the tire. I HAVE HAD them before and I STILL KEPT GETTING FLATS. I can't imagine trying to use an old rubber inner tube. That sounds impossible to get right. Slime ? I've used it ( AUTOMOTIVE VERSION) and half the time it doesn't work and instead when glass goes through GREEN GOO GEYSERS EVERYWHERE!!!!

Before I was getting slow phantom flats, i.e. nothing poking out of the tire, no spokes sticking out, nothing. I was going through a tube a day. These days( new tires) the kinds of flats I get are mostly related to teeny tiny peices of glass working their way through and then disappearing, leaving me with no culprit.

Did I mention I carry everything in two rear pannier bags? It's 50 lbs of cargo (2 x 52v x20 amp batteries) and it's so heavy the M4 eyelet rack mount points have all been stripped. Sooner or later those bolts are going to sheer off completely. Me thinks they're too tiny and should be an M5 OR M6 and steel not aluminum, the rack mounts on the bike. Anyways my point is that this weight wears out the REAR TIRE significantly faster and I NEED tires designed to withstand that. I've already sunk $400 into the bags and tubus rack so I can't change the design at this point. I ride fast too sometimes hitting 40 mph on big hills, I need premium tires on this girl.ivec had two blow outs before.

So, I'm going to splurge on a new set of tires, as much as it makes me cry to spend the money. Just wondering what I should get. I understand not any air tire is puncture proof, but I just want as damn close to that as possible is all. Reading the reveiws online for the schwalbe marathons looks good. Thanks for your help

 

[Chalo]

There are many different kinds of Schwalbe Marathons. The Marathon Plus is the one of interest for you. Also Schwalbe Pick-up.

Kenda Kwick Drumlin has protection on a par with Marathon Plus. So does Panaracer Tour Plus.

 

[amberwolf]

Ok but in my experience trying to fit on tire liners is impossible. I hate them because it's impossible to know whether they are centered correctly with the tire. I HAVE HAD them before and I STILL KEPT GETTING FLATS. I can't imagine trying to use an old rubber inner tube. That sounds impossible to get right.

It's much simpler to use old tubes than tire liners. They just slip right on the new tube (partially inflated first to give it shape), and stay right where they should as you put them into the tire.

Old tires (minus beads) as liners are just as simple.

Neither one is as likely to deflect long pointy things as a liner but they do add distance between the pointy things and the air in the tube, which can stop things that long, at least. But neither one is as likely to cut into your tube as a liner, so there's that.

The tire liners between the actual tire and the tube or tire used as a protective liner are not going to stay in place any better than usual, especially if the inflation pressure is allowed to vary or is ever low. But even if the liner migrates into a sidewinder squiggle instead of a centered strip, it's still protecting the parts of the insides where it intersects the tread area. So as long as it can't damage the tube, it's still useful, if not perfectly so.

But you don't ahve to use the tire liners for the extra layers of rubber from old tires and/or old tubes from helping (by putting more distance between the pokey stuff and the air inside the tube).

Before I was getting slow phantom flats, i.e. nothing poking out of the tire, no spokes sticking out, nothing. I was going through a tube a day. These days( new tires) the kinds of flats I get are mostly related to teeny tiny peices of glass working their way through and then disappearing, leaving me with no culprit.

Phantom flats are often caused by crappy tubes with valve stem leaks. Either the valve core, or more likely by the rubber separating from the metal stem. If you're certain it's not that, by doing a soapy-water-bubble test on the inflated tube to find the hole(s), you can examine the holes with at least some magnification in very good light to help determine the cause even if there is no culprit left behind. Bits of steel wire from steel-belted tires that have failed on-road are one common cause, though these are usually still in the tire after the flat occurs--even if not, the holes left are almost always just pinholes, or sometimes short tears parallel to the spin direction. Glass is another; these commonly leave cuts rather than holes.

Did I mention I carry everything in two rear pannier bags? It's 50 lbs of cargo (2 x 52v x20 amp batteries) and it's so heavy the M4 eyelet rack mount points have all been stripped. Sooner or later those bolts are going to sheer off completely. Me thinks they're too tiny and should be an M5 OR M6 and steel not aluminum, the rack mounts on the bike.

For that kind of load, I'd recommend not using just a regular rack mounting system, even the ones "built" for it, and the standard mounting points, because these ratings appear (based on my experiences so far) to be for static loads, not the dynamic loading actually experienced while riding. That dynamic loading could be several times the "real" static load, and cause a failure at whatever the weak point is.

If the frame itself is sturdy enough, for both the rack and the bike, you can design and make (even if you have to use hand tools) mounting blocks that clamp the rack to the bike at the necessary points. You can use blocks of aluminum for it, or steel, and if you have some money to throw at it you could have them machined for you by places that do that for a living; if not then you can do it by hand (it will take a while ). It doesn't have to change the basic rack design, but it can reinforce the connection points between rack and bike.

I've built a lot of racks and panniers and other cargo systems in my lifetime, and abused them all past their limits, discovering new ways things can fail, and been surprised by a few of them. But the main failures are where stuff connects together, usually because of bending in the *sideways* direction where they aren't triangulated or intended to flex...but where everything there is guaranteed to flex just from pedalling a bicycle down the road (tail-wagging).

If the rack or bike exhibits twisting or flexing under the loaded conditions, you may be able to add triangulation to the necessary parts to help prevent that, so it doesn't stress the actual framework or it's joints, which can cause frame failure, which could be pretty catastrophic during a ride.

Anyways my point is that this weight wears out the REAR TIRE significantly faster and I NEED tires designed to withstand that. I've already sunk $400 into the bags and tubus rack so I can't change the design at this point. I ride fast too sometimes hitting 40 mph on big hills, I need premium tires on this girl.ivec had two blow outs before.

I do cargo hauling with much heavier loads, including live cargo that can't handle sitting in the 120F+ roadside heat while I fix a flat, so I understand your problem.

From what information you've provided, you need a (rear, at least) tire that is designed to handle your (unspecified) weight, plus at least 100lbs for the batteries, plus the weight of the rack, bags, and back end of the bike including the motor/etc. So to help you pick the right tire, you should not consider any tire that doesn't provide a weight rating *at least* this high. If it doens't have a weight rating, don't use it at all, as you can't even guess if it will do what you want.

It also needs to have a speed rating of at least 40mph at that weight, meaning that it can handle the heating that will occur at that speed under that kind of load. If it doesnt' have this, don't use it at all, as again you can't guess if it will do what you want.

If you have a tire with a built-in liner or non-rubber core, it is possible for delamination of the structure to occur under heating and deformation from high speeds and high loads (it can even happen to the rubber layers, and between the rubber and the internal cloth reinforcement structure, but that's less likely than with the dissimilar densities of and harder-to-bond-together materials of liners and rubbers).


If a tire doesn't specify that it is multi-ply (or specifies that it is single-ply) then you probably don't want to use that, either, as it isn't as strong under adverse conditions and can more easily fail in a blowout fashion; a multi-layer carcass will typically have different "grain directions" of the reinforcement inside and these won't usually all fail at once. Unless it's a sudden slash all the way thru all the layers, you will typically be able to see (or feel via vibrations or imbalance) an impending failure and either stop and get a ride, or limp at low speed to a place you can replace the tire. A single-ply tire that gets cut by glass, etc. may not have enough integrity under severe conditions (high loads at high speeds) to have time to give you any warning....

You'll also want a tire that is as thick as possible all along the tread surface. If you ever experience sidewall failures or punctures in the tubes that are anywhere other than the tread-area surfaces, you also want thick sidewalls on the tires. If you don't know what the worst-case length of debris is that has caused your punctures previously, you won't be able to do more than guess at what thickness of rubber you need, so for that case, simply get the very thickest tire you can and hope for the best. (not an approach I recommend, but sometimes there isnt' any better one)


I don't know if there are any bicycle tires that do everything you may need them to do, by themselves.




Some additional information you may want to consider:

For me, the first thing in flat prevention is to not depend solely on the tire and/or tube to prevent the failure.

Beyond the choice of tire itself, first thing is to always change tires out when you start to notice significant wear. If it's wearing visibly, it's also thinning out, which means less rubber between the pokey bits and the air in the tube, and also less support to restrain the air inside the tube, so a cut-type of puncture can turn into a tear which turns into a blowout, possibly nearly instantly.

Next is that if there are specific roads or areas you travel that you see more failures than others, do anything you can to not ride there. It won't matter what you have on your wheels if there's always stuff there to damage them, and even if one piece doesn't puncture your tire, it will damage the tire a little, and the next hit in the same area does more, and so on, untill either the damages connect and catastrophically fail (blowout) or it just chips away at the tire surface until it's too thin to stop the next one from cutting into the tube itself.

Sometimes you simply cant avoid going thru a certain area. When you can't, then if it's possible, slow down there, so that you can clearly see what's ahead of you and avoid the worst of it, and at worst you'll be going slower when something does fail, and possibly be hurt less.

 

[MarkJohnston]

Thanks wolf, very informative and comprehensive.

I'm thinking these

https://www.schwalbetires.com/bike_tires/road_tires/Marathon_Plus_HS440

Or these

https://www.schwalbetires.com/bike_tires/road_tires/pick-up

The marathons have a pretty high load limit and are rated to high speeds

The pick up model is new and I talked to a local bike mechanic about them the other day. He says they are all on his rental fleet of ebikes and he has yet to go to an emergency repair on one of those bikes. The only problem is I need it in 2.0 not 2.15. I'm already stretching the limits of what these narrow rims can take. MY FRAME definitely has the clearance but damn... I just don't want to wipe out on a turn at 40 mph due to wheel slop. I guess I could always slow down but there are mountain roads out here with asshole drivers on them wanting to push fast.

The pick ups are a double carcass whereas the marathons just have a 5mm thick built in center for puncture protection schwalbe says both provide optional durability and puncture protection. Level 7 the highest they offer.

Now I just need to pick a model....

 

[Chalo]

The only problem is I need it in 2.0 not 2.15. I'm already stretching the limits of what these narrow rims can take. MY FRAME definitely has the clearance but damn... I just don't want to wipe out on a turn at 40 mph due to wheel slop.

You're overthinking it. We used to fit 26 x 2.5" tires on 20mm wide rims because that's what we had. You just have to use enough pressure to keep them stable.

 

[MarkJohnston]

Do you mean pump them up to the highest pressure as listed per the specifications or do you mean pumping them up beyond what the tire manufacturer specifies?

 

[motomech]

Although they be a little difficult to find, Kenda (A quality brand, BTW) make extra thick tubes that are the best I've used.
With the thick tread of "flat-resistant" tires, combined the thick tubes, the bike starts to get a little "squirrely" as they start to roll around on all that rubber.
Still, it's better than getting flats.

 

[Chalo]

Do you mean pump them up to the highest pressure as listed per the specifications or do you mean pumping them up beyond what the tire manufacturer specifies?

Neither. You figure out what pressure makes them feel squirmy, and keep them higher than that. I doubt you'll encounter any such problem. How wide are your rims?

I had the regular casing, non "cargo" version of the Kenda Kwick Drumlin on the rear of my cargo bike, and it felt squiggly as motomech describes. More or less pressure didn't help. Now I have another armored Kenda tire on there (one that came off a Jump bike wheel), and it rides great at whatever pressure. The front tire is a Kwick Drumlin Cargo, and both the tires of my other e-bike are Kwick Drumlins, so it's not strictly a fault of the tire. Nor was it the rim size, because the squiggly tire was a 26 x 2" fitted on a 31mm wide rim.

The only times you need to be sure to use a wide rim are when you want to use low tire pressures, like much lower than the recommended range.

 

[neptronix]

I've written pages about this problem. Here's my answer:

16" scooter/light motorcycle tire fits a 20" bike rim and comes out to 21" in reality.
18" scooter/light motorcycle tire fits a 22" bike rim and comes out to 23" in reality.
For both sizes, you can get tires ranging from 2.25-2.5" width, which will clear a bike chainstays if you're okay with losing a gear or two. ( OK to do on an electric bike )

The thickest ebike tire i've measured only has 7mm of rubber. That was one of schwalbe's top end products.
scooter/moped/light motorcycle tires range from having 7mm to 15mm of rubber. Weight ranges from 3lbs to 5lbs.

The max length on a typical goathead or tack is about 10mm.
Guess which tire is going to roll over the things that cause 99% of bike tire flats.. yea..

With a motorcycle tire, you trade the stupidest kinds of punctures for increased rolling resistance and less efficiency. If you have frequent punctures ( i get one with every ride! ), the tradeoff is totally worth it. You also get added riding comfort from all the extra rubber.

 

[99t4]

I'm already stretching the limits of what these narrow rims can take. MY FRAME definitely has the clearance but damn... I just don't want to wipe out on a turn at 40 mph due to wheel slop.

You're overthinking this (as Chalo told you) and/or misinformed.

Myths Debunked: Wide Tires DON’T Need Wide Rims
https://www.renehersecycles.com/myth-18-wide-tires-need-wide-rims/

 

[MarkJohnston]

Thanks for your responses.

I am running 26 inch tires on here. The rims are 19 mm wide. I don't think I could fit a moped tire on here because as far as I know they don't come in that size as well as they'd be too wide for the frame and if not they would require a disc brake to engage them, and my frame isn't set up for disc brakes. So this would be something I will think about with my next ebike very carefully.

I guess maybe I am overthinking it. I'm thinking im going for the schwalbe cargo pick up especially for the rear. Maybe I'll have a different tire in the front to increase breaking traction , since the front break tends to have all the power. That is if these tires do truly lack grip.

Also if something VERY LARGE punctures a tire it is a lot easier to PATCH the puncture with THE WHEEL MOUNTED because you can see exactly where the hole is. I have these little patch stickers which work great for this. My patch kit glues are always drying. I'm hoping that these new tires will stop 90% of the little glass bits and crap that keep cutting through

 

[MarkJohnston]

I'm already stretching the limits of what these narrow rims can take. MY FRAME definitely has the clearance but damn... I just don't want to wipe out on a turn at 40 mph due to wheel slop.

You're overthinking this (as Chalo told you) and/or misinformed.

Myths Debunked: Wide Tires DON’T Need Wide Rims
https://www.renehersecycles.com/myth-18-wide-tires-need-wide-rims/

Yeah I'm probably overthinking it, I'm definitely not misinformed. I read that article along with many others before posting here on the sphere :wink: that guy is referring to only supple tires which these ones I'm buying are ANYTHING BUT supple with their 7mm thickness and EPI OF 67 :lol:

 

[MarkJohnston]

Purchased 2x schwalbe pick ups. $118 including tax and fed ex ground. Thread closed.

 

[amberwolf]

Purchased and sold 2x schwalbe pick ups. $118 including tax and fed ex ground. Thread closed.

Perhaps the wording is not as-intended above, and I'm just confused by that, but I don't get why you would buy and then sell the tires within hours--did you get them, try them, and they not work out?

 

[99t4]

Thread closed.

Please consider updating this thread with your observations and experiences with these (relatively) new tire line. So that we may learn about them. I haven't seen any other reports on them yet.

 

[MarkJohnston]

It's just the wording, sorry. Yeah I will let you guys know after I've thoroughly tested them.

 

[MarkJohnston]

I had one more question. The inner tubes I'm using right now max out at 2.125. these new tires are 2.15. am I going to be risking a blowout with a few mm less than recommended. Especially at such high speeds on the downhill.one of my tubes is a brand new Kenda butyl. Kind of thin though.

I tend to ride this bike like a car where I can, i.e. there's a big hill near where I live that's speed limit is 40 mph. I can hit that on the downhill. I am well aware where you ride means whether or not you will get a flat tire, and even the best tires can't protect you from all punctures. The glass and debris tends to wind up in the gutter and bike lane(sidewalk too lots of bums smashing bottles, drunk people tossing glass bottles out their windows). The cars tires tend to kick up all the debris into those areas and it builds up because cities never street sweep. The added benefit of riding in the road is you get way better visibility. Too bad drivers are assholes and don't want to share the road. It's like " dude! You have three whole lanes! Why do you need to be in the right lane? You aren't even turning!"

Of course going uphill it's impossible for this thing to keep up with a car. It's a gearless direct drive hub motor but damn can I kill it on the flats!!! That's where I shine. Pretty flat everywhere here. I just hate the assholes around :x

 

[Chalo]

I had one more question. The inner tubes I'm using right now max out at 2.125. these new tires are 2.15. am I going to be risking a blowout with a few mm less than recommended.

No! They're friggin balloons! Take one and inflate it outside a tire until it bursts. That's the way to know how much it has to stretch before it ruptures.

That said, I like to use the largest tube that fits into a tire without wrinkling. That way it's minimally stretched and a little harder to puncture in service.

 

[MarkJohnston]

Hehe, yeah I've done that before. alright I guess it's really a teeny tiny bit of stretch. Maybe I am overthinking everything about this

 

[neptronix]

I am running 26 inch tires on here. The rims are 19 mm wide. I don't think I could fit a moped tire on here because as far as I know they don't come in that size as well as they'd be too wide for the frame and if not they would require a disc brake to engage them, and my frame isn't set up for disc brakes. So this would be something I will think about with my next ebike very carefully.

19mm internal rim width is a bit narrow and you'll probably want to stay below 2 inch tires. Otherwise you start fighting tire flex around turns, which gets worse as the speed increases.

I guess maybe I am overthinking it. I'm thinking im going for the schwalbe cargo pick up especially for the rear. Maybe I'll have a different tire in the front to increase breaking traction , since the front break tends to have all the power. That is if these tires do truly lack grip.

I did look at the schwalbe pick ups.. not much better than the marathon plus ( still a sad 7mm total rubber ).. but may have a different rubber compound that's harder, which would help prevent flats in itself.

Let us know how it goes.

 

[MarkJohnston]

Yeah I just got the tires. Kind of looks pathetic. you're right only 7mm of protection. I guess we'll see if they have any special proprietary material science.

I on the other note I learned how to patch a tire WITH THE tire ON today however I used parktools glueless patches and... They are awful. They only held air for a little bit. But this little trick SAVES A TON Of time if you do every get a flat. Because instead of a whole disassembly regiment.

 

[Chalo]

I on the other note I learned how to patch a tire WITH THE tire ON today however I used parktools glueless patches and... They are awful. They only held air for a little bit. But this little trick SAVES A TON Of time if you do every get a flat. Because instead of a whole disassembly regiment.

That's a "Dutch style" flat fix, and it's a useful technique to have available.

https://bicycledutch.wordpress.com/2016/03/15/dutch-style-puncture-repair/

But please please don't use the dumb sticker patches. They don't work well or for very long. Save time with a Dutch fix, but use a real patch kit including the sandpaper.

Despite Nep's fixation on tire thickness, it's only one factor in flat prevention. High strength textile belts, breaker belts of non-grippy rubber, and multi-layered high denier casing plies can all make a thinner armored bicycle tire more protective than a moped tire with a thicker wall of only tread rubber (which grabs and holds sharp objects) and low thread count fabric casing (which allows easy passage of thin pointy things).

In many thousands of miles on multiple bikes, the only thing that got through my Kenda Kwick Drumlins was a single nail that also poked holes through the inner wall of the bike's rim. I don't think heavy slow moto tires would have helped in that case.

 

[calab]

The hardest part is trying to find the hole.
Been having a spout of flats myself as of late.
First it was a staple