Swalbe cargo e pick up 26 x 2.15 559 x 55

[MarkJohnston]

Hello

I just bought the swalbe marathon pick up built for electric bikes with heavy cargo FOR $118 A SET. I have put 500 miles on the tires so far and will update This thread with time.

The tires I bought direct from swalbes website because I don't trust Amazon with the shipping nor do I condone slave labor and there's always the possibility that the item could be counterfeit on Amazon. They came amazingly well shipped.

Installation was tough on my narrow 19mm rims. I recommend tire levers if you are alone like me.(dont use a screw driver!) But once I got them and pumped them up to their max pressure of 65 PSI, THEY looked great and very solid. Perfect.

They handle extremely well. They are very shock absorbent. SUPER SMOOTH. I take turns fast and they hold very well. They seem to be very tough considering I haven't gotten a flat yet, but was getting flats everyday with my worn out cheap Chinese tubes n tires ( never will I buy a cheap tire again ) I have an extremely thick thorn resistant sunlite tube (pictured below) I will never use tire liners they suck. I also carry fifty pounds of cargos in rear panniers and the tires aren't showing wear from all the weight, very sturdy. Tons of weight on my rear wheel. I also ride as much as possible in the road but have hit a couple glass piles on the sidewalk. I have not gotten a flat. Only time will tell once these start to wear more if they TRULY ARE HEAVY DUTY. So far so good. ITS ALMOST goat head season here. That will be the true test.

P.s. A local mechanic told me he has these all on his fleet of electric bike rentals. No flats so far. I hate flats.



Tldr: buy a quality tire set and buy an expensive $20 tube you will get 97% less flats with these. Tested 500 miles. Some dirt, some side walk, mostly road and highways. Only time will tell once these start to wear more if they TRULY ARE HEAVY DUTY. So far so good. I hate flats.

Update!: My rim is cracked and its possibly due to the fact that these are ultra ride 55 mm and my rims are narrow narrow at 19mm. Swalbe recommends a wider rim for these. Keep that in mind. Once a hub motor rim goes it's super difficult to rebuild.

UPDATE: be careful about buying these with narrow rims. I'm having a really difficult time getting the bead to seat now and I'm not sure why. Follow swalbea recommendation and don't use this model of tire with anything less than 25mm rims. Just not wortg it.

 

[99t4]

Very Good. Thank You a lot. Glad that they are helping you run flat-free. I will probably try a set of these when comes time. Only wonder about traction in the wet.

Do you really use a churchkey for a tire lever? :lol:

 

[MarkJohnston]

Very Good. Thank You a lot. Glad that they are helping you run flat-free. I will probably try a set of these when comes time. Only wonder about traction in the wet.

Do you really use a churchkey for a tire lever? :lol:

I did and it worked. Its a paint can opener free at any paint store. I no longer use them and have since bought cheap motorcycle tire leavers in fear of damaging rim or slicing inner tube

 

[MarkJohnston]

Traction is good but not great.

 

[calab]

Swalbe is good with their rating system.

Thorn Proof tubes are great, I have two that got sliced on the valve that I will end up using as a tire liner.
Never heard of Sunlite's THORN PROOF tubes, but Kenda sells THORN PROOF tubes.

I find the biggest problem having a front hub motor is its hard to not lose rubber, doing various slow-speed manuevers, or moving from a stop on anything loose, or going up a hill I was slinging rocks for a 100' stretch scaring the casuals at the top :lol: its a hill that you need to be in the right gear two times only and going the right speed (as fast as possible), S-turn goes from 5% to 20% but short run, fun run, but short and have to do it when no ones on it but full view from the bottom, then a nice smoking area bench at the top if you know what I mean
A way around the high burn count of the bicycle tread, solution = motorcycle or moped tires :thumb:

 

[MarkJohnston]

Swalbe is good with their rating system.

Thorn Proof tubes are great, I have two that got sliced on the valve that I will end up using as a tire liner.
Never heard of Sunlite's THORN PROOF tubes, but Kenda sells THORN PROOF tubes.

I find the biggest problem having a front hub motor is its hard to not lose rubber, doing various slow-speed manuevers, or moving from a stop on anything loose, or going up a hill I was slinging rocks for a 100' stretch scaring the casuals at the top :lol: its a hill that you need to be in the right gear two times only and going the right speed (as fast as possible), S-turn goes from 5% to 20% but short run, fun run, but short and have to do it when no ones on it but full view from the bottom, then a nice smoking area bench at the top if you know what I mean
A way around the high burn count of the bicycle tread, solution = motorcycle or moped tires :thumb:

Yeah my motor is too low of torque to worry about that. The weight was what was killing cheap tires

 

[calab]

With front hubs, there is not much weight on the front to help move you.
The hub spins the wheel and you lose rubber in various formats as I listed, will list another common one.
Slight sand over asphalt, getting going from a stop = lose rubber on tire. How much rubber I do not know, but every single wheel I find littered, I take the tire off, if the rims good I take the rim too, maybe even the gears if rear.

 

[MarkJohnston]

With front hubs, there is not much weight on the front to help move you.
The hub spins the wheel and you lose rubber in various formats as I listed, will list another common one.
Slight sand over asphalt, getting going from a stop = lose rubber on tire. How much rubber I do not know, but every single wheel I find littered, I take the tire off, if the rims good I take the rim too, maybe even the gears if rear.

Yeah I know front hubs my guy. You have to cut the motor on turns on wet other wise you you spin out. Also I had 5 frontal impacts with objects or cars and ended up destroying all five wheels. One of those was my old front hub motor.

 

[motomech]

I've run that combo, also the even thicker Kenda tubes. There is a noticeable feeling of all that rubber rolling around on the rims. Just the feeling, no handling problems. Still got a goat's head flat every now and then.
We are all using lubricant (soapy water) when mounting tires, right?

 

[MarkJohnston]

We are all using lubricant (soapy water) when mounting tires, right?

Motorcycle Tire irons

 

[calab]

Isnt that what its all about, how things feel and sound. The guy in the split rim thread talks about not being able to see the pads or whatever, and I am like you just go by feel but I never posted it. If you ride a lot, you become acquainted quite well with how your ebike feels and sounds. I had quite the scare yesterday, a big hose clamp around a battery, the clamp got loose and fell down to the bb to rub on the rear wheel, no aimlessly ignoring that huh.

Just the feeling, no handling problems.

 

[E-HP]

We are all using lubricant (soapy water) when mounting tires, right?

Had to the time I mounted a pair of Crazy Bobs. The beads wouldn't seat after several tries, and even with soapy water took a while, reinflating and deflating and twisting the tire, but finally over inflated them enough that they popped into place. Sounded like when you get car tires replaced, when the bead seats when inflated.

 

[MarkJohnston]

I was actually able to get them on second time round a bit easier. No levers necessary, just used them as third and fourth hands Maybe the tire has a memory. I lowered PSI down to 55-57. Just too much weight and rims getting tortured. I keep looking back to see if I have a flat, that's how soft and cushy these feel.

 

[MarkJohnston]

Update: I'm having a really difficult time seating the bead on these. It's nearly impossible. I may have screwed up buying these because it's a possibility that the Chinese rim is just not up to international specifications. All the more reason to rebuild my old wheel and learn wheel truing and building.

Check out the picture below to see the low spot where the white reflective line dips down. The damn bead just won't seat.

My wheel is out of true on a brand new rim and there's that weird dip in the tire. Buying all this new expensive gear is just creating more problems rather then solving them.

 

[None]

Narrow rims can be difficult to fit wider tires.
Try inflate the tires to single digit, 5-6 psi to seat the beads by hand.
Once the beats are seated properly, then inflate to full tire pressure.

 

[MarkJohnston]

Narrow rims can be difficult to fit wider tires.
Try inflate the tires to single digit, 5-6 psi to seat the beads by hand.
Once the beats are seated properly, then inflate to full tire pressure.

Yeah it doesn't work. You pull on one side and it messes up the other. Ive tried everything. I need to get tire pliers next

 

[electric_nz]

I had a hard time getting some Big Apple beads to seat- exact same issue you’re having. With the bike upside down, I pumped up to 50 which did nothing. Eventually put soapy water on the bead, lowered the pressure right down and sort of vigorously massaged the tyre from side to side and around the wheel, then gradually inflated it while centering it as I went - then it just sort of popped in place and has been fine since

 

[MarkJohnston]

I had a hard time getting some Big Apple beads to seat- exact same issue you’re having. With the bike upside down, I pumped up to 50 which did nothing. Eventually put soapy water on the bead, lowered the pressure right down and sort of vigorously massaged the tyre from side to side and around the wheel, then gradually inflated it while centering it as I went - then it just sort of popped in place and has been fine since

I tried that and it didn't work. It kind of worked but I still have a huge low spot. My rims aren't out of true my tire is all wobbly and horrible on there

 

[MarkJohnston]

I'm trying to get the low spot out but it's not working.

What's the technique?

 

[2old]

Try putting soap suds on the sidewall and inflate to maybe 60 psi CAREFULLY (maybe with safety glasses in place).

 

[MarkJohnston]

SChwalbe kind of sucks. I got a free marathon E25 because they felt bad for me, however it was super difficult getting even that too seat and even still I got a flat from a 10 mm peice of metal from a chain or something right through their stupid flat guard and ruining my $24 extra thick thorn resistant tube, along wth a $9 Rema patch kit to try and fix the multiple punctures (out of patches), I don;t recommend Swalbe.Getting their shit to seat or whatever is extra difficult.