A slightly different question about tyres

[Ambodach]

I found Hopbackguy's post of a week or so ago about tyres - in his case he was going up from a road tyre to an off-road tyre on a 28" in wheel.

I'm going in the opposite direction !! I've just bought a Cube electric MTB and having ridden about 20 miles only on roads on it, and collected my first puncture in many years, I'm not at all impressed with the tyres fitted. They are Schwalbe Racing Rob and Tough Tom, and judging by the retail price, the tyres are one area where Cube have cut corners on the price. Maybe this is a standard practice with bike manufacturers but it's not one that endears them to the purchaser.

So the tyres that are on are an MTB type which I find are rated with poor road traction and have a poor grade in protection, so I'm now looking for a road /trail tyre like Hopbackguy.

I've done a bit of homework on alternatives but in two areas I need assistance.

1 The existing tyres are marked as 29" x 2.25" and 57 x 622. There are a number of tyres that my homework suggest have good rolling resistance, good road traction, passable off-road and good for protection, but they are all 622 and either 40, 42 or 47. The question is - will these go onto the rims currently carrying the so-called "29er" type tyre.

2 What is the difference between 'wired' and 'folding' type tyres?

Many thanks for any assistance

Rob

 

[Deleted member 4366]

Those tyres will probably be OK. How wide is your rim?

Wired tyres have a steel ring in the bead. Folding tyres are just rubber.

 

[gray198]

I recently got these for my bike which I use mainly off road, but not serious stuff. I have noticed a marked improvement in rolling compared to my previous knobbly type..

https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/search/?term=Marathon plus tour

gray

 

[Emo Rider]

Schwalbe Marathon Plus MTB. By far the best MTB tyre I have seen to date. Higher pressure = lower rolling resistance, solid centre line tread for quiet rolling on pavement and very. very good puncture resistance. Put a Slime tube in one of these = happy days

 

[Warwick]

A Slime tube and Marathon Plusses sounds like belt & braces to me. The Marathon Plusses are already heavy enough without adding the extra weight of the Slime tube. If you want as near 100% puncture-proof riding, then fine, but Marathon Plusses offer 99% protection IME.

 

[Emo Rider]

A Slime tube and Marathon Plusses sounds like belt & braces to me. The Marathon Plusses are already heavy enough without adding the extra weight of the Slime tube. If you want as near 100% puncture-proof riding, then fine, but Marathon Plusses offer 99% protection IME.

What is the difference between the weight of a standard tyre and tube and a Marathon plus and a slime tube? Ounces. I never did and never will understand why anyone would sacrifice durability to save a few ounces, especially on a MTB. Skip dessert for a couple of days and you and you bike will weight the same. I regularly upsell to the Marathon Plus MTB simply by showing the customer an unmounted Rapid Ron and the Plus MTB. The lowered rolling resistance more than makes up for the minor weight increase.

 

[Warwick]

Well, it's quite a big difference. A 57-559 Rapid Ron weighs 720g; a Marathon + MTB 1260. That's 1080g difference for a pair. Whilst I agree that it's the way to go for puncture resistance, the (unsprung) weight difference is sizeable, even without the extra weight of Slime tubes.

 

[gray198]

Well, it's quite a big difference. A 57-559 Rapid Ron weighs 720g; a Marathon + MTB 1260. That's 1080g difference for a pair. Whilst I agree that it's the way to go for puncture resistance, the (unsprung) weight difference is sizeable, even without the extra weight of Slime tubes.

Is it noticeable on an ebike

 

[Emo Rider]

Is it noticeable on an ebike

On an ebikeI doubt it. You would notice the reduction in effort and the increase of range much more than the minimal increase of weight. Especially when you hit the 15.5mph cut off. Years ago I had a push MTB. Switching to a heavier, lower rolling resistance tyre instantly shaved 10 minutes off of a regular 7.5 mile commute to work. Weight increase, what weight increase? An extra 15psi in a more narrow tyre with a centre tread rib makes quite a difference. Hey, but if you want to slog along at 55psi to save weight, knock yourself out.

 

[Ambodach]

Thanks for the comments and assistance guys. I looked up Sheldon Brown on tyre sizes

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tire-sizing.html

and there's a chart there relating rim width to recommended tyre width. The nuisance is I'll have to take a tyre off the get the rim width - hey-ho. There's probably some normal value but I don't know it and with the sloppy MTB tyres I've already got, I'll be easier enough to drop the front wheel and get the digital calipers out.

However I'm not any further forward really on the question of 'wired' and 'folding' tyres - is one better than the other? Lighter? Easier to take off the rim? price? - etc., etc. Some of the Marathon Schwalbe tyre range are available in both, some wired, some folding - and then the Nobbly Nic MTB can be got in either.

 

[anotherkiwi]

Folding are lighter than wired. No steel wire...

 

[chris_n]

Folding are generally easier to get on and off. Be aware that all "Nobby Nics" (and others) are not the same with many different compounds and differences in protection. The wired tyres in that particular range are the lower performance and cheaper ones.

 

[RobF]

I found Hopbackguy's post of a week or so ago about tyres - in his case he was going up from a road tyre to an off-road tyre on a 28" in wheel.

I'm going in the opposite direction !! I've just bought a Cube electric MTB and having ridden about 20 miles only on roads on it, and collected my first puncture in many years, I'm not at all impressed with the tyres fitted. They are Schwalbe Racing Rob and Tough Tom, and judging by the retail price, the tyres are one area where Cube have cut corners on the price. Maybe this is a standard practice with bike manufacturers but it's not one that endears them to the purchaser.

So the tyres that are on are an MTB type which I find are rated with poor road traction and have a poor grade in protection, so I'm now looking for a road /trail tyre like Hopbackguy.

I've done a bit of homework on alternatives but in two areas I need assistance.

1 The existing tyres are marked as 29" x 2.25" and 57 x 622. There are a number of tyres that my homework suggest have good rolling resistance, good road traction, passable off-road and good for protection, but they are all 622 and either 40, 42 or 47. The question is - will these go onto the rims currently carrying the so-called "29er" type tyre.

2 What is the difference between 'wired' and 'folding' type tyres?

Many thanks for any assistance

Rob

You are over-thinking this.

The '57' marked on the tyre is the metric equivalent in mm of its width.

The tyre you've researched as suitable is available in 47mm - nearly two inches.

Your current tyres are 2.25 inches.

Dropping a quarter of an inch on this size of tyre will make no difference to fit.

 

[Ambodach]

I'm "over thinking" this as the world of bike tyres is a good deal more complex than 30 years ago when I bought my last bike, and I've got a deal of catching up to do. I've also become somewhat sensitised to pursuing a reasonable knowledge of bike tyres having suffered a puncture on the road within 3 days of buying a £1k8 bike !

d8veh asked about the rim size and I've now measured that as 20mm. Now although there is a caveat on Sheldon Brown's table of tyre v. rim size, the 57mm tyre is very much larger than he recommends for a 20mm rim, indicating that this will lead to wall failure. I suspect again that this is an economy option by Cube.

I've been further sensitised by the LBS where I bought the bike (and was initially impressed with their professionalism) being unable to advise on a suitable on-road tyre because "this is a 29er bike", and recommending that I just raise the pressure in the tyres. As the particular tyres are already poor for road traction, my thinking is that would be a particularly risky thing to do.

I hope this will explain why I am "over-thinking". And actually since when was 10mm = 1/4" so please don't troll me unless you can get your facts right.

 

[Alan Quay]

I'm "over thinking" this as the world of bike tyres is a good deal more complex than 30 years ago when I bought my last bike, and I've got a deal of catching up to do. I've also become somewhat sensitised to pursuing a reasonable knowledge of bike tyres having suffered a puncture on the road within 3 days of buying a £1k8 bike !

d8veh asked about the rim size and I've now measured that as 20mm. Now although there is a caveat on Sheldon Brown's table of tyre v. rim size, the 57mm tyre is very much larger than he recommends for a 20mm rim, indicating that this will lead to wall failure. I suspect again that this is an economy option by Cube.

I've been further sensitised by the LBS where I bought the bike (and was initially impressed with their professionalism) being unable to advise on a suitable on-road tyre because "this is a 29er bike", and recommending that I just raise the pressure in the tyres. As the particular tyres are already poor for road traction, my thinking is that would be a particularly risky thing to do.

I hope this will explain why I am "over-thinking". And actually since when was 10mm = 1/4" so please don't troll me unless you can get your facts right.

I'm pretty sure Rob was trying to help you, so you might want re-read and calm down a bit.

Your LBS are talking out-of their hat, there's plenty of road tyres for 29ers. My favourite is the Schwalbe Big Apple. It looks great on a MTB as it's nice n fat, but it's nearly slick so works very well on the road. Puncture protection is excellent. Another option is the Big Ben which has slightly more tread.

Sent from my HTC 10 using Tapatalk

 

[RobF]

I'm pretty sure Rob was trying to help you, so you might want re-read and calm down a bit.

Your LBS are talking out-of their hat, there's plenty of road tyres for 29ers. My favourite is the Schwalbe Big Apple. It looks great on a MTB as it's nice n fat, but it's nearly slick so works very well on the road. Puncture protection is excellent. Another option is the Big Ben which has slightly more tread.

Sent from my HTC 10 using Tapatalk

Quite.

I'm not sure if there's much point in putting myself in the firing line again, bet let's assume the OP has taken your advice to calm down.

Rim width on its own is a bit difficult to interpret because most modern rims are hooked.

The simple point is that changing tyre width, within reason, won't have any impact on fit.

Any tyre marked 622/700c/28" or 29er with a tread width of more than about 1.75" or 45 mm will fit.

A narrower tyre than that might be in trial and error territory, as would something significantly wider than the 2.25" tyres currently on the bike.

As you say, a Big Apple Plus or Big Ben or Smart Sam in a width of around two inches would be a good choice.

And again as you say, it's a well trodden path for owners of mountain bikes who want something a bit more road/cycle path orientated.

 

[anotherkiwi]

I am guessing your rim is either 19C or 21C so tyres from 35 to 62 mm will fit

 

[Deleted member 4366]

I always use 19mm rims. The highest tyre width I would go to is 2.1" or 53mm and the lowest would be 1" or 25mm. there's a table that shows rim widths and tyre sizes at the bottom of this interesting article:

http://engineerstalk.mavic.com/the-right-tyre-width-on-the-right-rim-width/

Marathon Plus tyres are great for puncture resistance. I've had no punctures in 4000 miles, but they have one massive drawback, and that's their lack of grip. Mine are showing very little signs of wear after those miles. While as the very high grip Continentals that I had before wore out in about 2000 miles. Like with motorbikes, you can have grip or long life, not both.

All the properly puncture resistant including MPs, tyres are very heavy. The MTB types moreso. If you only ride on the road, you can claim some weight back by using a narrower size, which might actually give you more grip on tarmac than the wider ones. On an electric MTB, puncture resistant tyres would account for about 10% of the weigh of the bike. That would be too much for me. You have to make a compromise somewhere.

 

[oldtom]

Although I don't do any rock-hopping/mudplugging on my bikes, I have always accepted that there needs to be a compromise in order to achieve a balance between grip, longevity and puncture resistance.

As others have suggested, the MP range is very good and the 'Tour' model I use seems to satisfy my needs better than other tyres I have used on my bikes.

They would be my choice for any EAPC likely to spend most of its time on tarmac, towpaths and lightly wooded and stony tracks with mud and sand to contend with on occasions.

As d8veh has pointed out, you really can't have it all ways but if you don't mind repairing a flat tyre fairly frequently, you can ignore all advice relating to puncture protection. Schwalbe MP Tours work for me though!

Tom