Schwalbe Big Apples 29er

[The Bear]

Got them fitted today ready for my commute tomorrow

 

[GLJoe]

Big Apples for my 29er arrived from Fawkes today. As mentioned above, they are 28 x 2.35. Surprised how little tread there is...

Pile on the tread depth, and you start to increase rolling resistance, lose suppleness, increase weight etc etc. As with everything cycling related, its a tradeoff.

Hope you're running them at a nice low(ish) pressure! None of this pump 'em right up nonsense ;-)

 

[Gringo]

Surprised how little tread there is,

Here’s a quote from the famous Sheldon Brown

“Bicycle tires for on-road use have no need of any sort of tread features; in fact, the best road tires are perfectly smooth, with no tread at all!

Unfortunately, most people assume that a smooth tire will be slippery, so this type of tire is difficult to sell to unsophisticated cyclists. Most tire makers cater to this by putting a very fine pattern on their tires, mainly for cosmetic and marketing reasons”

Bicycle Tires and Tubes

What you need to know about tires and tubes for your bicycle

www.sheldonbrown.com

My first pr of apples are still going strong and I’ve probably done a couple of thousand miles (1500 miles on my last e-bike but the analog bike there on atm has no Speedo

 

[The Bear]

Here’s a quote from the famous Sheldon Brown

“Bicycle tires for on-road use have no need of any sort of tread features; in fact, the best road tires are perfectly smooth, with no tread at all!

Unfortunately, most people assume that a smooth tire will be slippery, so this type of tire is difficult to sell to unsophisticated cyclists. Most tire makers cater to this by putting a very fine pattern on their tires, mainly for cosmetic and marketing reasons”

Bicycle Tires and Tubes

What you need to know about tires and tubes for your bicycle

www.sheldonbrown.com

My first pr of apples are still going strong and I’ve probably done a couple of thousand miles (1500 miles on my last e-bike but the analog bike there on atm has no Speedo

Understood, but surely the reason for having tread is for wet weather, to allow water to pass through the tyre so you don't aquaplane? Hence why F1 tyres are perfectly smooth to give maximum grip, whereas wet weather tyres have tread.

Though I accept that bike tyres are maybe too narrow for this to happen, but I'm sure its still possible in certain extreme conditions.

 

[Gringo]

Though I accept that bike tyres are maybe too narrow for this to happen, but I'm sure its still possible in certain extreme conditions

I assume you didn’t bother following the link I put up so hears another part from Sheldon’s tyre section, it’s worth a read and it may challenge some of your preconceptions
Hydroplaning
Car and truck tires need tread, because these vehicles are prone to a very dangerous condition called "hydroplaning." This happens when driving fast in very wet conditions, which can lead to the tire's riding up onto a cushion of liquid water. When this happens, there is a sudden and total lack of traction.

Cars can hydroplane because:	Bicycles canNOT hydroplane because:
A car tire has a square road contact, and the leading edge of the contact is a straight line. This makes it easier for a car tire to trap water as it rolls.	A bicycle tire has a curved road contact. Since a bicycle leans in corners, it needs a tire with a rounded contact area, which tends to push the water away to either side.
A car tire is quite wide, so water from the middle of the contact patch can have trouble escaping as the tire rolls over it, if there are not grooves to let it escape.	A bicycle tire is narrower, so not as much water is in contact with the leading edge at once.
Car tires run at much lower pressure than bicycle tires.	The high pressure of bicycle tires is more efficient at squeezing the water out from under.
Cars go much faster than bicycles, again leaving less time for water to escape.	At high speeds, hydroplaning is just possible for car tires, but is absolutely impossible for bicycle tires