Anyone running low profile tires on their eBike?

[Rambler]

I'm thinking of running 2" or 2.35" on 80mm wheels to give my wheels that "low profile" look. My concern is that it may not "hold" due to the speed/torque that my 85lbs bike with a MP5 generates. Anyone running this sort ot set up? Pro's Con's? I ride flat roads (street only) at about 25mph. I don't corner "hard".

Thank you and have a great ride!

Rambler

[commuter ebikes]

It seems to me the only penalty you will pay is a more firm ride due to the decreased flotation.

[Rambler]

It seems to me the only penalty you will pay is a more firm ride due to the decreased flotation.

Do you think I could compensate for that with a bit less tire pressure?

[islander20]

I run 45C 29er tires. (1.75") Totally satisfied with them. Very fast, good traction so far. Having said that I've yet to try a fattie lol.

[commuter ebikes]

Do you think I could compensate for that with a bit less tire pressure?

That just might do it. Let us know here the results of your experimentation.

[Sneakers915]

I'm guessing you'll blow the tire straight off of the rim.

https://www.bikerumor.com/2016/08/12/tech-story-match-bicycle-tire-width-rim-width-best-results/

[Kocho]

"ThatI'm thinking of running 2" or 2.35" on 80mm wheels to give my wheels that "low profile" look"

That 80mm rim width is bigger than the tire width! (51mm or 61mm). Aside from possiblly loosing your cornering (the threads will be flattened and you will be cornering on the sidewalls), I think it will look bad, not to mention you will be scratching your rims all the time as they will stick outside of your tires. I personally would not go with a rim that has outside diameter wider than the tire, although I would probably be comfortable with a rim that is within 20-30% narrower than the tire (although this is still pretty wide), profixed the tire is designed to work with such wide rims.

This said, I think today's fatter tires need to be mated to wider rims than they are designed to currently. I think (hope) tire manufacturers will be catching-up with the utiliy of wider rims and will start making proper tires that would mout on rims that are wider than the typical 19mm internal width rims of today (for crossover and mountain bikes).

On my bike I have the same 1.95" x 26" Kendal hybrid tires mounted on two different width rims. My front rim is an aftermarket "downhill" rim with 27mm internal diameter (35mm external) and my rear rim is the stock 19mm internal width that came with my Specialized mountain bike. Thsee particular tires seem much better mated to the wider front rim. I can run them at 10psi lower pressure than the rear, without sacrificing cornering stability or increasing the chance of pinch flats. The threads seem fine. I am still within the Schwalbe recommend dedicated range for this width tire (50mm) on both of my rims: https://gzmyu4ma9b-flywheel.netdna-s...tion-chart.gif

[New Mariner]

I am running 2.5" Hookworms on 100mm rims. Metal bead. Running Downhill tubes. Now mainly riding this bike on the road The road was eating up my fat knobby tires. When putting smaller tires on larger rims throw out the PSI recommendations. It is much lower.. As said above you do lose some cushion. I run them a little soft and all is good. I also have an added front suspension fork on my fatty. Makes a big difference. It will transform the riding experience. The hookworms have very good road grip. The decrease in rolling resistance is HUGE!. It is a 70+ pound bike and is easily rideable on the flats and slight inclines without power. Of course I am not going very fast, but definitely faster than the fat tires.. You can get hookworms cheap on the velomobileshop.com. If you read reviews Hookworms are highly rated tires.

[Harold]

I use the 2.5” hookworm on a 50mm x26 rim on my Intense. Heavy tire, huge rolling resistance and not all that responsive. I use the 4.0 Jumbo Jim on a 50mm rim on the efat and fat bikes. A much lighter, better rolling resistance, and responsive tire. I’d do some investigation into tire heights, they vary. My 2.8 & 3.0 tires on the same rim have a lower profile than the hookworms.

[New Mariner]

I guess it may depend on the rim it is mounted on as well? contact patch on the hookworm is barely over an inch at 24-26 psi.