Schwalbe 27.5 X 2.0 (50-584) Big Ben Plus, GreenGuard, SnakeSkin Tire Review.

[Tommycat]

Bought 2 of these tires from Chain Reaction Cycle and after a couple rides these are my initial thoughts on the purchasing process and the tires.

New tires needed already?

After finding some cords showing in the main center section of my OEM Huffy rear bike tire, it looked like it might be time for a replacement.





Yep, seeing daylight thru it put the replacement on high priority.






What to replace it with?


The original tires were 27.5X 1.75 (44-584) with fairly smooth all road treads. Rode well on the paved bike paths. But had a bit of tendency to bounce or slide to the side a bit if hitting a small obstruction on the road. I.E., small piece of gravel, or twig... Had an inflation recommendation of 40 psi, which was very solid and unforgiving ride wise.

So, I opted to upgrade both tires to slightly wider ones, as I have plenty of room. With a heftier and wider tire tread. These 2.0" wide tires should fit well on my 20mm inside diameter rims, with a very forgiving inflation recommendation of 35 to 70 psi.

After a bit of research on replacement tires, I ordered from Chain Reaction Cycles in England as per a recommendation in this thread...
https://electricbike.com/forum/forum...d-and-welcomed

It seemed the hardest part was finding what I wanted in the size I wanted, of course at a price that was acceptable.

Shipping from overseas may have been a bit risky during the height of Covid. But had absolutely no problem at all at this time. You do have to open an account on their website.
Shipping costs were $9.99, with a delivery date of 6 to 10 days.

Chain Reaction Cycles was right on the money with Order confirmation, shipping dispatch notice, to DHL's tracking service keeping me aware of my orders every movement.
Right down to delivery texts, and truck tracking right to my doorstep... just freaking awesome. And was delivered to me at their minimum quoted window time of 6 days.


Delivery in a grey plastic bag might be a little minimalistic, but hey what can you do to a bike tire?
Would have liked to perhaps have at least some paperwork included, but nothing else was in there. Just the tires informational cardboard wrapper around each tire. That had some installation instructions pictured on the back. But both the exact size and type ordered so no worries.








Installation and ride...

Tire installations went very well with no surprises or problem with fit. I like to use talcum powder to keep things from binding and sticking. And the beads went right into place.

Good looking and thicker tread at the slightly wider tire size was just what I was looking for, with the reflective white tire strip on the side a bonus. But how do they ride...?

Well, very pleased so far with the inflation set at 60 PSI. Takes the unevenness of a mowed forest path littered with small twigs and tree roots with ease, albeit with a firm ride. With performance on the paved roads and trails with surefooted, easy rolling quietness.

Will be testing at lower pressures to find a good compromise between stability and a softer ride if possible.

[73Eldo]

What kind of weight range are we talking about with you and the bike with a typical load ready to ride? And is it steel or aluminum? I'm surprised you think its a decent ride at 60 but maybe your rig is heavier than mine. Me and the bike ready to ride is an easy 300 lbs and when I get much over about 35 I hate the ride and feel like I am bouncing off of things. I can get down to about 20 psi before i really worry about pinch flats so I start in that 35 range then a week or so later they are in the lower 20's but its time for a inspection and lube anyway so more air goes in.

[Fred]

I have those same Big Ben tires and generally run them at 50-55psi. The ride is fine for me. When I see that big Magic Pie direct drive motor, I see a lot of weight on that rear tire - so a high pressue may make sense.

[Tommycat]

I totally agree that at 60 PSI the ride is a bit stiff, but very surefooted. It's a steel bike and I may be close to 300#s all tolled. But will be gradually decreasing the pressure to find the softest ride sweet spot and no side wall rolling. Started at 60 to make sure the tires were seated properly, and to see what if felt like. Thanks for your pressure inputs, I feel I will eventually join you there at a lower setting... ;-) Thinking back, these are the first set of tires of any kind that gave me such a wide range of available pressure settings.

[73Eldo]

The steel frame may be one reason the ride isn't that bad at 60 psi. I have both a steel and aluminum bike and there is quite a difference with the little bumps and vibrations, the steel absorbs them much better. I'm sure at the lower pressures I'm running I'm decreasing my range and possibly wearing the tires more but it really makes a difference in the comfort.

How many miles did you get out of those Huffy tires? I ran the stock tires on my walmart bike for just a couple months and just a few hundred miles and didn't notice the wear till I was taking them off to install studded tires. They are not as bad as yours but even the front had quite a bit of wear. Mine were mild knobbies and it was mostly the knobs that were worn. My Big Apples have around 1000 miles on em and I would estimate are about half worn out. I do rotate them front to rear seasonally to even out the wear.

[Tommycat]

How many miles did you get out of those Huffy tires?

Less than 200 miles. But I truly think it was a defective rear tire from the factory, as it had a bit of side bump in one spot on it from the start. With no problems showing on the front tire but changed them both.

Got seriously LUCKY on that one. Would encourage others to replace a non-perfect tire as soon as possible, instead of waiting like I did.

[Retrorockit]

I run these down around 30-40 PSI on my hardtail. I even put a Tannus Armour liner in the rear which transformed the ride and handling of the bike. I stopped playing the pedal bike rolling resistance tire pressure game a long time ago. Costs nothing to give this a try.