Tire(s) replacement. Words of wisdom and recommendations appreciated and welcomed.

[Tommycat]

I.E. Keep me from making a bad choice! ;-)

What I know...

Tire size as written on the side of the existing tire.
(44-584) 27.5 X 1.75
Which is the same as a 650B. (I think)

Tube size.
Sunlite Thorn Resistant Schrader Valve Tube, 27.5 x 2.10-2.35" (650B) / 48mm, Black
With Stan's Tire Sealant added.

Inner rim dimension.
20mm

Where I ride.
Paved roads with potholes, paved trail paths, and seldom through mowed forest sections.


What I think I would want.


I'm thinking of moving up to 2" wide tire and using less air pressure for a softer ride. Plenty of room between the dropouts for the upsize. And by most charts, (but not all) will fit on my rim.

Was thinking of a smooth centerline, with a more aggressive edge. (Or not)

Have seen that Schwalbe makes a good tire. Will order 2 for a matched set.

Current contenders.

https://www.tradeinn.com/bikeinn/en/...re/136349440/p

And...

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0979FVL5F..._it&th=1&psc=1

Don't be shy, want to order something ASAP. Tire to damaged to trust. Any suggestions on tire manufacture, type, and where to buy welcomed.



Thank you for your responses!
T.C.

[ncmired]

650B and 27.5 are interchangeable - no so with the other, older "650" designations.

I've got a pair of 27.5x2.0 Big Ben Plus tires on my Marrakesh - they're very quiet at speed and seem to cushion well. Why Schwalbe makes these tire in the two (2.0 and 2.15), very close together widths is surprising. I'm pretty much a pavement only rider - the one time I rode these tires on a deep sand path I almost fell, so I'd avoid such surfaces. Not too surprising a result for the tread type. Another, to me bonus is the reflex (reflective) sidewall bands. I now buy tires in sets of three since they can be hard to come by, and IIRC I bought this set from Chain Reaction Cycles.

I've not come across a formal rim width to tire width calculator, but for reference, one rim vendor I use states that their 30mm external / 25mm internal rim is meant for 45mm-65mm tires.

If you're interested in a connected center block MTB tire, you might consider Schwable's Marathon Plus MTB tire, in 27.5x2.10 or 27.5x2.25. Schwalbe claims they're off the scale in puncture protection, and they also have reflex sidewalls. I've got a set but haven't tried them yet.

There's a lot of Schwalbe tire possibilities - the G-One series comes to mind. Other brands to check out would be WTB, Maxxis, Specialized (Pathfinder) to name a few.

[Tommycat]

Thank you very much for the reply and links!
Nice looking bike BTW.

Is the extra puncture protection worth the extra cost? (Thinking yes…)
I’m a bit concerned that the even wider size, over 2”, would roll too much on my rims…?
Will check out the other recommended manufactures.

[ncmired]

Hi Tommycat - thanks for the compliment. I added a note about rim widths, and suspect you'd want a rim with at least 19-20mm (internal), for use with a 50-55mm tire. For puncture resistant, probably depends on your typical puncture threat - short thorns, yep. I face gun fired construction nails of various sorts, and they're often long enough to go through all the way to the rim.

[Retrorockit]

I like the Big Ben Plus also. I've gotten flats with it. But not since adding Stans to the tubes. Some of the Big Ben tires are E bike rated and some are not. Look at Scwalbes website for part #.
I went to the trouble and expense of adding a Tannus Armour liner to the rear. PITA to install. The regular Big Ben w/o the added protection would probably be better. Much better ride and traction on my hardtail.

[Tommycat]

Hi Retrorocket,
Thanks for posting!
How does the Big Ben Plus tire compare in ride to the regular Big Ben? Any noticeable difference? I also have a hardtail.

[Retrorockit]

The thicker tread has better traction if you need to go off pavement a little, and it also takes a bigger piece of glass to reach the casing. It's also E bike rated to 50kph in Europe. Says MOPED in the bead area. Generally more of an E bike tire all around. In the DIY forum I have a Tannus thread. You could probably get away with the lighter Big Bens if you use Stan's, and maybe Tannus in the rear. But I already have the BB+ so haven't tried it yet.Riding fast in Urban So. Fla. I don't want any tire problems, so I'm kind of proactive there.

[Tommycat]

Well said, thank you again. Definitely leaning this way, Big Ben Plus, and looking for the best price.

[Tommycat]

Anyone running on Goodyears?
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DKCTQHG...v_ov_lig_dp_it

[ncmired]

I've no experience with this tire, but my understanding is that Goodyear has contracted / collaborated with two companies, for two quality classes of tires. Kent does the lower grade tires, mainly for the entry level bikes and retailers. The higher grade tires (like this Transit Tour) are, I think, designed by Rubber Kinetics LLC, and manufactured in a dedicated factory in Taiwan.

The more tires (especially in 650B) the merrier, especially if they are alternatives to and can drive down Schwalbe's pricing.

[Tommycat]

Got two on order from Chain Reaction.

Schwalbe Big Ben Plus GreenGuard MTB Tyre Black, 27.5" (650b), 2.0", Wire Bead, GreenGuard - sku565935

Thanks for the help fellas, will let you know how it works out.


Best Regards,
T.C.

[73Eldo]

I was running Big Apples which seem to be a slightly lighter duty version of the Big Ben and they were great. Things like the reflector sidewall are a bonus if you do evening riding. What I didn't like about them was the times I would end up maybe riding trough a construction site or a short cut gone wrong or anything wet. It wasn't the end of the world but the few times I wasn't on dry pavement I just wasn't that confident.

I had the same idea as you to find something fairly smooth down the center but that had some sides and what I settled on was Surly Extra Terrestrials. The tread varies a bit depending on the size and I have 29's so worse case for size and spacing and they still feel pretty smooth and quiet on the pavement. Maybe not as quiet as the Big Apples but no where near what knobby would sound like.

Looks like they don't have a 2" in your size only a 46 which is 1 13/16 . That's only slightly bigger than your 1.75's on paper but different brands don't always measure out the same. They do have a 2.5, bigger is more comfort and with the E bikes we don't really care about them being a bit slower so maybe measure and see if your frame can take a little more?

https://surlybikes.com/parts/extraterrestrial

[Tommycat]

Rats 73Eldo,
Just a little bit late, but thanks for the suggestion. Perhaps others can use this suggestion and the wider tire, but I wanted to stick with a maximum of 2 inch.

[Retrorockit]

I ran the BA+ too. I like the BB+ much better. More versatile and fewer flats. They're basically the same except BB+ has deeper tread. BA is more of a traditional cruiser tire. The BB+ favors E bikes, where the extra weight of the tread doesn't matter so much

[73Eldo]

Ya apparently I was typing a bit slow but it would not have mattered anyway since you placed the order before you typed the reply. I thought about editing it but like you said maybe it will help someone else trying to choose a tire.

When I bought the apples was mid 2020 when there wasn't a lot of anything in stock anywhere. I think the big bens existed then but was no stock to be found. There were very few big apples around too but luckily there were 29's. My brother was one who recommended the apples and when he bought his the bens were not out yet. I was considering the bens but them not being in stock anywhere at the time kinda made the choice easy for me. I do miss the reflective sidewall. Those really stand out at night when light hits them. I don't think you will be disappointed with the bens.

I have considered putting the apples back on but in my case the apples are 2.35's and the ET's are 2.5's so I'm thinking I would sacrifice a bit of ride comfort just to gain a little less resistance which I don't really care about on this bike. On this bike I have a big battery so AH stands for ass hours meaning my ass is wore out way before the battery so its more about comfort.

When I bought the ET's last summer there were pretty slim pickins for stock except I found that the 'slate' sidewall was in stock everywhere. Apparently it wasn't as popular as black so most places had the slate in stock. I don't mind the look of the slate. Kinda breaks up all the black on this bike which is just about everything.

[ncmired]

Let me be the party pooper and say, AFAIK, the Big Apple tires are not available in 27.5.

[Tommycat]

Yes, I found that on a lot of different models from the same manufacturer. Made choices a bit easier, and frustrating. But pleased to hear the BB's have a thicker tread. Luckily, I found the bad tire during some routine brake maintenance. Noticed a patch of tire cords exposed to the surface in the middle of the tire.
After removal, you could see pin holes of light coming thru. I've heard of "thin to win", but those Huffy OEM tires are really thin. :-/

[73Eldo]

I have not looked real recently but seems like last summer it kinda looked like maybe the big apple was on its way out or if it wasn't was way down on the priority list for manufacturing. With the Ben being so similar I would think many people went with the Ben. Not to mention for most sizes there are plenty of similar tires out there. It seems to be the center ridge stile that are not that common in the wider and larger sizes. I remember when I was shopping for that style I saw several tread photos and yes thats what I want then looked at the sizes and like a 700x40 was 'the big one'. There was still a lot in 26x2 ish too but I suppose those are still common walmart sizes and then all the people that brought out classics in 2020.