My wife has a city-style e-bike that she's very happy with. She's getting more adventurous about joining me on dirt roads and has been on a couple of short off-pavement rides. I'd like to make it as comfortable as possible for her. The tires on her bike are 700x45 Bontrager R5 Hardcase Ultimates -- designed for maximum puncture resistance, so even at lower pressures they're very stiff.
I was thinking of trying different tires that would be good for mixed-surface riding, such as the GravelKing SK in 700x50. What other tires in the 45-50 range should I consider?
I don't have specific recommendations but I would consider that e-bikes have different requirements. Some e-bikes are quite heavy and most e-bikes can provide a lot of torque. A very supple tire not designed for e-bikes might wear quickly, or worse might exhibit weird handling, or still worse might fail suddenly. I would consider only tires rated for e-bikes, unfortunately most of those are heavy, stiff touring tires.
Another issue is the difficulty of repairing a flat on the driving wheel. Some e-bikes are not easy to disassemble on the road.
Thanks! Those are good points. To clarify: 1) The motor is only 250W, so I'm not worried about tread-ripping torque. 2) She's small, so the bike + rider weight is well within the normal range for standard tires.
The 43 - 50 mm tires I've used are 48-622 Soma SV, 48-622 Soma Shikoro, 45-622 Pirelli Gravel H, 44 mm RH SP Endurance, and 43 mm GK-SK+.
I find all of the above comfortable at 30 - 40 psi but your opinion may differ.
The SV, Shikoro, and SP have essentially slick treads. The Gravel H has a bit of tread with low, closely spaced blocks. The GK-SK+ has a little more tread. The Pirelli Gravel M (which I have not ridden) has a deeper, more open tread and should grip better off-road than any of the above.
The SV is very light but paper thin and not too durable. The SP and GK-SK+ add about 100 g, the Gravel H another 100 g, and the Shikoro yet another 100 g.
I also have the Challenge Strada Bianca Pro in 36-622. It's become my favorite bad road tire and they've announced it will be available in 45-622 early in 2022.
GK SS is another option. They're not fast feeling, but they hold air well so they're good commuting tires. They're only 43mm, but are way lighter than a 50mm SK
I went ahead with a Gravelking SK(not a +)700x50 on the front as a first step. At 25psi the tread area was much more flexible than the stock tire's tread area at 0 psi. One mixed-surface ride so far, and my wife reported feeling more comfortable and secure on the dirt roads with the new tire.
Angstrom wrote:I went ahead with a Gravelking SK(not a +)700x50 on the front as a first step. At 25psi the tread area was much more flexible than the stock tire's tread area at 0 psi. One mixed-surface ride so far, and my wife reported feeling more comfortable and secure on the dirt roads with the new tire.
Good idea!
I'll say, that changing the tire on an e-bike is a huge PITA. So, go for extra protection (although if you are tubeless, its kinda hard to flat (not impossible though)). Duty wise, it sounds like her usage is similar to a tandem. Nothing extreme, although the tires will wear a bit faster (with the weight and power). I agree, the front tire can make a huge difference. My bike was designed for 33mm tires, but I put a 700x50 on the front when the going gets tough, and it works beautifully.
My perception is that the very upright rider position on her bike puts a lot less load on the front wheel than I'm used to seeing on a drop-bar bike. The front tire doesn't work very hard. Right now I'm planning on leaving the stock back tire on for the extra protection and wear resistance.
