Levo Gen 2 help with road tyres

[Bikewombat]

Sick of getting punctures, riding on the road. I swapped the original tyres to FastTrack Grid but I really want a road/gravel tyre. Have got all sorts of confusing advice from various bike stores around town. Most advice is that it's possible to fit 700 x 40C on the original 29 inch rims. Is this correct? Most coherent advice was to go for Schwalbe tyres. Can anyone say which is the best for general road riding with the occasional smoothish unsealed road, with good puncture resistance, OK rolling resistance and grip in the wet? Marathon Plus, Marathon E-Plus, Marathon Superb or Big Apple - other suggestions also welcome. Michelins also readily available down here in Tasmania. I'm happy to use the current tyres for the tough stuff as I haven't had any punctures off-road. So I presume the cause is road debris and that MTB tyres are soft and weak. Had punctures in the original tyres as well, yet no punctures for three years on my road bike, with a lot more km. The other problem I have is the pain in the a. tubeless rims. Very hard to get the tyres back on (despite all the practice). The rigid spoke tape has become a little twisted and won't go back to it's original shape (I'm using tubes, as you probably gathered, after having a puncture in tubeless tyres that would never seal). I don't think there is any pinching going on, as all the flats are on the tread and the tubes have puncture wounds. Thanks for your help.

 

[Tim1023]

@Gary recommended Schwalbe Big Ben or MotoX in another discussion about commuting
No experience, myself, however, so can't comment about your other questions.

 

[Gary]

Either will seat and set up tubeless no bother. Run 55-60psi for good rolling resistance and zero chance of a pinch flat.

 

[Gary]

It would be helpful if you said what the cause of your frequent punctures actually is.

 

[Bikewombat]

Either will seat and set up tubeless no bother. Run 55-60psi for good rolling resistance and zero chance of a pinch flat.

Thanks, Gary. The only object I've found stuck in the tyres was a broken steel spring. The rest would be glass or nails, judging by the puncture wounds.

 

[Gary]

Hmm... tubeless sealant may not always plug holes from glass or nails. but it's your only option really

 

[escrs]

Id try a set of Schwalbe Marathon E- Plus in 28x 2.15in

Schwalbe Marathon E-Plus HS498 Tyre 28 Inch 55-622

Flat-less especially for E-Bikes. Maximum riding safety at high speeds and on long tours. Highest Marathon quality tires refined for the special demands of an E-Bike. Safety: Schwalbe puncture protection level 7. The patented SmartGuard protection layer is additionally supported by two layers...

www.sjscycles.co.uk

You wont get better puncture protection than a Marathon Plus, i do 5000 miles a year on them and in 6 years Ive had one puncture due to a very large slash to the sidewall, only downside is the weight

 

[Bikewombat]

Id try a set of Schwalbe Marathon E- Plus in 28x 2.15in

Schwalbe Marathon E-Plus HS498 Tyre 28 Inch 55-622

Flat-less especially for E-Bikes. Maximum riding safety at high speeds and on long tours. Highest Marathon quality tires refined for the special demands of an E-Bike. Safety: Schwalbe puncture protection level 7. The patented SmartGuard protection layer is additionally supported by two layers...

www.sjscycles.co.uk

You wont get better puncture protection than a Marathon Plus, i do 5000 miles a year on them and in 6 years Ive had one puncture due to a very large slash to the sidewall, only downside is the weight

Thanks, escrs. Good to hear, though I did note their weight about twice as heavy as what is on the bike now. What sort of range to you get on undulating roads with 500kW battery (assuming that's what you're using). I'm leaning towards a Marathon Mondial DD V-Guard as it's lighter and better on gravel, though its biggest size is 28x2.0. That way, I'll only need to put the Fast Traks on for the rough stuff.

 

[flash]

Maxxis make the Hookworms in a 29er. They're a super tough BMX tyre scaled up. Fast rolling and tough. NOT tubeless ready though. Heavy due to the super tough casing although that only matters most getting up to speed not maintaining it. Maybe worth a look?

I ran a set on my e-hardtail for a bit and they were a great commuter tyre.

Gordon