Hey all, emtb newbie, and another tyre question

[mr_mojo97]

Hi, so I'm not new to biking (last bike was a 2007 Stumpjumper FSR). Anyways, I'm early 50's now and the missus and I decided to get a couple of new bikes - hers a Specialized Como 3 and mine Whyte E505 and we're well happy with them both. Mostly.
So, mainly we're just doing road stuff probably 85% off the time and maybe upto 20 - 25 miles at a time, just pottering about, nowt serious, nothing too heavy going, no downhills, no knarly single-track, not anymore. Booooo.

Anyhoo, so 3 times out on the bike, first time 1 puncture, 2nd time 2 punctures, 3rd time 3 punctures - every puncture a hawthorn! Her - none at all. So I want some new tyres - I guess I'm gonna have to go tubeless. The knobbly ones that are on it from new are noisy, slow, and quite thin. I've had a look around and there are obviously millions of options. Bearing in mind, we're in Scotland, so damp/ wet at the very least. I can't see us going out in a downpour.
So, I suppose I'm looking something quieter than a tractor, capable of both mainly road, but the odd track/ gravel road, fire road - nothing that's gonna knock my fillings out anyways and is as puncture resistant as i can get. Am I looking for the impossible? Oh, its a 29er so I'd be looking for something 2.3 - 2.4 I think. Do I need e-bike specific tyres for this kind of riding, price isn't an issue. Hope you can help. TIA
Les

 

[KnollyBro]

Welcome back to biking and lucky you to find something to do with your wife. While you may find that you are on the low end of the average age for members on this forum, there is a wealth of experience from all around the world to found here. As for tires, you might find looking in the Tire specific section if someone doesn't speak up with your original post.

Tyres, Inserts & Pressure sensors

While this Forum is primarily for emtbs, I am sure there is someone who can answer your question about a good road tire that still has some puncture resistance. Going tubeless may be your best bet and there are many Youtube videos on the subject.
Good luck and happy riding!

 

[irie]

...
Anyhoo, so 3 times out on the bike, first time 1 puncture, 2nd time 2 punctures, 3rd time 3 punctures - every puncture a hawthorn! Her - none at all.
...

What tyres are on your bike and on her bike?

 

[mr_mojo97]

Welcome back to biking and lucky you to find something to do with your wife. While you may find that you are on the low end of the average age for members on this forum, there is a wealth of experience from all around the world to found here. As for tires, you might find looking in the Tire specific section if someone doesn't speak up with your original post.

Tyres, Inserts & Pressure sensors

While this Forum is primarily for emtbs, I am sure there is someone who can answer your question about a good road tire that still has some puncture resistance. Going tubeless may be your best bet and there are many Youtube videos on the subject.
Good luck and happy riding!

Ah, thanks bud. I should have looked there first. I'll check now. Ta

 

[mr_mojo97]

What tyres are on your bike and on her bike?

Hi, thanks. Maxxis Forekaster on mine and Pathfinder Sport on hers (they don't do 29 in that though unfortunately). Ta

 

[RustyMTB]

You don't specifically need ebike tyres but they won't hurt if you see what I mean. The big win with any MTB tyre is tubeless. This will sort out your puncture problems more than any particular tyre choice. If it were me, I''d take it back to the bike shop & get them to do the conversion, then ride off into the sunset, happy. Tubeless is easy enough to do at home but it is a faff, one of those things where getting the bike shop to do it is worth the money.

 

[Paulquattro]

Welcome to the site

 

[Gareth]

Hawthorns are a pain, they’ll basically go through anything. I notice the Pathfinder Sport has “BlackBelt flat protection” whatever that is, and perhaps it is working. I would have thought the Maxxis would be fine also, it claims “EXO puncture protection”, and as a light trail tyre should be suited to your needs.

A few thoughts,

Maybe you have just been unlucky, Hawthorns will pretty much go through anything when they want to.

I find well inflated tyres will resist punctures better than soft tyres, but you don’t want to go too high and loose all ride quality.

If the farmer or landowner has been out hedge cutting it is best to avoid that area for a while.

I haven’t gone tubeless but if you keep getting punctures it could be the way to go.

 

[Tonyy2869]

Hi, the Pirelli Scorpian would be a good option, it has good puncture protection and a tread pattern for varied terrain.
The price isn't eye watering either.

 

[Seraye]

Schwalbe Al Grounder or Johnny Watts. Almost two thousand miles on each of these tires with Not one flat.

 

[Oldandslowguy]

Hi, so I'm not new to biking (last bike was a 2007 Stumpjumper FSR). Anyways, I'm early 50's now and the missus and I decided to get a couple of new bikes - hers a Specialized Como 3 and mine Whyte E505 and we're well happy with them both. Mostly.
So, mainly we're just doing road stuff probably 85% off the time and maybe upto 20 - 25 miles at a time, just pottering about, nowt serious, nothing too heavy going, no downhills, no knarly single-track, not anymore. Booooo.

Anyhoo, so 3 times out on the bike, first time 1 puncture, 2nd time 2 punctures, 3rd time 3 punctures - every puncture a hawthorn! Her - none at all. So I want some new tyres - I guess I'm gonna have to go tubeless. The knobbly ones that are on it from new are noisy, slow, and quite thin. I've had a look around and there are obviously millions of options. Bearing in mind, we're in Scotland, so damp/ wet at the very least. I can't see us going out in a downpour.
So, I suppose I'm looking something quieter than a tractor, capable of both mainly road, but the odd track/ gravel road, fire road - nothing that's gonna knock my fillings out anyways and is as puncture resistant as i can get. Am I looking for the impossible? Oh, its a 29er so I'd be looking for something 2.3 - 2.4 I think. Do I need e-bike specific tyres for this kind of riding, price isn't an issue. Hope you can help. TIA
Les

Hello, I have a 2022 Specialized Turbo Levo with about 1200 miles on it. After doing some research I purchased the Swalbe Eddy Current tires specifically for EMTB. I haven’t flatted out once, I run them tubeless at about 20psi. Great tires, when they wear out I’ll probably buy them again. I live in Reno, NV. where it is dry and rocky.

 

[DieBoy]

So, I suppose I'm looking something quieter than a tractor, capable of both mainly road, but the odd track/ gravel road, fire road - nothing that's gonna knock my fillings out anyways and is as puncture resistant as i can get.

May I suggest the Smart Sam Plus Performance in 29x2.35" as an option for your use case. Somewhat better off-road than the Johnny Watts suggested by @Seraye but still good on road.

I've had nearly 4tkm with the non-plus version with no flats. No hawthorn particularly where I am, but broken glass, sharp stones, etc. Only recently changed as I wanted something for more tricky off-road usage.

However, they don't run tubeless, at least officially. On the otherhand they're quite affordable.

 

[irie]

We have loads of broken flint and the dreaded Hawthorns. The thorns are savage not just to tyres but also clothing and particularly gloves. We have Maxxis DD tyres front, and rear either DD or currently DH (both High Roller 3). Tubeless of course.

 

[mr_mojo97]

Hey, thanks for all your replies and suggestions. I've ended up with a pair of Schwalbe G one allround from a local charity bike shop. Not been out on them yet so we'll see tomorrow. Cheers

 

[Gareth]

Hey, thanks for all your replies and suggestions. I've ended up with a pair of Schwalbe G one allround from a local charity bike shop. Not been out on them yet so we'll see tomorrow. Cheers

I’ve got those on my gravel bike. Decent enough tyres, good for road use and cycle paths and light gravel routes. I did have a double puncture with them but that was from hitting a large pothole, which incidentally cost me a new rear wheel.

I would have thought the Maxxis Forekaster more suited to your bike, and yes probably more puncture resistant than Schwalbe G one allround. Make sure they are suitable for your rims, as G one allround are usually mounted on narrower 700C rims, I think 29er (which is actually 700C) rims are often a bit wider.

I think you have just been unlucky. Or just need to up your tyre pressures. If the farmer has been out cutting the hedgerows then often the best idea is to avoid that area for a good few weeks. Hawthorns will puncture any bicycle tyre.

 

[steve_sordy]

@mr_mojo97 If you want to be certain of not getting any flats, then you must use a sealant somewhere. You can buy tubes with sealant already in. They work very well indeed. You will still get punctures, but you will not get any flats!
However, tubes with sealant in tend to be heavy duty (ie heavy) and with a lot of sealant in (also heavy). On a muscle powered bike this weight at the rims will be noticed. Weight at the rims is in the worst place.

An alternative that has already been recommended is to go tubeless. When you watch someone who has never done it before it looks very difficult to do, but if you watch someone who has done it several times it looks dead easy! If you are not at all handy, then get your bike shop to do it for you; it really is a straightforward job when you know what to do. One of the big advantages of going tubeless is that there is not a tube to pinch on rocks, so all those "snakebite" pinch flats disappear.

When I first started going off road, I had a flat every 14 miles on average. I fitted Slime tubes and never got another flat on those wheels ever again. When I started to get a bit more serious and bought a proper mtb, the wheels were too heavy with Slime tubes fitted. It wasn't until I went proper tubeless that I was happy. You will almost never stop getting punctures but you can almost completely stop getting flats.