e-bike tyres?

[rivers]

My wife is looking at getting new tyres for her e-bike for winter as her current tyres aren't particularly grippy in the wet. Should I be looking at e-bike specific tyres for her or can I just point her in the direction of an appropriate sized tyre with good grip and puncture protection?

 

[Drago]

Regular tyres are just dandy.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

I have always used normal bike tyres - just with puncture protection so thorns and general metal stuff from the road margins don't affect it too much
it has worked for my ebikes for the last 12-13 years
ebike specific tyres are not necessary - and are just a con
At the end of the day - the variation in the weight of the rider is greater than the extra weight of the motor and battery

 

[Pale Rider]

I doubt whether any bicycle tyre is particularly grippy in the wet.

Tread is largely irrelevant given that a bicycle cannot aquaplane - unless it reaches about 150mph.

I have Schwalbe Moto X and Big Ben tyres on my two ebikes.

Both are marked as 'ebike ready', which is not why I bought them but cannot do any harm.

As regards grip in the wet, the only answer is to slow down - as those Tour de France fellas found out during stage one.

 

[welsh dragon]

Normal tyres here. Just upgraded to schwalbe Marathon original.

 

[CXRAndy]

If you have the capacity, Schwalbe G Ones are excellent. They come in 35 and 40 mm. tubeless is the best but of you prefer inner tubes- I'd recommend putting 75mil of tyre sealant in each tube. This latter method almosts eliminates road side puncture repairs

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

As far as puncture protection is concerned I find that the extra weight of an ebike - often including a heavier rider (OK - that's me - not everyone) means that if a 4 mm thorn gets jammed into the tyre - and the tyre is 3.5 mm thick - then every time the tyre rotates then the thorn gets pushed further and further through the tyres protection
and then sticks through the inner tube
Then, if you have goo in the tyre to seal it then it will probably stop the puncture - but not fully as the goo doesn;t stick fully to the thorn.
I have found that with puncture resistant tyres and sealant in the tyre then I get very few roadside punctures - but have occaisionally have a puncture after the bike has been in the shed over night.
In every case I have found a long thorn sicking right through the tyre and into the inner tube - as soon as I remove the thorn the sealant does its job and the puncture is fixed

So - I suggest using a puncture resistant tyre and tyre sealant in the inner tube.
I have just put a 1Continental TourRide Reflex Trekking and City Tyre on that back - seems to be doing well so far

 

[fossyant]

If you have the capacity, Schwalbe G Ones are excellent. They come in 35 and 40 mm. tubeless is the best but of you prefer inner tubes- I'd recommend putting 75mil of tyre sealant in each tube. This latter method almosts eliminates road side puncture repairs

Nah, you can stick tubeless. Too much mess. OP will need tubeless ready rims too, and tyres.

 

[rivers]

If you have the capacity, Schwalbe G Ones are excellent. They come in 35 and 40 mm. tubeless is the best but of you prefer inner tubes- I'd recommend putting 75mil of tyre sealant in each tube. This latter method almosts eliminates road side puncture repairs

Wife's wheels aren't tubeless ready, and I'm not going to suggest that she gets tubeless ready wheels. Then she'll know how much I've spent on wheels. Plus G Ones really aren't her bag. She rides a dutch style sit up and beg e-bike. Looking at some conti contact plus for her.

 

[MichaelW2]

If ebikes are more prone to punctures (?) And you want added reliability and you dont mind a performance hit the obvious solution is Schwalbe Marathon Plus. The Plus is quite a bit tougher than std Marathon which is the benchmark tyre for reliable everyday riding.

 

[NickWi]

You can buy tyres that are made with a 'winter' compound that offer better grip in cold wet weather. The Pirelli P Zero Velo 4s I've been using for a couple of years now are such and I've been pleased with how they've performed, but they are a bit smooth & sporty with their design. If that's not your better half's thing, then I'm sure there are other makes out there that offer other styles, but the principle of using a grippier winter compound works.