Schwalbe Big Apple or ... ?
 

I know that there are a lot of questions about tires and you all know me here and that I shouldn't be asking the same question as all the others so I'll try to focus my question.

I bought my wife a 29er last summer but, 4 days later, in a fit of playfulness with the dog, their heads collided and she was home from work for the next 8 weeks recovering from a concussion (she's fine now but it took a lot more than that time to fully recover, close to 6 months, oh, and the dog wasn't affected at all). As a result, bike rides amounted to only a few in late September before the cold (from her perspective) set in.

She'd like to commute to work on the bike this summer and I'd like to swap out the knobby tires (don't know what model or brand but they're 700c X 54mm) for more paved-road friendly tires but at the same time, she'll want some cushy ones like what she has so they'll have to be relatively fat (50mm+). One I'm considering is the Schwalbe Big Apple.

Any other suggestions?

I have some of the 29x2.35s (about 60mm wide!) on a Surly Karate Monkee, as a fun bike. The Big Apples are for summer, and Continental Top Contact Winters go on for the colder months.

FWIW, I'm right at the clyde boundary, and those monster Big Apples let me float over all sorts of irregular surfaces that are out of bounds on my road bike. They only get pumped up to 50psi, or so, and there is little I can't comfortably roll over. Very lightweight, and compliant, for their size. That said, they have way more rolling resistance than the 700x32s Vittoria Ranodneur Hypers (Vittoria now call these 'Voyager Hypers', you want the 120tpi casing) I run on my normal commuter rig.

How long is the commute? If more than a few miles, I wouldn't suggest the Big Apples, unless the terrain in broken/gravel/etc. or you think she needs to work a little harder. My first choice would be the Voyager Hypers in the 700x35 size.

If she is new to the commuting game, I strongly recommend fenders, even is she does not anticipate riding in the rain. There is always going to be the occasional puddle or damp surface that needs to be traversed, and fenders keep one from wearing it. Using fenders will impact maximum tire size.

I say, replace with some 32mm slick Gatorskins....

The route is 6km/4mi on relatively flat, asphalt. Yes, I plan to get her fenders too but I have to check to see if the LBS installed the wrong sized rack, one meant for 26" tires instead of for 700c/29" tires, because the gap between the tire and the rack is very, very small.

On the Schwalbe rack you also have the Fat Frank and Big Ben which appear to be the same tire as the BA but with a different tread pattern.

I've had 2.0 Fat Franks on my crosscheck for a couple of seasons now. My favorite tire right now is the Panaracer Pasela TG 700X35C. That's what I ride most often, but the Fat Frank isn't a compromise in rolling resistance. It might be a tiny bit slower, maybe, but it's more fun and more comfortable. I would put them on my LHT if I could fit them + fenders, but it's too tight.

Honestly the best part of these tires is that i have to add air very infrequently. I can go a month or two without needing to. Currently running 25psi front and back, but might drop front to like 22 or 23 on my next ride. I ran 30psi for the last 2 years and it felt too bouncy. 30 is the minimum, so I'm proceeding with caution. 190# rider. maybe, i put on some weight over the winter.

Finally, the Schwalbe line offers you some pretty cool color options, but my favorite is the brown with white sidewalls:
http://hbbcinc.com/catalog/images/sc...whitewall-.JPG

I've got Fat Franks on my 29'er for commuting; I absolutely love them. :)

There are some other Schwalbes I've just noticed in the 50mm width: Marathon Mondial, Marathon Delux and Marathon Supreme (which has the highest Schwalbe rating for speed, which I assume means least rolling resistance). There also are the Continental Cruise Contacts.

TOO MANY CHOICES!!! :cry:

What tire pressure do you run them at? How long is your commute?

My Giant Seek 0 came with Big Apples. They're pretty sweet and roll surprisingly easily. I took them off because I couldn't get fenders to go over them, I'm running Nokian Streetwise 35s now which are OK, but the Big Apples are like riding on a mattress. It's tempting to put them back on sometimes.

I'm curious as to what prevented you from running fenders with them: was there not enough of a gap or were the fenders not as wide as the tires?

Honestly, tire pressure is one of the few things I ever actually measure. I have thorn-resistant tubes underneath the Fat Franks (and all my other bikes' tires) and I simply fill them up until I can barely squeeze in the side wall (higher pressure, obviously). My commute's 15 miles round-trip over lots of hills, give or take a few detours here and there. :)

it used to be that it was difficult to find fenders that would fit over that large of a tire profile, now not-so-much. The issue you're going to run into is clearance between tire and frame.

+1. Vertical clearance is the most common issue.

OK, thanks, I'll have to keep that in mind. I've been looking for fenders and there are few (save for fatbikes) that are built for tires wider than 45mm even though the fenders are up to 52mm wide. I guess that the design of (say) 52mm fenders is to provide proper coverage for tires up to 45mm wide. Since most spray emanates from the centre of the tire, if the fender is a bit narrower, I'll just have to accept that. Besides ERTO code for a 55-622 tire (if I remember correctly) means that the tire is 55mm high, not necessarily 55mm wide.

I'll have to look at the space between the tire and various parts of the frame (seat post, BB, seatstays, chainstays) and see what I'm dealing with.

Tire and the bottom of the rack? If so, that's where there currently is an issue but I think that the LBS put a 26" Topeak rack on the 29er bike because there is just 1/4" or so room. I'll pull the bike out into the light (from the garage) and have a closer look at it.

you're talking about a 29er MTB right? more than likely you will be ok, but it doesn't hurt to measure and google.

28x2.0 / 29x2.0 / 700x50C fit on a crosscheck, but that's nothing like an MTB. But for reference here's what I'm dealing with:
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5464/...02046c25_h.jpg
That's probably 1cm of clearance around the tire. I fully intended to mount fenders when I got these tires but it's just too small of an area. Un-true wheels rub. frame flex from dropping the hammer rubs. people have made it work with some elbow grease, but at the time i was commuting full time and didn't have the time or desire for high-maintenance fender solutions. If i wreck and bend a stay, it's not acceptable for me to be unable to ride home.

Yes, an MTB, a Specialized Myka 29 so I think I'll have more clearance than you're dealing with, at least between the tire and frame components, the rack is another issue I have to resolve.

I can confirm that Scwhalbe Marathon Supreme 29x2 (700x50) fit on a crosscheck. On my rims, the measure out to only about 45mm actually. I've even heard that fenders can be squeezed in there.

Planet Bike Cascadia 29ers are 65mm wide. I've got their Hardcore ATBs which are 60mm wide and fit well over my 26 x 2.15 (55-559) Big Apples.

Love the cushiness of the Big Apples, esp in a 26".
Slightly slow to spin up in 29", but smooth and fast when up to speed.

I really like the Continental Travel Contacts in 700X37. Very nice, versatile ride for a 29'er as well.
Can't really go wrong w/ Big Bens/Apples/Franks either, though….

I really love Schwalbe Big Bens. I think the 50-622 is a great all terrain tire, there is just enough tread for the dirt but it's crowned really well to roll fast on pavement.

Marc

I also use the Big Bens but one other tire I want to try later this year is the Schwalbe Almotion 50-622 (28 x 2.00)

I like my geax tattoo in 29 x 2.3, giant on my 35 mm rims.

The Cascadia's are what I used with my Karate Monkey. Generally, work fine, although I had to improvise a ty-wrap connection to the chainstay on the rear fender, as my Monkee does not have a drilled chainstay bridge. Likewise, I used a 3" piece of black acetal rod stock to move the front fender down closer to the tire. An inch or so of the rod stock fits into the bottom end of the steerer tube, and the fender is attached to the projecting portion, instead of directly to the fork.

BAs are nice and cushy for unpaved trails, but a bit much for commuting on pavement. I'd look at a narrower, lighter tire such as Marathon Supreme folder.