My Marin steel utility bike with 26" wheels and disc brakes will be getting e-assisted soon, and I want to change tires to something more durable so that hopefully I don't have to keep fixing flats. I'm currently running 26x1.5 Bontrager H2's, and they're AWFUL for flat tires. I've had at least 3 or maybe more flats on that one rear tire alone in the past year.

I see that there's an H2 "HardCase Ultimate" version in 26x2.0, but those go for $45+ each. I've been thinking more about the Schwalbe Big Apple, which come in 2.0, 2.15 or even 2.35 widths, and go for around $35-$40 for the ones with GreenGuard 3mm protection layer.

Any other wide 26" tire recommendations for e-bikes?

how big can you go? I've gone up to 60mm, but find that 50-55mm works best unless you have very wide rims.

The real question is, what is causing your flats? Different causes need different solutions.

Keep in mind that internal protection is going to make the tire ride stiffer, although with a fat tire, that may not be a problem. In general, Continental and Schwalbe have great tires, some of which have an extra layer of rubber and some are even "e-bike" certified.

I put one of those flat guard strips between my tire and tube once, and about 3 hours into a 4 hour ride, it had rubbed a hole in my tube. So, I like your method better! LOL.
I use Slime tubes as insurance. It works well if something like a nail punctures the tube, but not so much if there is a slice in the tube.

Specialized has their armadillo protection if you are looking for other options.

There are nasty goathead thorns in socal; accordingly, I'm using Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires on my 48V, 1000w rear hub system. No flats in a year+. Not my favorite tire for any other reason, but this aspect predominates.

I will second any of the Schwalbe "PLUS" tires with the tread you need (PLUS meaning the Green Guard, not the tire size). I run Schwalbe Smart Sam PLUS for my eMTB. Great all around tire with good bite off-road. I have friends that tour with Marathon's and they get 8,000-10,000 miles out of them without a any flats!

Every time I've had a flat on my utility bike with these 1.5" H2 tires, it's always been the rear tire, and it's always been when riding on the shoulder of a road, or on the "under construction" portion of a road widening project. Thankfully we don't have goat heads to content with in my area of the world. And yeah I don't really like the idea of tire liners for the reason you mentioned.

The bike is a Marin Pine Mountain steel MTB frame, with a height-corrected Nashbar rigid steel fork (same height as suspension fork), which has tons of clearance for just about anything probably up near 3" wide or so.

Thanks for the suggestions. I haven't looked at the Smart Sam tires but I'll check them out.

Maxxis Hookworm BMX/Urban Bike Tire . they have been very rugged for me.

Big, heavy, slow, inexpensive. I pedaled a century ride on mine, and boy was that a long day!!! But for an ebike, they are a great alternative as the weight isn't too much of an issue. I think I paid $16 for mine.

It is always the rear, isn't it? The front tire throws up the debris, and the rear tire catches it at a bad angle.

Yeah, the Conti or Schwalbe with the built in tire liner is going to be good for ya. Continental calls it the "safety plus" or just "plus" tires too. All of the conti electric tires (e-25 or E-50) have that type of protection

There is a new Schwalbe tire available for 2017 called the Big Ben Plus. I think you should check it out.

I had similar problems with my trike with electric drive and settled on Schwalbe BIG BEN, 55-406. First, it's classed as a balloon tire, aka over 2 50 aka 2 inches.

It's rated by some EU standard, ESE-E75, for e-bikes, which I think means it's side walls are able to withstand the torque and the tire the higher speed and load possible for long distance, ie, withstand internal heating. Could find anything on the Web to explain what the testing is. But Schwalbe does not slap the rating on all model tires, even those that are in the same line.

I also bought a Schwalbe tube, standard, that was beefier than the tunes that kept going flat or leaking or blowing up.

My theory is the standard tire and tube were not able to withstand the torque and load that were possible with the electric drive. I did not and do not go fast, seldom exceeding 10mph and then only going down hill without added power. Pressure is a tradeoff in that high pressure improves strength, but also must enlarge any flaw in the tube, even when well backed by tire carcass.

Note, in the year before I upgraded to electric, just moving the tire and tube, I had no flats. My use did not change much in the year after, but I had a flat, slow leak, blowout. The tire showed no sign of damage, puncture, etc that would explain the tube problems. The ungeared hub motor is a good bit of mass, so even though I ride really decent roads, I'm sure that imputes more shock to the tire and tube.

The balloon tire handles higher loads at lower pressure. Might have lost performance in rolling resistance, but the handling seemed to improve, less squirm.

Couldn't find other tires certified for e-bikes in my 406 size besides Schwalbe, but Schwalbe has so many models, I could locate them only on the Schwalbe US site for ordering. (One lbs carries Schwalbe but they cater to the performance biker service needs, so ordering direct is faster.) Figuring out the model options is best done with the catalog: www.schwalbetires.com/taxonomy/term/616

Then you can see what they have in stock. www.schwalbetires.com/product_search

Too many models of tires it seems to me, but maybe that is just great customer service in catering to every customers' performance needs.

FWIW, seems like the road shoulder is the catchall place for tire puncture materials; I've had the same "luck" when riding there. Be prepared to decide how you are going to repair a rear flat since inverting the bike (the way I've always proceeded for easy removal and replacement of the rear wheel) will put your display at risk (don't think that it can be removed like some OEM bikes). Had my friend with me last time and he held the bike up; if I had been alone was prepared to use my shoes for a "stand" to protect the display (I use "regular" tires on mid-drives since they're being used off road).

I run 29x2.0 Schwalbe Marathon Almotion on my e-bike (Cross Current.) They offer them in 26x2.15. They are the lowest rolling resistance touring tire tested by these guys. They have the same 3mm Greenguard as the Schwalbe Marathons. Heavy tires but that's not really an issue on an e-bike. If your frame has clearance I'd go as wide as possible and drop the pressure down. You start to feel every bump in the road when you're cruising well over 20mph on a rigid aluminum frame. I'd love to run the 2.35" Schwalbe G-One Speed if my frame had enough clearance. I have a suspension fork and Body Float seat post on my e-bike and I still appreciate more compliant tires.

I have found that... 2" rear and 1.75" fronts work for me, and, Leaving some tread (Lugs) on the tires and having huge F'ing inner tubes work great. Haven't had a flat for over 3+ years... https://www.maxxis.com/catalog/tire-501-121-race-tt

This bike I'm converting has a double kickstand, so it will stand up on its own even with one tire removed, depending on which end has more weight on it.

It's also a steel frame and fork, so hopefully that will help it be not quite as harsh as an aluminum frame bike.

Just put on 2.15" Big Apple tires last night. I'm glad I didn't go with 2.35" as the clearance with the new 65mm SKS fenders is tight in some places. But it looks like it's going to be a nice ride! I just hope I don't flat on the rear again any time soon. It's going to be a PITA dealing with getting the rear tire in and out, with the fender on there.

I have Marathon Plus 45s on my Trek 8.5 and like them very much. However, when I need or want replacements for my NeoXtrem, I'll definitely be looking for a bigger tire to maximize comfort on this aluminum 50-pounder. 45s were the biggest Marathons available when I shopped in June 2015.