Location: West Coast US

This bike has been serving me well for about 4 years now: Breezer Bikes - Bike Archive | 2011 | Ziggy

But now the rear tire has a bulging sidewall, so it's time for new tires. I have always wanted slightly thinner slicks than the tires it came with. The tires I have now have a bunch of MTB-like tread on the outside, but are slick in the middle. I really only ride on good pavement (commute) so thinner slicks would be fine.

I stopped by the LBS, but they did not have many 20" tires in stock.

The spec page says "Dahon Roulez 20x1.5"" but actually mine came with unnamed 40-406 2.0 x 1.5" tires that look different from the ones in the picture.

I'm thinking of buying the Big Apple 20x2.0" but how can I make sure they will fit my rim/fender combo? Also, I like the idea of reflective sidewalls, but the Big Apples don't seem to have those. Or do they? I'm looking at the "11100304 50-406 20 x 2.00 RaceGuard Black-Reflex" on this page: Big Apple HS 430 | Schwalbe North America

In a search, I see some other tires recommended in this forum but don't see an easy way to order them in the US.

Alternatively, if I want road slicks, I can go with something like Durano HS 464 | Schwalbe North America 20 x 1.1" but people prefer not to have 100PSI tires on small wheels?

edit: I see the ETRTO sizing now, so I need 40-xxx tires?

You need ERTRO 406mm tyres.

I would recommend Primo Comets. Come in some variety of widths, with or without Kevlar strip, with or without reflective sidewall. (These only in specific combination so you pick whatever is most important to you and accept the rest.)

Primo Comets are IMHO the best folding bike tyre for general use. It can be pumped hard if you wish, rolls very well and is robust. And not too expensive. Unbeatable combination. I hope they never go out of production.

schwalbe kojak 35-406 (20x1.35")
55-95 psi range

I have found the Kojaks too fragile. Only good enough for a front tyre. Unless you are willing to change often.

My understanding is that current Big Apples have reflex (reflective) sidewalls. IMHO, this is a VERY desirable feature. From the picture of your Breezer, it looks like it has SKS or similar fenders. Those should work with 20"x2.0" (50-406) Big Apples.

-HANK RYAN-
Norman, Oklahoma USA

So:

50-406 Big Apple (2.0")
35-406 kevlar belt, reflective stripe Primo Comet Primo Comet Tire - Kevlar Belted, 20 x 1.50
35-406 Kojak (1.35")

42-406 Primo Comet Recumbent 20 x 1.5 Black/Black Tire

How can one tire be "42-406" and the other "35-406" but both are 20"x1.5" ? Or it's just mislabeled on the niagara site?


Shwalbe alone has a whole pile of 406 options...

for sure they are now as durable or sturdy as.a Marathon tire, but they are.lighter, slicker (something the OP wants) and less expensive.

i use marathon supremes for heavier duty, but thats not what the op wants. he wants slicks.

Non-metric 20" sizes are actually 3 different incompatible diameters only distinguishable by whether they use fractional or decimal widths! See Sheldon Brown's page about tire sizes for the gory details. ETRTO sizes are way more rational: the first (smaller) number is the nominal width in mm, the second (larger) is the rim diameter in mm.

Interesting... I have not tried Kojaks recently... I had them on several bikes (Moulton APB, Birdy, Brompton, maybe more) but again and again was disappointed.

So have they been improved recently to be as durable and sturdy as Marathons?

sorry, what i meant to say earlier is the Kojaks are not as sturdy or durable as Marathons.

In 406x1.5 slicks, I like Greenspeed Scorchers... Totally slick, comfortable and fast! My other favorite slicks are Panaracer Minit lite and the Schwalbe Kojak.. Continental Grand Prix are very fast, but narrow, and consequently, less than ideal at high pressure on an unsuspended bike.. For the Dahon, I would hunt down a pair of Scorchers.. I also like the Primos for a great all-rounder, but with a herringbone tread pattern..

It's unclear what tradeoffs you are willing to make between durability, efficiency, and cost.

I'm a fan of ...
Primo Comets: I've used in several widths. I found it to be a quick tire. Cheaper than the Scorcher but not as nice, IMO.
Greenspeed Scorchers: I have a pair on a Bike FRiday tikit in 349. It's a fast comfortable tire.
Schwalbe Big Apples: This is an excellent tire for commuting, IMO. Relatively durable and comfortable. But heavy.
Schwalbe Marathon Racers: Another excellent commuting tire. Lots of Big Apple qualities but less comfortable and lighter.
Tioga Power Blocks: They come lots of sizes plus wire and folding bead. They're a really nice ride but I don't have enough experience with them to assess durability. For the price they're a great tire.

I ride Marathon racers all around the Bay Area. Pretty light but forgiving, minimal tread. Have not had a single flat tire (two on the Kenda's I had previously). The newer version is much lighter than the prior iteration. Good tire. 20x1.50.

i have experience riding on 3 types of schwalbe 20" tires:

big apple 20x2.0
marathon plus 20x1.75
marathon racer 20x1.5

my favorite out of the 3 is the marathon racer. much lighter than the other two, but still with decent flat protection.

The Scorcher TR (the thorn resistant version) is my favorite tire (though I have it in 349, it's also in 406). It is an extremely fast and sticky tire, and is easily the most comfortable 349 tire available. But all tires must have a downside and for the Scorcher that downside is that it isn't cheap and its sticky and fast rubber compound wears out faster. I would recommend against the non-TR version: it's faster and lighter but my understanding is that it's prone to flats: it is after all a thin, sticky, slick tire.

I've found the Comet to be very good, particularly the wider ones.

I put a pair of Tannus solid tires on my winter commuter (700x23)
Musai Aither 1.1 Road Bike Tires

They've got 406 sizes (soft & hard?)

A bit of a pain to mount, but no flats once on the bike. I now have about 1000 miles on the tires. Not the best with traction. I'm not sure about rolling resistance, perhaps slightly worse. I've picked up a few gashes in the sidewall, but don't know if a pneumatic tire would have gotten a flat, or deformed around the debris.

Wear seems to be good so far, just barely going through the outer textured part of the tire.

My folder with 20" tires came with Kendas on them. Fine, but do get the occasional flat. Replaced the back tire with a Schwalbe Marathon Racer 20x1.5. This tire can inflate up to 85 PSI and is faster. No flats yet in over 5,000kms. I find the tire a little squirmy on corners sometimes.

I also have a folder with 16x2.0 Schwalbe Big Apples. Only go to 75 PSI and feel a little slower. Haven't put huge km's on these yet but they seem fine.

Of the three the Marathon Racer is the favourite.

marathon plus & Schwalbe tubes , too , or thorn resistant tubes if you really hate flats and like just getting goiing..

ETRTO, 406 is rim size match 40 is width of tire so 37 narrower 47 wider .. Its the Metric system.

Thanks all, ordered a pair of "Marathon Racer, 40-406, Reflex, Wired".

Will try running the new tires at 85PSI.