Tire Upgrade! Schwalbe Jumbo Jim
 

Finally got around to it!
Old: Chao Yang 26x4.9
New: Schwalbe Jumbo Jim 26x4.8
Mounted on 70mm single wall rims

First off, they are almost EXACTLY the same size (when nominally inflated), so the 4.9 on the Chao is a big load of bull [censored]

The Schwalbe's were also 1 lb lighter (each!), almost exactly. Which was a bit of a surprise, and a nice bonus. I've now accidently shed 4 lb from this bike by accident sooo.... cool?

Installation wasn't that bad. Older Schwalbe Marathons have a reputation for being a challenge to install but the Jims weren't. The beads were seated by pumping to 20 PSI initially (limit 30psi). The Chao's however did NOT want to come off before hand so I got to fight.... tires... this morning.
I won.... no blood.... some dark thoughts tho.

ANYWAY!
The Jims have about half of the knobbies on it and somehow have more traction (hard pack, winter pulverized leaves, no snow, LOTS of roots, moderate difficulty) and most importantly, is a LOT more predictable so I got warning before I lost traction. It was nice.

Turning is way more nimble with almost no self steer. Braking traction is markedly improved (matched with 203mm rotors so braking is INSANE)
Still using 5psi front and 7psi rear.

Speed: I cannot be objective here. Today's ride was not and A/B comparison on the same trail or the same mood. I was faster but I also transferred the week's stress into the bike so I'll have to get back to you.

Puncture Resistance: Honestly had absolutely NO punctures with the Chao's and I know that Schwalbe typically makes armored tires so the jury is still out but I'm guessing that Jims are better..... (I AM biased here)

I have tubeless rims, the Jims Addex compound is not officially tubeless ready, but I could (probably) go tubeless and get away with it. Kind of 'meh' on the whole concept so we'll see in the future. Guess it would save 1.5lb total but I just don't really care.

I couldn't tell the difference with weight during the ride and loading and unloading from vehicle. 2 lb on a road miiiiight be noticeable with a professional rider but this is a human powered M1A2 and 2 lb is not a big enough percentage of total weight.

The whole reason I bought the Jims was for preventative puncture resistance and I'm a Schwalbe guy (they really have to start paying me), and the traction bonus and weight bonus is.... nice.

What am I going to do with the Chao's?
I dunno, cut off the knobbies and have spare slicks?
(what the hell do you do with big assed bike tires?)

I have TLR Jims set up tubeless, and it saved another 1.5 lbs to get rid of those tubes. I think the tubes weigh nearly as much as the JJ.

Sell the old tires. They're an upgrade for someone (say someone who's out there on a BikesDirect bike with Vee Mission tires, which I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy, at least as a front tire)

What's the TPI of the older tires? If they're also 120TPI and a pound heavier that's insane. If they're the 90 or 60 TPI version that's a lot more understandable.

JJ's are great tires. They're best in the other three seasons - they slip on loose snow, when tires like Bud & Lou or Johnny 5's keep gripping. Great that they'll basically work for your conditions all year.

Chao's are 120TPI and the Jim's are 67EPI whatever the hell that is.

I think TPI and EPI are similar.

Schwalbe probably gets away with less structure and better compounds.

Not a whole lot of snow, and since I ride in a pretty dense forest, not much of that snow reaches the ground.

Considered 45nrth but Schwalbe caught me with a sale.

Very nice! My previous (and first) fat bike was a Raleigh Rumson that came with those Chao Yang 4.9 tires. I was much happier in the snow when I replaced them with a set of Surly Lous that I got when the non-tubeless version was being cleared out for $50 each. Not a fast setup, but so much more traction, as well as lighter and more supple even with tubes still. I have Nates on my current bike and I’d rather ride those than the CY 4.9.

https://www.schwalbe.com/en/technolo...-construction/

Ends Per Inch, I think the measurement is the same they just call it by a different name.

The cheaper JJs are 67 the nicer ones with the Addix SpeedGrip compound is 127 but probably most any tire from Schwalbe is going to be a huge step up from Chao Yang, I haven't yet come across a Chao Yang I want to ride, mang!