Indigo82

Hello everyone,

I was curious about these tires, Schwalbe Super Moto-X (GreenGuard) 2.4, specifically 26 x 2.4 option for my MTB 1994 converted touring expedition bike. Somewhere mentioned as a balloon tire, I have seen in a video that people use it for touring, for a good mix of off-road and on-road touring. It claims good comfort as any balloon tire and low rolling resistance, durability and puncture protection.

In a video starting from 6:21, some good comments are said about it.

My intention is to use it with rim brakes, specifically Magura rim hydraulics which I already have. I would like to replace my Schwalbe Marathon 26 x 1.75 GreeGuard tires. They are nice road touring tires, but many times I find myself riding off-road over all sorts of loose rocky and gravel terrain, etc. and I wish for a little bit more control and comfort over this terrain. I played with Koga bike configurator on their site and it mentions that configuration with Magura rim hydraulic brakes is not possible. Or maybe I am getting something wrong? Is it maybe due to the width of this tire 61mm and possibly some clearance issue with rim brakes? I was sure that it would fit though...

Has anyone used this tire for touring or with rim brakes successfully and what is your general opinion on this tire for touring?

Thank you on your response.
Peter

djb

I have no personal experience with them, but I'm fairly certain that a Dutch couple I followed who were riding down the Americas used them while in South America. They were rather heavily loaded and were very often on dirt back roads, and I recall seeing these tires on their bikes at some point. They seemed happy enough with them.

**Very important before you order these tires--frame width-- ie , will the frame be able to take them?
I have a late 90s mtb that I use for my winter bike now, and I can juuuuuuuust fit a 2.5 knobby in the front, with very little room between the front suspension crown or whatever its called, but the rear of the bike is way too narrow for 2.5.
My bike's max rear is probably 2.2 or something, I use regular old 2.1 or 2.15 mtb tires on the rear, so just be wary and carefully check the bike.
The problem of course with a tight clearance is first mud / debris accumulation which then will wear at your frame--a real concern. And then of course if your wheels go out of true, you'll be dealing with a real mess and maybe not be able to ride.

I can't recall the suggested minimum distances to frames, but given offroad mud accumulation and stuff, you'd be better off being careful than thinking it will be fine.
just a heads up.
If they will fit safely, having ridden 2/5s a bit, the feeling is pretty cool. Sure, they are big tires and so you can't expect them to roll like narrower ones, but over any kind of loose surfaces the traction difference is very neat and the feel is fun. You just have to balance how often you'd really need big tires like this, and only you know that.
They weigh just over a kilo, 1095 g, and there are other Schwalbe options for slightly less wide tires, but without checking, it seems that there are less options in 26in than just a year ago.

get back here with the chainstay clearance up near the seatube area, I suspect it may to too tight.

veganbikes

It is a good tire, we have been using them on e-bikes for a while and they seem to be excellent and are becoming the norm in that market. As djb said good to double check and make sure you have clearance for the tires and also mud and such. They may work with your brakes I don't know. Those configurators can be kind of funky but they aren't high clearance brakes so that could be the reason. You might just purchase one and do some testing just to see.

djb

I finally found that the Dutch couple I was following last year were using Smart Sam 2.6" 65mm tires, a much knobbier tire than the Super moto X.
I'm still sure the motox would work fine, but in the end, will they fit on your bike?

Tourist in MSN

I have not used that tire, I use conventional V brakes with a Travel Agent to adjust cable pull to allow normal pull brake levers. With my fenders set to give me adequate clearance around my 57mm tires, I bought V brakes that had 110mm long brake arms.
https://www.gravelbike.com/v-brake-arm-lengths/

Sorry, the rack complicates the photo a bit.



and this photo is out of focus.

tyrion

I think Schwalbe Mondials give you more bite off road but the fattest is 26x2.15 and they're expensive. I have had Mondials and like them as all around tires and they last a long time, so in that sense they're not overpriced.

I haven't tried the Super Moto-X, I'm just guessing the Mondials will be better off road judging by the looks of the tread.

djb

I think Indigo is going to have to just try these things if they fit on his bike, and decide if they work for him or her.
As tyrion and Tmsn say , it will really depend on the terrain and what the rider is comfortable with.

Indigo82

Hello everyone, just to update you on this one.

I went to my local bikes shop and spoke to people there. Since I have rims with internal diameter of 19mm it is not recommended to put balloon 2.4 inch tires on them although Schwalbe's manual mentions that 19mm is lower minimum for Super Moto-X 2.4 (62mm). According to the guys from the shop, from their past experience they have seen defects on balloon tires side walls in general when mounted on the narrow rims and when the pressure was not enough. These tires are meant to be ridden from 2-4 bar pressure, lower pressure off-road to get better suspension and up to 4 on asphalt. So in case you have narrow rims like I do what's the point of lowering pressure when you risk damaging tire side walls. Hence this would not work well in my scenario.

Here is extract from Schwalbe bicycle tire handbook related to rim-tire sizing: https://www.schwalbetires.com/sites/...e_2018-eng.pdf



Another point would be the clearance as you colleagues have mentioned in posts above. I have frame clearance but only about 4mm on each side to Magura hydraulic rim brake boosters. That seems to be very tight fit too and is pretty risky due to possible tire wobble or wheel wobble. So in the end they have persuaded me not to buy the tires. Nice guys. I wanted to try these tires badly but will have to slow down on this a little bit. Still have my Marathons 1.75 which work fine.

ricrunner

I run guard Schwalbe tour plus, they are really the best of the puncture resistance tyres they sell, with a puncture resistant tube. 11000km, on last lot, and still going no punctures, 35 mm, but you can get them in all sizes. Not cheap.

djb

That's great that the store has been helpful. Given the width limitations of the frame, you could still try going wide, but with safe clearances. There are 2.1in width 26in schwalbes that you should be able to find in Europe easily (I assume Europe from your bar pressure mentioning) and while not as wide as the 2.4 tires, you'll notice a difference compared to the 1.75in marathons in terms of cushion and wider footprint.

Indigo82

I'd like to update this thread with the latest news on Super Moto-X tires. Well, despite all the previous talk in this thread and my concerns, I took the plunge and bought the tires. They are now on my rims which are 19mm internal. According to Schwalbe they are fine. Some said be careful instead. However, I installed them and test rode them 55km off-road thinking that if something isn't right I will just buy wider rims.. They are one very nice set of tires 26x2.4 (62-559). More comfortable than my Marathons 26x1.75 off-road and on road. I run them at 30 psi (2 bar). That is enough so that when I sit on the bike (77kg) rear tire has minimal deformation. They are not 62mm wide but more like 56-58mm. And that is very good so I have enough clearance for Magura hydraulic rim brakes and their boosters. Tires are almost perfect on my rims. Zero wobble. I never had tires that are so true. That also helps with tight clearances with brakes. Plus, I have ring lock on my rear wheel. Luckily enough clearance there too. Tires roll well over asphalt, gravel and dirt. In coming Sunday I will be taking them on 100 mile day asphalt road ride. They ride predictably. No issues with cornering. Also, they increased the size of my wheels. Now, I am riding 27 inch wheels instead of 26 inch wheels, overall wheel circumference is increased (Marathons 47-559 26x1.75 were exactly 26inch in diameter). Actually, these are very fast tires despite the additional weight. Looking forward to do some longer off-road touring on these tires.

fishboat

I run Schwalbe Big Ben's (26 x 2.15) on my drop-bar converted mtn-touring bike (Trek 970).. Same tread as the Super Moto-X, but 300g lighter with a little less flat protection and durability. I love them. Super easy rolling tire with a great ride. Whether the bike is loaded for touring or not..they're a pleasure to ride.

djb

That's good that they fit. The front tire photo shows pretty good clearance, but how is it at the back, right near where the chainstays meet the bottom bracket area?
this was where my old mtb was too narrow to fit 2.5in tires.

your bike looks nice, and it's a neat feeling riding on tires that wide isn't it?
what frame is it? I can't recall if you mentioned it. It looks very European, especially with the u lock and front light.

Indigo82

Thank you all on your comments.

Yesterday I did 101 miles (163km) ride on new tires on asphalt road. They are fantastic set of tires. They roll fast as they use just central part because they are egg shaped. Very comfortable tires capable of on road and off road touring. I love these tires after completing 55km off road and 163km on road.

A photo before 100 mile ride, started at 7:30am, it took me 9 hours with an average of 18kph (11mph)



Clearance at the chainstays, bottom bracket area in the below photo. I think it is more than sufficient. The trickiest clearance is at the ring lock at the rear wheel but considering how true these tires are out of the box with zero wobble, it's fine. There are like 4 millimeters of clearance on each side at the ring lock. Ring lock was added just before these tires as it is very convenient way to lock the bike when having a drink or quickly going to grocery store.

As for the front light, it's hooked to the dynamo. Amazing light. B&M Eyc T Senso Plus 50 Lux. It has great coverage. One of the most useful upgrades I made. I made so many upgrades on this bike and for the cost of them I could've bought a nice new bike. But nostalgic link to the past prevailed and it is totally fine for me. I feel that the bicycle is tailored for me like a good suit.



With regards to the frame, that is a long story, so long that it goes back to 1994 when I was 12 years old kid. It was my first big wheels bike. It is an Italian made frame but I am not sure of the brand, it was just written Grimper All Terrain. It has Italian thread size bottom bracket too which creates me some issues when I want to source bb replacement. Luckily Shimano still makes these. Frame is made of steel. I prefer steel over aluminum. I have aluminum mountain bike which I feel I always have to take care of more. Since it was bought this bicycle went through many renovations and parts replacements. I didn't want to give up on it as I was dreaming of turning it into an all around touring and expedition bicycle. The truth is, I was always dreaming about buying Rohloff or some super expensive bike but one day I realised that I want to ride my old bike. I love simplicity when it comes to fixing it. I have no regrets as my old bike serves me really well and we connect all the way back to my young years.

It used to look similar to this (I found this photo online):



And then the process of renovation has began and it's ongoing as there are always some improvements to be made. I am really happy I gave him and me another chance. Now it's my dream machine capable of 100 miles day rides without breaking a sweat

djb

Neat story of the bike and its connection to you, and really nice that the bike is having a whole new life.
Like I've mentioned about my late 90s mountain bike, it's great that your frame can easily take wide tires like that, mine certainly cannot.

And 18kph average over 163k in 9 hours is quite respectable, but really more about the rider than the tires. In fact if you ever try lighter tires like Supremes, you'd probably go even faster.
Cheers