Every Bicycle Tire.com has lots of recumbent tire choices. The
tire sets we list are the ones which a smaller tire can be
matched up with a larger tire having the exact same tread
and section width. You'll be amazed at how many tires are
made in 'families', meaning the manufacturer makes a bunch
of different diameter tires all using the same casing and
tread.
For manufacturers, they have to design a tread and casing
first and because of their process, it is quite easy to make
the design in differing diameters. The Schwalbe marathon is
a great example. Schwalbe makes the Marathon 368 in the
small 16 x 1.35, 20 x 1.35, and the larger 26 x 1.35 and 700
x 32. There would be few recumbent bicycles in the world that
couldn't use the Marathon.
Below please find some of the 'families' of tires and read
what we have experienced with them.
Schwalbe: Kojack
16 x 1 1/4 (349), 20 x 1.35 (406), 26 x 1.35 (559), 700 x 35
(622)
The Kojak is a fast tire with practically no flat
protection. For the fearless and adventuresome, the tread is
slick and the profile is rounded making it sticky in the
corners and fast on the straights. These
have no flat protection but are fast.
Schwalbe: Racer
16 x 1.50 (305), 20 x 1.5 (406), 26 x 1.5 (559), 700 x 35 or
700 x 38 (622)
Like the name says, these are fast and a little wider than
the Kojak. Less sticky than the Kojak, these have little
flat protection as well. Best for those who weigh under 200lbs
and who stays on clean streets, these are inexpensive tires
with some zip.
Schwalbe: Durano
20 x 1.1 (406), 20 x 1 1/8 (451), 26 x 1.1 (559), 700 x 23
or 700 x 25 (622)
20 x 1 1/8 (451), 700 x 28 (622)
Racing tires with all the bells and whistles. Flat
protection and speed but at a higher price tag. These are
competition grade tires and will give reliable service. This
tire used to be called the Stelvio and there have been some
upgrades to the casing and tread since the new name
introduction.
Vittoria: Randonneur
20 x 1.5 (406), 26 x 1.50 (559)
Solid performer with Italian inspired looks. It has lots of
flat protection and can be inflated upwards of 100 psi. This
is technically a distance tire with 120 threads per inch
which would make it half racing and half high quality
commuter tire. Reasonable price, good looks and solid feel,
makes this recumbent set an editors pick.
Schwalbe: Supreme
20 x 1.6 (406), 26 x 1.6 (559), 700 x 32 or 700 x 35 (622)
One should see the video on the Schwalbe website about this
one. The Supreme uses Vectran fibers to make it very
puncture resistant and then they made it fast on top of
that. Runs like a racing tire but has a wider profile. Great
for heavier riders, the Supreme is very strong for as light
as it is. Comes in wire and folding beads
Continental: Grand Prix
20 x 1 1/8 (406), 26 x 1 1/8 (559)
Everyone knows the Grand Prix name. High quality tires with
lots of speed. Great for racing but not as much flat
protection as the Supreme or Randonneur or Durano. Very fast
and very sporty looking.
Durable
Schwalbe: Marathon 368 20 x 1.5 (406), 26 x 1.5 (559), 700 x 35 (622)
16 x 1.75 (305), 20 x 1.75 (406), 26 x 1.75 (559), 700 x 40
or 700 x 45 (622) Excellent touring tire with a wide range of psi
possibilities. Also comes in the largest diversity of tire
sizes from 1.5 and wider. This is a fairly supple tire with
thick tread at the apex of the tire and where the tire comes
into contact with the road. Legendary reviews on the
Internet make this tire worth considering for just about any
usage.
Schwalbe: Marathon Plus 16 x 1 3/8 (349), 20 x 1.35 (406), 26 x 1.35 (559), 700 x 32
(622)
20 x 1.75 (406), 26 x 1.75 (559), 700 x 40 (622) The thickest toughest tire that there may be in that it can
stop a thumbtack and keep rolling. For those truly desiring
a flat free future, the visibly sturdier Marathon Plus
maximizes your tire investment. Not cheap, but they will
give you peace of mind and they come in a lot of choices.
Schwalbe: Big Apple 16 x 2.0 (305), 20 x 2.0 (406), 26 x 2.0 (559), 700 x 50
(622) High volume tire smoothes out your ride. These are very
large tires and have the highest weight load rating of all
Schwalbe tires. For the street and maybe some hard packed
gravel trails, the Big Apple also gives the larger rider
additional protection.
Schwalbe:
Silento 20 x 1.75 (406), 26 x 1.75 (559), 26 x 1.9 (559), 700 x 35
or 700 x 38 (622) Economical and tough tire does what any Schwalbe tire can do at
a price sure to please. Rugged and silent (Silento...you get
it?) this is a cross over tire and can do light duty off
road. The Schwalbe name and engineering at half the price of
the other tires, so keep an open mind and give these a look.
Get the Specs!!!
Every tire has specs that you can use. Below is an example
20 x 1.75
Schwalbe Marathon HS 368 (406)
The 20
x 1.75 Marathon 368 (406) tire by
Schwalbe is the classic commuter
tire. It fits bmx, juvenile and
folding bikes. Also fits recumbent
bikes and trailers. This bicycle
tire offers a Kevlar puncture
protection belt and snakeskin
sidewall protection.
MSRP:
$34.95
Type
Spec
Bead
Wire
Color
Black
ISO
Size
406mm
Load
100
- 200 lbs
PSI
40 -
60 lbs
PSI
60 -
80 lbs
Sidewall
Reflective
Tread
Inverted
Tread
Exterior
Type
Recumbent
Type
Road
Type
Street
Type
Non
Bike Uses
Weight
500
- 600 gm
Width
1.75" - 2.00" (45-51mm)
26 x 1.75
Schwalbe Marathon HS 368 (559)
The 26
x 1.75 Marathon 368 (559) tire by
Schwalbe is the classic commuter
tire for street use on mountain
bikes and cruisers. This bicycle
tire offers a Kevlar puncture
protection belt and snakeskin
sidewall protection.
MSRP:
$38.85
Type
Spec
Bead
Wire
Color
Black
ISO
Size
559mm
Load
200
- 300 lbs
PSI
40 -
60 lbs
PSI
60 -
80 lbs
Sidewall
Reflective
Tread
Inverted
Tread
Exterior
Type
Recumbent
Type
Road
Type
Street
Type
Non
Bike Uses
Weight
700
- 800 gm
Width
1.75" - 2.00" (45-51mm)
More Recumbent Tire
Tips and Tweaks:
A lot of times, a wider tire can be run in the rear of a
recumbent bicycle. This is the same concept used in the
motorcycle world because by running a wider tire in the
rear, it stabilizes the platform and increases load capacity
and enhances handling. Just make sure the psi ranges match
up. The Marathon 20 x 1.5 with the Marathon 26 x 1.75 would
be perfectly acceptable and adds another 50 lbs or more
capacity to the bike.
Getting the wire bead tire
version of a high quality tire is a good way to get a really
good tire cheaper. In many cases (not all), the wire bead
tire and the folding bead tire are identical except for the
bead with the wire bead tire leaning towards being tougher,
but that wouldn't be true in all cases. A lot of times, the
folding bead tire is lighter so we recommend getting three
tires (two wire bead tires and one folding bead tire) for
expeditions or long excursions.
In many cases, the front
tire of a recumbent or any bicycle only represents a small
percentage of the total effort required to move the bike. It
is acceptable to let a little air out of the front or
purposely under inflate the front tire in relation to the
rear. This will soften the ride but not appreciably increase
the amount of energy needed to move the bike.
For the technically inclined, Nitrogen could be used in
tires as its' benefits are well known in aviation. However
nitrogen protects tires and on bicycles all that wonderful
Nitrogen is in the inner tubes (in most cases). Any feed
back on this would be nice. We get magazines all the time
from the car tire manufacturers trade associations pumping
up the virtues of Nitrogen. Feed back welcome.
Also, we would like to hear
about your tire set choices. We may add them to the website.
Every
Bicycle Tire, LLC "A Reference Resource & More.." 2009 
