Best Recumbent Tire

Get healthy and come back east for a visit. We can get together and reminisce about the days when we could ride 50 miles and say, "What do we do with the rest of the day?" Your sis has moved back to the old home place, but have only seen 'em once for a few minutes.

 

The Primo Comet slide out from under a SWB when wet, and get punctured running over a cotton ball. Marathon Greenguard are durable and have a decent ride. I have no problems mounting and dismounting them (maybe I should publish tips on tire changing?) Maxxis Hookworms are super durable and good on an off road trike for the front. Pananracer Pasela is great fast-ish tire but is in too limited of sizes. Continental tires often have such tight beads one might wonder if the correct size was purchased.

 

Please do. That is something I always struggle with. But then again, I use Continental Gatorskin tires.

 

Talc or cornstarch inside of tire and outside of tube. When you get to that last few inches of bead, where you think your thumbs might break and reach for a tire lever...STOP. Try this first: Starting opposite of where you need to pry those last bits of bead into place, press the tire on the floor as though it were on the bike. Press hard. Roll it from that point towards the area in question, pressing down the entire time. Release. Then start in the opposing place again, but this time, roll the other direction. This sort of "squeegees" any loose tire towards where you need it. Pop the remainder in place using your thumbs.

 

Thanks!

 

In etrto 406 (35-406) the Schwalbe kojak is good for a cheap price, low rolling resistance, 4000 km endurance but it needs to be pumped up really hard, on 100 psi so there is less suspension...
if you want to spend more cash get the schwalbe g one speed in 40-406, nearly as fast as the kojak, better flat protection, better suspension, lower pressure (70 psi)
you also can go for the Greenspeed scorcher, which is the most fast tyre, but no flat protection at all in 40-406
if the trike has to carry a big max load, best thing is to get a 47-406 for the rear tyre and two smaller ones for the front like 35-406 or 40-406
there are also bmx tyres like the maxxis torch in 47-406, which are suitable for the rear wheel, the torch has an acceptable rolling resistance and can be pumped untill 110 psi
the torch is really fast worn down and has no good flat protection, but it has a good suspension and it is quite fast

 

We really prefer the Schwalbe Marathon Plus but with our fixed and limited budget, we usually end up with the older (Green Guard 5 level protection factor) Marathon on the front of the trike. On the rear we've gone to a Schwalbe Marathon 365 GT All Season's semi-knobby tire for better traction on some of the many, hard packed dirt trails we have here in Co. Springs, CO. Also works great on asphalt trails in sorry shape, which sadly we have quite a few! We bought the 20x2.15 but will switch to the 20x1.50 rear soon as we want to put FENDERS on the trikes but Terra Trike Fenders have a max fit size of 20x1.95. It's ok in the end as we really avoid dirt as much as possible anyway, LOL!

 

In my experience, Continental and Schwalbe. I have the Continental in back, the Schwalbe in front on my Lightning P-38. I ride in the state of ILL, where we frequently have pothole farms instead of roads, and the debris I encounter is frequently sharp, either glass or metal. We inspect our tires after every ride. Embedded glass and metal are not uncommon. Never had a puncture or blowout with either brand—including the Continental with a 0.75 inch gash in the tread that I rode an entire season on until it was worn enough to replace. All I did was fill the gash with self-vulcanizing rubber made for tire repairs, mainly to keep it from picking up more hostile debris.

 

"Bulletproof"—you know this from experience?!

 

What are your faves for 16-346 and 20-451. Much fewer choices....

 

Here are some tools I've found that really help with tire removal and replacement, especially if you have very arthritic hands. Amazon links, you can get them elsewhere.

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https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B001AYML7K/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 This is the one I carry on rides.

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https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XCFFDDC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I also carry these. Best tire levers I've ever used.

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https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CW912J0/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 This one stays in the shop, but makes even the small Schwalbe tires on my front end easy to deal with.

 

lalalalala well, I feel like I've been there done that...seen it all. Having a bike shop for numerous years gave me the chance to purchase and sell i.e. try out all different brands of bike tools equipment parts and accessories. There just a few that I really think are absolute crap. However, when it comes to favorites it all depends on the person, the situation and the cost of the item in question. Everyone will have their own DIY method it may work for some and maybe not others. All I can say is it never hurts to try anything...its better than doing nothing.

 

" ‘Tis better to have loved and lost, / Than never to have loved at all” ~Alfred, Lord Tennyson

 

Fixin flat is something you have to 'learn by doing!'
And you will find tools you like and don't like.
It's an on-going learning experience!