Description:The Big Apple provides built-in suspension, which responds amazing well - an advantage that in everyday life is more important than long spring travel. Using simple technology cycling can remain low-maintenance and easy. Significantly improved puncture protection is provided by Schwalbe's Kevlar®Guard.
28" x 2.35" (european 28" is standard 29'er sizing)
Submitted by
John Holloway
a Weekend Warrior
from Amsterdam, Netherlands Date Reviewed: May 13, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Amsterdam streets & parks
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$32.00
Purchased At:
De Haan Wielersport, Ouderkerk
Strengths:
Fast-rolling, quiet, bump absorption, braking grip, acceleration and CORNERING!
Weaknesses:
Weight. And one of the set of two (price is per tire) not as round as it could be. Difficult to align the tire so that it's accurately centered without lateral runout.
Similar Products Used:
None. Previous tires on this bike were knobblies. Previous bikes were road.
Bike Setup:
Reconditioned 1992 Giant Cadex ALM-1, standard.
Bottom Line:
I use the Cadex for fast daily travel to work and back (15 km a day) and pretty much all other transport around Amsterdam. About (at least) 140 km per week, summer and winter. Normally as fast as I can go. These tires enable me to ride a number of gears higher and the ride is smooooth. What stands out above all the expected strengths, for me, is the way the bike has developed turn-in! You think of the direction you want to go and it's already turning. Instead of under-steering on asphalt, cement pavers or hardpacked fine gravel (Amsterdam bike path and street surfaces, ranging from new to badly rutted and uneven), the bike now wants to turn in and follow my line, verging on a hint of oversteer, all the way through the corner, whether it's slow or fast, wide or tight. As a result, it's almost as if you have to exert a very slight steering pressure in the opposite direction. (This 'oversteer' decreases with increased pressure but is always there.) It gives extremely accurate feel while cornering, incredible steering accuracy - and huge confidence. The grip is great but you feel that if it had to let go (and it seems to do this very progressively, accompanied by appropriate sliding/scraping sound effects) - then you are already set up for small compensating steering movements, against the slide! OK, this is all at bike level, so really small sideways slipping movements, but this tendency, plus the huge contact area and high stability, means that you unthinkingly provide steering inputs to control the small amounts of front wheel wash-out and rear lateral slide that occur, for example, while cornering on sandy asphalt. It's the tire that thinks and reacts for you. I just wish the much lighter, much faster and probably rounder Schwalbe Super Moto had the same degree of puncture protection! I have never experienced such a radical difference in speed, comfort, handling and fun from a tire swap - not on a car, motorbike or bike!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Wil T Smith
a Cross Country Rider
from Valparaiso, IN Date Reviewed: March 15, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Outback Trail @ Imagination Glen
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$30.00
Purchased At:
Zim's Bike Shop
Strengths:
WIDE!!! Wider is better.
Look the wider the tire, the greater the effective diameter of the mounted wheel. This makes things smoother and with 2.35 it is pinch flat proof.
Plus, with the greater volume you can can get very smooth rolling tires and much lower pressures.
Weaknesses:
Well for some people it will be too big to fit in their frame. I have to squeeze this through my Karate Monkey brake bosses. It rubs my front derailleur in it's lowest position. I can tune it out with gripshifts. But those using triggers might have to make some compromises.
Similar Products Used:
Cheap slicks.
Bike Setup:
Karate Monkey X9/XT setup. The Apples have their own wheelset (XT/Delgados deemed unworthy for offroad use). It's a quick switch to "road mode".
Bottom Line:
These tires turn your 29er into a steamrolling road bike.
$30 is a little more than I would pay for a cheap 26er slick, but I have a feeling these tires will last a LONG time.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jim
a Cross Country Rider
from Maelbourne Beach, FL Date Reviewed: January 27, 2008
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$32.00
Purchased At:
Peter White Cycles
Strengths:
Durability, posh ride
Weaknesses:
A bit heavy
Similar Products Used:
None --- just some 38mm road tires
Bike Setup:
Gary Fisher X-Caliber w/Thudbuster ST seat post
Bottom Line:
This is my third post, which is breaking the rules. Hopefully this will be overlooked. I thought it would be worthwhile to provide impressions over the life of the product. The tires have 3000 road miles on them now and I continue to be impressed. No flats in the last 1000 miles. Tires have been inflated to 45 PSI. The tread is not deep to begin with and it's worn slick on a strip about 3/4" wide on the center of the rear tire. The rear tire is otherwise holding up well and appears to still have significant service life remaining. The front tire still has a lot of tread remaining. I may rotate the tires, but I've also heard it's better to let the rear wear out, then rotate the front tire to the back and put a new one up front.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
S M
a Weekend Warrior
from New York, NY Date Reviewed: December 12, 2007
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$70.00
Purchased At:
Schwalbe.com
Strengths:
Durable, fast, cush
Weaknesses:
Heavy
Bike Setup:
DB 2007 Response Sport
Bottom Line:
I have the 26 x 2.0 sized Big Apples but since there isn't a review section for them I'm putting my 2 cents in here. These are the cadillac of tires... I use mine at 35 psi and they glide over potholes, cobblestone, pavement, curbs. Had them for 9 months used only for daily commuting on pavement... handle rain very well. My bike is pretty stocky, these add weight too, but momentum speed is good enough and traction good enough it's never an issue. If you're looking for a commuting tire that's a puncture resistant tank that absorbs shocks like a champ and moves like a road tire... these are highly recommended.
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Submitted by
Brent
a
from Fort Myers, Fl Date Reviewed: October 25, 2007
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Purchased At:
Wooley's Bikeland
Strengths:
BIG,Fast,Puncture resistant,Reflective
Similar Products Used:
700x38 allterrainasaurus, IRC Notos
Bike Setup:
Karate Monkey
Bottom Line:
After 500 miles of commuting on high traffic, High debris roads and these tires haven't given me a flat yet. They roll fast and smooth but do a good job of absorbing some bumps. I do agree that the 60mm might be a little too big, but why not.if the frame says FFF right. But I will definitley buy another set of these when they wear out and I like the thinking of getting a set for the kids trailer.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jim
a Cross Country Rider
from Melbourne Beach, FL Date Reviewed: September 28, 2007
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$32.00
Purchased At:
Peter White Cycles
Strengths:
Smooth ride. Used mostly on pavement but the larger footprint helps when occasionally getting through sand.
Weaknesses:
Weight may be an issue for some riders. The tires are fairly heavy at over 2 lbs each. Doesn't really bother me.
Similar Products Used:
Off road knobbies and 38 mm road tires
Bike Setup:
Gary Fisher X-Cal, Schwalbe 60 mm tires, Thudbuster seat post.
Bottom Line:
This is a follow up post. After reading the post from Wes, I decided to pump my tires up to 45 PSI. It was good advise. The tires are more responsive and roll better. There's a note on the Schwalbe website that 45 PSI is the max pressure for the 60 mm tires for bikes with narrow rims. I'm actually a bit surprised that Gary Fisher would ship a 29er mountain bike with 18 mm rims (measured from the INSIDE of the rims).
As far as the tires, I'm really pleased. I now have about 2000 miles on them and they are holding up well. I have had two flats, but these resulted from punctures by large sand spurs that are common in central Florida. It's not likely that any tire would have prevented these particular punctures. Overall, a great product.
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Submitted by
Wes
a Cross Country Rider
from Norfolk Date Reviewed: September 9, 2007
Gary Fisher 29er Rig. Ergon Grips. Brooks Conquest Saddle. 36x14 for singlespeed city cruising on Schwalbe Big Apple tires.
Bottom Line:
These are some seriously fun tires! I used to hate riding my fat knobbies around town, hating the fact that I was wearing down the tread when I wasn't even riding to the trail. Now I get to hop curbs with worrying about dinging my 29er rims. (And trust me, that's a big Clydesdale worry for me.)
These tires just look intimidating. I went for the 700x60's, which fit just fine on my Gary Fisher Rig, and they make people just stare at it as I cruise by...
I've put probably 400 miles on these tires so far, and I haven't had any flats yet. I did try running the tires at 35psi, but they felt a little sluggish. I could definitely notice a difference in the rolling resistance of 35psi 700x60's compared to 90psi 700x35's. so I pumped them up to 50psi, and I'm pretty happy with that.
I like these tires so much that I'm ordering a pair of the 16x2.0's for my daughter's Burley solo trailer!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jim
a Cross Country Rider
from Melbourne Beach, FL Date Reviewed: May 11, 2007
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$32.00
Purchased At:
Peter White Cycles
Strengths:
They definitely smooth out the ride and do not appear to have noticably more rolling resistance than my 38mm road tires.
Weaknesses:
I have the 60mm tires (they alsocome in 50mm). They are maybe a little big, so maybe getting the 50 mm tires would have been the right choice. I have a Fisher 29er. They fit the frame just fine, but the rear tire comes to within about a quarter inch of the front derailleur mount on the seat tube. I would prefer a little more room there. Still, I've got about 100 miles on them and there has been no rubbing --- at all.
Similar Products Used:
Various road tires up to 38mm
Bike Setup:
GF X-caliber, Schwalbe 60 mm Big Apples, Terry Liberator Y saddle, Thudbuster ST post
Bottom Line:
I am 47 years old and ride on pavement and smooth trails. The Schwalbe's definitely make the ride smoother, which is important. I ride about 70 miles/week --- which was not possible for me prior to getting a suspended seat post and bigger tires due to lower back pain. Now I can ride as much as I want with no discomfort, a huge plus.
Speed was really a secondary concern, but I am pleasantly surprised. I have 35 PSI in the Big Apples and they appear to roll as well as my 38 mm tires did with 60 PSI.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Johnny Quine
a
from Philadelphia Date Reviewed: January 28, 2007
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$40.00
Strengths:
The Big Apples will save you tons of money on slicks, because once you've tried them, you won't ride anything else. No joke. These things are RIDICULOUS.
1) Cush. Cyclists masochistically attached to their usual stiff, jarring skinnies will be visiting a priest after riding these.
2) Durability. In the city, we don't have to deal with rock gardens or rooty trails. No, we have to deal with random glass shards, metal slivers, trolley tracks, cobblestone streets, random but often imperative redirections over nearby curbs due to negligent motorists, and of course, potholes large enough to shelter the homeless. And the Big Apples smile through all of it.
3) Speed. You can keep up with boulevard traffic on these: partly because of the momentum that comes with a 29" diameter and 900g weight, and partly because of the insane power trip that occurs when you realize you are virtually invincible to pinch flats and can roll over nearly everything.
Weaknesses:
A little spooky when cornering on dirt/gravel at high speed. Does not like mud. At all.
Bike Setup:
Karate Monkey with Delgado Disc rims and WTB dirt drops
Bottom Line:
Heading back home one day with a couple friends, we switched up bikes. I lent the Karate Monkey to Chris, who I figured would chime pretty well with the setup. Did he ever. As we were building up speed down one of the main streets, he looked over at me with the biggest grin I'd ever seen.
"It's like you're riding a tank", he gleamed, "with as much speed as a road bike!"
Pretty much sums it up. He dusted us after that.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
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