Schwalbe Big Ben Reflex 11100567 Bicycle Tyres 28 x 2.00 Black

I had a set of Schwalbe Big Apple tires on my recumbent trike and recently replaced them with Beg Ben tires. Because my trike, a Catrike Villager, does not have suspension I needed some tires that would absorb the bumps and shocks of the road in order to smooth out the ride some. The Big Apples, being balloon tires, did a very good job of this. The roads I ride are a mixture of unpaved dirt roads and paved rural roads.I was disappointed when I noted that at approximately 1,000 miles the wire bead began showing through on both Big Apples on my front wheels. I had anticipated that bike tires that costs approximately $40 each would last longer than this. I have had automobile tires that cost around $40 each that have lasted for more than 20,000 miles. I thought perhaps that because the Big Apples are not much more than slicks, having very little tread pattern, that they had worn out quickly. In defense of the tires, I have to admit that I never kept a very good check on the tire pressure, and usually filled them to the lower end of the inflation range to provide better shock absorption. Running them at a decreased pressure does cause tires to wear out much more quickly.I did not want to spring for another $40 per tire for Big Apples if they were not going to last more than 1,000 miles. I saw that Schwalbe was advertising the Big Ben's as basically a Big Apple with more of a tread pattern. I thought perhaps the increased tread height would lead to longer wear before the wire bead began showing through.I have been running the Big Ben's for about 200 miles now and I am impressed with them. They give all the bounce and shock absorption of the Big Apples without appearing to be any heavier. When I received them I found that they have the Schwalbe "Lite Skin" side walls. This does reduce the weight of the tire. I never had a flat on the Big Apples, and the puncture resistance of the Big Ben's should be comparable. I have often run over broken glass in the road with no ill effects.I have noticed that the Big Ben's do give a little bit of a roar when going down the road, similar to what one would experience in a four wheel drive vehicle with mud tires on it. This is probably more noticeable on a recumbent trike since the rider is sitting at the level of the tires. I do not find this road noise unpleasant. It is faint, but discernible, and I actually enjoy it. It is like it is speaking to me saying "I still have plenty of tread left."Time will tell the tale of how many miles I can get out of the Big Bens. So far I cannot discern any wear, but I am also running them at a higher pressure (45 psi as opposed t 35 psi). This does not seem to have negatively impacted the shock absorption, and it is well within the range of the recommended inflation pressure of 35-55 psi.One more benefit of the balloon tires, whether they are Big Apples or Big Bens is that they handle much better than a skinny tire when offroad in sand or loose dirt. They do not bog down as easy. This is important for me due to the types of roads I traverse.

These fit wonderfully on a Surly Straggler. At the time I purchased these, there was only one other review, which really helped. I must confirm that I barely noticed any rolling resistance. Especially coming from the Schwalbe Marathon Mondial, which had really high rolling resistance.Here's what I find to be the most interesting thing about these tires. I'm actually quite surprised at how well these perform. The benefit to these tires is that you can just roll right over many of the things that you would have to slow down or try to evade with narrow tires (25 to 35 mm).These tires are heavier than my Surly Knards, or Clement X'Plor USH, but I don't mind that. I am not riding a rigid aluminum or light carbon bicycle. I am riding steel. Its heavier and so am I. I put my tires through lots of gravel, dirt roads, double-track, some single-track, ragged tarmac, country roads and more, and these tires can pretty much roll right over it all without the harsh bumps and road vibration.It took me a couple rides to realize that these should not be inflated too much. I run them now around 40 to 42 lbs, and this pressure is fine for a 250 lb man. I was running them at 45 to 50 LBS, and that was way to hard/harsh of a ride. You do not really gain rolling resistance by lowering the pressure. I have found that your overall time may actually be better with lower pressure because these tires absorb much of the shock that you would have otherwise felt and slowed you down, as well as fatiguing you faster.I've done a few 50, 60+ mile rides on these tires already, and was hardly fatigued at all. Just hungry.

April 30, 2020 update: I have over 500 miles on this bike now and it has held up great. Still rolling through glass in bike lanes with no punctures. Rear tire I showing slight wear but there is plenty of tread left. Keep in mind, my bike weighs 110 lbs and I regularly carry my 4 and 1 year old around the city. Dropped the tire pressure from 60psi to 40psi for a cushier ride.Original review: I have these installed on an electric Yuba Munda and have ridden them over 100 miles so far. They've gone over some broken glass, through pot holes, and on dirt road with no punctures. Low rolling resistance and enough tread to take on dirt paths but not enough to slow you down on the street. Make sure what you are receiving is the RaceGuard tires and not K Guard, which is what I first received. The RaceGuard tires have a picture resistant layer, are ebike rated, and have a reflective strips. Will most likely order these again when they wear out.

Wanted a faster tire for my mostly pavement riding, but one with a respectable width to stay true to my XC mountain bike. Swapped out my stock Maxxis ikon 27.5 x 2.2 for these 27.5 x 2.0 on my Giant Talon 4 2016. Huge difference: low noise and they roll extremely well on the pavement trail. They also handle off-roading into some grass retention ponds well enough at full inflation. I imagine when under inflated, these will be able to handle some of the light/flatter local Florida mountain bike trails, but will likely slap back on the Ikons for that as a safety precaution/for the thrills.I’d equate these to stock tires on a body on frame SUV that’s meant to go off the beaten path once in a while. Highly recommended and priced right.

Great for my commute. They have held up well over broken glass and all the other sharp things I've rolled over, but the tires are not overbuilt either. I like the tread and I like the comfort of riding high volume, I ride 16 miles a day, 5 days a week, in all kinds of weather.