Schwalbe Jonny Watts - New EMTB tyre

R120

Moderator
Subscriber
Apr 13, 2018
7,819
9,185
Surrey
Schwalbe have released a new EMTB tyre, more focused on all round riding than pure MTB'ing from the description:


THE PERFECT CHOICE FOR SUV BIKES. Like no other, Johnny Watts unites smooth rolling on hard ground with longevity and puncture protection. Off-road instilling confidence, while on pavement rolling whisper-quiet.

• Versatile tread for a wide range of use from asphalt to off-road.
• Blocks with large contact areas for excellent rolling, little vibration and high durability.
• Steady and forgiving cornering behavior on hard ground.

Screenshot 2020-12-07 at 15.59.53.png
 

Stumpy

E*POWAH Elite World Champion
Staff member
Patreon
Jun 17, 2018
641
622
Essex, UK
Schwalbe have released a new EMTB tyre, more focused on all round riding than pure MTB'ing from the description:


THE PERFECT CHOICE FOR SUV BIKES. Like no other, Johnny Watts unites smooth rolling on hard ground with longevity and puncture protection. Off-road instilling confidence, while on pavement rolling whisper-quiet.

• Versatile tread for a wide range of use from asphalt to off-road.
• Blocks with large contact areas for excellent rolling, little vibration and high durability.
• Steady and forgiving cornering behavior on hard ground.

View attachment 46545

I bet it was a bitch to mount on that rim ?
 

Soupamoto

Member
Mar 3, 2020
24
34
Knoxville, Tennessee
Dang, I just ordered a set of Surly ExtraTerrestrials for my Commuting Levo, I'd like to have tried these!

Anybody know if they are tubeless compatible? I see no mention of tubeless-ness, maybe I'm missing it?
 

maynard

E*POWAH Elite World Champion
Dang, I just ordered a set of Surly ExtraTerrestrials for my Commuting Levo, I'd like to have tried these!

Anybody know if they are tubeless compatible? I see no mention of tubeless-ness, maybe I'm missing it?
I reckon they would be for shore . When I get a dedicated trail bike . Something like this would be great on the levo for commuting.
 


Flo

Member
Sep 16, 2020
104
13
Romania
Hi, guys !
I already have Johnny Watts 29x2,6 on my ebike and i want to buy another pair o tyres. I'm not still sure between these Schwalbe Smart Sam and Maxxis Rekon :


and


What do you think ? Please give me an advice from your experience. It will be used most on asphalt roads and ocasionaly on the country offroads. I am interested about quick rolling, good grip on corners and a decent puncture protections. I want a beige sides tyres because it will looks good with the colours of my ebike.
Thank you in advance for your help !
 

DaveMatthews

Well-known member
Aug 12, 2018
452
318
Vancouver, B.C. Canada
Hi
As no one had give any real time reviews i actually bought a pair to try
There hardly expensive so i thought sod it
Size purchased 27.5 x 2.6"

Right first off they run great on the road , no self steer and very responsive
braking on muddy dirty lanes no problem at all even if you jam the brakes on
I have also tried them off road , fire road sort of conditions no problem
and grassy fields with plenty of visible mud no issues either even climbing steep hills in the fields
i grant you its been dry for a few days where i live and obviously they wont be great on proper mud but in general allround conditions i have no fault in grip

Fitment wise they go on nice and run perfectly true no wobbles or anything
Only fly in the ointment is non tubless but i put stans in the tubes instead , not ideal but ok for general use

All in all i fair allrounder at a reasonable price .
Hope this helps a little with people on the fence about trying them .
Thanks for that!
I've heard some people say that "foldable" tires can be run tubeless even though they are not specifically stated to do so.
Anybody else hear of that?
 

MadManPedal

Member
Nov 13, 2020
71
14
philippines
Once, like two weeks ago, I got 2 Schwalbe Marathon Plus MTB tire with Schwalbe's highest level-7 protection. Then within 1000 miles both of the tire got punctured. The total puncture counts are 4. One of the punctures tore the tire to a 20mm split resulting unrepairable damage. And they are tube tire. I rode with the tires on E-bikes to explore new route. And they are somehow E-50 rated.

I don't think any puncture protection matters much against metal or glass of a length more than 5mm and a width less than 1mm because the tire's protection rubber is 5mm.

And this non-tubeless Johnny Watts won't hold longer than Marathon Plus MTB.

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SUBcyclist

Active member
Apr 9, 2021
15
26
NoCar, USA
Hi
As no one had give any real time reviews i actually bought a pair to try
There hardly expensive so i thought sod it
Size purchased 27.5 x 2.6"

Right first off they run great on the road , no self steer and very responsive
braking on muddy dirty lanes no problem at all even if you jam the brakes on
I have also tried them off road , fire road sort of conditions no problem
and grassy fields with plenty of visible mud no issues either even climbing steep hills in the fields
i grant you its been dry for a few days where i live and obviously they wont be great on proper mud but in general allround conditions i have no fault in grip

Fitment wise they go on nice and run perfectly true no wobbles or anything
Only fly in the ointment is non tubless but i put stans in the tubes instead , not ideal but ok for general use

All in all i fair allrounder at a reasonable price .
Hope this helps a little with people on the fence about trying them .
Thank you for your willingness to buy these and post a review; this was a factor in my decision to also buy them. Even though I would prefer to have the larger 2.8" tire tyre, I bought the same size you did - 27.5 x 2.6. The 2.8 size is rated for 25 km/h, while the 2.6 is rated for 50 km/h; I have a speed pedelec. The 2.8" version may have held up okay when I commute, and there are no details provided as to why these are rated for lower speeds, but I decided to make the safe choice. I do plan to change my tyres somewhat regularly (change for various types of rides), and decided to not discard and cleanup sealant on a monthly basis; so, no tubeless setup for my SUB. Instead, I bought what looks to be some fantastic British flat prevention tech - Tannus Armour. Does anyone have experience with these? The weight is much lower than I imagined, and I am also trying out Schwalbe's Aerothan tubes, which are far lighter than butyl tubes. Rotating mass has likely increased overall, but probably not tremendously. With motor assistance, I am not very concerned about a marginal increase. I anticipate that the flat protection will provide some peace of mind that is worth a marginal weight penalty. I will post an update after accumulating some distance on the Johnnys while commuting to work, as well as some light trail use. Thanks to all of you who have provided some very useful information. I hope that I can also contribute something of value.
 
Last edited:

Bellefield

Active member
Aug 5, 2020
127
83
Isle of Man
Thinking of using my EMTB for this years lighthouse challenge, which is a 160km race with about 2km of climbing, mostly over 1 big steep and about 4 medium steeps, so I'll need to turn my battery off for most of the ride to keep it in reserve for those climbs, especially one towards the end of the race.

This is all road riding, so rolling resistance will help both the battery life and my legs. I've been looking at the Johnny Watts, so interested in any feedback folks have about rolling resistance, I've also been looking at the Marathon Almotion which are tubeless and more road specific, just not sure if the rolling resistance is any better?

Any other suggestions out there?
 

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