Yuku free message boards

These look like great trike tires... if you have a suspension or always ride on smooth roads. I'm running big apples (2.15) to get as much bump absorbtion as possible (but they are heavy, slow to accelerate, and while rolling resistance is low for a fat tire it's noticeably higher if you lower the pressure enough to soak up more than chip seal harshness). Everything is a compromise I guess...

The Tryker tires are finally in general availability in the US (I ordered some off the Schwalbe North America website).

I wanted a faster tire for paved rides and the Tryker works nicely, but I'm still keeping my 2.15" Big Apples for mixed riding (the Trykers gave me a renewed appreciation for the BAs comfort).

Test configuration: 2011 Catrike Road with 3 Trykers @ 80psi, comparing to 3 Marathon Racers @ 70psi and 3 Big Apple 2.15" @ 40psi

• Very fast: a little faster than MR (~1MPH increase in flat pavement cruise speed for me), a lot faster than BA (~2-3MPH increase in flat pavement cruise speed for me)
• Sharper turn-in (sharp tread shoulder helps here)
  
• Lots of cornering grip and stability (continuous center rib probably helps here)
• More scrub in turns (continuous center rib probably hurts here)
  
• About the same harshness as MR, much harsher than BA
  
• Durability seems at least as good as MR

The Trykers are really great for smooth pavement as they are fast with lots of grip and they are relatively light so accelerate well.  IMO they are as harsh as MRs on bumps and expansion joints but maybe slightly smoother on chipseal and sewer grates.

For comparison I tried them on a local gravel trail (with 1/4" crushed gravel, not big rock mind you), and while the BAs are smooth at 15MPH on this trail, the Trykers were rough at 5MPH and the universe vibrated at 10MPH (even more than the MR)... so while on pavement they're generally much faster than the BAs, the BAs leave them in the dust on gravel.  They didn't seem to have any durability issue on gravel though in case you need to ride on it for some reason, no punctures or even any noticeable tread wear (I was a bit concerned that the nice sharp shoulders would round off but there was no noticeable wear after 6 miles of gravel).

Conclusion: The Tryker is hard to beat as an all-around on-pavement tire, so I recommend it if you're riding mostly on pavement (though keep in mind unless your trike/velomobile has suspension the Tryker will rattle your teeth on potholes and/or tree roots).  If you're not trying to win a race and ride lots of mixed conditions (potholes and/or some gravel), I recommend the BA.  If you're hard core and willing to spend money and time changing wheels and/or tires for each ride, then you might as well go to the extremes (skinny Kojak/slicks for pavement/racing, knobby BMX tires for gravel/dirt).  Of course if you have a more race oriented trike (Catrike 700, Catrike Speed, ICE Vortex), you're probably stuck with skinny road tires anyway (why did you bother to read this thread?).