Puncture Protection
HOW DO YOU PROTECT YOURSELF AGAINST PUNCTURES?
The best and most important protection against punctures is a high-quality bicycle tire with a good puncture protection belt. But there are other factors that reduce the risk of punctures:
well proven for 40 years: The Marathon with Greenguard puncture protection
Schwalbe High pressure rim tape
WHICH IS THE MOST PUNCTURE PROTECTED BICYCLE TIRE?
The safest bicycle tires for most uses are our "unplattbar" (Flat-Less) tires. For example, the SmartGuard inserts are made of highly elastic special rubber that is about 5 mm thick and extremely resistant to penetration from sharp objects. The decisive advantage of this technology comes in the case of embedded objects that are repeatedly rolled over and thus steadily bore through any protective belt. This is where the SmartGuard plays out the advantage of its thickness. An embedded thumbtack, for example, simply remains stuck in the rubber without causing any further damage.
This simple operating principle is also superior to high-tech protective belts made of aramid or Vectran. However, these aramid and Vectran do have their own advantages. With them you can give even very lightweight tires a very good level of puncture protection. The fibers themselves are very cut resistant as they are very densely woven using a special technique. This type of protection is provided by our V-Guard protection layer.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN PUNCTURE PROTECTION FLUIDS?
Basically, you can distinguish between two different types of puncture protection fluids. The first type works purely mechanically. The fluid contains small fibers or particles that plug the hole. Advantage: Such fluids are effective virtually indefinitely. Disadvantage: The hole is not really repaired but only clogged and can open again, e.g. during the next re-inflating. The second type of fluid is based on latex. The latex fluid solidifies in the hole and thus repairs it permanently. Unfortunately, these fluids are only effective for a limited time in the tube or tire before they harden and dry out. Our Doc Blue Professional is also latex based and is effective for approximately 2-7 months or about 2,000 km as a preventative protection in the tire. Additional particles in the liquid ensure that even larger holes are sealed quickly. These particles in the fluid are also the reason that the valve core must be removed for filling. Fluids that can also be added when the valve core is in place are usually extremely thin and can therefore also only seal very small holes.
The following applies to all puncture protection fluids: The fluid can only seal the hole when the wheel rotates. The handling and installation can require some practice and adds to any maintenance regime. A good, puncture protected tire is therefore the better and easier solution for most people who want low maintenance protection against punctures.
We recommend Doc Blue Professional mainly for tubeless systems, where it can help to seal up punctures that might otherwise be difficult to repair. Furthermore, Doc Blue is suitable to make particularly light tires more puncture protected during use in competition. It is also useful as additional protection for tours in very thorny areas. As a puncture repair helper for the road, you can repair small punctures with Doc Blue without dismantling the tube and tire by adding the Doc Blue sealant directly into the tube (provided the tube has a removable valve core) and re-inflating. However, larger damage such as cuts or snake bites cannot be repaired with latex fluid.
WHAT PUNCTURE PROTECTION SYSTEMS DOES SCHWALBE OFFER?
TECHNOLOGICALLY, SCHWALBE HAS BEEN SETTING THE BENCHMARKS FOR PUNCTURE PROTECTION ON BICYCLES FOR MANY YEARS. Two examples: Only Schwalbe has the touring and city tires that can call themselves "unflattable" (Flat-less) (Protection Level 7). For mountain bikes, tubeless has become the standard for performance-oriented use thanks to Schwalbe's Tubeless Easy technology, fabric protection layers - and, together with sealing fluid, optimal puncture protection (Protection Level 6). Each segment, whether touring, MTB or road bike and gravel, has different requirements for safety and performance. Therefore, the designs and puncture protection systems of tires in these categories sometimes differ significantly from each other. Here we show which puncture protection belts and constructions there are for the respective categories.
Smartguard / Smartdualguard
SmartGuard
The safest puncture protection available for bicycle tires.
- Made from highly elastic special rubber- 5 mm puncture protection insert
smartdualguard
The safest puncture protection, especially for e-bike tires.
- Made from highly elastic special rubber- 4 mm puncture protection insert plus two layers of nylon fabric (RaceGuard®)
Only tires with SMARTGUARD® and SMART DUALGUARD can call themselves unplattbar® (flat-less). You can never completely rule out a puncture. However, the Marathon Plus bicycle tire offers the best possible protection against typical punctures such as glass shards or flints. Always use a pressure gauge to set the air pressure on all Marathon Plus tires. Due to the special construction, checking the pressure with your thumb is not sufficient.
Super Defense
Double Defense
Super defense
Reliable puncture protection under high loads, specially developed for cargo bikes.
- Reinforced construction- 6-ply 67 EPI double carcass
DD, V-GUARD
Extra safety thanks to combined puncture protection under the tread and on the sidewalls.
- Tread: lightweight and cut-resistant high-tech f iber (V-Guard)
- Side walls: Snake-Skin fabric
DD, GREENGUARD®
Extra safety thanks to combined puncture protection under the tread and on the sidewalls.
- Tread: 3 mm puncture protection insert with recycled material (GreenGuard®)
- Side walls: Snake-Skin fabric
DD, RACEGUARD®
Extra safety thanks to combined puncture protection under the tread and on the sidewalls.
- Tread: puncture protection belt made from two layers of double-layered nylon fabric (RaceGuard®)
- All-round snake-skin fabric
V-Guard / GreenGuard / RaceGuard
V-GUARD
Ideal puncture protection for light race and touring tires.
- Puncture protection belt made of lightweight and cut-resistant high-tech fiber
GREENGUARD
Recycled puncture protection insert made from natural rubber.
- 3 mm puncture protection insert with recycled material
PUNCTUREGUARD®
Reliable puncture protection for the entry-level segment.
- 3 mm puncture protection insert
RaceGuard
K-Guard
67 EPI Carcass
50 EPI Carcass
RACEGUARD®
Reliable puncture protection for fast and light tires.
- Puncture protection belt made from double-layered nylon fabric
K-Guard
Basic puncture protection.
- Puncture protection insert made from fiber-reinforced natural rubber
67 EPI Carcass
Tightly woven nylon cord ensures high puncture resistance.
- Tires become smoother, overall performance increases
50 EPI Carcass
Minimum standard for all Schwalbe tires.
- With 50 EPI, significantly higher fabric density than competitors
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TUBELESS ADVANTAGES
Tubeless tires offer clear advantages in speed, comfort, grip and puncture resistance. Unnecessary friction between tire and tube is avoided. As a result, rolling resistance is significantly lower than with folding tires or tubular tires. Tubeless can be run at a lower air pressure without sacrificing performance. This brings advantages in comfort but also more control in critical situations and on bad roads. At the same time, tubeless systems offer high puncture resistance.
WHEN IS A TIRE WORN?
The tread of a bicycle tire is far less important than that of a car tire, for example. Therefore, the tire can still be used without any problems even with a worn tread (exception: MTB tires). The tire is worn out and must be replaced when the puncture protection insert or carcass threads become visible on the tread. Since the resistance to punctures is also influenced by the thickness of the tread, it may be advisable to replace the tire beforehand.