E-bike tires – useful or useless?

E-bike tires, e-bike chain, e-bike brakes - there are some components that are made specifically for e-bikes. Is it just a money-making scheme or does it make sense? Here we take a closer look at e-bike tires. Do you need them and if so, what can they do? Find out everything you need to know to choose the right tires for your electric bike.

A critical question comes right at the beginning. Why should an e-bike or pedelec need different tires than another bicycle?

Why e-bike tires?

There are two good reasons to fit special tires on an e-bike: safety and durability.

➽ An e-bike is faster and heavier, yet you still want to accelerate without spinning tires, not slip out of the curve, and most importantly, brake safely. E-bike tires are made exactly for this: for stable handling at higher speeds, good grip, and reliable braking. This guarantees more safety! Especially for city bikers and the MTB community, these are absolute prerequisites!

➽ The higher weight of an e-bike has an unpleasant consequence: bicycle tires wear out faster. The higher speed at which an e-bike travels and its higher weight cause the tires to wear out faster. Special tires for e-bikes simply last longer!

The perfect tire width and size on the e-bike

The selection of tire sizes does not differ from regular bicycles, so we won't expand on this point further here. You can find help on choosing the right tire size in our blog. You can generally buy e-bike tires in all common tire sizes.

28 inches, 27 inches, or 29 inches - in what sizes are e-bike tires available?

Even in particularly small sizes like 18 or 20 inches, there are tires and tubes for e-bikes, suitable for transport e-bikes with smaller wheels, compact bicycles, or folding bikes. From 24 inches, there are e-bikes for children and teenagers and the corresponding tires.
Adult bicycles ride on 26 inches, 28 inches, 27.5 or 29 inches. You can also buy e-bike tires in these sizes.
Besides the size, you can also choose between wire tires or folding tires.

What tire width on the e-bike?

Unlike the tire size (or wheel diameter), the tire width on the e-bike is a special topic. Pedelecs and e-bikes usually ride on slightly wider tires than a comparable bicycle. The reason for this is quite simple: More tire width improves grip, traction, braking properties, and puncture protection. Why more grip and so on is important for the electric bicycle, you have already read above. More tire width makes the e-bike slightly less efficient. No problem! You have a motor! It is therefore absolutely legitimate to fully utilize the tire clearance and mount wide tires. We have collected all the information about the appropriate tire width in a separate blog post.

In cross-section, you can see the structure of a bicycle tire well, here once with puncture protection (right, red insert) and once without (left). Image © Pirelli

The Structure of an E-Bike Tire

So you know how a bicycle tire is constructed and what is done differently with an e-bike tire, we will now briefly break down a tire into its components.

Get Rubber – E-Bike Tires Have a Thick Tread

Every bicycle tire rolls on a rubber layer, and in e-bike tires, this layer – the tread – is often particularly thick. This way, the tire does not get cut or punctured too quickly despite the higher overall weight of the bike. More material also means that the tire has a greater mileage before it is worn out and needs to be replaced.

E-bike tires are therefore overall thicker, making them more durable. On the other hand, the tires weigh more than other bicycle tires for this reason.

The Perfect Rubber Mix for E-Bikes

The rubber compound from which the outer skin of a tire is made has a tremendous impact on the bike's riding characteristics. There are harder and softer “compounds” (English for “mixture”), the harder the outer part of the tire is, the faster the bike becomes, as the wheels roll better. However, it becomes more slippery.

A softer rubber compound adheres well to the road, giving you more grip. The bike is less efficient, which means with an e-bike: you won't go as far on a single battery charge. However, it remains stable in curves, on wet roads, or during sudden braking maneuvers, it doesn't skid or slip away. The "braking maneuvers" are an important keyword, by the way! If the tire adheres well to the road, the bike also brakes significantly more safely, at high speeds this is absolutely essential! You probably already guessed it... with an e-bike or pedelec, stability is always prioritized, even if it means losing a few watts of power.

The carcass – the safety net

The carcass is the framework of the tire, consisting of a net-like fabric that stabilizes the tire. The denser the network, the more stable the tire, especially stable carcasses are used for e-bikes.

The puncture protection

Between the tread and the carcass, puncture-proof tires contain an insert that prevents punctures and cuts through the tread. Not every tire, even not every tire for e-bikes, has puncture protection!

Thicker sidewalls

Special tires for e-bikes also have more material in the sidewall. This keeps the tire stable on one hand, and on the other hand, the tube is better protected against side cuts.

Do e-bike tires need special puncture protection?

A flat tire is fortunately not a disaster, the most common bicycle breakdown is usually more annoying than fatal. To ensure your bike tires roll over shards, sharp-edged gravel, or thorns without getting punctured immediately, there are several ways today to make the tire puncture-proof and thus resistant to punctures and cuts. Tire manufacturers, of course, have their trade secrets, but generally, it is the peculiarities in construction that make modern tires puncture-proof.

The tires have thicker walls
A puncture protection insert protects the tube inside the tire from punctures
The sidewall of a puncture-proof tire is also reinforced

Of course, the puncture protection medal also has its downside. Puncture-proof tires are thicker, because the thicker the tire, the further an object can penetrate before causing damage, logically. But generally, the casing also becomes heavier, which fortunately doesn't weigh heavily on the overall weight of an e-bike. The other point is the purchase price, for bike tires with advanced puncture protection, you have to shell out a bit more. However, since you will have less trouble and fewer repair costs and new tubes, this is usually gladly accepted.

Do you really need special e-bike tires?

You now know how pedelec tires are constructed and function. But do you really need them? After all, they are often a bit more expensive than other bicycle tires.

Whether your bike benefits from the slightly more expensive e-bike tires depends, among other things, on how much you ride.

If you ride rather infrequently, and not at full throttle, it may be that normal bicycle tires are absolutely sufficient. Even if you only ride on well-paved roads and in dry conditions, simple tires will suffice.

Weight also plays a role. A light rider on a “light e-bike” might save the investment, especially if the bike is ridden infrequently and only on short distances.

Therefore, our conclusion: If …

you ride a lot
you like to fully utilize the drive's thrust and ride fast
you ride in all weather conditions
e-bike + cyclist + luggage result in a high total weight

… e-bike tires are a good investment.

Tires for E-MTBs

Enduro, downhill, XC, or all-mountain, today there is a suitable eMTB and of course thick tires in 27.7 or 29 inches for every MTB discipline, which withstand the enormous demands. No matter whether you ride a hardtail or a fully, if you want to show your MTB off-road where the hammer hangs, it should wear special tires for E-MTBs! An E-MTB screams pretty much in all critical points “Here!”. The bikes are usually heavier, and you want to make it speed-wise bang. You want a safe ride, perfect grip, and also decelerate in time. You need E-MTB tires!

Tires for Trekking E-Bike and City E-Bikes

Reliability and durability are two qualities that play an important role on long distances and for commuters! These are exactly the qualities that trekking tires and city e-bike tires naturally bring.

For city bikes, safety in dense city traffic is also important. Here you must react quickly and – very importantly – be able to rely on your brakes. Optimal wheels and top tires with the perfect rubber compound and a suitable all-weather profile play an important role!

You can find e-bike tires for compact wheels or folding bikes in 18 or 20 inches, some cargo e-bikes also need this tire size. Common tire sizes are otherwise 26, 28, or 29 inches.

There are also special tires for e-racing bikes and e-gravel bikes , but they are still rather rare.

The e-bike with the fat tires

An "e-bike with fat tires," also known in expert circles as a fatbike, is always an eye-catcher. After a brief hype, these extraordinary bikes almost disappeared again, as the massive rolling resistance made the bio-versions simply uninteresting. But then came the e-bikes, and with them, the fat e-bikes! Snow, gravel, or sand, it doesn't matter, the fat bike rolls over it with its thick tires. However, the market is so small that special e-bike tires in such oversized dimensions are rather rare.

Do you have to fit tires for e-bikes?

Whether you benefit from the features of special bicycle tires for e-bikes is one question. The other is: Do you have to have them on your e-bike? The regulation is currently very consumer-friendly.

If you ride a normal e-bike or pedelec that supports you up to 25km/h, you are not required to fit special e-bike tires.

It is different for faster S-pedelecs.

If your bike adds motor power up to 45km/h (or more), it is an S-pedelec and then it must have special tires!

Tires for S-pedelecs must have the appropriate approval and be tested at higher speeds. Most tire manufacturers round up and differentiate their products by "e-bike 25" and "e-bike 50".

What is the ECE-R75 standard for tires?

Like every product in Germany and the EU, tires are also tested, regulated, or subject to rules and standards. For tires, the ECE-R75 standard applies, which regulates the necessary testing procedures, load limits, and approvals. Since an S-pedelec is not considered a bicycle but a light motorcycle, it must have tires that meet this standard and are approved for a faster e-bike.

E-Bike Reifen

“E-bike ready 25” and “E-bike ready 50”

There is no uniform designation for e-bike tires, so manufacturers have come up with their own. At the bicycle tire veteran Schwalbe, tires recommended for regular e-bikes are called “E-Bike ready 25”, while the tires with the necessary approval for S-Pedelecs are labeled “E-Bike ready 50”. Premium manufacturer Pirelli offers tires for e-MTBs, which are not very originally named Scorpion (like all the manufacturer's MTB tires) but with the addition E-MTB. At Maxxis, there are tires for S-Pedelecs named e50, and at Continental you will find an “e” in the tire's name and a symbol with a plug with 25 or 50.

Advantages & Disadvantages at a Glance

Advantages	Disadvantages
✅ safe driving behavior at high speeds	❌ less efficient
✅ safe braking	❌ higher price
✅ stable cornering	❌ heavier
✅ less prone to punctures
✅ higher performance
✅ now available in almost all sizes and for all types of bicycles

§§§ Please note that we cannot provide binding information on standards and the applicable legal situation!

You can find many more information in the other parts of our tire series:

There is also a lot to read about e-bikes: