Schwalbe

Jumbo Jim 26in Fatbike Tire

The German compound warlocks at Schwalbe rarely make a mistake, but we think we've found one in the Jumbo Jim 26in Fatbike Tire. We find no fault with the tire's construction, but the name should've been more along the lines of Hungry Hungry Jimbo, because Jim approaches soft surfaces like snow, sand, and boggy muck with all the delicate reserve of a plastic hippo frantically gobbling up marbles. Any outing with Jim quickly turns into an all he can eat buffet. And he can eat a lot.

The fact that Jim is Schwalbe's first foray into fatness may come as a surprise, but the professionally meticulous quality of the build certainly won't. He's made with Schwalbe's PaceStar compound, which features an easy-rolling base layer covered by material with a graduated durometer: harder and more efficient in the center strip and softer shoulders for better grip while cornering in the deep stuff.

While PaceStar is general across the Jumbo Jim family, we are carrying two levels of puncture resistance. The LiteSkin option is, well, light, and tires with LiteSkin instead of SnakeSkin weigh a claimed 100 grams less per tire. The SnakeSkin option puts more emphasis on resisting punctures, especially in the monofilament sidewalls, and its Tubeless Easy makes for a smoother conversion to a tubeless set up. No more shaking, re-inflation, or constant re-application of tire sealant, just put Jim on and get gobbling.