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EB14: Schwalbe Pumps up Procore Dual Chamber System On All Rims, Jumbo Jim 4.8″ Fatbike Tire, Actual weights, more

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Schwalbe procore tubeless system jumbo jim jens voigt actual weight fat bike fatbike (15)

At trade shows everyone seems to ask the same question – have you seen anything cool? Most of the time there are a lot of interesting products, but especially in a show the size of Eurobike it’s hard to really stand out. Schwalbe seems to have no such trouble thanks to their game changing tire technology – Procore.

After a few good teases, the production version of the system was unveiled tonight at the Dornier Museum Friedrichshafen which happens to be a fitting shrine to German engineering. Since we last reported on the technology a few things have changed including the amount of compatible rims. Full details next…

Schwalbe procore tubeless system jumbo jim jens voigt actual weight fat bike fatbike (14)

Schwalbe procore tubeless system jumbo jim jens voigt actual weight fat bike fatbike (9)

If you’ve ever run lower tire pressures on a mountain bike only to hit a rock or root hard enough to pinch flat your tire, the Schwalbe Procore system is for you. Essentially, the system consists of a tire and an inner tube that sit inside your mountain bike tires. The inner tube is inflated to 55-85 psi, while the outer tubeless mountain tire is inflated to lower than normal pressures – sometimes as low as 14-15 psi. This prevents pinch flats and allows the tire to better conform to the trail.

Schwalbe procore tubeless system jumbo jim jens voigt actual weight fat bike fatbike (16)

Schwalbe procore tubeless system jumbo jim jens voigt actual weight fat bike fatbike (10) Schwalbe procore tubeless system jumbo jim jens voigt actual weight fat bike fatbike (11)

You may remember the prototype wheels sporting two different valves on the same rim, but for production that all goes away. Procore uses a single tubeless valve thanks to a new Dual Valve design. When the blue section of the valve above is threaded all the way in it will inflate the inner tube to high pressure. But when the blue section is threaded all the way out, it the air will escape through a small hole in the bottom of the valve which inflates the low pressure section of the tire. Pretty clever,

That low pressure air is directed though the red Air Guide shown above which sits on top of the inner tube underneath the blue inner tire, and then exits the inner tire through the inflation ports in the side. This is what allows a tube for the high pressure compartment, and a tubeless, sealant filled outer cavity for lower pressure.

One of the biggest benefits of the new valve design is that it now allows the Procore system to be used on any rim and tire combination as long as the rim has an internal width of at least 23mm. That’s right, this is not Schwalbe or their developing partner Syntace specific. There may be a few rim designs that don’t lend themselves to the technology but Schwalbe is confident with their use on ultra wide and hookless rims as well as standard hooked rims.

Schwalbe procore tubeless system jumbo jim jens voigt actual weight fat bike fatbike (13)

The drawbacks? Very few as we can see with the exception of added weight and the cost. At 203g for the entire system weight for a single wheel, Procore will add some weight. However, Sean Cochran from Schwalbe told us that some of their pro downhillers were able to go from full DH casing tires, to single ply tires due to the decreased chance of pinch flats which may end up with a lighter overall setup in the end.

Procore_Set_Verpackung

Pricing may be a bit hard to swallow at $230, until you figure in how much you’re getting. The Procore system will be sold as a kit which will include the tubes with Dual Valves, Air guides, Inner tires, tubeless sealant, Schwalbe Easy Fit, and specially designed tire levers to aid in installation. It may sound like a pain to install, but Markus Hachmeyer, the system’s inventor, was able to demonstrate for use using his only his hands. The other consideration in the price is that you only have to buy the system once. Since it is not a wear item, under normal riding it should last through multiple pairs of external tires. It is possible to damage the inner tire and tube but it is very difficult. To help in that situation Schwalbe will eventually sell single replacement parts.

Procore kits should be available in two months or so and will be offered in 26, 27.5, and 29″ sizes.

Schwalbe procore tubeless system jumbo jim jens voigt actual weight fat bike fatbike (2)

Procore may have been the main attraction, but Schwalbe has a number of additional product announcements including one we’ve been excitedly following – the Jumbo Jim fat bike tire.

Schwalbe procore tubeless system jumbo jim jens voigt actual weight fat bike fatbike (3)

Schwalbe procore tubeless system jumbo jim jens voigt actual weight fat bike fatbike (5) Schwalbe procore tubeless system jumbo jim jens voigt actual weight fat bike fatbike (4)

Offered in both 4.0 and 4.8″ widths, in true Schwalbe fashion the tire will be exceptionally light weight and have a Snakeskin/Tubeless Easy or LiteSkin casing option. Mounted to a Surly Moonlander with 100mm Clownshoe rims, the 4.8″ Jumbo Jims filled out the frame quite nicely.

Schwalbe procore tubeless system jumbo jim jens voigt actual weight fat bike fatbike (20)

In its lightest form the 4.0 LiteSkin has a claimed weight of 990g! The heaviest version would probably be the 4.8″ Snake Skin/Tubeless Easy version above which is still very respectable at 1326g! Retail price is set for 79.90 to 99.90 euros, and Schwalbe will have a 390g inner tube available for 12.90 Euro.

Schwalbe procore tubeless system jumbo jim jens voigt actual weight fat bike fatbike (6)

The Jumbo Jim represented new challenges for Schwalbe all around, so when the tire needed new packaging they had a little fun with the process. Each Jumbo Jim will be shipped in its own shipping container which other than looking cool, had to be specially designed to support the weight of the bigger tires.

Schwalbe procore tubeless system jumbo jim jens voigt actual weight fat bike fatbike (18) Schwalbe procore tubeless system jumbo jim jens voigt actual weight fat bike fatbike (19)

Among a number of new options for the road, Schwalbe has put together a tribute to the great Jens Voigt with a limited edition One tire. Available in only 10,000 tires, the tires feature a Jens logo as well as a special tread pattern. Pay homage to the 17 time rider of the Tour for 49.90 Euro per tire this October.

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Kyle D
Kyle D
9 years ago

TAKE MY $$$$$$!

Paul in VA
Paul in VA
9 years ago

US distributor?

And
And
9 years ago

And my Maxxis Ardent 29er x 2.40 EXO is 815g!!! 990g for a 4.0 is really light indeed!

Pete
Pete
9 years ago

Schwalbe needs to retrofit this for cyclocross. Smaller, thinner tubes and lighter weight. This would revolutionize clincher use in that discipline.

Jonny
Jonny
9 years ago

…but I run regular tubeless tires “as low as 14-15 psi.”

Ditto
Ditto
9 years ago

I echo Pete’s sentiment. Cyclocross application would be right next to DH is the utility of this tech.

Aaron
Aaron
9 years ago

C’mon guys, the whole point of running tubulars on a cyclo-cross bike is lower weight, lower pressures, better rolling resistance and an excuse to own a bajillion expensive, blingy carbon wheelsets. And esotericism.

Xris
Xris
9 years ago

We’re not worthy!

Nooge
Nooge
9 years ago

@Aaron and to spend countless hours gluing tires, cleaning the glue off the rims, debating gluing technique, etc.

mitch
mitch
9 years ago

Looks just like the motorcycle Tubliss system that has been out for a few years. Works great

JBikes
JBikes
9 years ago

Bring it down to $125-$150, then maybe.

question
question
9 years ago

How deep of a rim will the procore system suit? Or specifically, what distance from valve seat to rim exterior?

reverend dick
9 years ago

Very enthused about this. All of these thises. Except for the costs.

And I hope Jens is getting mozzafawking rich from all this memorabilia.

Big jerm
Big jerm
9 years ago

Why is everything “game changing” all of a sudden?

Ryan
Ryan
9 years ago

Dear Santa…

Randall
Randall
9 years ago

@ big jerm

While the term may be overused, the procore system could be called a “game changer” because most products, like sealant, DH casings, tubeless setups all work to minimize the likelihood of a pinch-flat by decreasing the susceptibility of the tire/tube to rim damage.

The Procore creates a new Core->tire interface which has a fundamentally different mechanism, i.e. there is no longer a thin ridge in the contact path capable of putting high pressure on the tire. This changes the “making tires that don’t break” game.

Slow Joe Crow
Slow Joe Crow
9 years ago

@Nooge, but without cyclocross tubulars what would Lennard Zinn have to write about? Also think of all those second rate riders who can no longer use “my tubeless tire burped” as an excuse for a DNF? With simple reliable low pressure clinchers, CX riders will have to focus on actually racing instead of futzing with tires.
Come to that if they get the price down I’ll try it on my trail bike since I won’t have the mess of sealant or the aggro of bead seating.

wheelz
wheelz
9 years ago

Question about the Procore system: can we still use sealant and if so how and what sealant? I ride in the desert and need sealant to stop cactus needle flats. The Procore system itself doesn’t stop punctures of the outer tire. I realize it allows you to ride better on a flat tire, but this isn’t ideal if you are likely to get a flat from a needle early in the ride.

THAT GUY
THAT GUY
9 years ago

“… a tubeless, sealant filled outer cavity for lower pressure.”

???

Hoshie99
Hoshie99
9 years ago

I just put a mr tuffy liner in my grifo clinchers for cross, said goodbye to flats last cross season. And can still run it down to 29 or 30. Sacrilege? Probably. Cost = ~$20.

Tubulars? Thought about it many times but not that mad at my money and hate hassle time.

Back to topic, I’d agree this system would be interesting for a few applications at the right price point and config. They’d have to get the internal width requirement down to 17 or 18 to make a dent in the cyclocross market and since most run aluminum road clinchers and the new wide rims aren’t as wide as “wide” mountain rims. Also, 200 grams of rotating weight – they’d need that lighter or people will stay away. Lots of micro accelerations when racing in cyclocross.

J

MattS
MattS
9 years ago

+1 for a cyclocross version, svp. This would likely seal the deal for me to switch off tubulars. Just think, a new ability to swap tires at the races, something you can currently only do reliably with tubed set-ups.

Timmbers
9 years ago

Duuuuuuuude!!!

Roy
Roy
9 years ago

Fantastic!!!! This is the first major advancement in mtb tires since the IRC Missle, cannot really express how exciting this is. Traction and control and flat resistance will be so radically different, from WC downhill stars to punters smashing their way thru the local woods. This is actually not new tech in the tire world, but a derivation and production version of what Michelin called Le Systeme in the late ’90’s, and what the off road race world was using 25+ years ago on baja type race trucks, and I doubt BFG was first there….. BUT, this is production mtb stuff and certainly a ‘game changer’ beyond imaginations in the short years of tread patterns component volumes as we shall see.

Ray
Ray
9 years ago

Remember those snake charmers, rim liners from the 90’s

abc
abc
9 years ago

Metric indications please… The Imperial system is only used by a few countries and the metric system is recognized as the international system. Yet, metric indications are rarely there, c’mon is it so hard?

AK
AK
9 years ago

Why not also for road and city tires? Wonder how close to the size of outer tire the core could be? Could it be so close the bike was adequately rideable after flat?
– I like to commute with fast tires, but hate to be late from work because of a flat.
– I like to train with fast tires but hate to walk home because of a flat too bad for fixing on the road.
– I like to ride small events with no support cars but hate to fix a tire if I could ride to the next support station and get a wheel changed.

MBR
MBR
9 years ago

And when the tire, loaded with cactus and/or goatheads, bottoms out against the Procore liner, does it puncture the liner?
Just a wee bit complex for trailside repairs?
Very cool, but seems irrelevant for those that run wide/high-volume tires tubeless. I have no problem running a 2.4 Ardent down to 20-22 psi now. Perhaps those who haven’t taken the tubeless step forward will embrace it.

McBones
McBones
9 years ago

I just fill cardboard toilet paper tubes with 7 layer burritos and haven’t had a flat all season. if you have road tires just use taquitos in tampon tubes, works just as good.

Desert_Dog
Desert_Dog
9 years ago

Can the inner “blue tube” withstand cactus thorns ? I like the idea BUT I can see a thorn running through the tire, through the low pressure sealant area and straight into that high pressure blue tube. If the sealant doesn’t seal that high pressure blue tube quickly enough you have a flat…

I ride in the desert and if you are running tubeless with Stan’s and you take off your tire and look at the inside you will see a TON of thorns and some of those thorns are very long ! 😉

IF the blue tube was made of something flexible that didn’t use air THEN I think this setup might work in the desert… until then I’ll just have to stick with my current setup.

keville
keville
9 years ago

Y’know, it didn’t occur to me until the photoset in this article, but I’ll be durned if that photo of the “Procore liner” on the scale doesn’t look like a thin folding road tire with no outer tread. It even has a bead! Explains the weight, too; 200g would be just about a nice light road tire with no rubber.

I’m guessing that’s why they haven’t tried to sell us on stuffing a road tire into a road tire yet.

dorsey
dorsey
9 years ago

I don’t see an advantage. I run 18 psi rear tire and 10 psi front tire, with 33mm inside width front rim and 21mm inside width rear rims. I get away with a 530g 2.4 rocket ron rear and 750g 2.4 hansdampf or 800g 2.4 trail-king, on the fronts. I just don’t see these catching on. Why have a 200 gram weight penalty, per wheel. As far as flat protection goes. With tubeless ready tires and Stan’s sealant. I just don’t get flats, ever. My riding weight, pack and all is around 210 lbs. My wife’s riding weight is closer to 115. She uses even less psi. 10 front and 15 rear.

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