Fat Bike Tire Test: Schwalbe Jumbo Jim LiteSkin PaceStar

Because almost all Schwalbe tires perform very well in the rolling resistance tests, the Schwalbe Jumbo Jim is the fat bike tire that can't be left out of the fat bike section. I'm testing the LiteSkin version of the Jumbo Jim because I want to know how low rolling resistance of a fat bike tire can go. A TL-Easy SnakeSkin version of the Jumbo Jim is available as well which should be a bit slower because of the stronger sidewalls.

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The Jumbo Jim is manufactured from the same materials that are also used to create the fast-rolling Schwalbe mountain bike tires. This means the Jumbo Jim uses a 127 TPI folding casing with tubeless-ready beads and the well known Schwalbe PaceStar compound. The tread pattern looks like it can handle a wide range of conditions with the relatively low, wide spaced center knobs and huge shoulder knobs that should provide plenty of cornering grip.

Manufacturer Specifications

Manufacturer Specifications
Brand	Schwalbe
Model	Jumbo Jim LiteSkin PaceStar
Year	2016
Supplied By	Bought in store
New or Used	New
Mileage	0 km
Price Range	High
Buy At	Ad Amazon.com
Manufacturer part number	11600714
TPI	127
Compound	PaceStar
Bead	Folding
ETRTO	100-559
Size Inch	26"
Width Inch	4.00
Specified Weight	990 grams
Max Air Pressure (psi)	30
Made In	Members Only
Available Sizes	26x4.80 26x4.40 26x4.00

Schwalbe Jumbo Jim LiteSkin PaceStar Test Results

Size, Weight, and Thickness Measurements

Size, Weight, and Thickness Measurements
Specified Weight	990 grams
Measured Weight	1079 grams
Measured Width Carcass	95 mm (un-round)
Measured Width Tread	98 mm
Measured Height	84 mm (un-round)
Measured Knob Height Center	3.7 mm
Measured Knob Height Edge	6.8 mm
Measured Total Thickness Center (excluding knobs)	1.65 mm
Measured Total Thickness Sidewall	Members Only
All size measurements are taken at an air pressure of 16 psi / 1.1 bars on a 65 mm inner width rim.

Specified weight of the Jumbo Jim LiteSkin is 990 grams; my sample comes in at a much higher 1079 grams. The sub-1000 grams specified weight is probably a marketing gimmick, If you can get your hands on a 990 grams Jumbo Jim, don't let it go again. The maximum width of the casing is 95 mm, the shoulder knobs stick out a bit further and measure 98 mm wide. The height of the tire is 84 mm. The volume of the Jumbo Jim is good and in line with other 26 x 4.00 rated tires.

The Jumbo Jim has some surprisingly big knobs. The center knobs have a height of 3.7 mm which is not bad. The shoulder knobs are huge on this tire and have a maximum height of 6.8 mm. The shoulder knobs on the Jumbo Jim are the biggest I've seen yet. Because this is the LiteSkin version of the Jumbo Jim, the sidewalls have a thickness of just 0.55 mm. The 0.55 mm sidewall measurement is in line with the 'regular' Schwalbe MTB tires. The SnakeSkin version will come in close to 0.85 mm.

Rolling Resistance Test Results

Rolling Resistance Test Results
Inner Tube	None (60 ml sealant) (current protocol)	Schwalbe SV13J (390 gr) (test protocol)
Rolling Resistance 20 PSI / 1.4 Bar	Members Only	Members Only
Rolling Resistance 16 PSI / 1.1 Bar	Members Only	Members Only
Rolling Resistance 12 PSI / 0.8 Bar	23.2 Watts CRR: 0.00695	28.7 Watts CRR: 0.00860
Rolling Resistance 8 PSI / 0.6 Bar	29.4 Watts CRR: 0.00881	36.9 Watts CRR: 0.01106
All numbers are for a single tire at a speed of 29 km/h / 18 mph and a load of 42.5 kg / 94 lbs. Use the formula: RR (Watts) = CRR * speed (m/s) * load (N) to calculate rolling resistance at a given speed and load.

In the rolling resistance test, the Jumbo Jim shows us what's possible and outperforms all other fat bike tires that have been tested up to now. At the very low air pressure of 8 psi / 0.6 bars, the Jumbo Jim stretches its legs and outperforms the next best tire by 6.5 watts. Even at the higher air pressures, the Jumbo Jim performs very strong although the gap to the competition is a bit smaller at 2.7 watts at 20 psi / 1.4 bars.

Although the Jumbo Jim performs very strong, it must be said that the LiteSkin sidewalls are much thinner and weaker than the competition. Getting the Jumbo Jim to seal in a tubeless set up might be a bit harder; the SnakeSkin version of the Jumbo Jim should make a tubeless set up much easier. I do expect the SnakeSkin still has less rolling resistance than the competition. From experience with the regular sized Schwalbe MTB tires, the Jumbo Jim SnakeSkin should come in at 39 - 40 watts at 8 psi / 0.6 bars.

Puncture Resistance Test Results

Puncture Resistance Test Results (higher is better)
Total Puncture Score Tread	23 Points
Total Puncture Score Sidewall	Members Only
Tread Puncture Force Sharp Needle	6 Points
Tread Puncture Force Blunt Needle	Members Only
Tread Total Tire Thickness	1.65 mm
Sidewall Puncture Force Sharp Needle	Members Only
Sidewall Puncture Force Blunt Needle	Members Only
Sidewall Total Tire Thickness	Members Only

As expected from a tire built to provide race performance, the Jumbo Jim comes in at the bottom of the list in the puncture resistance tests. Still, puncture performance isn't that bad as it comes just a few points short in both the tread and sidewall puncture tests.

Conclusion

As expected from Schwalbe, the Jumbo Jim LiteSkin performs very strong in the rolling resistance test. If you're looking for a fat bike tire with race performance, the Jumbo Jim is the only tire worth considering as it will save you close to 15 watts for a pair of tires. Although the sidewalls are thin and performance in the puncture test isn't that great, it does have bigger knobs than the competition and should provide plenty of grip.

Rated 5 out of 5 because it simply is the fastest fat bike tire and that's by far the most important criteria on this site. I'm looking into testing the SnakeSkin version as well, but I'm convinced it will perform very strong as well and provide some additional sidewalls strength/sealing.

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RATING: 5 / 5
TEST VERDICT: Highly Recommended

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