Touring Bike Tire Test: Schwalbe Motion Big Apple

It's been 2 years since we tested the Schwalbe Green Marathon and Continental Pure Contact, but we finally have a new touring bike tire test. Why did it take this long? Because there weren't enough votes for touring bike tires in our monthly Pro Members tire voting round. Each month, our supporting Pro Members receive a vote to choose their favorite tire. The top 5 most-voted tires win, and we test them the next month.

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The Schwalbe Motion Big Apple is a "balloonbike tire," and the smallest available width is 50 mm. We used to test touring bike tires in the 35-40 mm sizes, but with the move toward wider bicycle tires, we've updated our touring bike section to support the 50 mm tires that are most common today. For more info on what's changed, we added the change to our test info / FAQ page.

Schwalbe's Big Ben and Big Apple have long been the trendsetters in wider tires. Even Schwalbe's popular Marathon tires are now almost all available in 50 and 55 mm sizes, so we wonder if the Motion Big Apple still has a place in today's tire lineup.

What stands out about the Motion Big Apple is its availability in a huge range of rim diameters. We're not sure it's the tire available in the most rim diameters, but it definitely makes a strong case for that title.

We tested the Motion Big Apple in the 50-622 size with RaceGuard puncture protection and Addix Green compound. Unfortunately, we don't yet have much 50 mm comparison material in our database, so for now, we have to use various 40 mm tires in the comparisons. At least we have the 40 mm versions of the Green Marathon, Marathon Almotion, and Marathon Efficiency available, so we hope to make a useful comparison.

Manufacturer Specifications

Manufacturer Specs
Brand	Schwalbe
Model	Motion Big Apple
Year	2026
Supplied By	Bought in store
New or Used	New
Mileage	0 km
Price Range	Med
Buy At	Ad Amazon.com
Manufacturer part number	11159664
TPI	67
Compound	Addix Green
Bead	Wire
ETRTO	50-622
Size Inch	28"
Width mm	50.00
Specified Weight	660 grams
Max Air Pressure (psi)	65
Made In	Pro Data
Available Sizes	60-622 (28x2.35) 55-622 (28x2.15) 50-622 (28x2.00) 65-684 (27.5x2.60) 60-584 (27.5x2.35) 55-584 (27.5x2.15) 60-559 (26x2.35) 55-559 (26x2.15) 50-559 (26x2.00) 55-507 (24x2.15) 50-507 (24x2.00) 55-406 (20x2.15) 50-406 (20x2.00) 50-355 (18x2.00) 55-305 (16x2.15) 50-305 (16x2.00) 50-254 (14x2.00) 50-203 (12x2.00)

Schwalbe Motion Big Apple Test Results

Size, Weight, and Thickness Measurements

Size, Weight, and Thickness Measurements
Specified Weight	660 grams
Measured Weight	659 grams
Measured Width	48 mm (un-round)
Measured Height	Pro Data
Tire Circumference	Pro Data
Tread Depth	1.6 mm
Total Tire Thickness Center	5.3 mm
Total Tire Thickness Sidewall	Pro Data
All size measurements are taken at high air pressure on a 18 mm inner width rim.

Rolling Resistance Test Results

Rolling Resistance Test Results
Inner Tube	Conti MTB 29 (225 gr butyl)
Measured Width	48 mm
Rolling Resistance Real tire width in mm: 30-32 = 77 psi/5.3 bar 33-35 = 70 psi/4.8 bar 36-38 = 63 psi/4.3 bar 39-42 = 58 psi/4.0 bar 43-46 = 54 psi/3.7 bar 47-50 = 50 psi/3.4 barExtra High Air Pressure (50 psi / 3.4 bar)	Pro Data
Rolling Resistance Real tire width in mm: 30-32 = 66 psi/4.6 bar 33-35 = 60 psi/4.1 bar 36-38 = 54 psi/3.7 bar 39-42 = 50 psi/3.4 bar 43-46 = 46 psi/3.2 bar 47-50 = 42 psi/2.9 barHigh Air Pressure (42 psi / 2.9 bar)	21.7 Watts CRR: 0.00650
Rolling Resistance Real tire width in mm: 30-32 = 55 psi/3.8 bar 33-35 = 50 psi/3.4 bar 36-38 = 45 psi/3.1 bar 39-42 = 42 psi/2.9 bar 43-46 = 38 psi/2.6 bar 47-50 = 35 psi/2.4 barMedium Air Pressure (35 psi / 2.4 bar)	Pro Data
Rolling Resistance Real tire width in mm: 30-32 = 44 psi/3.0 bar 33-35 = 40 psi/2.8 bar 36-38 = 36 psi/2.6 bar 39-42 = 33 psi/2.3 bar 43-46 = 31 psi/2.1 bar 47-50 = 28 psi/1.9 barLow Air Pressure (28 psi / 1.9 bar)	Pro Data
The touring bike section is a multi tire size section, air pressures have been adjusted to the measured casing width. 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.

Puncture Resistance Test Results

Puncture Resistance Test Results (higher is better)
Total Puncture Score Tread	104 Points
Total Puncture Score Sidewall	Pro Data
Tread Puncture Force Sharp Needle	Pro Data
Tread Puncture Force Blunt Needle	Pro Data
Tread Total Tire Thickness	5.3 mm
Sidewall Puncture Force Sharp Needle	Pro Data
Sidewall Puncture Force Blunt Needle	Pro Data
Sidewall Total Tire Thickness	Pro Data

Static Grip Test Results

Static Grip Test Results
Wet Grip Average	75 Points
Wet Grip Center	Pro Data
Wet Grip Edge	Pro Data
Grip in points = coefficient of friction * 100 Tour/E-Bike grip test rim width = 23.0 mm

Conclusion

When it comes to price and performance, the Schwalbe Green Marathon is probably the most important competitor to the Schwalbe Motion Big Apple. The main difference between these tires is the sidewalls: the Motion Big Apple has much thinner, easier-to-puncture sidewalls than the Green Marathon's more heavy-duty ones. Tread puncture resistance is pretty much equal between these tires, with scores slightly above 100 points in our puncture test.

The advantage of thinner sidewalls is lower rolling resistance and a much lower weight. The 50 mm Motion Big Apple is even much lighter than the smaller 40 mm Green Marathon. If you value performance more than sidewall strength, the Schwalbe Motion Big Apple is the better pick over the Green Marathon.

Even when we compare the Motion Big Apple to the much more expensive Marathon Almotion and Marathon Efficiency, we see it still holds its own. Yes, it rolls a little bit slower than those tires, but it offers better tread puncture resistance, weighs pretty much the same for the same size, and offers similar wet grip.

An excellent touring bike tire if you can handle the weak sidewalls.

• Motion Big Apple and Green Marathon
• Motion Big Apple and Marathon Almotion
• Motion Big Apple and Marathon Efficiency

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RATING: 4.5 / 5
TEST VERDICT: Highly Recommended

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