Touring Bike Tire Test: Schwalbe Energizer Plus

The Schwalbe Energizer Plus is a tire specifically designed for use on E-Bikes. All sizes of the Energizer Plus have the ECE-R75 certification which means these tires are certified to be used on e-bikes up to a speed of 50 km/h. The Energizer compound used on this tire, as its name implies, was designed to offer a low rolling resistance while still providing plenty of grip for security and fast cornering.

Ad Buy Schwalbe Energizer Plus at Amazon.com

The Energizer Plus uses a 3 mm thick anti-puncture layer which is the same protection that is used in the Schwalbe Marathon GreenGuard (read review). When comparing the Energizer with the Marathon tires, the Plus part seems a little misleading because the Marathon Plus (read review) uses an even thicker 5 mm anti-puncture layer. Energizer without the Plus part would have been a better name for this tire.

After physical inspection of the Energizer Plus and checking all of its specifications, it appears to be very similar to the Marathon GreenGuard. The biggest differences seem to be in the rubber compound and a different, more modern looking tread pattern. Let's test this tire and see how it compares to the classic Marathon.

Manufacturer Specifications

Manufacturer Specs
Brand	Schwalbe
Model	Energizer Plus
Year	2015
Supplied By	Supplied by Schwalbe
New or Used	New
Mileage	0 km
Price Range	Med
Buy At	Ad Amazon.com
Manufacturer part number	11100312
TPI	67
Compound	Energizer
Bead	Wire
ETRTO	37-622
Size Inch	28"
Width mm	37.00
Specified Weight	730 grams
Max Air Pressure (psi)	85
Made In	Members Only
Available Sizes	50-622 (28x2.00) 47-622 (28x1.75) 40-622 (28x1.50) 37-622 (28x1.40) 32-622 (28x1.25) 47-584 (27.5x1.75) 47-559 (26x1.75) 47-406 (20x1.75)

Schwalbe Energizer Plus Test Results

Size, Weight, and Thickness Measurements

Size, Weight, and Thickness Measurements
Specified Weight	730 grams
Measured Weight	742 grams
Measured Width	35 mm (un-round)
Measured Height	36 mm (un-round)
Tread Depth	2.0 mm
Total Tire Thickness Center	7.0 mm
Total Tire Thickness Sidewall	Members Only
All size measurements are taken at an air pressure of 60 psi / 4 bars on a 17.8 mm inner width rim.

Just like the Marathon 37-622, specified weight of the 37-622 Energizer Plus is 730 grams. My sample came in at a slightly heavier 742 grams. The measured width on a 17C rim, at an air pressure of 60 psi is 35 mm. The measured height is 36 mm. Both width and height are exactly the same as the Marathon.

Tread depth comes in at 2.0 mm. The total thickness of the tire, measured at the center of the tire, is 7.0 mm. The total thickness of the sidewalls is 1.5 mm. All of these measurements come in very close to the numbers of the Marathon.

Rolling Resistance Test Results

Rolling Resistance Test Results
Inner Tube	Conti Tour 28 (170 gr butyl)
Rolling Resistance 75 PSI / 5 Bar	19.9 Watts CRR: 0.00597
Rolling Resistance 60 PSI / 4 Bar	21.5 Watts CRR: 0.00644
Rolling Resistance 45 PSI / 3 Bar	Members Only
Rolling Resistance 30 PSI / 2 Bar	Members Only
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.

Rolling resistance is very low. Although the Marathon has a slightly lower rolling resistance, the Energizer Plus is able to come within 0.2 - 0.3 watts of the rolling resistance of the Marathon. The small differences between these tires can probably be attributed to the slightly lower weight of my sample of the Marathon (729 gr Vs 742 gr). I think it's safe to say these tires perform near equal in the rolling resistance test when both tires have the same weight.

When compared to other tires, the Energizer Plus performs very strong in the rolling resistance test. Tires from other brands that offer similar puncture resistance have a substantially higher rolling resistance.

Puncture Resistance Test Results

Puncture Resistance Test Results (higher is better)
Total Puncture Score Tread	117 Points
Total Puncture Score Sidewall	Members Only
Tread Puncture Force Sharp Needle	14 Points
Tread Puncture Force Blunt Needle	No Data
Tread Total Tire Thickness	7.0 mm
Sidewall Puncture Force Sharp Needle	Members Only
Sidewall Puncture Force Blunt Needle	No Data
Sidewall Total Tire Thickness	Members Only

In the puncture resistance test, the Energizer scores very close to the Marathon as well. Both tires score 14 points in the tread test. With a score of 4 points in the sidewall test, the Energizer Plus performs slightly worse than the Marathon which came in at 5 points. The 1 point difference is too small to come to a conclusion

Because the Energizer Plus is slightly thinner in both the tread area and sidewalls, Puncture Factor is lower as well. With a Puncture Factor Tread score of 98 points, it comes in a bit lower than the Marathon (102). Puncture Factor Sidewall comes in 2 points lower at 6 points Vs the 8 points the Marathon scored.

Static Grip Test Results

NOTE: Grip test data is only available on tires tested after November 2018. You can find more information about our grip test here: Introducing Grip Testing

Static Grip Test Results
Wet Grip Average	No Data
Wet Grip Center	No Data
Wet Grip Edge	No Data
Grip in points = coefficient of friction * 100 Tour/E-Bike grip test rim width = 23.0 mm

Conclusion

From the outside, the Schwalbe Energizer Plus and Schwalbe Marathon look like different tires, but on the inside, they appear to be almost the same. In the rolling resistance test, both tires perform exactly the same when compensating for the slightly higher weight of my sample of the Energizer Plus. It does seem like the Energizer has slightly less tread depth and is a little thinner in both the tread area and sidewalls. Of course, this could also be the result of production tolerances.

Pricing of the Energizer Plus seems to be in line with the Marathon (read review). I think it would be safe for long-time Marathon users to try the Energizer Plus and see how the Energizer rubber compares to the Marathon rubber. Have you tried both tires? Consider to leave a comment as I'm curious to your opinion.

Ad Buy Schwalbe Energizer Plus at Amazon.com

RATING: 5.0 / 5
TEST VERDICT: Highly Recommended

Comments