Bell Hybrid Bike Tire Defense Review

I bought the Bell Flat Defense hybrid tire (reflective but not gravel version) because of the width, price and because I'm building a winter bike. Tires work as expected, no flat tires yet. Very smooth handling and good traction. Despite frequent use, there are no signs of rapid wear and tear.

I bought these tires to replace a set of Schwalbe Smart Sam tires on a hybrid bike. I had 4 apartments in 2 years on Smart Sams so I decided to give Bells a try. To mount the tires I used a set of tire levers. The tires are very similar to the Sams in terms of width and tread pattern. The tires ride nice and smooth.

Needed for an old bike that we had to fix until we could buy a new bike. The knotted tread looks sleek but instills more confidence than traditional smooth tread tires for occasional off-road use. If the tread blocks were shorter I would give 5 stars. Easy to assemble otherwise no size issues.

They were very easy to fit and held up well for the first 50 miles, will be upgraded later after more use. They're wider than the 700x38C OEM tires they replaced on my Cannondale Hybrid, so they're not optimal for road use, but they're more than adequate. Very comfortable both on the road and on "groomed" fine dirt tracks, thanks to the rigid profile with grooves and the fact that they are not unidirectional.

Tires look and feel solid. This is a lot heavier than the 700c x 38 tires that originally came on the bike. The tire is boxed and looks like it will never fit on the rims. But once you mount the tires, they fit onto the rim and look like a regular bike tire. The only thing I don't like about the tires is that the thread pattern on the tires is cleated and looks a bit odd. Overall this is a decent tire for the price.

It's time to change the tires on my hybrid. I tried to order expensive tires with good reviews from another source, but they delayed my order and couldn't give me a delivery date, so I canceled the order and bought two Revain Bell Flat Defense 700 x 40c tires. I was skeptical because the price is so low (about 1/4 the price of the tires I originally ordered). The Bell tires were very easy to fit and the fit and performance are excellent. I noticed a little side-slip when leaning on the…

Before I put these tires on my bike, I had a tire leak (at least) once a week. I drove for almost a month and I haven't had a single leak or had to inflate my tires. Of course I could ride "stop-stop" in the chambers, but I've found that I get terrible vibrations. at high speed due to fluid accumulation at a point after stopping or after the motorcycle has been stationary for a long period of time. It goes away after a period of constant driving as the fluid tends to even out over a larger…

UPDATE: 130 miles on tyres, fronts not too worn and lower profile rears. I think I'll get 200-2250 miles on the rear before having to replace the rear. I weigh about 200 pounds with all my gear. Cycling on a mix of 35% asphalt, 50% gravel, 15% mud. No flat tire yet and tires are still rolling which is true) Reduced to 4 stars due to rapid wear. Good value for money if you need a replacement or just don't ride much. I'm getting more miles than expected and will probably try a more expensive tire