Schwalbe Procore – the long-awaited test intro: from c_g

Since its launch at last year’s Euro Bike, I have waited for this moment – to finally install the two-chamber system of the Schwalbe Procore on my bike and to test it extensively.

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Will these inconspicuous black boxes contain what it takes to revolutionize the bike world? We shall see, but we sure hope so.

Now the time has come and the first test samples have been sent out to the media representatives. It will still take some time until the system is also available in the stores, but until then we can tell you if the wait was worth it.

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How it should all look inside the box: All that is required to convert a bike – available in 29″ or 27.5″.

I personally think the concept behind Procore represents the next great revolution in MTB sport – nothing else like this is on the market, promising lower tire pressures, endless traction and extreme cornering grip and also a significantly easier tubeless assembly of tires on all wheels, but especially the wider internal width rims that are the future.

Now it’s time to put the system through its paces and see if the installation is really that simple as was demonstrated during the presentation and whether the benefits in practice are really so gigantic. We will see.

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Here in any case is the listing of the components of the conversion kits, for a bike (ie for 2 tires) which will soon be available for 179.- Euro (about $200USD) in a shop:

29er inner tube (butyl with a special double-valve) – 109 g ea

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The tube is a fairly simple, made from butyl, but the valve is unique and is the real masterpiece of the system.

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The trick on the tube is the special valve with which allows one valve to supply air to both chambers. To switch back and forth between the two chambers, simply turn the upper part of the valve completely counter-clockwise to inflate the main tire chamber or turn clockwise (to the right) to bring up the inner tire pressure. The plastic air directors will send the air to the correct spot.

Inner tires – a very fine carcass with special stretching bead –  135 g ea

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The “inner tire” is a special low-stretch construction for both the high pressures of 60-90psi and also to stay as light as possible. Above you see the small hole at the silver lining for getting the air into the main chamber.

Flexible plastic directors send the air to the right place – – Air Guide 4 g.

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The small flexible Air Guides direct the air to the inside tire in order to supply the main chamber.

For this, the kit comes with:

  • Two 60 ml bottles Blue Doc sealant
  • A 50 ml bottle Easy Fit Assembly Fluid
  • Three stable tire levers with smarter hold function
  • A few stickers
  • And of course, detailed, multi-lingual assembly instructions.
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All kinds of accessories to facilitate the installation including everything you need for the upgrade of a bike.

Counting the individual weights together, Schwalbe’s Procore adds an additional 248g per tire compared to a conventional tubeless setup. That is nearly 500 grams more weight on the bike … and worse yet, it’s at the outside of the wheel where the extra rotating mass is most noticeable!  Certainly nothing good here for weight fetishists, but for those hungering for more and more traction and puncture protection – and I count myself in that group – it is important to know if the benefits meet expectations.

Oh yes, a conversion kit for a bike is set at 195. Euro no matter whether it is for a 26″, a 27.5″ or a 29″er. Our last information was that it will first only be sold in complete sets, but the individual prices for items suggest that soon the small parts will be sold outside the group as a whole.

Now we will mount the Schwalbe Procore system (one may want to view the video or the assembly instructions before doing this) and then we will go for it on the trail. Let’s see whether it really “will change everything” like it says on the package.

See you soon … RIDE ON,

c_g

Installation video:

Procore mounting (English) from Schwalbe Tires on Vimeo.

Note: All the components shown here were sent for test/review at no charge to Twenty Nine Inches-DE. We are not being paid nor bribed for this review and we will strive to give our honest thoughts and opinions throughout.