Tires and Touring with Celeste Steindl from Schwalbe North America

Seven months ago Schwalbe North America became the first sponsor of Bicycle Touring 101 web site contributors. Since then numerous cyclists have taken advantage of their special offer to obtain excellent touring tires for use during future bicycle tours. Recently I decided to ask Celeste Steindl from Schwalbe North America for an interview so that I and the readers of this web site could find out more about their tires, their mission and their team.

A cutaway view of Schwalbe's Marathon Plus touring tire.
Click to enlarge.

Who is Schwalbe and Schwalbe North America?

Schwalbe North America is the sole importer and exporter of the German tire brand SCHWALBE for all of North, and now South America!

Can you tell us about some of the products that you sell that would be of interest to touring cyclists?

SCHWALBE NORTH AMERICA produces 2,000 items to serve the various needs of the cycling public. Those items include tires, tubes, rim tape, rim strips, tire levers, and mounting fluid. We have every tire that anyone could possibly want: Touring, Commuting, Trekking, Expedition, Road, Mountain, and Recumbent. We also carry the widest size range of anyone in the industry so you will be able to fit that wonderful old British bike with a 584 or a larger wheel, that ever popular 28 X 1 1/2.

In a recent survey published by bicycle retailers, the top two reasons people have stopped cycling were because of the painful saddles and FLAT TIRES. We at SCHWALBE NORTH AMERICA are doing our part to remedy this with our MARATHON PLUS and BIG APPLE tires which provide the BEST puncture protection you can buy and the smoothest and most comfortable ride.

In addition to our high quality tires we produce 40,000 tubes daily which are made of the highest quality India and Butyl rubber and each tube is seamless and individually inspected for flaws, leaks, etc.

The perfect riding combination is a SCHWALBE tire and tube.

You have a number of tires that you recommend for bicycle touring. When you recommend the various tires do you recommend them based on the type of touring a person will be doing? What recommendations do you make?

We pride ourselves on taking time to speak with the customer in order to fit them with the best tire for their intended use. We consider terrain, load, individual height and weight, the individual's previous experience, and the time of year that the ride will be taking place.

We have had riders traveling from Alaska to South America, across Brazil, through Tibet, california to Chile, across Canada, the West Coast drop and we are thrilled to say that they have all had remarkable experiences and that SCHWALBE was able to provide flat free trips! Some travel light and some travel with a load, but whatever the set-up, we can provide the tire of choice...even for the great BOB trailers!

Occasionally I've seen posts from people who have had difficulty installing your tires on their rims. Personally I haven't experienced this nor have several friends who also use the tires. Do you have any special products etc that people can use to make installations easier if they do experience difficulties?

There are an occasional few who have difficulties installing our tires, but most are UST riders. A few recumbent cyclists have experienced the same, and most difficulties come in the non-standardization of rim sizes (however, VELOCITY has made their rims to fit our tires...Great Guys!). On a bright note, our mounting fluid has been able to alleviate most of these issues and without a soapy mess!

Let's hear a bit more about you..... What is your cycling background? Do you bicycle tour and/or do you have any plans for your next bicycle touring adventure?

Ah yes, the history of Celeste on a bike:

I skipped the tricycle stage and went straight to a bike with training wheels and by the time my Father had pushed me a bit down the driveway, I was ready to take them off! I've been a "Roadie" for most of my life, but turned to commuting/touring style bikes and LOVE THEM and I plan to go to France/Austria/Switzerland with my husband Klaus once we find some time to actually vacation! In the meantime, I enjoy riding in some of the most beautiful areas of British Columbia.

When people discuss Schwalbe they typically mention you because you are often the first person they talk to. In reality you have a strong team backing you up. Could you introduce a few of your other team members and what they do?

Schwalbe North America is made up of a few people who are multi-talented and dedicated to their positions and to cycling:

Klaus Moser is our CFO and art director/graphic artist extraordinaire! He is also involved in some of the technical aspects of tire design and inspection and a rider of all SCHWALBE tires no matter what the size and application.

Stephen Caulker is our Sponsorship Director and OEM market developer. Steve also helps in every way during the daily operations to ensure that our customers are well served and adds his special kind of humor to our marketing meetings.

Clay Lundgren is our Sales Manager and is out in the field attending events and selling the rubber we all love and cherish. If there is an event that we should be attending…please let Clay know!

Greg Honn is our man on the East Coast and is primarily involved with sales territory development and direct sales. He our #1 one man in the field.

Mark Salmon, Gerald Green, Daren Alspaugh, and John Gerritsen are our independent sales reps who work tirelessly in the field to help us out.

Celeste Steindl: Well, I am sort of the Mama Bear, the Queen Bee, and the doer of all. I can be found answering phones, making sales calls, packing boxes, checking inventory, and holding the rudder that is SCHWALBE NORTH AMERICA.

Do you have a web site and/or a newsletter that people can visit/sign up for if they would like more information about your products?

Yes! Please visit www.schwalbetires.com.

If you would like to receive our monthly email newsletter we’d be happy to add you to our mailing list. Please email us at tireinfo@schwalbetires.com asking us to add you and we will do so!

Is there anything else that you would like to add?

I think that touring is the fastest growing facet of the cycling world and we are thrilled to be a part of it. Not only can people improve their health while participating, but they can enjoy visiting remarkable places all over this wonderful planet and meeting some of the greatest people I know.

I tour using Schwalbe products myself and actually did so well before Schwalbe stepped forward to assist the BT101 contributors. I appreciate their efforts to support bicycle touring through honest answers to emails and their willingness to offer a special deal to the Contributors of Bicycle Touring 101. It's very nice to see people who help to improve this web site through article submissions receive a positive benefit like the awesome discount that Schwalbe provides. It's my sincere hope that other companies follow Schwalbe's lead and do something similar as well.

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