Schwalbe Marathon Plus Tires

[Surly LHT]

Has anyone here ever use a set of these tires Schwalbe Marathon Plus Tires in a 26x1.75
if so how good are they. I am thinking about getting a set of these my self. I hear they are the best out here for the money.

[Alex Ramon]

You'll be glad you got them. I've been using those tires for years on my commuter/touring bike. They're durable, flat resistant, reflective, and have a really nice feel to them when you ride. Great traction on pavement and gravel, wet or dry.

I recently got some in 26x1/38" for my girlfriend's cruiser too!

[Joe_W]

Hm, I remember a test (German trekking bike mag) (found it, though this specific model has not been tested), where the Marathons were... well.. pretty bad. I have a Marathon (though I can't remember which one but looks quite the same) on one of my bikes. The tyre has no "real" profile, so traction on wet soil (like on paths in forests) is abysmal (non-existent). I cannot recommend the tyre if you plan to ride on unpaved roads after rain. On paved roads on the other hand profile makes no sense. Car tyres have profile to prevent aquaplaning which will just not happen on a bike.

[Surly LHT]

(02-17-2010, 11:18 AM)Joe_W Wrote:  Hm, I remember a test (German trekking bike mag) (found it, though this specific model has not been tested), where the Marathons were... well.. pretty bad. I have a Marathon (though I can't remember which one but looks quite the same) on one of my bikes. The tyre has no "real" profile, so traction on wet soil (like on paths in forests) is abysmal (non-existent). I cannot recommend the tyre if you plan to ride on unpaved roads after rain. On paved roads on the other hand profile makes no sense. Car tyres have profile to prevent aquaplaning which will just not happen on a bike.

Did you check to see what Alex Ramon said about them. From what all I have read about them they are good in any weather who knows lol. But think I am going to order me a set and give them a try. But at 90 dollars for two they are not cheap here at our LBS.

[Alex Ramon]

I just took a look around online, and see there are a lot of different tread patterns available from Schwalbe. Some patterns look like they might not be as good on gravel. The ones I like and recommend look like this attached photo.

[Surly LHT]

(02-17-2010, 11:18 AM)Joe_W Wrote:  Hm, I remember a test (German trekking bike mag) (found it, though this specific model has not been tested), where the Marathons were... well.. pretty bad. I have a Marathon (though I can't remember which one but looks quite the same) on one of my bikes. The tyre has no "real" profile, so traction on wet soil (like on paths in forests) is abysmal (non-existent). I cannot recommend the tyre if you plan to ride on unpaved roads after rain. On paved roads on the other hand profile makes no sense. Car tyres have profile to prevent aquaplaning which will just not happen on a bike.

I see what you are talking about hmm you may be right after all.lol
I also took a look on the web and there is a lot of different Schwalbe Marathon Plus Tires.
Looks like they would all be the same but guess not.I need a good set of tires.

[Bill]

Check on Kenda M838 only problem is that they are 26"x1.95 tad larger but can say from personal they are really good road tires.

[Surly LHT]

Thanks Bill I will check in to them asap. Good tires I do need.

[Surly LHT]

Hey Bill you have a pic of the tires you are talking about I can't find them online for some reason.

[Bill]

Yes sure right here same place I got them on Amazon, free shipping if over $25.00 (i got a spare tube to put it right over 25.00 ). http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=kenda+838&x=0&y=0

There are other models too. Keyword Kenda Bicycle Tire

[Alex Ramon]

Those Kenda's are nice and smooth rolling on pavement!

[Bill]

Ahhh man it just hit me like a rock lol. The model number is K838, I am so sorry Surly. Darn typos!

[Surly LHT]

(02-18-2010, 09:30 PM)Bill Wrote:  Ahhh man it just hit me like a rock lol. The model number is K838, I am so sorry Surly. Darn typos!

Thats ok Bill lol the tires you like are nice for sure no wonder I could not find them ROFL

[Phil]

(02-17-2010, 08:09 AM)Alex Ramon Wrote:  You'll be glad you got them. I've been using those tires for years on my commuter/touring bike. They're durable, flat resistant, reflective, and have a really nice feel to them when you ride. Great traction on pavement and gravel, wet or dry.

I recently got some in 26x1/38" for my girlfriend's cruiser too!

Hi Alex

I've been getting a few punctures in the past couple of weeks on my rear wheel (Specialized Armadillo All Condition). Seen some reviews for the Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres, so thought I'd go install this for the puncture protection. The guy at the bike shop mentioned they were very difficult to install (as you can imagine, he used much "stronger" language than that, but you probably get the idea!)

Tried putting it on the bike last night, following the steps in your flat tyre video. After much swearing, I admit defeat - I think after a couple of hours, the burst inner tube gave me a clue that it was not going to happen!

Did you find it difficult to install? Also, did you need to use the bead jack? (I'm thinking about getting one of those now). Was there anything else you needed to do (not shown in the video) to get the tyre on?

I found that after inflating, a part of the inner tube would keep popping out between the tube and the tyre.

[trevgbb]

(04-23-2010, 08:39 AM)Phil Wrote:  

(02-17-2010, 08:09 AM)Alex Ramon Wrote:  You'll be glad you got them. I've been using those tires for years on my commuter/touring bike. They're durable, flat resistant, reflective, and have a really nice feel to them when you ride. Great traction on pavement and gravel, wet or dry.

I recently got some in 26x1/38" for my girlfriend's cruiser too!

Hi Alex

I've been getting a few punctures in the past couple of weeks on my rear wheel (Specialized Armadillo All Condition). Seen some reviews for the Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres, so thought I'd go install this for the puncture protection. The guy at the bike shop mentioned they were very difficult to install (as you can imagine, he used much "stronger" language than that, but you probably get the idea!)

Tried putting it on the bike last night, following the steps in your flat tyre video. After much swearing, I admit defeat - I think after a couple of hours, the burst inner tube gave me a clue that it was not going to happen!

Did you find it difficult to install? Also, did you need to use the bead jack? (I'm thinking about getting one of those now). Was there anything else you needed to do (not shown in the video) to get the tyre on?

I found that after inflating, a part of the inner tube would keep popping out between the tube and the tyre.

I have fitted a lot of tyres in my time and cannot recall having any particular problems with Marathons, although some makes are a bit tighter fit, not a bad thing as it reduces tyre slip.

As to your tube popping out, this is because you have not seated the tyre properly by the valve (assuming you are fitting the correct size tyre for your rim), before inflation, do not fit the valve nut if supplied, slightly inflate the tube and push the valve into the tyre as far as it will go, seat the tyre on both sides so that the valve base is inside the beads of the tyre, let the valve come out to it's own limit and inflate fully, checking around the rim/tyre junction frequently to make sure it is seating properly, now fit the nut hand tight only.

http://www.schwalbe.co.uk/shopdata/files/TechInfo2-GB.pdf

[Bill]

How did I miss this post? Anyways I never had any problems with the seating, because as listed above by trev I knew what I was looking for.

[fredbyte]

I replaced the Armadillos on my and my wife's bicycles with the Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires (700x38c). So far, I don't think we've had a flat yet over 19 months and ~5,000 miles of commuting, though the treads are wearing down. We did have flats with the Armadillos. (I even carry a small folding broom to sweep glass from the bike lanes, but I don't feel like stopping every time.) As for some of the threads here about mounting the Marathon Plus, yes, it is more difficult to mount. I found it almost impossible with plastic tire irons; once I switched to the old-fashioned steel tire irons, the task was immeasurably easier! Mounting was tight onto SunRims CR18 and Mavic A319 rims, but, to my amazement, I didn't even need the tire irons on the Velocity Dyad. So, guys, go out and scrounge for those old-fashioned steel tire irons because I'm not sure if they sell them anymore.

[Darrenjs92ni]

i have a pair of vittoria randonneur 26x1.50" they are very hard to fit on the wheels. i have to use tyre leavers to get them on, which scrapes the rims up bad. but they are nice to ride on and dont puncture easy.

[Portellini]

Hello, guys.

I'm thinking about getting a pair of these Schwalbe Marathon Plus for the 700x28 size. I currently have 700x35 Specialized Nimbus, after I got tired of the hardness of the 700x23.

I am wondering if the speed gain from 700x35 to 700x28 is any good, when thinking about the comfort loss.

What do you think?

Thanks a lot.

[Joe_W]

Rolling resistance depends on many variables:
- surface
- pressure
- tyre material
- inner tube material
- tread pattern

In general: if the tyres are of the same make (material, pattern, ..) the wider tyre will have a lower rolling resistance at the same pressure. When riding on a rough surface (read: not in a cyclodrome) too high pressure will increase rolling resistance a lot.

So: you cannot say anything about the real speed gain by changing all variables like you plan to do. I only have two remarks on the Schwalbe Marathon: I do not like most of the tread patterns they offer (either you ride on road, then you need no pattern at all, or off road which means you need something quite aggressive) and they are heavy and not that flexible (due to their protective belt).