How "flatless" are Marathon plus?

[Andy in Germany]

Part 2: the reason that, despite my last statement, I will never mount M+ tyres again. This is mostly for @welsh dragon.

I had M+ on my folder. It had the same size 16" 349 rims as on a Brompton. It would take me an hour to fit them, usually with a broken lever or 2. The last pair I tried to fit just would not go on, eventually I had rubbed my thumbs raw and the rubber started to separate from the rims.

Returned the tyre to the shop and ordered my preferred model online.

They can be a pig to mount on the wheel, that is true. We found this at the bike shop I used to work at. Eventually the owner bought a specialtyre lever which looked like a heavy duty dessert spoon which did the trick.

 

[welsh dragon]

Part 2: the reason that, despite my last statement, I will never mount M+ tyres again. This is mostly for @welsh dragon.

I had M+ on my folder. It had the same size 16" 349 rims as on a Brompton. It would take me an hour to fit them, usually with a broken lever or 2. The last pair I tried to fit just would not go on, eventually I had rubbed my thumbs raw and the rubber started to separate from the rims.

Returned the tyre to the shop and ordered my preferred model online.

Thanks for that. That has helped me make the decission not to bother.

 

[smutchin]

Has anyone suggested Tannus "Airless" Tyres yet? They may be a sensible solution in this instance.

Unfortunately every thread in which they are discussed tends to degenerate into a shouting match. So maybe it was unwise to mention them.

I was thinking the same thing. I wouldn't normally recommend them, based on my limited experience of using them (which was enough to make me want to never use them again) but in the OP's situation, they seem like a good idea.

The ride on Tannus tyres is certainly harsh compared to supple, lightweight tyres but probably not significantly worse than Marathon Plus. I think they're a fair bit more expensive than Marathon Plus though, especially when you factor in fitting, which has to be done professionally unless you have the special tools.

I used to use Marathon Plus on my Brompton for the daily commute and found you could easily go as long as two years without a puncture, until there was hardly any tread left on them at which point they start puncturing regularly. I did once have a puncture on a newish set from a large screw that somehow got in through the sidewall, but there's not much that will stop something like that.

 

[Ajax Bay]

@Racing roadkill is the resident Tannus expert/aficianado/advocate who can be relied on to offer a measured view.

 

[Moodyman]

Took me 7000 miles to get a puncture and one that I got was a 2 inch nail into sidewall.

They can be a pain to fit for the first time, though I didn't find them too difficult. They soften with use, so next time are much easier to mount.

There are plenty of tips available online and it helps having strong hands.

 

[jefmcg]

Another solution, which would be entirely dependent upon where and when the OP rides, would be a folding bike. If the OP is commuting along a bus route (say) then a puncture would just require folding the bike up and hopping on the bus.

That, of course, would be an order of magnitude more expensive than a set of tyres!

Nice - lateral thinking.

I wonder how difficult folding would be if you don't have the dexterity for Co2.
Anyway, it's another option

I think marathons are probably the go, and get your bike shop to inspect your rims while fitting l. All this is for nowt if the rim tape fails.

 

[jefmcg]

Thanks for that. That has helped me make the decission not to bother.

The standard marathons are easier to fit, and seem to be pretty puncture resistant.

There are plenty of tips available online and it helps having strong hands.

I've been watching the video of the guy with the toe clips since 2010.
I think smaller wheels are more of a problem than larger ones.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

Has anyone on here got any experience of using a Level 5 protected tyre such as Delta Cruiser+ or original Marathon, then upping the protection even further by fitting one of those internal puncture-resistant liners such as Dr Sludge? I'm thinking this could give M+ levels of puncture resistance but be cheaper to run than M+ because the liners are re-useable, and I have found the Delta Cruiser+ tyres to be fairly easy to fit and not a struggle as some seem to find M+.

I've just fitted a pair of Dr Sludge 26" MTB liners to my woods & gravel Raleigh as I'm running unprotected cheapo knobbly tyres from my salvaged stockpile to use up the old tyres. I've read conflicting opinions about the Dr Sludge liners, but mine have been rounded & smoothed before being carefully fitted so hopefully won't cause any problems themselves.

 

[jay clock]

Doing 3000 miles across the USA I had several flats on M+ tyres. One was something small, one was a big metal clunky item that banged round a few times then fell out and the other was this 4cm nail. https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/page/pic/?o=2mg&pic_id=3330916&size=large - also had several where a tyre boot abraded the tube. So not perfect. Two mates had far fewer problems

 

[jay clock]

The standard marathons are easier to fit, and seem to be pretty puncture resistant.
I've been watching the video of the guy with the toe clips since 2010.
I think smaller wheels are more of a problem than larger ones.

My record time for changing M+ on a Brompton is 22minutes. Add about 30 minutes for the rear

 

[OneArmedBandit]

Thank you all for your views.

I did consider Tannus tyres but (again I know there are strong opinions) I can't see how they wouldn't put more pressure on the spokes. It's only a basic Decathlon bike probably not with the most amazing wheels. That + 95kg of me + huge potholes around here and I'd be worrying about a broken spoke, even if the chances are low and you can limp home.

As for Slime I remember as a teenager getting a puncture with one and having green slime over everywhere. Perhaps they have improved since then.

With fitting, as I said, the trick for me was to cable tie it around the wheel to keep the bead in. You can then just lever the last bit in (even with one hand), cut off the cable ties, and just work around squeezing the tyre to make sure the bead is in evenly.

Took me about 15 minutes for a new tyre. Would have been quicker with both hands.

 

[BromptonChrispy]

I echo most of the above. I've used SM+ for commuting when I worked in Manchester and now on leafy and very thorny country lanes. Not had a puncture in donkey's years. Something to think about is winter. Numb cold fingers are useless at fixing punctures no matter what tyres so I'd go for maximum prevention first of all.

 

[samsbike]

I run M+ on my commuter and they are not infallible. Had around 3 punctures last year over around 3000 miles I think. However I ride on a cycle path right next to a busy A road and there is a lot of glass.

Also they do cut up quite a bit and are a bit skittish in the wet especially as I run them at max pressure.

 

[SteveF]

They can be defeated, takes some effort mind you....

 

[si_c]

Not convinced of the need for M+ for my use case. 6000mi of commuting annually, one or two unplanned deflations in that time. Takes about 10 mins to change a tube, 15 in winter, so not sure that spending an hour putting an M+ on each wheel justifies itself.