Marathon Pluses
- Thread starter MrGrumpy
- Start date
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domtyler
Über Member
catwoman said:I got another good review for these tyres today from "The Bike Man" at work. We have someone come in every other Thursday to fix our bikes for the cost of new parts only. My employer pays for his time. (very good service)
He told me that he fixes Police and Paramedics bikes and when they get them new they take the tyres off and fit Marathon Plus tyres.
So I am feeling very pleased with my purchase.
That sounds good, who is the employer? A small private company or a large one?
catwoman
Well-Known Member
- Location
- North London.
Dom,
The employer is a local authority. They started the bike man service about a year ago I think. They have a green travel plan that is supposed to encourage us to commute by bike and use bikes for travel during the day. The bike man is an added bonus for employees in line with the travel plan. They nearly cut him recently but have found the money to keep him on a while longer. We all use him.
Tynan,
The tyres may be heavy but my bike with the locks is as well. It's a vintage original mountain bike coming up to it's 20th anniversary. I never post a picture of it on the threads that ask for pictures of bikes. I'm too embarrassed.
The employer is a local authority. They started the bike man service about a year ago I think. They have a green travel plan that is supposed to encourage us to commute by bike and use bikes for travel during the day. The bike man is an added bonus for employees in line with the travel plan. They nearly cut him recently but have found the money to keep him on a while longer. We all use him.
Tynan,
The tyres may be heavy but my bike with the locks is as well. It's a vintage original mountain bike coming up to it's 20th anniversary. I never post a picture of it on the threads that ask for pictures of bikes. I'm too embarrassed.
catwoman said:I never post a picture of it on the threads that ask for pictures of bikes. I'm too embarrassed.
Dont be embarressed. I am riding an old Dawes road bike, hurel sachs rear mech. weinman brakes (dated June 1970) and downshifters. Old school rocks
picture up soonEmbarrassed?
Too right: here's my shopping bike ('70's Carlton, now with 5-spd SRAM hub)FatFellaFromFelixstowe said:Dont be embarressed. I am riding an old Dawes road bike, hurel sachs rear mech. weinman brakes (dated June 1970) and downshifters. Old school rocks
byegad
Legendary Member
- Location
- NE England
I commuted on some Pluses, 12 miles each way, for a couple of years.
They are NOT puncture proof, but may be a little less likely to pick up a puncture than other tyres.
I found they rolled a little slower than the Panaracer Tour Guards which came on my new commuter.
They seem to be a bit more critical on rim size than some tyres as people often complain about difficulty fitting them.
While I was commuting and also now when out for the day I carried/carry an aerosol Seal and Flate, which puts a slime into the tyre which should get you home plus a CO2 inflator and a pump. My aim was always to get home and mend the puncture there rather than on the roadside. I also carry a spare tube so if need be I can replace the tube and move on.
Commuting I got a few punctures each year, and managed to get home every time without having to repair a tube on the road.
Now I'm retired and out for the day I sometimes have to replace the tube as I'm further from home and not being on a schedule it is worth it in terms of cost of materials.
No tyre is puncture proof so if you really don't ever want to repair by the roadside you should consider using slime in the tubes and carrying a CO2 inflator to top up a leaking tube. You could still have a puncture which stops you, but not often!
They are NOT puncture proof, but may be a little less likely to pick up a puncture than other tyres.
I found they rolled a little slower than the Panaracer Tour Guards which came on my new commuter.
They seem to be a bit more critical on rim size than some tyres as people often complain about difficulty fitting them.
While I was commuting and also now when out for the day I carried/carry an aerosol Seal and Flate, which puts a slime into the tyre which should get you home plus a CO2 inflator and a pump. My aim was always to get home and mend the puncture there rather than on the roadside. I also carry a spare tube so if need be I can replace the tube and move on.
Commuting I got a few punctures each year, and managed to get home every time without having to repair a tube on the road.
Now I'm retired and out for the day I sometimes have to replace the tube as I'm further from home and not being on a schedule it is worth it in terms of cost of materials.
No tyre is puncture proof so if you really don't ever want to repair by the roadside you should consider using slime in the tubes and carrying a CO2 inflator to top up a leaking tube. You could still have a puncture which stops you, but not often!
goo_mason
Champion barbed-wire hurdler
- Location
- Leith, Edinburgh
I found Slime next-to-useless when I used a Slime inner tube on one wheel and a normal tube (into which I'd put Slime) on the other. Never once got a puncture that Slime sealed off... 
In almost a year and a half of running SMPs, I've had two punctures - both caused by huge sharp items - an inch-long copper nail and an inch-long sliver of glass. Nothing bar solid tyres would have stopped those. However, I ride through a lot of broken glass every day (and regularly pick chunks out of the tyres every week), which says a lot about just how much they HAVE stopped. I'd probably have been repairing punctures almost every other day had I not been running on SMP tyres.
SMPs, a pump, spare tubes and a puncture repair kit are essential commuting gear
In almost a year and a half of running SMPs, I've had two punctures - both caused by huge sharp items - an inch-long copper nail and an inch-long sliver of glass. Nothing bar solid tyres would have stopped those. However, I ride through a lot of broken glass every day (and regularly pick chunks out of the tyres every week), which says a lot about just how much they HAVE stopped. I'd probably have been repairing punctures almost every other day had I not been running on SMP tyres.
SMPs, a pump, spare tubes and a puncture repair kit are essential commuting gear