My Thoughts on Commuting with Marathon Plus Tyres

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I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with M+ tyres.

I have two bikes, a Merida Ride which is used mainly on weekends and a CAADX which is my commuting/touring workhorse. During the summer months both bikes run Michelin Pro 4 Endurance 28c, which to me offer a nice blend of speed, comfort, grip and puncture resistance.

I’m lucky in that my commute to work is approx 13 miles each way, mainly on very quiet country roads.

I don’t suffer a huge number of punctures. This year in over 7500 miles I’ve only had two, both during my LEJOG back in May, so you could deduce that the road surfaces around where I live are generally pretty good.

However, I have a real phobia about suffering a puncture on my commute to work in the winter. The thought of having to fix a puncture at 0630 in the middle of nowhere on a wet, windy, freezing, pitch black January morning fills me with dread. So much so that for the last two winters I’ve switched the CAADX to M+ at the beginning of October when the darker mornings start to set in.

For a start, they are a bit of a nightmare to get onto my Pacenti rims when new, although a lot easier once they have a winter’s commuting miles in them.

How do they ride? Well, they’re very, very heavy, which is noticeable particularly when going up hills. I also reckon they suffer from a lack of grip when it’s really cold. There is also a deadness, or lack of “feel” when compared to the Michelins.

They are also slow. During the summer I generally average between 17-19 mph on my commute. In the winter it’s 14-16 mph. Some of this will be down to temperature and road surface condition, but I reckon most of the reduction in speed is down to the tyres.

Last winter I ran 35c M+. This winter I’ve changed to 28c in a bid to retain a bit more speed, but they are exactly the same. If anything the 35c are slightly more comfortable.

Plus points? Well I like the reflective strip around the sidewalls for winter riding and also the fact that they don’t seem to suffer from knicks and cuts. But mostly l like that I’ve NEVER HAD A PUNCTURE when riding on them. This is worth a lot to me and, for just this reason alone, I’m happy to put up with their down sides during the winter months.

If I ever suffered a puncture with them I think I’d be tempted to try the Tannus solid tyres.

As an aside, since initial Inflation post-installation at the beginning of October about 1000 miles ago, I haven’t had to put any air in them at all. The inner tubes are the same ones used with the Michelins, which generally needed a top-up every couple of weeks. I didn’t appreciate that tyres played such a major role in normal air loss?

Graham
 

Thorn Sherpa

Über Member
Location
Doncaster
I use m+ on my bike 26x2.0, used them on the previous two bikes I've owned as well. Never had a problem with punctures and like you say I think that having reliable tyres to commute on is more important to me than speed. I run mine normally around 55psi and find them very comfortable to ride in my ride to work is half country lanes and half busy main roads through town. I know what you mean about them keeping their pressure I sometimes forget the last time I blew them up!
 

hoopdriver

Guru
Location
East Sussex
I like them. Never suffered a puncture with them and they last forever. On winter rides I especially don’t like stopping on a freezing roadside to muck about fixing a flat and when I go out with these on my tourer I know that ain’t going to happen.

Yes they are a bit slower, I suppose, but that said I have peddled 130-mile days with them on my touring bike, fully loaded on tours, so they are not exactly tank treads either. Just a good dependable tyre.
 

DaveReading

Don't suffer fools gladly (must try harder!)
Location
Reading, obvs
They are also slow. During the summer I generally average between 17-19 mph on my commute. In the winter it’s 14-16 mph. Some of this will be down to temperature and road surface condition, but I reckon most of the reduction in speed is down to the tyres.

I've got Marathon Plusses on my tourer. While I agree they are slower, I'd be amazed if I could get an extra 2-3 mph by swapping them.
 

hoopdriver

Guru
Location
East Sussex
Indeed. In broad terms, the difference in weight of a tyre makes a difference only in the rate at which you can accelerate. At cruising speed little or no difference.
 
Std Marathon have become better over the years probably to the point where they are like M+ of olden times. M+ make a lot of sense on urban hub gear bikes, station and pub hacks, folders and for riders who can't, won't or don't do repairs themselves.
 

Bazzer

Setting the controls for the heart of the sun.
As with yourself I have mixed feelings about them. It might be psychological, but I feel more confident riding them on the more regularly slippery and wet roads of winter, than on Gatorskins. - About 6 miles of my commute is on rural or unadopted road. I refitted mine at the beginning of November and they will stay on until April/May depending upon the weather and then back to the Gatorskins.
I like the reflective strip, for dark morning and evening commutes, but they are hard and I can't run them at the same pressure as my Gatorskins. I've not had a puncture (yet) with them, but after the wrestle to get them on my RS11 rims, that is something I hope continues.
 
M+ on my Hybrids, and Tannus on my road commuter, which has also done the odd long ride as well, for me. The benefits of not having to sort out p*s, when it’s cold and wet and dark, make them a no brainer.
 

pclay

Veteran
Location
Rugby
Interesting read. thanks for taking the time to post. I have never really considered M+. I am more than happy with my Schawlbe Duranos or Michelin Pro Endurance.

Last winter I ran 35c M+. This winter I’ve changed to 28c in a bid to retain a bit more speed, but they are exactly the same. If anything the 35c are slightly more comfortable.

When you say that the 28c and 35c are the same, do you mean in weight? They cant be the same, as they are a different width.
 
OP
OP
Tenacious Sloth
Location
Huntingdon, UK
Interesting read. thanks for taking the time to post. I have never really considered M+. I am more than happy with my Schawlbe Duranos or Michelin Pro Endurance.



When you say that the 28c and 35c are the same, do you mean in weight? They cant be the same, as they are a different width.

No. I meant they resulted in the same reduction in average speed.
 

Sixmile

Veteran
Location
N Ireland
I have Marathon Supremes on my hybrid all year round. You definitely do lose a little speed and they are a handling to get on but I found it easier not to use tools to fit them. They tyres aren't grippy and I wouldn't corner too fast when the road's greasy or wet. Overall though, with having no punctures since fitting them, I'm more than happy with living with some downsides.
 
Interesting read. thanks for taking the time to post. I have never really considered M+. I am more than happy with my Schawlbe Duranos or Michelin Pro Endurance.



When you say that the 28c and 35c are the same, do you mean in weight? They cant be the same, as they are a different width.

With a notoriously stiff sidewall, the fatter the tyre the better the rolling resistance, at the cost ofweight and air resistance.
 
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