My touring tyres... Am I just being paranoid?

[jhawk]

Hi all, a bit of a two-parter here for your brains to pick.

I won't call it 'a problem' with my touring tyres, I have Schwalbe Marathon Pluses and as much as I love them, I can't help but feel as though I'm paying way too much attention to them when I'm cycling.

Punctures are b*stards as everyone knows, and I've never had to fix a puncture on the road before, only once I brought my deflated mountain bike tyres home and fixed the puncture here.

Is there any way to tell if a tyre has got a puncture before it goes completely flat? What are some things to look for if this is the case?

I do my best to avoid glass, nails, bits of wire, etc. All these things that in the past have been the enemy with the old cheap MTB tyres.

I should mention that the Schwalbe Marathon Pluses have been across Canada - a distance of 5,000 miles, before I received them and I have put... Oh, I don't know, probably just over 200 miles on them so far. But that will increase this summer.

Here are the front and rear tyres for your observation:





I suppose the question is - am I just being paranoid, or should I look at getting a set of new tyres?

Cheers,

Jack.

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

The best you can do as a preventative measure is to inspect the tyres from time to time and remove any bits of flint, glass or any other foreign debris you find before it can work its way through. It's possible for a thorn to cause a slow puncture by penetrating but staying in place partly plugging the hole it's made, but I don't suppose hawthorn hedges are a common thing in your part of the world.

If you pick up a puncture on the road, you'll usually notice a bounciness to the ride before it goes completely flat which is your indicator to stop.

Looking at those, I'd be thinking about replacing the back one in the not too distant future as it's pretty worn. The front seems to have plenty of life left in it though so the cheap option would be to fit a new one to the front and transfer the current front to the rear (it's usually recommended to have your best tyre on the front).

 

[raleighnut]

+1 from me too

 

[oldroadman]

The best you can do as a preventative measure is to inspect the tyres from time to time and remove any bits of flint, glass or any other foreign debris you find before it can work its way through. It's possible for a thorn to cause a slow puncture by penetrating but staying in place partly plugging the hole it's made, but I don't suppose hawthorn hedges are a common thing in your part of the world.

If you pick up a puncture on the road, you'll usually notice a bounciness to the ride before it goes completely flat which is your indicator to stop.

Looking at those, I'd be thinking about replacing the back one in the not too distant future as it's pretty worn. The front seems to have plenty of life left in it though so the cheap option would be to fit a new one to the front and transfer the current front to the rear (it's usually recommended to have your best tyre on the front).

Wise advice - "better you find a puncture than a puncture finds you". That rear has seen an awful lot of miles and the weight it was carrying will have an effect on wear rate as well. The tread/carcass dimension must be getting very thin by now, and that's when the punctures are most likely. false economy not to change before the trouble starts.

 

[jhawk]

Understood guys!

Thanks for the help!

I'll look into replacing the front one then.

 

[rualexander]

Marathon Plus are really commuting tyres, they are way too heavy and inflexible for comfortable touring.
Much better for touring to use something lighter such as Marathon Supreme, Panaracer Pasela, etc.
Punctures are pretty rare events while touring, you're unlucky if you get more than one puncture every thousand miles.

 

[jhawk]

Marathon Plus are really commuting tyres, they are way too heavy and inflexible for comfortable touring.
Much better for touring to use something lighter such as Marathon Supreme, Panaracer Pasela, etc.
Punctures are pretty rare events while touring, you're unlucky if you get more than one puncture every thousand miles.

I'm curious as to what makes "commuting tyres" versus "touring tyres"? Is it just weight?... The Schwalbe Marathon Pluses have gotten terrific reviews from the various reviews that I've read... I'm not saying that you're wrong at all - I'm just curious.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Marathon Plus are really commuting tyres, they are way too heavy and inflexible for comfortable touring.
Much better for touring to use something lighter such as Marathon Supreme, Panaracer Pasela, etc.
Punctures are pretty rare events while touring, you're unlucky if you get more than one puncture every thousand miles.

I dunno. If the Plus in "Marathon Plus" is the puncture protection and the Marathon, in Schwalbe's own words is "The original. The archetypal high quality touring tyre." then I'd say that Marathon Plus is a touring tyre (with puncture protection).

 

[Gez73]

I commute on Marathon Plus Tour tyres. Just a tiny bit more of a grip than the regular Marathon Pluses. I have picked stuff out of them that would surely have punctured a lesser tyre. I also use regular pluses on my other bike and have yet to have a puncture on either. My LBS guy reckons a mate of his rode all the way through to the blue strip, they were that worn and still no punctures. Not noticed any comfort issues with either, the correct pressure is absolutely essential and worth considering if touring without a reliable gauge. They're not light by any means but then again, they carry me I don't have to carry them!

 

[rualexander]

I'm curious as to what makes "commuting tyres" versus "touring tyres"? Is it just weight?... The Schwalbe Marathon Pluses have gotten terrific reviews from the various reviews that I've read... I'm not saying that you're wrong at all - I'm just curious.

I refer to them as commuting tyres because of the extra puncture protection of the 'Plus' layer, commuting is when you really need the best puncture protection, you are trying to get somewhere on time and there can be a lot of glass and potholes.

For touring, you want something comfortable and not as heavy as the Marathon Plus, extreme puncture protection is not as important, punctures are rare when touring.

 

[jhawk]

I refer to them as commuting tyres because of the extra puncture protection of the 'Plus' layer, commuting is when you really need the best puncture protection, you are trying to get somewhere on time and there can be a lot of glass and potholes.

For touring, you want something comfortable and not as heavy as the Marathon Plus, extreme puncture protection is not as important, punctures are rare when touring.

Ah, understood! Thanks for clearing that up, I can see where you're coming from. Maybe I'll draw straws or something when it comes time to purchase a new set of tyres.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

I refer to them as commuting tyres because of the extra puncture protection of the 'Plus' layer, commuting is when you really need the best puncture protection, you are trying to get somewhere on time and there can be a lot of glass and potholes.

For touring, you want something comfortable and not as heavy as the Marathon Plus, extreme puncture protection is not as important, punctures are rare when touring.

But, on a loaded touring bike, they are a pita.

And I've seen plenty of broken glass and potholes on uk tours. Last spring one of my group had a visit caused by a discarded hypo needle.

 

[I like Skol]

Jack, trust me when I say you are massively over-thinking this. Punctures are not the disaster events that some people seem to think they are and the fear of the puncture is far worse than the experience of actually having a puncture. All a puncture occurrence should mean is a stress free 10-15 minutes at the side of the road while you get your breath back, chat to your mate, watch the world go by or send a text to say you might be late. The worst that can happen is a puncture in the rain but even that isn't too bad providing it isn't cold.

Practice, practice and practice! Practice replacing an inner tube on the driveway at home when you are not under pressure. Have a brew while you do it and then repeat the exercise several times until you can do it automatically without having to think too much. Make sure you try all your bikes if you have more than one as some tyres are more stubborn than others but by the time you have finished practising you will know exactly what kit you need and how to use it.

Having a puncture is not the end of the ride, merely an inconvenience. It happens sometimes, but like I said with 10-15 minutes of planned action (15 minutes only if the pump and spare tube are buried at the bottom of the loaded pannier) you can be back on your way. Plan to have punctures! Planning to not have punctures is a recipe for frustration, panic and fear.

In fact, as I typed and then highlighted that sentence in bold I realised that is the key, and probably the best advice you can give to any cyclist. Plan to have a puncture on every ride then if you don't it is a pleasant bonus but if you do at least it isn't an issue

 

[jhawk]

Jack, trust me when I say you are massively over-thinking this. Punctures are not the disaster events that some people seem to think they are and the fear of the puncture is far worse than the experience of actually having a puncture. All a puncture occurrence should mean is a stress free 10-15 minutes at the side of the road while you get your breath back, chat to your mate, watch the world go by or send a text to say you might be late. The worst that can happen is a puncture in the rain but even that isn't too bad providing it isn't cold.

Practice, practice and practice! Practice replacing an inner tube on the driveway at home when you are not under pressure. Have a brew while you do it and then repeat the exercise several times until you can do it automatically without having to think too much. Make sure you try all your bikes if you have more than one as some tyres are more stubborn than others but by the time you have finished practising you will know exactly what kit you need and how to use it.

Having a puncture is not the end of the ride, merely an inconvenience. It happens sometimes, but like I said with 10-15 minutes of planned action (15 minutes only if the pump and spare tube are buried at the bottom of the loaded pannier) you can be back on your way. Plan to have punctures! Planning to not have punctures is a recipe for frustration, panic and fear.

In fact, as I typed and then highlighted that sentence in bold I realised that is the key, and probably the best advice you can give to any cyclist. Plan to have a puncture on every ride then if you don't it is a pleasant bonus but if you do at least it isn't an issue

That is actually incredible advice. Cheers! Since I haven't even fettled with my tyres yet, it seems like a great idea!

Thanks again! (Although it's raining now so I will wait for fine weather.

 

[I like Skol]

That is actually incredible advice. Cheers! Since I haven't even fettled with my tyres yet, it seems like a great idea!

Thanks again! (Although it's raining now so I will wait for fine weather.

Make sure you practice using the kit you will have available to you at the roadside. It's no use having the bike up in a workstand and using that fancy track pump you have if you find that the little portable pump you carry round with you won't inflate a party balloon when you are relying on it.

Why not do it now, in the rain, to make the practice run even more realistic