Schwalbe Marathon Plus

[Maz]

"Yorn desh born, der ritt de gitt der gue,
Orn desh, dee born desh, de umn bork! bork! bork!"

...and I claim my £5.

 

[Maz]

I think it's simply because I keep them pumped up to the max and take out little bits stuck in them every 2 or 3days.

Good advice. I do this with the tyres that came fitted to the Allez (smooth, treadless Spesh Pro's, I think).

 

[marooncat]

I have just fitted these tonight on my bike so await my commute tomorrow with intrest...

Mind you will check the bike before I go to bed as given the battle I had to do to get the rear one on I am not 100% confident I have not damaged the inner tube

 

[Plax]

I have the normal Marathons. I have a hell of a job getting these on and off so I ain't even going to bother with the Plus's.

 

[hackbike 666]

http://www.greentyre.co.uk/28inch.html

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I think im going to give these a try.(Unless anybody knows better)

I have armadillo's and have not tried out marathons yet but have heard lots of good stuff about them.

 

[Crankarm]

I ride with Specialised All Condition Armadillos and have not had a puncture in years. One of my other bikes has Continental Travel Contacts which have also never suffered a puncture. I will put a set of these on my Kona MTB as a combo tyre as Continental give a tube with them as well . On my road training bike I have Vittoria Pro Team 3 all condition which have a Kevlar belt and have never punctured, and neither have my Bontrager Race Select. I have never had a problem getting any of these tyres on or off when fitting replacements when the old ones have worn out. I picked up a MP+ tyre last week to see how heavy they are and had to use both arms as it weighed a tonne . I don't think I could cycle with them. I really don't see what all the fuss is with the SMP+? Do people look to cycle through acres of smashed glass the whole time or pavements strewn with rocks, nails or screws? Perhaps you need them in Beirut or Iraq but surely not in UK?

 

[Crankarm]

I had a good tip given to me - once you have got the blasted things on, get some warm water with a bit of fairy liquid in and with an old toothbrush, scrub all around the edges - particular on the tyre just inside the rim edge. This helps the tyre move and fit more evenly when inflating. I had three attempts prior to this to remove the lumps and bumps due to the tyre being folded up when posted.

Matt

You beat me to it. A light smear of washing up liquid works wonders but seldom need it anyway.

 

[Crankarm]

No, but it is nice not to worry about punctures.

I don't . I certainly don't have to worry that I might not be able to get the tyres on or off without a fight .

 

[goo_mason]

I ride with Specialised All Condition Armadillos and have not had a puncture in years. One of my other bikes has Continental Travel Contacts which have also never suffered a puncture. I will put a set of these on my Kona MTB as a combo tyre as Continental give a tube with them as well . On my road training bike I have Vittoria Pro Team 3 all condition which have a Kevlar belt and have never punctured, and neither have my Bontrager Race Select. I have never had a problem getting any of these tyres on or off when fitting replacements when the old ones have worn out. I picked up a MP+ tyre last week to see how heavy they are and had to use both arms as it weighed a tonne . I don't think I could cycle with them. I really don't see what all the fuss is with the SMP+? Do people look to cycle through acres of smashed glass the whole time or pavements strewn with rocks, nails or screws? Perhaps you need them in Beirut or Iraq but surely not in UK?

I had Travel Contacts and they were fine for a while but after one puncture it was just a never-ending succession of them thereafter.

Fitted Marathon Plus after that and - with the exception of a long brass nail and a 1-inch-long shard of glass,they were impervious. At the time I used an off-road cycle path and - yes - it was frequently covered in broken glass. I noticed NO difference betwen those and the Travel Contacts for weight on my MTB.

On the road bike, the Kendas that came with it were hopeless and punctured at the sight of a sharp bit of flint or the most miniscule piece of glass on the road. They were swapped for Schwalbe Stelvio tyres, which have been very good.

Tyre choice really does depend on your own personal circumstances, location and preferred route. Marathon Plus worked for me at the time. If you are prone to frequent puncturing, then there's no better tyre to fit.

 

[DJ]

Yep have to agree, Marathons are the bst tyre for commuting I would'nt do without them

 

[jybeebee]

I don't believe it .....

First cup of tea in hand, I've just noticed a deflated rear tyre ... first one in a year and all because I read this thread last night. I'm going to skip reading anything about possible pressure failures in future.

 

[4F]

I picked up a MP+ tyre last week to see how heavy they are and had to use both arms as it weighed a tonne . I don't think I could cycle with them. I really don't see what all the fuss is with the SMP+? Do people look to cycle through acres of smashed glass the whole time or pavements strewn with rocks, nails or screws? Perhaps you need them in Beirut or Iraq but surely not in UK?

Two arms, what rubbish. My commute takes me through country lanes covered in thorns, flints etc and I would much rather not have the "fuss" of trying to repair a flat in the pitch dark in the middle of nowhere and I am pleased to say that since fitting I have not had to.

Yes they may be a bit heavier than something with less puncture protection however if you want a good commuting tyre in my opinion they are up there with the best. My commuting times have not differed from using these to the previous tyre and I still average between 14 - 18 mph depending on mood / wind etc.

 

[Panter]

I do find, for me personally, that they do slow me down a little (in 28's anyway.)

However, my commute takes me through the flintiest, most pot-holed roads I've ever seen as well as through a couple of very short off-road sections and, for a little while, straight through a building site
They're coming up for 1000miles now with no incidents whatsoever. I personally wouldn't use anything else for commuting now

 

[Maz]

So do any of you M+ riders feel confident enough to not carry a pump/repair kit with you on your ride?

 

[4F]

So do any of you M+ riders feel confident enough to not carry a pump/repair kit with you on your ride?

Maz, they are not puncture proof but offer excellent puncture protection.