Schwalbe marathon racer wrecked?

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straas

Matt
Location
Manchester
First puncture on my brompton since purchase and a few hundred Kms.

Tracing the source of the puncture it looks like the tyre has worn through completely at the sidewall.

Seems odd for a tyre with such little use??
 

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Location
South East
Is your brake block rubbing at all?
 
OP
OP
straas

straas

Matt
Location
Manchester
Spot on! Hadn't even thought of it, didn't think I'd done enough miles!

It does get used for pub runs so maybe it's heavier braking on the way home??

Is there a better tyre or are the marathon racers the way to go?
 

StuAff

Silencing his legs regularly
Location
Portsmouth
Spot on! Hadn't even thought of it, didn't think I'd done enough miles!

It does get used for pub runs so maybe it's heavier braking on the way home??

Is there a better tyre or are the marathon racers the way to go?
It's a Marathon, not a Marathon Racer. Those are not available in 16"/349 size.
 
Location
South East
@straas depends what you mean by better. I have Racers on my Brompton and they seem ok, but if you want more protection from the *p fairy the Schwalbe marathon plus are better, or if you want faster rolling, Kodak or a Continental, (can’t remember which one!).
 

rogerzilla

Legendary Member
The Kojaks don't seem to roll as well as the old Stelvios did. The issue with the Stelvios was that only Schwalbe AV4 tubes fitted into them, since they were 28mm. Given the faff of dealing with a puncture, M+ are probably the best idea on a Brompton, and the weight penalty isn't bad in such a small size.
 

Tenkaykev

Guru
Location
Poole
The Kojaks don't seem to roll as well as the old Stelvios did. The issue with the Stelvios was that only Schwalbe AV4 tubes fitted into them, since they were 28mm. Given the faff of dealing with a puncture, M+ are probably the best idea on a Brompton, and the weight penalty isn't bad in such a small size.
I’ve been pleasantly surprised with the Conti Urban contacts I fitted to one of our Brommies. The people over at Brilliant Bikes did a long term ( 10 month ) review, the lady reviewing them takes them off road regularly, and so far they’ve held up well.
 

berlinonaut

Veteran
Location
Berlin Germany
It's a Marathon, not a Marathon Racer. Those are not available in 16"/349 size.
Marathon Racers are the standard tire on Bromptons from factory for a couple of years already, three years at least.... So in opposite to what you claim they not only do exist but are fittet on every new Brompton by the factory aprart from when you order different.
 

berlinonaut

Veteran
Location
Berlin Germany
Is there a better tyre or are the marathon racers the way to go?
Your tire issue seems to be caused by misalligned break blocks. You will destroy any tire quickly in this very same way with break block misallignment. Regarding "better" tires: This is a religious discussion and furthermore "better" depends from your needs and what you consider to be important. Kojaks are on the quick side (but more fragile, while not as fragile as many people claim), Marathon Plus are bulletproof (but slow, heavy and a dog to mount/unmount), Marathon green are a good compromise in terms of reliability, speed and endurance, Marathon Racers should be almost as durable as the Marathon but faster (but many people claim both would not be true), the new kid on the block is the Conti Urban which ticks a lot of boxes and seems a pretty good alternative. And these are only the most common tires - there are way more, each with its individual properties, upsides and downsides.
 

StuAff

Silencing his legs regularly
Location
Portsmouth
Marathon Racers are the standard tire on Bromptons from factory for a couple of years already, three years at least.... So in opposite to what you claim they not only do exist but are fittet on every new Brompton by the factory aprart from when you order different.
I stand corrected. 349s are only available from Brompton- I just checked Schwalbe's listings, hence my mistake.
 

mitchibob

Über Member
Location
Treorchy, Wales
Is there a better tyre or are the marathon racers the way to go?

Continental Contact Urban are great tyres, but standard Marathons are good too. I don't really understand the racers as they roll worse than a standard marathon without as much puncture protection. I do like kojaks too, but the contis seem just as fast with a little more grip and comfort.
 

berlinonaut

Veteran
Location
Berlin Germany
Is there a better tyre or are the marathon racers the way to go?
"better" depends from your needs and what you consider to be important.
Accidentally stumbled upon a very good youtube video explaining the matter and comparing some of the most common Brompton tires. As far as I can judge what they say is correct and while some aspects are not mentioned those are not really of relevance for the audience. Thus a recommendation to watch, as this is a very good explanation of the relevant aspects of Brompton tire choice:


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1i1W6xy8hM
 

Tenkaykev

Guru
Location
Poole
Accidentally stumbled upon a very good youtube video explaining the matter and comparing some of the most common Brompton tires. As far as I can judge what they say is correct and while some aspects are not mentioned those are not really of relevance for the audience. Thus a recommendation to watch, as this is a very good explanation of the relevant aspects of Brompton tire choice:


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1i1W6xy8hM

Really informative, love the geekery
Accidentally stumbled upon a very good youtube video explaining the matter and comparing some of the most common Brompton tires. As far as I can judge what they say is correct and while some aspects are not mentioned those are not really of relevance for the audience. Thus a recommendation to watch, as this is a very good explanation of the relevant aspects of Brompton tire choice:


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1i1W6xy8hM

An excellent video, I love the in depth analysis and "geekery" and have been a subscriber to their YouTube channel for a while. I've got the Conti Urbans on one of my Brommies and might keep them on instead of switching out the rear for a M+ which was my original plan.
 
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