So much for the great puncture proof Schwalbe Marathon Plus super tyres

[John the Monkey]

[QUOTE 4579221, member: 259"]I never check mine. I've even stopped carrying a repair kit. Which is probably a bit daft.[/QUOTE]
No, not at all.

 

[T4tomo]

Unfortunately tough light and fast can rarely be combined in one tyre.
Even tractor tyres get punctured occasionally.
Allways seems to be the way that you go ages without a fairy visit then get 2 or 3 in close succession.

and have you tried getting tractor tyre on and off the rim? Needs a very good tyre lever

 

[tobykenobi]

Trying to beat the record here. I've had Marathon Plus tyres on my Dawes for almost 15 years. I think they are the "plus" ones - I'd need to go out and look. Anyway, probably had about 10 punctures in all that time. Not sure of the mileage. High in the early years with a a bit of touring and 50 miles a week commuting; much less now with some commuting of only a couple of miles each way and not every day.

Of course, one of the punctures was this week! Looking at them closely I think they may need to be retired soon.

Don't fight it man. Just embrace the puncture experience and learn to enjoy the superiority that comes from overcoming such a minor setback. A puncture should take no more the ten minutes out of your day with practice

Unless the spare inner tube you put in also has a puncture and you have to do the whole thing again. Doh!

 

[I like Skol]

and have you tried getting tractor tyre on and off the rim? Needs a very good tyre lever

Actually, getting them off is the hard part....

I swapped these on the driveway with hand tools. Spent most of the day and a lot of sweat removing the old ones. The new tyres went on by hand (well, foot actually) without the use of levers.

The comments about watching the road for debris is not as daft as it sounds. I got regular punctures when I first started commuting, at least one every 2-3 months and obviously with this being random sometimes only days apart. 1 type of puncture was small glass splinters and often occurred shortly after riding through a certain park at or just after weekend. I concluded that the local yoofs were probably smashing bottles at weekends and although the mess was always swept up when I passed through the finer glass splinters remained. Once I stopped riding through that park and detoured around instead those punctures pretty well disappeared.
The other common source was larger items like screws, metal fragments, even a Stanley knife blade once, often picked up around the mid point of the commute as I passed near to the areas large civic tip. I began actively looking out for any bits & pieces that were a threat in this area and also avoiding the bits of no-mans land around traffic islands and in the chevroned areas as these were a haven for the crap that must have been falling from the vans, trucks, cars and trailers that were all heading to the tip. Those punctures have also stopped.
It is now unusual if I have more than two commuting punctures in a year. I am running the exact same brand and model of tyres and still don't check them for embedded items but simply by looking where I ride and avoiding the worst areas has made a massive difference to the puncture rate.

 

[byegad]

I don't think any tyre is ever truly puncture proof, but there are different levels of protection and M+'s are at the upper end of that scale and you've probably been a bit unlucky.

That said, I find them horrible, hateful things. Slow, heavy and oddly able to combine a feeling of riding through treacle with an ability for a sudden and unexpected loss of grip in the wet.
I use Continental Gatorskins on my road bikes and Schwalbe Land Cruisers on my hybrid, but I'm sure that someone will be along soon who thinks that they're no good either!

Totally agree. They're slow and in my experience total swines to fit and remove. I know all about zip ties and lube to help but I gave up on them after 30 minutes of swearing, blood and swearing resulted in my calling Lady Byegad for a rescue vehicle one dark wet night in Darlington. (Did I mention swearing, there was a lot of that?)

 

[Yellow Saddle]

Actually, getting them off is the hard part....

View attachment 153076

I swapped these on the driveway with hand tools. Spent most of the day and a lot of sweat removing the old ones. The new tyres went on by hand (well, foot actually) without the use of levers.

The comments about watching the road for debris is not as daft as it sounds. I got regular punctures when I first started commuting, at least one every 2-3 months and obviously with this being random sometimes only days apart. 1 type of puncture was small glass splinters and often occurred shortly after riding through a certain park at or just after weekend. I concluded that the local yoofs were probably smashing bottles at weekends and although the mess was always swept up when I passed through the finer glass splinters remained. Once I stopped riding through that park and detoured around instead those punctures pretty well disappeared.
The other common source was larger items like screws, metal fragments, even a Stanley knife blade once, often picked up around the mid point of the commute as I passed near to the areas large civic tip. I began actively looking out for any bits & pieces that were a threat in this area and also avoiding the bits of no-mans land around traffic islands and in the chevroned areas as these were a haven for the crap that must have been falling from the vans, trucks, cars and trailers that were all heading to the tip. Those punctures have also stopped.
It is now unusual if I have more than two commuting punctures in a year. I am running the exact same brand and model of tyres and still don't check them for embedded items but simply by looking where I ride and avoiding the worst areas has made a massive difference to the puncture rate.

Wise words indeed. I concur on every point raised. Has anyone noticed how many dry wall screws are strewn on the roads? Lethal, even for car tyres.

 

[spen666]

I would suggest the OP may want to look closely at where he is riding, both in terms of routes and position on the road. To have so many major episodes with a Marathon Plus tyre suggests to me that they are ploughing through unsuitable debris rather than taking steps to avoid it.

Its a bit like complaining you have suffered crashes in your "safe" Volvo because you never bothered to steer it around obstacles

 

[I like Skol]

I would suggest the OP may want to look closely at where he is riding, both in terms of routes and position on the road. To have so many major episodes with a Marathon Plus tyre suggests to me that they are ploughing through unsuitable debris rather than taking steps to avoid it.

Its a bit like complaining you have suffered crashes in your "safe" Volvo because you never bothered to steer it around obstacles

Let's not turn this into an OP bashing exercise! Constructive advice is what is required, not blame and criticism.

EDIT: It is entirely possible that the OP has indeed just had some rotton luck.

 

[TheJDog]

Apart from two punctures in a week on a completely knackered rear M+ I've had no problems I can think of in the 5+ years or so I've been using them (or the Londons, which I think are rebadged M+).

 

[spen666]

Let's not turn this into an OP bashing exercise! Constructive advice is what is required, not blame and criticism.

EDIT: It is entirely possible that the OP has indeed just had some rotton luck.

Totally constructive advice:
1. Consider the routes OP is riding to avoid routes more likely to have debris where possible
2. Consider positioning on road to avoid debris


Can't be much more constructive than that.

 

[mjr]

Totally agree. They're slow and in my experience total swines to fit and remove. I know all about zip ties and lube to help but I gave up on them after 30 minutes of swearing, blood and swearing resulted in my calling Lady Byegad for a rescue vehicle one dark wet night in Darlington. (Did I mention swearing, there was a lot of that?)

I carry this (or its £2 aldi clone) for the wet and cold but I ride most days and think I average about one a year:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GW0vXnaefhs

It's a little messy (he edited out the bit where it splatters the rim and nearby floor with hard-to-remove sealant as you unscrew the canister) but it gets me home before my hands get cold. It's better to patch when you can because the tube is toast after using a can IMO and should be replaced fairly soon before the valve sticks open.

 

[Roadhump]

I would suggest the OP may want to look closely at where he is riding, both in terms of routes and position on the road. To have so many major episodes with a Marathon Plus tyre suggests to me that they are ploughing through unsuitable debris rather than taking steps to avoid it.

Its a bit like complaining you have suffered crashes in your "safe" Volvo because you never bothered to steer it around obstacles

Thank goodness there are cleverer people than me around here to point these things out...

Similar advice about being aware of where you are riding is given above, but without the accompanying patronising analogy. As it happens, my first puncture was on a main road, the second was on a wide combined footpath / cycle path and I noticed the third having just left a country lane and ridden along a cycle track for about 15 metres. I have used each of these routes hundreds of times before without incident. I would agree that cycle paths probably have more hazardous debris than your average road, and in recognition of that, I do try to keep my eyes peeled when using them. But that is no fail safe, especially if the light or weather is poor. The other perhaps significant thing is that all 3 of my M+ punctures have happened in winter months when there is more muck, slush and debris about.

In all honesty, as @I like Skol says, I have probably had an unlucky run, but after people's remarks about the poor ride and slower speed you get on the M+, I am inclined to go for a different make now and see if my speed / ride quality improve.

 

[Racing roadkill]

Thank goodness there are cleverer people than me around here to point these things out...

Similar advice about being aware of where you are riding is given above, but without the accompanying patronising analogy. As it happens, my first puncture was on a main road, the second was on a wide combined footpath / cycle path and I noticed the third having just left a country lane and ridden along a cycle track for about 15 metres. I have used each of these routes hundreds of times before without incident. I would agree that cycle paths probably have more hazardous debris than your average road, and in recognition of that, I do try to keep my eyes peeled when using them. But that is no fail safe, especially if the light or weather is poor. The other perhaps significant thing is that all 3 of my M+ punctures have happened in winter months when there is more muck, slush and debris about.

In all honesty, as @I like Skol says, I have probably had an unlucky run, but after people's remarks about the poor ride and slower speed you get on the M+, I am inclined to go for a different make now and see if my speed / ride quality improve.

Riding a Schwalbe + tyre shod bike, then swapping to a lighter and not so heavily shielded tyre shod bike, in the same day is an eye opener. The Schwalbes do feel like you're riding through glue in comparison. However, at stupid o'clock in the morning, in the dark and cold ( about minus 6 C on one section this morning ) I'm not trying to win any races.

 

[si_c]

If you're looking for alternatives, I can highly recommend Vittoria Rubinos or Vintage AW tyres.

Provided I keep my tyre pressure ok I rarely get unwanted deflationary events. Even riding through some sketchy quality roads Ive had only 1 puncture this year when commuting. Add in how easy a tube change is with the AWs and I'm happy.

 

[mjr]

but after people's remarks about the poor ride and slower speed you get on the M+, I am inclined to go for a different make now and see if my speed / ride quality improve.

I'd go for a different model. Schwalbe is still where it's at for compounds for commuting IMO. The new OneStar-based tyres are getting some love.

Vittoria are OK but seem to cut up quicker IMO.