Schwalbe Marathon Plus

[Warwick]

I switched from my RWD Oxygen MTB with Schwalbe Land Cruiser tyres to my FWD Orbit with 700 x 35 Marathon Plus tyres today. I experienced wheel slip for the first time ever on a section where I had to negotiate some barriers going uphill. It was a bit disconcerting, especially as there was a ped witness! It was damp, but well over freezing & the tread depth is fine.

 

[Martin56]

I came off my bike with Marathon Plus on the back wheel, was turning on a wet road and lost grip, probably had too much air in the tyre though. Never had a puncture. To be extra safe have switched to Schwalbe Marathon GT 365.

 

[Gubbins]

I was getting a puncture almost every day on my 30 mile round trip commute using the Schwalbe Life tyres that came on my bike. I've swapped to Marathon Plus, they've been on a few weeks and I've not had a puncture yet.

Not really noticed any difference in weight or grip.

you dont notice the lack of grip until it lets go.. Happened to me down a steep hill in damp conditions on a corner where easing off of the brakes wasnt an option. Gave me a scare so am more careful now. I also ride an EMTB with knoblies on the road and have never had any grip issiues. The MP's were a bitch to fit but I feel confident I will not have a puncture.

 

[John5001]

I have MP and came off on my old bike. But punctures especially on a group ride are a pain.

 

[Fordulike]

In the wet, I tend to change my braking style, from predominantly front braking to rear. I'd rather the bike fish tailed, than completely let go at the front.

Yeah, MP's can induce twitchy starfish syndrome in the wet

 

[Gubbins]

What's the next best alternative? Just browsing halfords tyre rack and there are some tready looking winter road tyres that are marked as puncture resistant.

 

[egroover]

Never tried Marathon plus tyres, but I've run both the standard marathon tyres on my non ebike, and run schwalbe energiser plus on my ebike. 1 puncture in just 4000 miles, but great grip in dry and wet and roll well. A good compromise, and only 10.99 each at sjs cycles

 

[The Bear]

Never tried Marathon plus tyres, but I've run both the standard marathon tyres on my non ebike, and run schwalbe energiser plus on my ebike. 1 puncture in just 4000 miles, but great grip in dry and wet and roll well. A good compromise, and only 10.99 each at sjs cycles

They do look good.

Still struggling a bit with all the confusing tyre sizes but I assume the Schwalbe Energiser Plus at only 1.75" wide will be too narrow for my bike?

 

[topographer]

Why should Schwalbe Schmalbe get everyone's money? Are there any non-German companies making great bike tyres?

 

[danielrlee]

IMO, Maxxis make the best bike tyres, although they don't have any offering to match the puncture protection of the MP.

Since my type of riding has changed dramatically over the last year, I recently switched from full off road tyres to 2.5" treaded street tyres (Maxxis Holy Rollers) and I couldn't be happier. They're proving a fantastic all-purpose tyre and I wish I'd have made the switch sooner.

 

[Gubbins]

It would seem that tyre debates of one sort or another are endless.. From my own point of view which is on a 700C road bike in winter I think I need the widest tyre with a long life, good grip and puncture resistance. I assume I can have any two but not all three.
Some riders do many thousands of miles per year but I suspect that most of us dont so why the preoccupation with tyre wear?
My MP's have done about 1500 miles in a year and look just like new and I wouldn't be unhappy if I had to replace them anually..
So, forgetting about wear is there another alternative to MP's giving puncture resistance but with a grippy but less hard wearing tread?

 

[egroover]

They do look good.

Still struggling a bit with all the confusing tyre sizes but I assume the Schwalbe Energiser Plus at only 1.75" wide will be too narrow for my bike?

They'll be narrower than the 2.6" width you are use to with the stock tyres, and a lower profile, but should fit your rims I would of thought no problem

 

[Gubbins]

Just reading up on and trying to answer my own questions and came across this..
Tread pattern
One common misconception is that more tread equals more grip. That’s not necessarily the case.

While the tread pattern on a mountain bike or cyclo-cross tyre can have a big impact on grip, and the tread on car tyres helps to remove water in order to stop the vehicle aquaplaning, the shape and tiny contact patch of a road bike tyre means it ‘cuts’ through water. It’s too small for there to be a risk of aquaplaning.
While a tread pattern can help ‘squeeze’ grime away from the surface of the tyre, the most significant factor in determining grip is the rubber compound.
It is the compound, not the tread pattern, which largely dictates how much – or little – grip a tyre has, as well as its rolling resistance, durability and ride quality.

A softer, more supple compound will often be more prone to cuts, but it will conform with imperfections in the road and offer a bigger contact patch and more grip as a result. A harder compound, meanwhile, will be stiffer and less flexible, resulting in a ride quality which feels like the tyre is bouncing over the tarmac, rather than floating over it.

High-mileage tyres have traditionally been made from the latter as harder compounds have a lower wear rate, and therefore a longer lifespan, but the compromise can be less grip and a harsher ride.

 

[awol]

So, forgetting about wear is there another alternative to MP's giving puncture resistance but with a grippy but less hard wearing tread?

On the front I have a soft grippy wafer thin tyre with slime in it, and only had about 2 punctures needing repair in over 15'000 miles. When I went to fix it I found a few others where the slime had been working for me. So that's a possible alternative.
I also read on Sheldon Brown's website a few years ago why a bicycle doesn't need a tread on it's tyre, hence why I am keeping my worn down treadless slick's going as long as possible.

 

[anotherkiwi]

I have had Michelins which were also very good but at 1.75" not quite 2" balloon tyre comfortable. They also had puncture protection which worked quite well. If Michelin made balloon tyres with puncture protection and a slight tread pattern (for sand covered roads) and sold them at the same price as Big Bens I would buy whatever was in stock.

I have never seen the need to buy Marathon Plus I prefer good handling and some puncture protection over bullet proof puncture resistance and have read too many stories of MPs washing out at the front end.

 

[The Bear]

Tread pattern
One common misconception is that more tread equals more grip. That’s not necessarily the case.

I agree with you. I recall when I was at school my car mechanic teacher explained that tyre tread was only there to displace water when riding on the wet. Hence why F1 cars use slick tyres on the dry without any tread.

He demonstrated with his hand on a flat slippy table top. Placing all his finger tips down on the table top it was easy for his hand to slide along the table. But with the whole of his hand pressed flat against the table it was much harder to move. So in the dry, a tread reduces the contact surface with the ground, giving less grip. BUT, tread gives better grip on a wet surface as it allows the water to pass between the treads and prevents aquaplaning.

So for cycle commuting, we simply need a tyre with a compromise between the two. And puncture resistance. And longevity. And low price. And nice looking......

 

[tommie]

i have a pair of Schwalbe Land Cruisers on the MTB, good tyre for both on and off road, 50psi gives little rolling resistance and 30psi will bring the outer chunks in contact with the loose off road stuff

 

[Deleted member 4366]

You can have tyres as hard as nails that resist nails, but have no grip or you can have tyres with loads of grip and no resistance to nails. There's also ones in between that grip so so and resist some nails. You have to choose where you want to be on the grip-puncture resistance scale.You can't be at both ends at once.

 

[NJS]

I regularly ride tracks through fields and woods and I'm quite convinced that the knobbles on my generic Chinese knobblies help through muddy puddles (muddles?).

I was overtaken by a guy with some pretty slick looking Maxxis tyres and I caught him up when the track got muddy. He got half way through a 10' long puddle and just ground to a halt back wheel spinning whilst I manage to ride right past him.

But they (mine) are crap on well trodden wet leaves over tarmac even though I've dropped the pressured from 45/55 to 35/45. Mind you, going by the skid marks and scuffs around offset gates, many others were having similar problems at the same places.

 

[georgehenry]

My Specialised Crossroads Armadillo 650B 27.6” Wired Clincher tyres in 1.9” are now up to 1940 miles with no punctures and little wear showing providing a great road biased off road tyre. They offer a great puncture resistant tough tyre alternative to the ubiquitous offerings from Schwalbe. I started with the Schwalbe smart sam plus puncture resistant tyres and would have probably stayed with them if I had not had a nasty rear wheel side wall failure blow out puncture. A bit like a restaurant where you get one bad meal this precipitated the change to Specialised. If I had started with marathon plus I might never have changed as from seeing the reviews by other members they are very tough and not prone to the failure I experienced with the smart sam plus tyres.