I�ve been riding Schwalbe Marathon Plus Tires for over 20 years. Their claim for puncture resistance is spot on. Our bike lanes are typically littered with all manner of debris including glass shards, sharp sticks, construction debris. I try my best to safely avoid the garbage but frequently ride straight through. I can only recall one puncture flat in 20 years when I rode directly onto a large screw without time to avoid. And they ride well in all weather conditions. The Fort Knox of puncture resistance!
I first used Schwalbe Marathon tires on a self-contained cross-country (SouthernTour) ride in September 2015. I was amazed that I did not have a single flat tire. Ten miles before the end of my ride, I heard a clicking noise. Upon inspection, I discovered a short drywall stuck in my front tire. I had to use my screwdriver to remove the screw from the tire. The tire did not go flat and I finished my ride. Since that time, my wife and I have both used Schwalbe Marathon tires. I have ridden over 45,000 miles since that time and have only had one flat tire.
I have these tires on my touring/commuter bike. It's a very large steel bike, used by a very large very heavy rider. And I ride hard and fast. I have had the same pair on my bike for almost 7 years. There's still a lot of life left in them. All of my riding is done in the inner-city and highway touring. I weigh well over 250 pounds. My bike is a double extra large, steel monster that weighs a lot on its own. I have had it loaded up with for panniers, saddle and handlebar bags, and three large water bottles. The bike was carrying well over 300 pounds of weight and I took it on Northern California isingle track. Not only did I not get a flat, my wheels are bang-on true. They have been dead true for almost 7 years with these tires on them. I true my own wheels, but have not had to touch these.
I have gotten two flats over seven years caused by nails penetrating the tire, which is something that is inevitable if you are riding inner city. I ride 700 x 42. Are they heavy? Heck yeah they're heavy! Heavy and bombproof. Get off that 700/23 fanboy bandwagon. Skinny tires are way overrated. And actually not faster than fat tires. Read up. I average 23 miles an hour across the city on these things, and that is navigating people, dogs, and cars so I think that is reasonably fast. . And yes, I have had extremely light carbon fiber bikes with skinny tires on them. Were they faster? Yes. But also extremely uncomfortable to ride for any length of time. And any blemish on the roadway would give me a flat. I actually attribute the speed to the sub 15 pound bicycle more than a skinny tires.
I heart fat tires!!!
Get you some.
I have installed these on my wife's road bike because we live in the desert near Palm Springs and thorns are a common problem for cyclists getting flats. These may be the most rugged tires I've seen. The good news is that I think she's had one flat in five years (friends have had multiple flats in a month). The bad news is that these are accordingly stiff and challenging to install, especially when new. Last time I used zip ties and this really helped. YMMV.
I had always wanted to try Schwab�s, so when the hybrids needed new tires I was lucky enough to find these on sale. I replaced both wife�s and daughters. The tires are well made and both family members enjoy the ride. I believe many great miles are in our future.
I highly recommend these tires! I reached out to customer support for advice since I don�t know much about tires and was constantly dealing with punctures from regular ones. They also suggested tire liners, which I didn�t even know existed. It�s been a few months now, and I haven't had a single flat. Great product and excellent customer service!
I bought 32 mm Schwalbe Marathon Plus to replace the 28's (a Bontrager and a Continental) on my Trek Pilot. Before the purchase I read many reviews and knew the sobering advice that these were hard to mount, especially on tubeless-ready rims. My Trek has tubeless-ready Ultegra 6700 rims. Before mounting the Schwalbe's, I watched a few YouTube videos of the mounting procedure for that tire. Especially helpful was the strategy of working the second side of the tire halfway onto the rim and then securing it with zip ties at 3 and 9 o'clock. Installation was then easy without use of any other tools. I would not say that the tire is terribly tight. The difficulty is that the sidewalls are so stiff that getting the second side on the rim is like wrestling a live snake. When I worked one section on, the section I let go of hopped off. The zip ties were a terrific solution. There was no problem getting the tube tucked safely inside. I was almost disappointed that I didn't have to puff and strain to complete the installation. The trick is mental, not physical.
I am carrying the zip ties with my spare inner tube. I used to carry 2 spare tubes, so some weight saved there.
On the road, 32 miles, the Marathon Plus handled lighter than I expected, though obviously I am giving up something from the 28's. They didn't wobble at all after going up to full pressure, and rode well on asphalt at 70 PSI. For once I didn't bother to avoid the broken glass that I knew was there.
I probably should wait to review the tire, but I wanted to pass on the mounting information while it was fresh in my mind. I expect thousands of miles with no flats. No worries.
I won't buy any other tire for commuting. I have never flatted in these, period. I ride all year long in the Midwest. The tread also lasts a long time. Fantastic tire.
A pair of the 700x38mm came on my Salsa Marrakesh that I bought in 2016 as an incentive to get back on a bike after a hip replacement at age 75. Now, 3 years later, I just flipped past 13,000 miles and the tires still have some tread depth. I only had one flat, from a piece of wire that entered through the sidewall. I ride mostly in urban Seattle where broken glass sparkles on the streets along with scattered drywall screws, hose clamps and other debris. The Marathons take it all in stride.
I use these for commuting and rail trail riding. They are great tires. I have about 500 miles on them now and they show little if any wear. I ride about 80 or more miles a week and these are my tire of choice due to there durability and lower rolling resistance.
I recently did 151 miles in 3 days on the Sparta 400 series of trails and these did well, they are not quite as good as other tires in soft ground and really not made for sandy spots but I was actually pleasantly surprised how well they handled that rail trail over all.
These tires corner very well, very good grip on asphalt.
One thing I will mention, these are not the tires I will use for winter, I use the Schwalbe GT 365's for that. I will also use the GT 365's if I am going to ride mostly soft or a little more technical terrain.
As an over all commuter or hard pack tire these are absolutely awesome. Buy them and ride them with confidence.
I'M ACCUSTOM TO STICK WITH WHAT WORKS FOR ME AND WHAT I KNOW.I'm not rich.I don't believe in investing things that are useless in my life.I work hard for my money.So when I'm focusing just on my ride I want no interruptions.No flats,I love these tires.Get these on your bike.You won't be disappointed.A fellow bicyclist turn me on to Schwalbe back in 2007.Since then I saved so much money and time.It pays off for sure-I promise you.Happy Cycling my friends
I've been using this tire on my fixed gear rain bike for the last 4 years. I'm on my second set and have had one flat. Yeah the tire is heavy and hard to mount the first time but the puncture resistance and traction is worth it. I even put a set on my cargo bike because I definitively don't want a flat while carrying a load. Do yourself a favor and get a set of these tires if you ride where road debris is killing your current tires.
I ride a Specialized Crosstrail hybrid. I got the bike in 2011 and by now have logged over 20,000 miles on it using these tires. I have not had one flat. I ride almost exclusively on pavement, some trails and bike lanes on main roads. These tires have performed flawlessly. I highly recommend these tires (I also use only Michelin A3 Protek Max tubes). I am 73 years old and hate getting flats (which, in years previous, have had many).
I have rode about 200 miles with these tires so far. They are a great fit to my commuting rides. Most of my commute is on roadhighway shoulder, with a lot of debris (gravel, metallic parts, broken glass from wreck etc), typical from the Atlanta suburb roads, sometimes I need to ride on sidewalks or grass as well. I was riding 700x23 before and struggled to avoid flat tires, so I needed an extra strong tire that would fit on my road bike. Those tires are exactly this. The combination of thick resistance and low pressure (I put 5 bars), makes them very robust. This is a faster alternative to riding my moutain bike for this commute.
The downside is performance of course the grip and low pressure are not comparable to 700x23, and they are a bit rough to install (due to the thickness). But again I needed puncture resistance and the flexibility to ride on anything when safety dictates it, so all in all I give it 5 stars as it does the job suberbly.
Before buying the tire, I read some reviews to the effect that the tire was made out of baloney skins and wouldn't last 2 weeks, etc. I read some good reviews too. I bought the tire and put it on the rear of my Giant Escape 2. After having owned, and used, the tire for a year and a half; and after having put about 2,000 - 2,500 miles on it, I give it two thumbs up. Typically, I ride 30-50 miles a week (depending on the weather). During vacation, I ride considerably more. The tire rides great and shows very little wear! In my opinion, the tires are NOT made out of baloney skins. Rather, it's the "Nay Sayers" that are full of baloney.
I've been using these for years. They ride smoothly, are durable, and resist punctures.
The reflective stripe is a bonus.
These tires are very well built and feel robust. The ride feels safe and solid. Purchased to replace a set of the same tires that held up for many years. Great street tire that give confidence against the many Class A road hazards littered along the asphalt of our cities.
These tires have good tread that is solid traction in all conditions. Especially, stable on wet pavement. They also provide a more stable and smoother ride than other road tires. The reflective ring provides more visibility at night.
I ride a Performer JC70 74-100 miles a week. The original tires wore out in less than 800 miles. I replaced all three tires with the Marathon Plus. The rear bears a lot of weight, but It still lasted just under 4000 miles (replaced it with another Marathon). The fronts still have a lot of tread left and they are at 5100 miles.Never had a flat on any wheel! Another feature of the tire is that when I run them hard I get almost 2mph better average spee, but there is still excellent grip. Overall an excellent tire and I�ll keep using it when replacements are needed.
I seldom write reviews but I felt it necessary for a superior product. I purchased a set of Schwalbe Marathon tires about two months ago. I must admit when the bike tech recommended these tires I was doubtful & put off by the price. I've put 300 miles on these tires and they look like the day I installed them. I see no signs of wear and the rubber nibs (even on the center of the tire) are not wearing. I ride on pavement but do encounter some debris, I haven't had any flat tires & traction is excellent in all conditions. I inflate the tires 2-3 psi less than the recommended maximum pressure of 85 psi & get a reasonably smooth & comfortable ride. If the tires are inflated to 75 psi the ride is very smooth. I can't say enough good about these tires. I would buy these tires again & again for touring & commuting. This is one great bicycle tire!
