I live, commute and train in the Boston Area, I'm not joking when I say my commute is almost entirely pot holes and broken glass (3 miles) and I have about 5 miles of that to get out of the city to get to decent training roads. The Schwalbe's have never let me down. I average about 1400 commuting miles each year and I seriously have NEVER had a single puncture with these tires until they start to get old and dry and that usually takes about 3-4 years. I commute every single day, rain, snow or terrorists since 1991 and these are the by far the best tires I've ever ridden. my only complaint is that they run big The 700x25 doesnt even come close to fitting on my road bike. I rated them a 5 on the steal scale because even though they are expensive they reliably last along time.
I mounted these on my gravel bike for general touring, riding around town, and for riding on rails-to-trails type surfaces. After mounting and properly inflating them, I went for a ride around town. While going down a gentle hill at maybe 17 mph, my back tire hit a rock maybe the size of a walnut, and I immediately got a flat. When I examined the inside of the tire, the rubber was split diagonally for about an inch and a half inside the tire. I replaced the tube (the tube I was riding on had a 1-cm long rip) and re-inflated the tire to about 50 psi. The spot where the tire hit a the rock had a bulge and a gap between the treads where I could see the blue fabric beneath the rubber. I was able to continue my ride around town, but I do not feel comfortable going outside of town on a longer ride with that kind of damage.
I had previously been riding on some stock Bontraeger tires identical to those that came with my bike and rode them for maybe 900 miles without a flat. Then I bought these and - bam!!! - flat tire.
Call it an act of God or bad luck, but I just don't see the correlation between price and reliability.
I was tired of flats and was getting sidewall blowouts with Gator Skins. We were planning an 800 mile trip on the coast from Washington back to the Bay Area. I needed a puncture proof tire. My research turned up the Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires. I bought them knowing they were difficult to install. And they were, but because they are almost bullet proof they are very stiff. It took a couple of attempts to seat the tube where it would not be pinched by the sidewalls. A good technique is to get them on the wheel and closely inspect the tire to insure it does not pinch the tube. This tire is for those who do not want flats.
I am a big fan of Schwalbe Tires. I recently completed a "unsupported" trans-America bike adventure using the Schwalbe tires. Covering over 4200 miles in daily riding, I was pleasantly surprised with the quietness and grip of the tires, the way they easily adjusted to well-paved, rough asphalt, and gravel roads without a single tire failure. Last, but not least, the tires had plenty of life (tread) remaining after covering that distance
I commute daily to work, about 13miles each way.
My route is over a combination of paved trails, single track and a few creek crossings.
My old kendas failed, and purchased these schwalbe.
Thus far, excellent tire for all weather riding over mixed terrain. Good grip without excessive rolling resistance.
Bit of challenge putting them on (as described in previous reviews) but possible without leves.
Excellent purchase, good ROI.
I've been riding Schwalbe marathon plus 700 x 28 on my steel cross commuter bike for 6 years. 22 miles round trip on pavement, year round. Perfect product not a single puncture flat and still commuting one original tire - flattened off on the top and lots of nicks in it but plenty of tread and still no flats...can't bring myself to change it out with such good performance still. I really apprpeciate these tires.
I didn't give a review for this tire immediately after I bought it, because others who had supposedly bought the same tire gave negative reviews, saying that the tire was easily punctured. (They proved it to themselves by driving nails through the tire (Duh!)) Anyway, I decided that I would wait until I had had the opportunity to put the tire to the test before I gave a review. So now that I've put somewhere between 600-700 miles on the tire, here's my review:
For the most part, I ride my bike 10-15 miles a day, three or four times a week (after I get home from work) - unless I'm on vacation - then I ride 20-50 miles a day. The roads that I ride on are OK for the most part - not smooth as silk and not an abomination either, except in a few places. The city of Montgomery tore up South Court Street and the parts of streets that intersect South Court Street more than a year ago. The city has not repaved these sections, even though it's been more than a year. What this means (for me) is that I have to ride across 50 yards packed, sharp stone, gravel every time that I go riding. I am not light! I weigh about 230lbs. The tires have never been punctured, nor do they show any sign of wear. I recommend the tire to anyone who wants to ride for a couple thousand miles without the inconvenience of fixing a flat and/or replacing the tire and tube.
I use these on hard packed dirt and pavement. They roll well for large tires and are very puncture resistant.
The Schwalbe punture belts, unlike other brands, actually protect the tires, they will even stop most Goat Head thorn punctures.
The only time I've ever had flats with Schwalbe tires, is when they start to wear thin and it's time to replace them anyways.
These wear very well too. I've been using Schwalbe Delta Cruiser IIs and Marathons for years and they last a good long time.
Finally wore one of these out after about 2-3k miles chewing it up on rough roads and broken glass. Puncture protection was excellent. Only had a couple of flats and those were basically bad luck from big slivers of glass. I didn't hesitate to stick with the same tire for replacement.
Trade-offs mentioned in other reviews were applicable as puncture resistance requires using more material which means a heavier, more expensive tire that will be a bit unwieldy to mount.
Just about Bulletproof... We ride lots of Miles heavily loaded. They roll nice and the Last time I had a Flat was when we were forced to ride loose gravel. It's the only tires I use for Touring.
After getting a nail puncture in a box store grade tire, I decided to purchase a higher quality tire. Settled on these Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires, replacing both the front and rear tires at the same time, after reading many reviews. I was a bit concerned after reading several accounts of the difficulty some people have installing the tires on the rims - but looking at a few videos on how to install (working the tire beads around from both sides of the rim at the same time) - it was not difficult at all. I've had these on for about 6 weeks now and ride about 50 miles a week. I've hit a few obstacles with the tires already (rocks, glass, sticks, etc) with no punctures. These are on a hybrid bike and I've noticed no rolling resistance difference from other tires I've used. After rolling on these for 6 weeks, I have a high level of confidence on their durability.
My only regret in getting these Schwalbe Marathon Plus 700c Tires (x4) is that I didn't get them sooner! We purchased these on the recommendation of a fellow cyclist. These were perfect for our touring bikes. For some odd reason, this Spring/Summer has been a banner year for us in getting flats -- seemed like our tires were magnets for anything sharp (even though we had been riding the same routes/paths we'd always been in our area). While make no mistake about it, these were a total bear to switch out (we did it ourselves) and it took two people to put all four of our tires on. Our first ride out, the tires felt a bit odd/heavy, but we've learned to live with it as opposed to the alternative. We have not experienced a flat yet riding on the same trails/routes we had previously ridden on. We will certainly keep our tires when we switch out bikes probably in a year or so. Definitely no regrets in these Schwalbe Marathon Plus 700c tires.
I ride A LOT. 14,000 miles in three years for example. So understandably I get a flat here and there. Especially with my 255 pounds bearing down on the tires. My remedy for getting a flat was the cell phone fix. Call the wife, tell her where I was and wait patiently for her to come and pick me up and bring me home. Well, that gets old too. I like to rely on other people, wife included, as least as possible. So when I saw an ad for these that mentioned if you get a flat you had to make an effort, I thought I'd give them a try. Well now all my bikes that I ride have them. And yes, I can only ride one at a time but there are five that get my attention throughout the year because I'm also a SHOW OFF. The tires SHOW OFF TOO! With the reflective side wall and the tough tread design they are great. And no, these are NOT weight weenie tires. At 255 I don't worry about little weight differences in my bicycles. Try them...sure they aren't roadie tires, but hey, they sure work when it comes to NOT getting flats...SO FAR!
I ride most of my miles during the week at 4:30AM until 6:30AM. I need to be noticed and the reflective wall of the tire helps me get noticed. The tires a really heavy but I do not mind they are bomb proof and that is a plus a night. I have run over a lot of glass with no issue and and have hit several pot holes as well and the tires are still solid. They do not corner as well as other tires I have ridden in the past so I would advise not hitting the corners too hard. I have over 1400 miles on the tires with a lot of gravel sections and am very pleased with the performance of the tires. I am riding 700x42mm and do recommend them to commuters and those who ride at night as bomb proof tires. I have been pleased with their performance on the gravel as well.
Bought these tires to replace my old set of Vittoria Randonneur Cross 26" tires, which I had on my bike for about 5 years. The Schwalbe Marathon Plus 700 tires look very durable, and my bike seems to handle fine with them, for casual recreational rides of about 20 miles distance. My old tires would lose air quickly and need to be "topped off" before every ride, considerably. The Schwalbes lose about a couple pounds of air between rides, about two to three days, so a big improvement. I recommend them.
I use these on my hybrid street bike that I ride 10-12 miles daily.
My last tire just like this one lasted 6000 miles. Never had a flat. We have sand spurs in Florida which cause frequent flat tires. These tires are worth every penny.
Bought as a spare for the original tire. I have had no issues with the original in about 4000 miles of riding. No flats.
This is the only tire Ive used for the past decade. I commute by bike 3-4 days a week (first to school, now to my big boy job), and in all the time Ive used these tires Ive only had 2 flats. As long as that ratio holds up, I think Ill keep using them the rest of my life.
Traction is fine. I have wiped out a handful of times in wet weather when I was making stupid turns, but other than not saving me from myself these have performed very well.
The Marathon is a great tire. I use it primarily for commuting approximately 20 miles per day. I have tried various other tires, Vittoria, Continental etc. and was always less than pleased with the ride and puncture resistance. I have about 1,000 miles on the 700x35's. So far no puncture issues and the tire rolls very smooth. This tire is not inexpensive when compared to others, but based on my experience thus far it is worth the extra dollars.
