A great tire ,few hundred miles no problems
Smooth ride, quiet too. Bought these in 25 mm to replace the Conti 28's that came with my Schindelhauer Ludwig. Lighter and able to go increase pressure to 100...still a comfortable ride, less rolling resistance.
I have read lots of good things about Marathons, but my expectations were exceeded. The grip-especially in rain-is excellent. Rolling resistance (70032) is very good compared to my old Gatorskin 28s. Overall I am very impressed and would highly recommend them.
Bought a set of these tires in Walla Walla when my ancient continentals wouldn't cut it. 3,000 miles later in Portland, Maine they're still going strong! Got back home to California (by plane) and switched the front for the rear and I got many more miles left in them. I rode 700c x 28c and they were adequate with 60 pounds of gear plus my 160 lb body. Might go with wider tires next time for cushion, grip, and load benefits.
Never got a puncture flat or snakebite but I did repeatedly lose tube stems by running presta valves with my rims which were drilled for shraders. The tires are a bear to get on initially but they do break in and get easier later.
While these have excellent flat protection they do pick up glass and thorns and the glass will eventually work it's way through the flat protection and poke your tubes. So recommended that you take a moment with a pair of pliers at intervals and remove the nails, glass, wire, insults, teeth, wit, shrapnel, tire cord, and other sharp and biting debris found along side roadways.
Excellent tires and if you get them on sale, they are a steal!
Went from Astoria Oregon to Crescent City California and no flats. These tires are bullet proof and run smooth. They are a bit hard to mount on the rim for the first time, but with some patience it went well. I will definitely buy another set.
Zero flats or problems for 12,000 of loaded touring!
In the year since installing this tire I have put around 2000 miles on them. I live in the goat head thorn capitol on the planet and have not had 1 flat. I also have slime tubes and use a teflon tire liner.
I first bought the Marathon Pus tires (700 x 28) for wet weather and my training bike. I live in New York City and these tires provide me with an enormous amount of trust and confidence against pot holes, steel construction plates, and battered roads. I routinely ride 50 miles or more on all kinds of terrain and surfaces (mostly asphalt and concrete and occasional gravel) and have never had a flat. I bought the same exact tires for my niece. Recently I bought at set of 700x 25 Marathon Plus tires for my custome built $XXXX road bike. These tires have good tread and having more rolling resistance and weight then the Continental Grand Prix (700 x 23) tires that I have rode for more than ten years. You would not want to race on these tires, but they are ideal for dependable safe long rides, and club rides too.
I bought 700cx32s for a Specialized Sirrus. The original tires were ok but the rear tire was pretty well worn after about 3000 miles. After about 700 miles on the Schwalbes I have not had a flat or any other issues. They went on much easier than I had expected. After getting the first bead and tube in the trick I used was to seat a bit of the second bead then use an old tube or zip tie to hold it in place. Then working around i pushed the bead until i felt it seat. I was able to get the last bit over by hand. Since then it has been even easier as the tire has conformed itself to the rim. I had to remove the tire to repair a broken spoke not a flat.
I like the ride on these. They hold well on packed gravel as well as pavement. The rolling resistance seems good and the bike handles well. So far no significant wear is apparent even on the rear tire. The tires are also fairly quiet which I like a lot. The reflective strips are great for visibility and recognition. So far I have no complaints.
I am a daily commuter and regular cyclist and appreciate the long wear and durability of these tires. They are more expensive than some tires but the freedom from flats and other insults is well worth the price if you are riding as much as I do.
They seem to be true to dimension externally. Some people may be confused about the inner tube dimension as the extra layer reduces the interior space for the tube. So for the 32s you might get a 28mm tube.
I just finished riding the Katy Trail and these tires went through severe punishment due to the weather conditions and conditions of the trail. I can honestly say if I'm riding a tour or long distance these tires will be on my bike.
Hybrid bike -- road and rails to trails
Bought these on sale, mounted up and took the trip from Astoria Oregon to Crescent City California. Put on 400 miles since. Not one flat. They ride great, feel great and still look great. If you value a worry free life, buy these tires!
I have been commuting to Boston for the last 8 years now. After the first three years of struggling with tires that would barely go 500-600 miles before first flat I am happy to report my highest mileage set of Schwalbe Marathon tire 4900 friggin miles! How about that, for 18-months in service! The highest Schwalbe Marathon tire service life I've experienced before this set of tires was around 3500-miles, and the time before that was almost 4000 miles. The extra weight is trouble-some, but it is an fair trade-off for not having the inconvenience of a flat on the commute. I've only had one tire that didn't go the distance-when I rode over a broken bottle bottom, dunno how I missed that in the road-cut clean across all the tire casing, so I don't think there is a tire out there that could have with stood that kind of cut.
I'm sold on this tire, it's the 5th or 6th pair I've purchased. I'll keep coming back. Thanks Schwalbe for making a quality durable product.
Mark Zieg
Boston
Tour from Key West to Calais Maine. Not a single puncture. No problems at all.
Just rode 220 miles on The Katy Trail, packed gravel (sharp) and some goat heads.. Everyone else on the trail complaining of flats. We had these on 2 bikes and no flats.. Rode smooth with good traction on the gravel.
Let me start by saying that this is probably more of a vent than a review. I was hoping the puncture resistance of these would live up to Schwalbe's boasts of being The only true flat-less tire.
I have been riding these tires for less than 2 weeks (few hundred miles) on clean roads and on the shoulder of rural state highways - relatively clean but some gravel, debris, broken glass, etc. I didn't really expect them to be flat-less and I was impressed with the apparent robustness and quality of the tires. Unfortunately, today I managed to pick up a nail that punctured the tread and exited out of the sidewall. The damage to the sidewall is enough, imo, that the tire is no longer road-worthy. Thirteen calendar days on the bike and the tire is shot. -(
I doubt that any other tire would have faired better and I have no way of knowing if these tires saved me from other prior flats. The point of my comments is to add balance that in my limited (and certainly unlucky) experience with these tires punctures do happen. I am left wishing I had more confidence in these tires. Will have to keep looking.
If you do loaded touring on the road this is the tire to use. This tire seems to be the most popular among the long distance experienced tourists. I also use it for commuting in a 32mm 28mm configuration and am quite happy with how smooth they roll. No they don't take off like a rocket but once up to speed they're fine. They really do last forever compared to most tires. But best of all they have great flat resistance which keeps you on time for work or wherever your going.
I've been using this tire for training and long distance rides. Great puncture resistance and durability. I've worn the tread completely off and it is still going strong with no thread showing.
I have sets of these tires on 2 bikes and I really like the durability and reflective stripe.
However - it's a challenge to mount these tires on some of my newer rims, especially some of the low volume ones that are tubeless-compatible. Really tight to get on.
Regardless, I'd buy again in a second.
I have crossed the country with these tires several times and they are the most puncture resistant available with good mileage as well. The initial installation is difficult as the edges are stiff but if you ever need to change one they will remount much easier.
