Sounds bad. Have you tried other tires? I’m going to test the Conti Contact Plus soon. I’m curious if it holds up against thumb tacks better than the Marathon Plus. (spoiler alert: one of them actually penetrated through this one)
I used to run Schwalbes in China because i got tired of punctures every week (Chinas roads are gritty as hell, lots of construction) Never got a puncture after the switch. Good informative review🙂
I had Schwalbe tires on my old bike and never had a puncture. Last week I bought a new bicycle and today had a puncture. Now I will get Schwalbe tires for my new bicycle as well...they are the best tires I know and worth the price.
Great review of the Schwalbe Marathon Plus. In my opinion they are absolutely outstanding for trouble free touring and commuting. Truly brilliant! I have had these tyres for close to ten years and I can't praise them enough. In all these years, I have only had one puncture to deal with. As long as you keep the tyre pressure above 6 bar, I think it is more or less impossible to get a flat tyre. But as you rightly pointed out, they are not the easiest to change. So instead of changing to a studded tyre during the snowy winter months here in Sweden, I got myself a separate wheel set with studded tyres. An expensive but very flexible solution.
@@VladGoro25 I inflate them to 7 bar and has done so for many years. Works perfectly. Tyres are always tested at double the pressure of their official rating so 7 or 8 bar is no real problem, just not recommended by the manufacturer. Cheers!
@@MrBallefjongen I always put 5 bar and never had problems. It i not the tyre but the wheelrim that has to whitstand that pressure and can cause biiiiig trouble, especially if you don't use disk brakes and the rim is a bit worn out by sand, dirt, bad wheather. Please be carefull with this very high pressure, it goes off, all of a sudden, like a gunshot (been there, done that, kissed my homeland bottom - it hurts).
I run nothing but these on my wheelchairs. Can’t speak highly enough about them. They are so great. Only time I have to change them is when I have random down well into the blue Kevlar lining on the inside of the tires. I agree they are hard to put on or take off. I have a cool big tire lever tool that I got from the VMC wheelchair rugby chair company (I don’t think they make them anymore unfortunately) but it makes all tire changes a breeze. But it is like a 2ft bar with w smecial plastic like pierce for the tire contact area so it’s not great for keeping with you on the road persay, but you generally don’t need to worry about that with these tires.
I live in Utah and these are some truly tough tires. I have 38mm on my grocery bike and 32mm on my commuter bike. Mere mortal tires don't let you bike here without constant punctures. These Schwalbes are pretty much trouble-free and they are not bad at all to ride on. If you are mainly road and trail riding, even a little gravel, these are very good. If you are going off the trail you can find better performance but you may need a different puncture strategy (liquid latex is popular here and works very well also).
First of all, it is the right title: "King of commuters and tourers. My experience , very short: last 12 y -125.000km to and from work - Racebike/ touring bike (often heavy loaded) - all seasons - all kinds of roads around and through Brussels. Hard labour for the material and the biker. Feel myself very well and safe on my Schwalbes (Touingbike: S-Marathon Plus/ S-Winters 240 studs). Very comfortable indeed; speed: I put 5kg/cm² (70 PSI?) and they are less slow; durability: front up to 15000km, rear: around 7000km; Grippy: you can't imagine how many times I pushed them to the limits of "grip" but the kept me upright (and alive in centrum Brussels); hard to mount: oh yes, the can be stubborn to (dis-)mount, expensive: well, this depends on how you value your life, but I recommend all commuters to buy only the best material (not only tires) - after all you have only ONE life!
I've had mine for around 6,000 miles and the rear one has only just started to occasionally get punctures as the tread has all but gone. The first 3yrs were puncture free and that included riding country lanes after hedge clipping and thorns everywhere. Can't praise them enough.
After getting 4 punctures in six weeks on the Trek FX2 I bought recently, I longed for the Panaracer Tour tyres I had on the bicycle I had left behind when living abroad.... just one puncture in over three years after I put them on (used to get a puncture every few weeks with the much cheaper tyres I had before) . The bicycle shop near where I am at now recommended the Marathon Plus Touring.... expensive, but worth a try I thought. Immediately well pleased with the hugely improved comfort as they soak up the vibrations from the coarse seal used on NZ roads. That alone made them seem cheap at the price. The puncture resistance is a bonus!
I have the Schwalbe Marathon Plus MTB HS468 29 Inch Tires (Mountain Bike Tires) As of July 12th, 2021, I have ridden 3,380 miles with these tires and not had any flats. I ride on and off road. My bike is my transportation so reducing the likelihood of flats is very important. I use 2 tire liners in each tire. One is Tannus Armor and the other is a liner I made by cutting off the sidewalls from old worn tires. Each Schwalbe tire weighs over 3 pounds. The heavier tires and liners add about 7 more pounds to my bike. I am fine with the extra weight because my tires are probably about as flat resistant as car tires. Nails and other sharp objects long enough to puncture the tire and liners will result in a flat as it would to a car tire. I replaced the rear tire at 3,133 miles because it had worn out. With more weight on the rear tire and it being the drive tire, the tread wore much faster than the front tire. I think the front tire might need to be replaced at around 4,000 miles based on how the tread has worn. I give these Schwalbe tires a top rating. They hold up well for on and off-road riding, and I have not had any flats. They have done well in temperatures ranging from 15 to 94 degrees. I paid about $55.00 each when I purchased them on Amazon. In my opinion, the Tannus Armor is not worth the $80.00 I paid for two of them. When I used a standard tire with them I got several flats. Tannus advertises that one can ride with a flat for short distances at slower speeds when tires are equipped with their Armor liner. I was not able to ride on the flat tires because it would have damaged the rim. The material compresses significantly after riding with them for a while, so I think it only provides very minimal protection for the inner tubes and rims. Bicycle John
Thanks for sharing this. I wanted to test the Tannus Armor in the past, but I figured that a good puncture resistant tire may just be sufficient. Also, it seems that the narrowest you can go in 700c is 35mm.
@@BikeCommuterHero Thanks for reply. I have used the 700x35-44cc and 26x1.25-1.75 inner tubes. I got a flat front tire yesterday and could not find anything that caused it. It is a slow leak. I think the tube might have just worn out. I installed a 29x1.75-2.40 inner tube. I did not use the Tannus Armor liner this time. I only used the tire liner I made from an old tire. I hope the edges of the tire liner do not cause a flat from the tube rubbing on the edge of where I cut off the sidewall. Next time I will use the Tannus Armor liner because it is smooth. The Schwalbe tire is difficult to remove especially when using two tire liners. I had to resort to using a screwdriver to get the tire off and that is the reason I only used one liner this time. I want to install either airless tubes or airless tires, but neither are available for 29 inch mountain bike tires. Air Fom is going to sell airless 29 inch mountain bike tires sometime in the future.
Nice review, just bought them after my less puncture resistant Schwalbes (a 3/7 on their scale, the MP are 7/7 of course) were picking up flats monthly. Seems like I made the right decision!
I haven't tried the Marathons. But in my experience, tires that are hard to mount are usually only hard to mount the first time. Once you use them for a couple weeks they seem to stretch out just a bit and then getting them off and back on the rim are quite a bit easier.
Interesting observation. My experience with the Continental Ride Tour has been different. In fact, I still struggle to put them on after several months of use. Wire bead tires don't really have a lot of give. Folding bead ones are easier.
Just repaired a puncture on mine, they're not Hawthorne resistant! Also had a wired bead come off on one of mine. Other than that they're comfortable grippy and pretty durable.
Fitting is easy if you hold the tyre into the central well with a couple of reusable zip ties, which I keep strapped to the bike. These are my top tyres. I've forgotten how to mend a puncture. You get some of the money back in inner tubes and lost time. The only time I'll ride with anything else is if I'm riding with a fast group, as it's a few per cent more slower.
Thanks again for your tire review series. What you say in this video matches my experience. I watched the six tire comparison first, and your comments there are radically different. I have no recent experience with other touring and commuting tires, and I do not plan to. Glad to see that you can say something good about my favorite tires.
I was lucky just got two of these today in Scotland for half price. That's 17 gb pounds or 22 us dollars. I've used the schwalbe silento tyres on my 26 inch bike a much cheaper tyre and they've been good. No punctures on those. So looking forward to trying these on my 700 c tyre hybrid bike.
I just put one of these on my eMTB. You call it a slow tire. But, considering what it replaced, it feels a lot faster. There are also bad road conditions that are now not as painful to ride on. Still considering a better saddle. I only put one on because the front original still has a lot of tread left and it serves fine.
I really enjoy your videos. I'm trying to bike more often. It's inspiring to see how we can have a positive impact on our health and planet just by cycling. I wondered if you could please perhaps do some videos on how to prevent bike thefts and/or types of locks that would be good to have to secure one's bike, especially for bikes that have quick release wheels and seatposts. I guess just advice on how to prevent theft of expensive bike components in general. Also maybe how to secure the bike without damaging the finish and such. I'm certain many people that cycle have these concerns as well. Thanks in advance. Keep up the great work.
I'm glad you like the videos. Thank you for your feedback, and sorry for the late reaction. Thanks for the suggestions too. I keep them in mind. Bike theft is definitely something worth exploring. There are some great videos out there from Tom at Shifter (ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-DIzjm1jr9DI.html) as well as from Zach Gallardo (ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-G-xSNw-iF4s.html), but I'm definitely intersted in making some videos on the topic too.
To stop it getting stolen, never leave it alone. That is the only solution. Have two bikes, an old beat up bike for popping to the shops and a decent one for doing some actual cycling into the back roads.
I have the MTB version. But I also add 2 tire liners in each tire then use a heavy duty inner tube then I add slime in both inner tubes with a litter extra slime just incase. Also for rim tape I use 4 layes of gorilla tape with a double walled steel rim with 11g spokes. Haven't had any issues going bike camping on my 26inc huffy Cranbrook with my BBR 2 stroke engine 😀 👍🏼 now I'm zooming down the streets @ 45mph and no issues and about 11mph camping. Highly recommend this set up. You will never and I mean NEVER GET A FLAT 😁😁😁😁🤠🤠🤠🤠🤠
I had Schwalbe Marathon's on a Giant Road E bike. When I traded the bike, I had over 5,000 miles on them with zero flats. I should have put them on my new bike - I had Specialized Pathfinder Pros, which were okay, but I did have a couple of flats so I bought Tannus liners. Even with the liners I have had 4 flats in the past 6 months. So I just ordered a new set of Schwalbes. I'm not the the most adept at changing flats and I'd rather not have to. Based on my past experience - I'm looking forward to thousands of flat free miles.
I agree with everything but riding on wet concrete/sidewalk. My old bike path took me to work me through a Green Belt, (water basin) and when the concrete was wet I would ride at 10 mph or else the front tires would slip out from under me. I currently have 2,600 miles one the tires. I would be willing to sacrifice some mileage for better rain traction. Thank you for posting!
@@BikeCommuterHero I have been running them on the low end of the PSI rating (40 for the front and 45 rear) ride comfort is so much better. Maybe the wet traction will increase too.
Use Schwalbe marathon Green Guard. Not the same level of puncture protection. But been using for 3 yrs. One puncture that got the tyre on the sidewall. But Definitely excellent as well.
Nothing is guaranteed. For all looking for the most durable ride keep that in mind. You can find some combination of tires and inserts that work best in your environment. But, don't assume that makes them invulnerable. You still have to watch out. Still avoid damaging objects/obstacles. They will degrade your tires no matter how durable. Better tires just give you more room for comfort in case you do hit something that you couldn't see/avoid; also more confidence in case you have to roll over something to avoid getting hit.
I need new front tire on my commuter bike. Continental Ride Tour is on the back and really worn out schwalbe is on the front. I ride like 95% on the paved roads, but I try to continue even during snowy winter time. Thread on the continentals seems more snowproof. Their opinions and test on this channel praise their puncture resistance. So my question is if someone tried to ride on snow with these Schwalbe tires?
I do ubereats on bike and average 30-50miles a day on my bike .i threw these on my bike and in 6 months i only got one flat.. pretty good if u ask me,only gripe i have with them is the difficulty in installing them
Weve got one of these on a bike in the shed. It's on the front of my wife's shopping bike. It's a 41! It has done at least 1200 miles with two punctures on one ofy commuter bikes. One big nail and one big staple. Still, these are great tyres and no regrets.
Thank you for the review, the Schwalbe tyres can often be found at a discounted price if you do a search, my winter studded tyres were half price, I had heard they could be harder to put on however they went on without difficulty. Very impressed so far and like the reflective ring.
do you use those studded tyres in Winter season when there is no snow? I mean like a dry Winter, but with temps getting as low as 0C or even below. And this is when you can get icy roads or cycle pathways. I've heard that the Schwalbe Winter model can be used even on a dry road. Just thinking of getting some tyres for my fixie bike.
Hello, thank you for the video! In your opinion, are these a good option for winter commuting? By winter I mean a lot of snow, ice. Or would you recommend something else for that? Thank you!
i got Stevens Strada with these bad boys in 622*32 size. Tires a good, but they kinda don't want to turn, and slide on sand/mud. But for the straight road they are cool, and of course they last really long.
I think I'd struggle to fit even the narrowest one on my bike with my fenders on, and fenders are kind of essential for me. I'm sure they're amazing tires though.
I have those tires for more than a year (around 6000km) for commuting. ABSOLUTELY ZERO FLATS with those ( had 11 flats with 3 different tires before) Rides pretty good on the road, also the grip is good in the rain. Yeah durability is great ! My tires still looks fine, almost brand new. But I disagree on this : I don't find those tires comfortable, it's too stiff for me, especially for the road irregularites (many in the city) Also, I did ride on snow and on trail, it's one of the worst for this, grip is non-existent and I had an accident because of that. And, you forget to mention that they are FREAKING HEAVY In short, absolutely one of the best for commuting, for riding from A to B in the city without any problems, but I DO NOT RECOMMEND those for everything else.
Agree with the sidewall stiffness creating less comfort bit. I had more spokes broken than flats when I switched to these and didn't know why, until I switched it up with softer sidewall tyres, more flats but no more broken spokes. Also yes, heavy AF, they are built like a tank (and have the comfort of a tank). Commute 10-12k km on these and you will have legs (and sitting bones) of steel 😅
In 26 inches, 2+ inches wide? Haven’t yet found them in a good size for my needs, but there’s other Schwalbe tires that either currently work, or will work…
I've just bought my first set of these tires and I found it no more difficult to mount than any other tire. I think if your finding them hard to mount then you need to learn the correct technique for mounting tires. It's really not hard at all
Wow, Schwalbe becomes so expensive in the US. This tyre is €25 a piece in Europe. Yes, this tyre lasts forever. For daily commute, easily get 25000Km from a pair.
Great video! Another video you did a comparison between Marathon and the Marathon Plus. About the Marathon (not plus), have you been used is in gravel terrain ou light off road? Regards!
I'm glad you found it helpful. I have used it off road occasionally, but not extensively. It's definitely not a dedicated gravel tire, but it won't let you down if you take it off road occasionally.
@@BikeCommuterHero Thanks for answer! My doubt about it is because I set this tire (700x38) on my bike and i few it much more larger and higer than the 700x35 that I saw in another bike. I'm used to ride with a 700x28 slick tire and with the Marathon, using around 65 psi I also few the bike slower, however, more estable and confortable. I didn't have opportunity to use the Marathon on dirt road but I'm going to try! Not off road, but some easy terrain. Regads!!
Hello I just subscribed to your channel, very good and informative videos. Thanks! I got a MarathonPlus 700x37C in an emergency replacement, I’m planning to get another one for the front wheel, what is the difference between 40 and 37, and can I get one of each one my front wheel is a 40 should I move to 37 so it will match the rear ? Or just whatever size is fine thanks! And keep going with the videos :)
hi, schwalbe has lvl 7 anti-puncture, 5mm addition rubber is lvl 7, 3mm addition rubber is lvl 5, is it very different between lvl 5 and 7? I want to buy the 26 inch by 1.5, which is lvl 5 and only 26 inch by 1.75 has lvl 7 anti-puncture. And how about 20 inch Schwalbe Marathon tire? Is it necessary to buy the lvl 5 or 7 tire?
Hey Sam . I got some Vittoria tyres and the sides are craked after only 1 year of use. Do these Schawlbe crack after some time or are they good quality?
The Marathon Plus tires live up to their reputation as flat resistant and durable. Unfortunately, they are also some of the heaviest, deadest feeling tire I’ve ever ridden. I have found tires belted with Aramid, Vectran, or Specialized’s specially woven Kevlar (Armadillo) to be 90-95% as flat resistant at nearly half the weight.
The tire has a bit more structural integrity than most. It feels like it's running a higher tire pressure than it is because it's a bit stiff, but I've never had a pinch flat. I've popped like 5 spokes hitting potholes in the past year, but still haven't had a flat. Schwalbe recommends not to run low pressure even though it feels stiff, because the sidewalls could crack over time, but it still feels thicker than most.
The most funny thing ever is explaining how crucial tyres [and brakes] are to the average cyclist who are complete noobs. The fact is you have to get pissed off changing or paying to sort out your own punctures before you start looking for an no compromise solution
You can use it off road without problems, but if you ride on very technical terrain and loose gravel you may want to opt for the Schwalbe Marathon Plus Tour. It'll give you better traction. Having said that, you need to make sure you have sufficient clearance on your road bike.
How do these tires do with the wires the come out of shredded transport truck tires? On a bike tour last summer I had a lot of trouble with the Schwalbe Marathon Mondial tires on a section of road in northwestern Ontario where there are bits of blown out transport truck tires all over the road - seems every 10 to 20 km. I had two flats in one day with those tires (and those conditions).
Nice review, great video! Did you cycle over the Chain Bridge in Budapest? Amazing! Also what width Marathon Plus did you put on your Merida Speeder? I have almost the same bike, and can't choose between 32, and 35mm
That's correct: it is the Chain Bridge. I bought the 32mm version. It's wide enough to be comfy but it still allows me to use feders. If you don't use fenders and you're not planning on getting them you can go up to 37mm.
Wtf 50-60 dollar.... i just paid €19,95 per tyre for my second set after 9000km. Never had a puncture and wil never go to another tyre. I hate stopping for a flat tire but that was an experience in long ago times.
I have no personal experience with the Gatorskin. The Marathon Plus range from 25 mm all the way up to 47 mm, which makes them good for a bigger range of bikes, whereas the Gatorskin goes from 23 mm to 32 mm. This is the typical road bike and fixie range. The puncture protection of the Marathon Plus is legendary.
I have 700 × 28c (28-622) tires on two of my bikes. In that size, folding bead Continental Gatorskins weigh 280g, the wire bead version is 360g and the Schwalbe Marathon Plus is 750g. For some folks, lighter weight is everything. For all the extra weight of the Schwalbes, you do get more (a lot more) puncture protection than the Gatorskins, which are already pretty legendary. The Schwalbes will surprise you with how smooth and easy rolling they are, in spite of all that extra weight. If you want a folding bead tire, the Marathon Supreme is an excellent choice (if it's available in the size you need) and also has reflective stripes on the side walls. Hope that helps a little.
@@BikeCommuterHero Do these particular tyres have a 5 digit number. I need 2 of these and I have been advised by a mechanic that I need to find this number to clarify the size of tyre I need. When I looked at my completely worn out tyres I couldn’t find this number. XX-XXX. In Britain these tyres are somewhat difficult to find.
Not really difficult to put on, just gotta use proper technique, I don't even need tire levers for these, not even with ghetto tubeless where a split tube covers your rim and the rubber gripping the tire as well
Haha. Thanks for the feedback. In retrospect I realize that it's pretty annoying. It's a pity I can't adjust the levels now... Join me on the ride and let me know if you see any improvement :D
I have the Marathon tyres. These have a 3mm puncture protection barrier. Since April this year I have had to endure 7 punctures on these tyres on simple commuter road. Tarmac and pavements. Puncture after puncture. It is absolute horror. I’ve seen these types of videos before how these are kind of invincible but it’s nonsense. There has to be a better tyre than this. It is absolute crap. 7 flats in 1 summer of frankly unacceptable.
The Marathon has 3mm protection, and the Marathon Plus has 5mm. I'm not sure how thick the protective layer of the Continental Contact Plus is, but I have found it slightly better for puncture resistance when I tried it against thumbtacks.
@@BikeCommuterHero BCH and NS, don't start polemics please because both are "very high quality tyres which differ only subjectively, the 'personal feeling'. These discussions mosltly end in a status quo; result: both are equal and are different on , ...???... ".
Haha. My argument had nothing to do with Continental. I only involved it in my reply because the argument NS put forward was a complete non sequitur. You can read your lines even if you're not sponsored just like you can present without a prompter and be sponsored. I love Continental tires. The funny thing is that I actually prefer them over Schwalbes. I made an entire comparison of several of them.
Interesting point. I have bought several sets but I have never had to deal with their customer service. If you buy it on Amazon and you get a defective unit, you can send it back and ask for a refund. In any case, poor customer service can put you off for life.
@@BikeCommuterHero Very true. I don't think Amazon would take back used tires though. If you develop a problem after a few weeks, you're screwed. Tbh, I have had my tires for less than 2 months and they have developed little cracks all around the rim. Thought Schwalbe were great but now not so sure.
Old video or not you didn't ride over them tacks, That proves you dont rate the tires came here for a idea of what the tires are like. Now i know what ever you say about these is a lie like this video.
