The BEST TIRE for your Brompton. 

We decided to leave out the exam at the end 😀

This is not only a viewer feedback, it’s a benchmark in impartial and accurate video appraisal 😀

@@2Bikes4Adventure 😄

@@2Bikes4Adventure And it's true. You must be a professor with a science background.

The Racer could fit the description “Jack of all trades, master of none”

Thanks for the posting on Bromptonauten.de Forum as well.

Stay tuned, there are more to come

@ZeroTenUK, stay tuned for more in 2024

We have a follow-up video on the Continental Contact Urban: Contact Urban vs Marathon - A 1200km Brompton Test ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-jyHEu0AUCJQ.html

Neither of us has a teaching background, but on the other hand, you must have been a film critic in a previous life :-)

Tire (as well as chain and sprockets) need to be replaced at one point. It’s a good opportunity to upgrade at minimal cost.

you are right, I used this video to justify my continental purchase but London roads are just full of shitheads who throws glass on the streets, 3 day new continental got punctured by glass. and every time I travel near canal roads I make it a point to check the tire to remove the glass before it sticks in too deep and make a puncture. will try marathon plus soon

Bicycle Rolling Resistance test site recently introduced wet grip test results ( www.bicyclerollingresistance.com/specials/grip-test ). While not directly focusing on 16” tires, it could eventually give a good indication of what to expect from the various models we are interested in.

@@2Bikes4Adventure Thanks, that is an excellent resource.

Many aspects discussed in our videos apply to all folding bikes.

@JeremyCherfas, Racers are the default tyres now. They should serve you well.

Marathon Plus will bring peace of mind against puncture

@oe59 ,you are totally right. Depending on road surface, you can reach a point where higher tyre pressure just creates more vibration and starts having a detrimental effect on overall rolling resistance. The optimum pressure (which varies according to surface and load) is that “sweet spot” we are all looking for. This could make an interesting follow-up video: Ideal Brompton tyre pressure

@@2Bikes4Adventure ideal, considering road type, person’s weight, baggage weight… looks like quantum mechanics ! :)

Just received Continental Contact Urbans for XMas!

@@2Bikes4Adventurehow would you say the continental contact Urbans compare with the Schwalbe one in terms of rolling resistance? I didn’t see the contis on the plot. I presume the Ones are faster but weight aside, is the rolling resistance noticeable different than the Contis?

@rdx913 Rolling resistance wise, the Conti is half way between the Marathon and the Schwalbe One. Lighter than the former, and more puncture resistant than the later.

There’s a good reason why Brompton’s tag line is “made for cities”. Its small wheels would likely struggle with anything tougher than a hard-pack (rail-trail type*) roads. A dirt road with discernable small rocks would necessitate constant course corrections (and vibrations) preventing any significant forward momentum. In wet condition, it would become even worst. Unfortunately, there are no easily available Brompton compatible tires that would solve that issue (its frame/brakes cannot accept wider tires). *Something like the GAP-C&O trail in the USA would be fine

@@2Bikes4Adventure I believe wider tires will not help much on coarser roads. You will struggle keeping a direction. Maybe a reason cross country MTB's have gone from 26" to 29"

Indeed. Wouldn’t mind some options in the 40-349 range however (Ex.: Greenspeed Scorcher). Brompton equipped with Schwalbe Big Apple would be something to try on (dry) gravel trail as well.

Greetings from Canada!

Winter condition tyre selection could warrant a video of its own. We will add this to our “wish list” for possible future subjects- thanks for the suggestion.

Recently, we have discussed our experience with the Continental Contact Urban in a dedicated video: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-jyHEu0AUCJQ.html

We are going for quality, not quantity :-)

Thanks for the heads-up Wilson, they do seem a good alternative to Kojak or Schwalbe One. I suspect more difficult to find on this side of the Pacific (then again, all tires are difficult to find these days)

You will be pleased with a Brompton, no matter which tire you get.

It's relatively risk free. A Brompton keeps it's value as few other bikes. Problem is - You will not want to part with it ;)

We agree. In this video, we didn’t want to go too deep and start discussing “Berto’s 15% tire deflection rule” or the advantage of wider/shorter vs narrower/longer footprints. Maybe in a follow-up video if this one raises enough interest.

@@2Bikes4Adventure I thought you went pretty deep 😊. You have a great instructional style, very well explained content.

Hi Anders, Just using iMovie and Keynote. Not optimum for workflow, but easy to use (and cheap (more money to put on bike accessories)).

We haven’t try them yet.

@roberts8783 We use Apple Keynote for the illustration/animation. Its feature set is relatively limited, but the price is right (free).

Thank you for this details feedback.

It is noted, thanks for the suggestion.

You raise a good point concerning E-Bike. The Kojak and Schwalbe One are NOT rated for Electric bikes. Schwalbe Marathon, Marathon Plus and Racer are rated E-25 (regular “25km/h” Pedelecs like the eBrompton) Continental Contact Urban are rated E-50 (Faster S-Pedelec)

Hi Steven. The Brompton maximum load is 110kg (the limit has more to do with the steel frame/weld constraints than tire characteristics). Having wider tires ( ex.: 40mm / 1.60”) would permit lower pressure (and reduce likelihood of spoke failure), but unfortunately, such tires won’t fit on a Brompton. So, with standard 37mm tire, high load will require maximum pressure.

Interesting you mention the swap to Continental Urban. We are now presently touring for the first time on those tires as well (having switched from Schwalbe Marathon). We will likely discuss our conclusion in a follow up video. Concerning ideal pressure, in addition to total weight, the road surface condition plays a very significant factor. It’s basically a compromise between comfort, pinch flat protection and rolling resistance. It would also make a good follow-up video. Until then, the pressures you are suggesting seem comparable to ours.

​@@2Bikes4Adventure I think you're right about the ideal pressure, many factors to consider, including subjectivity in the absence of actual scientific data - I'll play around with the pressures to find that sweet spot! Enjoy your tour and I very much look forward to your thoughts on the Continentals

We will look into it, thanks for the suggestion.

You may have already seen our video concerning the Continental Contact Urban (Contact Urban vs Marathon - A 1200km Brompton Test ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-jyHEu0AUCJQ.html ) Since that video, we have doubled the distance travelled with them (dry and wet conditions, still no flats). While you should remain wary of wet tram tracks, we think you will be pleased with an upgrade to Continental.

We have been on Marathon for many years and only have 2 punctures to report.

@@2Bikes4Adventure that's impressive

Indeed the Marathon/Marathon Plus can be a pain to install. We could have mention it in the video.

go for it - you won’t regret it - I am riding them for more then 2k km and they are the perfect compromise regarding all in the video mentioned factors + very comfortable

@@2Bikes4Adventure How about the Marathon Racer?

The Racer are easier to install than regular Marathon and Marathon Plus

Putting the most durable and puncture-proof tire available (M+) at the back is a wise decision.

I have thought about that mix as an option but not yet tried. My Brompton came with the standard Marathon Racer tyres which I found worked well for my predominantly leisure non-urban rides. I replaced both with Marathon Plus for this last winter, even though Brompton do not recommend that tyre for the bike. I have got on well with them. The fender/mudguard clearance is only just acceptable though, but the fold was unaffected. I cannot honestly say that I noticed any speed/effort difference of any importance to me. The confidence factor rose significantly as regards puncture resistance though. Perhaps only one caveat from my experience, the Plus are not as grippy and also tend to “tramline” more over some road features which means that in the wet extra riding care is desirable - for an experienced rider this is not a problem in my view as road surfaces knowledge/understanding will be a given. Fitting the Plus is all about correct technique and this was simply not an issue for me.

@@adrianlw2750 interesting to read about the marathon plus having less grip. This is quite concerning for me as I want a tyre that has the best possible grip in slippery condition when on my Brompton. Do you have any recommendations? Puncture resistance is also important to me but not as important as safety.

@@jacc88888 - as best possible grip in slippery conditions is your priority, I would be inclined to stay with the standard Marathon Racer as the “Plus” doesn’t fit that brief as well in my view. Carry a spare inner tube at all times and be 100% familiar with getting the wheels off and back on. Alternatively, you might consider a “Plus” for the back wheel only and see how you get on, perhaps using 90 psi rather than 100 psi. Depends on your weight/luggage carried at the back really. I’m a 80kg rider and luggage is only carried at the front. 90 psi is fine for me but I prefer to keep at 100 for the marginally better rolling resistance. Reduced pressure may improve confidence and will tend to reduce tendency to tramline. Hope this helps.

You are raising a very good point. The “Berto’s 15% tire deflection rule” or the advantage of wider/softer over narrower/high-pressure tire could make an interesting subject for a follow-up video.

@@2Bikes4Adventure cool. Love your videos

Not sure about the GCN test, but proper tire pressure has many variables, including rider weight and bike load. I use the very sophisticated Silca tire inflation for my normal bikes but they don’t have a 16” tire choice. I ran my Schwalbe Marathons at 100 psi given my total system weight (bike, rider, gear) around 210 pounds (95 kilos) and city commuting conditions. I did, however, use custom light wheels, not Brompton’s bomb-proof but much heavier ones. I congratulate this channel for a very sophisticated discussion of tire differences.

@tomehrhard6913 We plan to eventually publish a more detailed video concerning Brompton tire pressure. Meanwhile, we welcome your input on the subject.

Did you select the folding bead or wire bead Kojak? How many Km on average do you get out of a pair of them?

@@2Bikes4Adventure i use the wire bead type. I do approximatly 3000km on a set. Depends on the kind of trips I make, the surfaces, road condition. When I go on holiday or any other major trip, I always mount a new set of tyres.The cost of a new set is, taking in regard the total cost of such a longer trip, peanuts. I keep the old ones as spares for shorter or day/weekend trips.

Unfortunately, we don’t know much about 305 tyres.

Brompton owners wishing for larger tires face 2 problems: 1. Front fork and rear triangle clearance cannot accommodate much more than 37mm wide tires (BigApple are 50mm). 2. Limited to non-existent choice of larger tires in the 349mm radius format (BigApple 16” are 305 mm). Installing new rims (305mm) and new brakes would be required to install BigApples (www.kinetics-online.co.uk/folding-bikes/brompton/brompton-wheel-sizes/)

@@2Bikes4Adventure I knew you would know. Some of those mods (from Scotland-Oy!) would be perfect. Now I have to decide if I should keep my truly great Bike Friday with the large fold format, or strive for a modified Brompton. That assumes I could ride it on light trails.

@Happy, we never had the chance to try a BikeFriday (is yours a NWT?), but with its 20” wheels and wider gear range, we would guess it’s better suited for long distance touring (and even a little bit of off-road) than the Brompton as long as you are not planning too many intermodal trips.

@@2Bikes4Adventure Yes NWT e-bike (not optional for me) with 32"x24"x12" fold. I n my search I focused on a bike I could lift, store, and transport, for light trail riding, not distance touring. And I really dislike riding with traffic. (It's so new I've only ridden it about 1 mile, and not yet on gravel or trails.) But now I'm considering how limiting the larger fold is for urban uses, metropolitan travel, and entering establishments. I ruled out Brompton due to proprietary parts, narrow 16" tires, and electric which can't go on planes. But now I'm thinking maybe a Brompton with the right mods...? (I'm beginning to appreciate why real bikers have several bikes.) For the record, the ride is great on the NWT-only slightly twitchy, 18 gears, and the electric is seamless. I was less enthused when I rode an e-Brompton, but it was just around a city block as a trial.

@Happy, the solution is to find the right balance between compact size and riding quality. Depending on the primary use case, the answer will likely be different from one rider to the next. Obviously, having more than one bicycle facilitates somewhat the decision process.

Indeed, one of the only mass produced 16” of the time, they had a reputation of being heavy, puncture prone, poor rolling resistance and difficult to install. Their only redeeming value being their low price, 5 pounds.

@@2Bikes4Adventure my very first bike had white Raleigh Record tyres and even my dad had trouble when repairing the inner tube, I found it very difficult to remove the Raleigh Record off the Brompton but glad I've now have the continental contact urban on