Schwalbe Marathon Plus

Belv

Totally useless so far.

After spending an hour trying to mount the front one on the wheel, it came off the rim at 10psi below max and burst the tube. Not sure whether to try again or fit the old one for the journey home.

This was supposed to be a regular update about how puncture-free i would be over the winter. So far: 0 miles travelled, 1 tube destroyed.

t4tomo

Mine are fine (actaully mine might not be the plus's) thanks for asking

cntl

You problems are not because of the tire. Simple.

cupofteacp

Belv,

All I can say is that I've had the Marthon Plus's on for over a year and covered approximatly 6600 miles without a puncture, I've never lasted that long with any other tyre,

that on a 1.5 26" MTB wheel

dondare

SMPs are about as puncture-proof as a pneumatic tyre can be; but they are a total bugger to get on the rim. I find it so and I have strong hands and decades of experience changing tyres so I don't expect most other people to find it easy, or even possible unaided. There are several tricks that will help (I use cable-ties) but you could simply pay the lbs to put it on for you. The chances of you needing to get it off and on yourself again because of a puncture are very small indeed and once it's been used for a while it'll be easier to do anyway.

T800

Maybe I've just been lucky, but I've managed to put Marathon, Marathon Plus and Marathon XR onto 700c rims without too much difficulty every time I've needed to.

ash68

I use them, am pretty strong and must say need trye levers to get them on initially. Once they are fitted I think they become easier to fit and remove. I've had 1 slow puncture in 7500 miles. So IMO they are worth persevering with

Belv

OK, fitted them last night and (after a good nights sleep) i feel much calmer today. They weren't bought for their ease of fitting but for their puncture protection, so this report starts again from today!

They are 700x25's (currently) set at 100psi.

I gave them a bit of a hammering over 10 miles this morning. Whilst not actively trying to get a puncture, i did not avoid riding over anything that crossed my path. Initial first impressions are good: the rolling resistance is much less than i expected for a wider and heavier tyre (the weight being only slightly noticeable when accelerating); they are much more comfortable perhaps due to the extra layers in the tyre; they feel very stable in corners which is reassuring, although there was a little bit of a wobble when upright at speed which felt like the rear tyre pressure was too low. Upon closer examination, i suspect it is caused by the wheel which appears to have got itself (obviously nothing to do with the rider!) slightly buckled, so i will get this sorted and see if that rectifies the situation.

t4tomo

Glad its not just me re getting them on. I swapped my old brompton kelvars for marathons and had a hell of a job getting them on, first time I've had to use levers to put a tyre on.

alround a great tyre

craigdurkee

im not keen on these tires i also find them a real bitch to fit and change....

im currently using conti contacts and i have to say there awesome.

the only thing i wish they had is the reflective strip

AidanR

I put the same ones - 700x25c - on my girlfriend's bike. I told her "don't worry, it's a 20 minute job, max" and disappeared off to the garage. After 45 mins she came down to find me just starting on the second tire, having already snapped two tire levers.

They've punctured once, though that wasn't through penetrating the tire - the inner tube wore down at the side (??) and punctured that way. No idea how it happened. The tire was much easier to get off and on the second time round though.

dondare

I've had one tube failure but no punctures. So only use the best inner tubes and make sure that the rim tape and tyre are on properly and then kiss the fairies goodbye.
The 700c by 25mm are the the ones that gave me fitting problems, I found wider ones (32mm) much easier.

Belv

Since I was desperate and this was the LAST CHANCE, i went for new tubes and rim tape too. One of the old tubes ended up being used after the fitting 'issues', though.

All future questions will be directed to you, Dondare, since a quick review of the recommendations on here revealed that most of them were from you!

tardington

I have got the Spesh Armadillo Nimbusses, I got the LBS to fit them! The first time off-and-(hopefully)-on-again with a tyre is so difficult I can rarely be bothered 8)

I was replacing them because my running had felt funny for a week - turns out the back tyre had three 6 in long gaps in the rubber! I'd been running on the kevlar undercoat (if thats what you call it) for a week at least! I am much impressed, because I went through at least 2 patches of jaggy broken glass on the road!

Oh, btw, the back tyre was 3 years old

flattythehurdler

Marathon plus are imo the absolute best commuting tyre on the market and I will never use anything else. Believe me I've tried them all, including armadillos which were awful(4 puctures in one month > bin). I cycle over a fair bit of glass and they are the only ones for me.

dondare

I don't use Armadillos because:

They give a harsh ride.
They let in punctures. (In my experience.)

dondare

flattythehurdler wrote:

Marathon plus are imo the absolute best commuting tyre on the market and I will never use anything else. Believe me I've tried them all, including armadillos which were awful(4 puctures in one month > bin). I cycle over a fair bit of glass and they are the only ones for me.

4 Y?

Belv

Riding along the cycle path in the dark this morning I hit a large chunk of glass. The front whell lurched sideways as the sound of cracking and breaking came from below and i held my breath...

and just kept rolling. 8) Unscheduled test, passed with flying colours.

el_presidente

Belv wrote:

Riding along the cycle path in the dark this morning I hit a large chunk of glass. The front whell lurched sideways as the sound of cracking and breaking came from below and i held my breath...

and just kept rolling. 8) Unscheduled test, passed with flying colours.

sure I don't need to tell you this but check the tyre carefully as there may be some shards lodged in there that can be removed now before they work their way through over time

Belv

Shouldn't have to tell me, true.

Just off to check now, thank you. :oops:

IsledeBlanc

el_presidente wrote:

Belv wrote:

Riding along the cycle path in the dark this morning I hit a large chunk of glass. The front whell lurched sideways as the sound of cracking and breaking came from below and i held my breath...

and just kept rolling. 8) Unscheduled test, passed with flying colours.

sure I don't need to tell you this but check the tyre carefully as there may be some shards lodged in there that can be removed now before they work their way through over time

good advice, I check mine every now and then, you won't believe how big some of the glass shards can be, I've felt like Arthur cliaming Excalibur from the stone.

Belv

They're about 2 weeks old now and so far, so good.

I tried running them at 115psi, the max according to the sidewall, but found that it made the handling feel less assured so they are now back down to a compromise at 105psi.

Best of all is just being able to ride how i want to - which has made me think that i probably belong on an MTB. I expect to be able to ride over whatever is in front of me but in an effort to avoid those nasty P things, I was being much more careful. Now it's more like a 'crosser taking short cuts across green sections etc.

I'm beginning to feel a bit silly that all my woes, which have had me on the verge of giving up cycle commuting, could have been solved by choosing (or rather spending enough for) some decent tyres.

jefferee

I was talking to a LBS salesman who has Marathon Pluses on his commuter. He told me he rolls over broken glass DELIBERATELY, 'because I sell them, so I have to test them'. :shock: No p*nct*res for him so far, and he doesn't even bother with a spare tube and pump on the commute anymore. But he did allow that if he ever p*nct*res on the road, he hopes that no impressionable children are within earshot when he's trying to get the tires over the rim...

kildare

Belv wrote:

OK, fitted them last night and (after a good nights sleep) i feel much calmer today. They weren't bought for their ease of fitting but for their puncture protection, so this report starts again from today!

They are 700x25's (currently) set at 100psi.

I gave them a bit of a hammering over 10 miles this morning. Whilst not actively trying to get a puncture, i did not avoid riding over anything that crossed my path. Initial first impressions are good: the rolling resistance is much less than i expected for a wider and heavier tyre (the weight being only slightly noticeable when accelerating); they are much more comfortable perhaps due to the extra layers in the tyre; they feel very stable in corners which is reassuring, although there was a little bit of a wobble when upright at speed which felt like the rear tyre pressure was too low. Upon closer examination, i suspect it is caused by the wheel which appears to have got itself (obviously nothing to do with the rider!) slightly buckled, so i will get this sorted and see if that rectifies the situation.

You can relax now-it will be a long time before you need to change tyes again! Mine have been indestructable.
David

juliuspie

so have the m+ got a good grip and how much air cushion do you get out of the 26 x 1.75?

Belv

I have a puncture. Will try to diagnose cause tonight. Nothing obvious before the onimous hissing sound.

Belv

OK, forensic examination complete.

The puncture was caused by a shard of glass. It was about 1cm long and had gone straight into the tyre. The brave protection belts tried hard to prevent it, but the very tip just broke through to the inner layer. To be honest, i'm not too disappointed since it was a proper puncture rather than the 'nothing' ones i've been having to contend with weekly that had no apparent cause.

My only concern now is that it may have ruined the tyre since there is now a slight split when the tyre is inflated. It'll have to do for now, though, so i'll keep you updated on how it goes (and try to post some pics of the glass and the subsequent split).

el_presidente

Belv wrote:

OK, forensic examination complete.

The puncture was caused by a shard of glass. It was about 1cm long and had gone straight into the tyre. The brave protection belts tried hard to prevent it, but the very tip just broke through to the inner layer. To be honest, i'm not too disappointed since it was a proper puncture rather than the 'nothing' ones i've been having to contend with weekly that had no apparent cause.

My only concern now is that it may have ruined the tyre since there is now a slight split when the tyre is inflated. It'll have to do for now, though, so i'll keep you updated on how it goes (and try to post some pics of the glass and the subsequent split).

My tyres have got a few of those splits (they are Schwalbe M Slicks not M+). Should be fine, unless the inner tube is clearly visible or you run over another bit of glass in exactly the same place which would be most unlucky

dondare

I am sorry to hear this. I can't understand your bad luck, perhaps the broken glass is been put there deliberately be some arse-wipe.
Is the tyre easier to install now it's been used a bit?
Cuts in the casing can be repaired with superglue if they're not too bad but I doubt if it's really necessary.

Belv

It's not unusual to see glass on the floor in the area it happened and the nearest street light is out at the moment, so i must have ridden over this glass. I removed the tyre very carefully to make sure the tube stayed in place and then tried pumping it up so see where it had holed. The air was coming out so fast that it took a few attempts to get enough air in to see!

Fortunately the tyre was massively easier to fit second time round. It took about 15mins from removal to refitting using only my roadside kit (as a test, just in case i have to next time). Not exactly speedy but an acceptable time frame.

I've taken a second look at the tyre and the split has gone right through the blue belt, but stopped at the next layer with red fibres diagonally across it. The inner tube is not visible, so i think it'll be ok unless i hit that EXACT spot again. If it gets worse i will try the superglue, thanks for that tip.

DavidTQ

Belv wrote:

It's not unusual to see glass on the floor in the area it happened and the nearest street light is out at the moment, so i must have ridden over this glass. I removed the tyre very carefully to make sure the tube stayed in place and then tried pumping it up so see where it had holed. The air was coming out so fast that it took a few attempts to get enough air in to see!

Fortunately the tyre was massively easier to fit second time round. It took about 15mins from removal to refitting using only my roadside kit (as a test, just in case i have to next time). Not exactly speedy but an acceptable time frame.

I've taken a second look at the tyre and the split has gone right through the blue belt, but stopped at the next layer with red fibres diagonally across it. The inner tube is not visible, so i think it'll be ok unless i hit that EXACT spot again. If it gets worse i will try the superglue, thanks for that tip.

Something that can make things easier to find punctures and make sure youve got any shrapnel out, when fitting a tyre line up the manufacturers logo with the tyre valve, if you always fit the tyre like this you can instantly tie up inner tube holes with tyre locations to check for glass or if you have a outer glass location you will know where on the inner tube to look straight away.