Marathon Plus - Slippery when wet?

The Chingford Skinhead
The Chingford Skinhead Posts: 718
edited January 2009 in Commuting chat
Converted to Marathon Plus tyres just before Christmas after a spate of visits from the puncture fairy. Old tyres were like paper, M+ much heavier so went from 700x35 to x 32.
Mate at work also got some M+ (28s). We've both found them great in the dry but a bit skitty in the wet.

Is that just us or have others had a similar experience? (It may of course just be that the roads we ride on are a bit prone to diesel or mud / ice etc (we've both pretty close to each other re home and our routes to work).

As a short aside (diverting my own thread within the first post - some kind of record!). My flellow M+ mate and another guy at work all live pretty close to each other - and yet we all have slightly different variations on our route into the same office. Wierd isn't it how people have their own little preferences?
Pain is only weakness leaving the body

Comments

  • roger_merriman
    roger_merriman Posts: 6,165
    the rubber is quite hard, this said i've not found them slippy, but these are 38mm on a big heavy laid back hybrid thus the bike is stable platform though hardly a fun ride.

    i personally crash though potholes, over metalwork with the pluses in the wet with out a issue but as you've noted milage varies and the M+ come in a fair range of sizes.
  • spasypaddy
    spasypaddy Posts: 5,180
    id not noticed it and im riding 700x25 Stelvio Plusssssss which are the road racing tires with the same protection.
    BMC TM01 - FCN 0
    Look 695 (Geared) - FCN 1
    Bowman Palace:R - FCN 1
    Cannondale CAAD 9 - FCN 2
    Premier (CX) - FCN 6
    Premier (fixed/SS) - FCN3
  • iain_j
    iain_j Posts: 1,941
    I've had one skid on mine going down through a steep corner, but i just put it down to damp greasy road and brand new brake pads. Whatever it was, it was bloody scary :lol:
  • prj45
    prj45 Posts: 2,208
    iain_j wrote:
    Whatever it was, it was bloody scary :lol:

    Yup, there's something special about feeling a bike going out from under you then regaining itself with a jolt, it's like a million cups of coffee in one go. I've done all sorts of silly things, rapids, bungees, parasending, going up the side of house sized waves in small boats, but the slippery bike at speed kicks them all into touch for that intense hit.
    Photos - Blog - Bike
  • iain_j
    iain_j Posts: 1,941
    Funny thing about it was, there was a big group of old people standing by their cars just behind me. When the skid happened the air turned blue before I realised what was going on. I felt an overwhelming urge to go back and apologise to them for my language :lol:
  • The complaining tadpole
    The complaining tadpole Posts: 56
    I run 700x28 Marathon on the front & Marathon + on the rear. Had the bike go from under me going round a roundabout on my way home the other night,luckily there was nothing behind me :shock: Now I take sharp bends & roundabouts about as fast as an asthmatic snail! In the dry - no problems but as you say in damp conditions - potentially lethal!
  • Roastie
    Roastie Posts: 1,968
    All I can say is "SPECIALIZED ALL CONDITIONS".
    David
    Engineered Bicycles
  • mikeitup
    mikeitup Posts: 99
    I have bog standard marathons.
    Fine in the wet until i go over a manhole or drain cover then it's slippery time! :D
    <a><img></a>
  • sarajoy
    sarajoy Posts: 1,675
    Roastiecp wrote:
    All I can say is "SPECIALIZED ALL CONDITIONS".
    Any good then? I gather these come as standard on the bike I'm getting...
    4537512329_a78cc710e6_o.gif4537512331_ec1ef42fea_o.gif
  • alfablue
    alfablue Posts: 8,497
    sarajoy wrote:
    Roastiecp wrote:
    All I can say is "SPECIALIZED ALL CONDITIONS".
    Any good then? I gather these come as standard on the bike I'm getting...
    I have used Specialized All Conditions Pro's for many years and many thousands of miles... punctures = zero. The 700x23's on my road bike weigh only 230g. They handle well, including in the wet, no mishaps!

    2 for £35 here (Quick Step Team red, or black available).

    808-2761-main-808-0-full-allconproquickstep-1-1.jpg
  • redvee
    redvee Posts: 11,922
    mikeitup wrote:
    I have bog standard marathons.
    Fine in the wet until i go over a manhole or drain cover then it's slippery time! :D

    Amen to that, as I found out last night in the rain at 21:30, no falls but movement aplenty.
    I've added a signature to prove it is still possible.
  • iain_j
    iain_j Posts: 1,941
    Are any tyres "safe" though on wet manhole covers?
  • sarajoy
    sarajoy Posts: 1,675
    iain_j wrote:
    Are any tyres "safe" though on wet manhole covers?
    I imagine not, even on a gentle hill my Merrell trainers (shoes! not even tyres!) make a wonderful SQUEEE! noise as I slide over them. Sometimes I manage to save from overbalancing. Occasionally I'm smart enough to walk around them...
    4537512329_a78cc710e6_o.gif4537512331_ec1ef42fea_o.gif
  • BoardinBob
    BoardinBob Posts: 697
    iain_j wrote:
    Are any tyres "safe" though on wet manhole covers?

    MTB tyres.

    I'd always wondered why you see a lot of comments about avoiding metalwork if it's wet.

    Never had a problem with standard MTB tyres but it does appear to be a problem for road/ slick tyres

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