Tyre Choice - Your thoughts appreciated

jmillen

Hey all,

Well I've been commuting into work for the last 2 weeks now and really enjoying it. Why I didn't do this before I don't know, anyway, that is besides the point.

I'm currently using my Boardman Pro (mtb) to commute in, but its got Schwalbe Nobby Nics on front and rear at the moment which for obvious reasons isn't the best choice of tyre for commuting so I've been looking at a commuting set of tyres and have seen the following. Does anyone have anything good or bad to say about the below, or can suggest a better alternative. Thanks very much in advance

Schwalbe Hurricane
Schwalbe Land Cruiser
Schwalbe Marathon
(all available at what seems a good price from CRC)

I'm after something semi-slick really as I may want to use them for very gentle offroad if I cant be arsed to swap them when I get back from work to venture out for an hour or so. Good-very good puncture protection is a must (i'm not overly bothered about any additional weight this will bring).

Any thoughts/comments/suggestions very welcome

spasypaddy

schwalbe marathon plus is what you want.

roger_merriman

marathon or plus is a good bet, I found the land cruisers to be fairly poor. and the marathons seem to cope with a bit of muddy single tracks if the mood takes one, just don't expect them to dig in....

jmillen

Thank you for the quick replies

I'm not bothered about the digging in. To be honest, if I did decide to go out and about after work, I'd probably swap tyres...

On Bikeradars review of the Plus, they say "quite awkward to fit" any experiences of this ?

spasypaddy

I use the stelvio plus on my fixie and never had any problem with fitting them. specialized armadillos on the other hand i find impossible to get on

roger_merriman

the marathon tires can be stiff but nothing that a half decent tire levers can't cope with, plus I think the thinner ones tend to be worse while the 1.5 inch MTB ones tend to be fine.

spasypaddy

the wider MTB feel quite baggy to be honest, feel like they'll fall on and off

jmillen

Looks like the Schwalbe Marathon Plus are the way forward then until I decide whether to get a dedicate Hybrid or not for the ride in

RufusA

The Marathon Plus tyres are good, they are what I use, but a little weird to ride on at first due to the slight softness feeling when cornering.

However they are a PITA to fit. You need three good strong tyre levers, need to make sure the tyre is warm and has been unpacked for at least 24 hours, and allow a good hour to fit. It may be worth having a few cable ties to hand so you can lock the fitted bit of the tyre in place so it doesn't pop off as you work around.

The tyres are directional so check and double check the direction before fitting - you don't want to have to refit the rear tyre because you didn't think through the affect of the bicycle being upside down on the direction!

I found in the past Bike Plus to be one of the cheapest places to get them with a good stock of most of the sizes. Worth getting new quality inner tubes (Schwalbe?) to match whilst you are at it:

http://www.bikeplus.co.uk

HTH - Rufus.

roger_merriman

RufusA wrote:

The Marathon Plus tyres are good, they are what I use, but a little weird to ride on at first due to the slight softness feeling when cornering.

However they are a PITA to fit. You need three good strong tyre levers, need to make sure the tyre is warm and has been unpacked for at least 24 hours, and allow a good hour to fit. It may be worth having a few cable ties to hand so you can lock the fitted bit of the tyre in place so it doesn't pop off as you work around.

The tyres are directional so check and double check the direction before fitting - you don't want to have to refit the rear tyre because you didn't think through the affect of the bicycle being upside down on the direction!

I found in the past Bike Plus to be one of the cheapest places to get them with a good stock of most of the sizes. Worth getting new quality inner tubes (Schwalbe?) to match whilst you are at it:

http://www.bikeplus.co.uk

HTH - Rufus.

really shouldn't be that bad at least in 35/38mm * 700 and 1.5 MTB sizes they aren't that bad maybe a need a lever at the end. if it's a hybrid likely to be that size so while might need to nudge the tire on shouldn't need to be a full on turn the air blue time.

marksteven

schwalbe crazy bobs , look cool roll well & only 1 punture in a year !

jmillen

Hmmm, if they're that awkward to fit they're gonna have to be a no-no...

If I wanted to go out for a bit of off-piste action after work, really can't be arsed with the hassle of taking them on and off each time :?

roger_merriman

jmillen wrote:

Hmmm, if they're that awkward to fit they're gonna have to be a no-no...

If I wanted to go out for a bit of off-piste action after work, really can't be arsed with the hassle of taking them on and off each time :?

they are a bit stiff first time but soon looosen. no where nr as bad as feared!

MichaelW

The Marathon Plus is quite a different beast to the plain Marathon. I found fitting the Plus to be a house of horrors and reverted to the plain. A lot depends on the size of your rim, there can be some manufacturing tolerance in the actual diameter.
I use Marathon on 700c but my 26" commuter came shod with Big Apples. They are a great tyres for cobbles and efficient on the road at cruising speed but maybe not as speedy as some narrower slicks. Both have the same kind of puncture resistance which I guage at about 1 in 2000 miles.

El Diego

I have been using Continental Top Contact for over a year and never had a puncture. Cycled over land mines, razor blades, samurai swords and still they roll.

dilemna

You could try these Continental Travel Contacts which are a road/trail hybrid tyre. I've had them on my hybrid and MTB they roll quite well for the roads and have reasonable grip off road. Never had a puncture either. Halfords do them for £20 each with a free presta (non car valve) tube thrown in. They have received a few rave reviews from those who have bought them.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=18822

dilemna

El Diego wrote:

I have been using Continental Top Contact for over a year and never had a puncture. Cycled over land mines, razor blades, samurai swords and still they roll.

Really.............. :roll:

Manchester folk are welcoming.......

The BIG GT

Continental 'Double Fighters'?

Scaly, central rolling section but no real knobs. Side low-height knobbles for when ground gets a little softer.

Have had no punctures (riverside/road/cycle paths/city/Canadian 'trail') so far (that's done it...) as run with slime tubes. Decent weight and fast rolling with some grip.

Better on the harder surfaces when up to 60 PSI, let it down to 35-40 PSI if a little more bumpy or can be a little harsh.

Hope this helps.

Jay dubbleU

Have had Conti Travel Contacts on the new bike for about 6 weeks - double visit from the PF today - had Marathons 1.5s on my old bike and no punctures since I put them on - they roll better that the Contis - def going back to Marathons

Splasher

One to add to the list, I know you said you wuld change your tyres if you went MTBing, but I use these:



and they work well on the road and off road on fire-roads, gravel tracks, resevoir paths etc.

Runoutofgears

I fitted Marathon pluses (700 x 25) on my Boardman hybrid and had no trouble at all, no levers required. No racing tyre that’s for sure but pretty tough IMO.

dualistic

+1 Marathon Plus.

Or you could try the Marathon Plus ATB. I have no experience of this tyre but it looks good. Not sure what tyre size you are after as it only comes in 40c.

The M+ prob has better road rolling but this adds some off-road bias. Scroll down in the link and see what you think (that rhymes!). It gives you the ratings for all the tyres - very good guide imho.

http://www.schwalbetires.com/bike_tires/road_tires