26 x 1.6 decent tyres

denty85

can anybody recommend a decent tyre for the above size for commuting. i'm not too bothered about weight, my biggest concern is puncture resistance. I liked the look of the schwalbe marathon plus but they don't seem to be available in this size. does anybody know of anything similar in my size?

N0bodyOfTheGoat

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=24542

Have the 1.35 Marathon Plus in stock.

denty85

sorry, i'm a bit new at this. does it not matter that the size doesn't match?

for future reference can you educate me a bit on what the rules are with tyres. ie. is there a certain amount of tolerance in the width sizes you can use?

thanks for your help

Dean

N0bodyOfTheGoat

From what I can gather, there is nothing to worry about by having different width tyres on a bike, with the wider tyre often being fitted on the front (in theory to give more grip, although time trialers sometimes put narrower tyre on front to reduce drag).

Quoted tyre widths and their actual measured width is a minefield! Often tyres come up undersize, with manufacturers trying to push their lighter "like-for-like" models.

I have a set of 26x1.75s Marathon Pluses on my Saracen Pylon8 bike, I think... I will pop out to the shed a bit later (my floating day off from work today) and see what their actual width is. I shall report back with my findings

denty85

that's really helpful. thanks for the explanation. how do you find getting you marathons on and off?

surreyxc

I have always found specialized commuting tyres to be very reliable, they have an puncture protection (Armadillo), they are usually a good price. The ones I have used lasted an age with hardly ever a puncture. I reckon reliabilty is better than wieght, no fun fixing a flat by the kerbside after work. 1.6 is about right, if you get down too the skinny sizes they just look wrong on a mtb, plus when the wheel diameter is reduced that much they have little impact absorbing properties.

mmacavity

denty85 wrote:

can anybody recommend a decent tyre for the above size for commuting. i'm not too bothered about weight, my biggest concern is puncture resistance. I liked the look of the schwalbe marathon plus but they don't seem to be available in this size. does anybody know of anything similar in my size?

Mark Beaumont did 18,000miles round the world OK with Schwalbe tyres.

http://www.schwalbe.co.uk/pdf/techinfo.pdf

nyanza

I run a 1.5 marathon on the front and a 1.75 on the back with no problems. If you go for super skinny ones then you lose the benefits of having MTB wheels in the first place.

As for getting them on and off, that depends heavily on your rims. Fitting these on my rims was no problem at all. When I tried them on someone elses it was much more difficult and I needed levers. So the answer to your question might be: "it depends". It's no problem if they are a brute to get on because you'll probably not need to take them off until they wear out.

denty85

thanks for all of your replies.

just to clarify then, the 1.5, 1.3, 1.75 or whatever does refer to the width doesn't it. not the profile of the tire.

I'm happy with all the reviews i've read on the marathon plus', i think i'll probably go for 1.5's. I don't know enough to understand or feel the benefit of changing sizes for performance so i'll just try and stick as close to original as possible

thanks again for all the help

N0bodyOfTheGoat

My 1.75" Marathon Pluses come in dead on the money, 1.75"!

Did find that there is 1.5" widths available...
http://www.bike24.com/1.php?content=8;n ... ;orderby=4

Bike24 used to be very competitive price wise, its where my MP tyres came from. Check the exchange rates and whether any UK stockists have stock at a competitive price

denty85

that's great thanks. What is 'MTB' that people keep referring to? sorry about all the questions!

N0bodyOfTheGoat

mountain bike

stickman

Marathon XR 26x1.6

Rothsay

I have been using Schwalbe Landcruisers with pucture protectionfor the past 5 years without a puncture. I recently changed them for new :? because the tread was going. They are great tyres. The nearest size though is 26" x 1.75