Tyre advice / Schwalbe Mondial or Dureme

uzapuca

Hi guys,

I have a Kona Smoke which is an steel frame and a heavy bike. Last year i did a very nice tour in Canal Du Midi, Center South France. I would like to change my tyres to make the bike more versatile: nice in tarmacs as well as trail paths and rougher terrain that you might find while touring. I am big fan of Schwalbe tyres. Nevertheless, i cannot make my mind on which to choose.

Marathon Mondial 2012
47-622 (28 x 1.75)
http://www.schwalbe.com/gbl/en/produkte ... rodukt=278

or

Marathon Dureme
50-622 (28 x 2.00) Evolution line
http://www.schwalbe.com/gbl/en/produkte ... rodukt=234

I forgot...
Marathon Supreme could be an option too, not as grippy but very fast rolling and good puncture protection
50-622 (28 x 2.00)
http://www.schwalbe.com/gbl/en/produkte ... rodukt=131

what do you think?
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Cheers,
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andymiller

The reports I've seen from people who've actually used the Dureme tyres have actually been pretty favourable. The Mondial doesn't seem to have been available in the UK until very recently, so I'm not sure whether anybody will have any actual experience of using it for high mileages.

The background is that a year or so ago Schwalbe replaced the Marathon XR which was a a tyre designed to be very durable and last for (IIRC) something like 10-15,000 kms as opposed to 5,000-ish for a normal tyre (on the back wheel) with the Dureme which seems to have been designed to be more of a generalist tyre with a softer rubber - grippier but possibly less durable. There was a lot of criticism of the firm for this, and for one reason or another the Dureme has now been replaced with the Mondial. From what I have seen, the Mondial has been designed to give longer life - so presumably the rubber is harder.

For the sort of touring you are planning to do you don't need a very high mileage 'expedition' tyre. So I'm sure either would be fine.

uzapuca

Thanks for the good info Andy!

I have Dureme just a month ago so i cannot speak too much its durability. I think you are right that is not as lasting as the Mondial. I would love to have a wider tire though. Mine is 28x1.6" and if i buy another it will be 28x2.00". My actual configuration and since i am a newbie is the wide and slick Big Apple on the front and the Dureme at back. Reading at the forums it says that is more convenient to have the grippy tire on the front and the narrow or faster at the back. Interesting info, indeed.

The Mondial is quite a mistery to me. Look more durable but on the other hand it might not be not too nice for easy rolling on the tarmac. The Marathon Supreme could be a good choice. It has a very good review

http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/ ... reme-31009

but is a bit older technology compared to the Dureme. Sorry for so many open questions...

Cheers,

andymiller

If you've only just bought the Dureme then you've got the luxury of waiting to see what the verdict is on the Mondials.

My advice is to take with a big pinch of salt anything your read on an internet forum (including anything I say). I've read a lot of useful things but also let's say people have their pet hobby horses. It's not obvious to me what the basis is for the advice to put a grippier tyre on the front - as the traction goes primarily through the rear wheel. Lose the traction on the front wheel and you can continue to climb, lose the traction on the rear and you're pretty much stuffed. If you're riding a mountain bike in mud or a looser surface, then getting a grippier tyre might be an issue, but for general purpose touring including off-road, the set up that you have sounds fine, at least for the moment.

uzapuca

andymiller wrote:

If you've only just bought the Dureme then you've got the luxury of waiting to see what the verdict is on the Mondials.

Thanks for the good advice. My problem with time and veredict on Mondials is that i will be living in South America for a year in 15 days from now and 28 or 700cc or Schwalbe can be difficult and/or expensive to find there. It would be nice to buy a couple of them or Dureme to have for the year.

andymiller wrote:

It's not obvious to me what the basis is for the advice to put a grippier tyre on the front - as the traction goes primarily through the rear wheel.

yes i didn't make my sense to me either...but i am a newbie on bikes and maybe i got my logic wrong.

Cheers,

uzapuca

some other bike user place a similar theory on the grippier wheel on the front. I am bit confused too. :?

viewtopic.php?f=40003&t=12779558&p=16970416&hilit=Dureme+schwalbe#p16970416

I did most of the Great Divide Trail with an Extreme on the front and a Dureme on the rear

http://downthegreatdivide.wordpress.com ... interlude/

It worked very well for all conditions. I think for the tour you are doing, two Extemes would be overkill - they are quite heavy tyres. I'd suggest a Dureme on both wheels, or a Dureme on the front for a bit of grip and a Supreme or similar on the rear. Get the fattest ones that will fit, you'll notice the extra comfort.

Cheers

angusrivers

A bit late to this, but the grippy tyre is put on the front if you do much off-roading. Lose traction on the rear going uphill and you stop and walk. Lose traction on the front going downhill and you end up face down in the dirt.

uzapuca

angusrivers wrote:

A bit late to this, but the grippy tyre is put on the front if you do much off-roading. Lose traction on the rear going uphill and you stop and walk. Lose traction on the front going downhill and you end up face down in the dirt.

Thanks for the reply!
Actually, i do 50/50, city and off-road but usually on semi-compact terrain. Although I feel like changing my configuration in tyres. I have a 28x2.00" Schwalbe Big Apple a very slick on front and Schwalbe Dureme 28x1.6" for mild traction on the back. Both tyres are excellent quality from Schwalbe but for different purposes too. After a couple of months using it i am not sure they are the best match for each other and where i ride. :?

The thing is that i use my bike for everything--commuting, touring, trail riding--and in all weather.

andymiller

I spent the summer riding almost every day on Duremes, they coped absolutely fine with a wide variety of surfaces. The only time I had concerns about losing grip was when I used the rear brake too sharply on loose surfaces. Whether you get Duremes, Mondials or a mix of the two, you'll be absolutely fine.

I can see the logic in putting a more durable tyre on the back because the back wheel suffers from greater wear (but you can compensate for this by swapping the tyres round every so often). Equally if you are paranoid about punctures then you might want to put a Supreme on the back as the back wheel also (IME) is the most prone to puncture - but the puncture-resistance of the Duremes is (IME) also impressive. These are the only reasons I can think of why you might want to put different tyres on the front and back - apart of course from using what you've got

angusrivers wrote:

A bit late to this, but the grippy tyre is put on the front if you do much off-roading. Lose traction on the rear going uphill and you stop and walk. Lose traction on the front going downhill and you end up face down in the dirt.

I can't see how losing traction on the front wheel going round a corner would be any worse than losing traction on the back wheel.

c7jdg

I am sold on Schwalbe Marathon Supremes. I have a 29er steel mountain bike frame with 700c touring wheels which I use for rugged touring and everyday commuting. It runs on 700 x 40 Supremes which last about 2000 miles on the rear and have never punctured (I am on my 3rd rear tyre and 2nd front). They even survived touring in Cuba on dreadful surfaces carrying about 25kg of gear and I weigh 90kg.
After multiple punctures in Corsica on my titanium audax bike I fitted it with 700x28 Supremes for light touring again with great results.
The 40mm Supremes give fantastic stability on gravel and are fast on tarmac.