Schwalbe Marathon plus tyres

Azhar

Hello,

I have Schwalbe marathon plus tyres on my road bike. tried practicing a puncture repair, cos i'm new to road biking, and i honestly couldnt take off the tyre so i can get to the inner tube. i was trying to take the whole tyre off, just on one side so i can take out the inner tube and then put it back in. i deflated it off course but still had prioblems getting the tyre off on one side.

does anyone have this problem? i know that these tyres are puncture resistant but just wanted to ease my mind in knowing IF i did have a pouncture. i know what i'm doing.

samsbike

Apparently they are pig to take on and off. Preserve and get some good tire levers

rolf_f

samsbike wrote:

Apparently they are pig to take on and off. Preserve and get some good tire levers

Preserves? What on earth has jam got to do with the poor chaps problem?

The best solution is to get some nicer tyres - Marathons are great if you own a cycle hire scheme and don't have to ride the bike yourself but otherwise best avoided; too heavy, too lifeless, too much faff to take on and take off. Schwalbe Duranos are a much better bet. Fear of punctures isn't a good reason to ruin the bike!

There is a video on here though that shows how to deal with Marathons; scroll down - http://www.spacycles.co.uk

Hoopdriver

Yes, Marathon-Plusses are a pain to get on and off a tyre - the virtue of them being that once you have them on you will probably not have to take them off again until you've worn them out. They really are extremely-puncture resistant.

I use them on my expedition bike - which doubles as my winter bike - and quite like them for their bombproof qualities. The last thing I feel like doing in the midst of a long ride on a bitter mid-winter's morn is fiddling with a flat tyre on some frost covered roadside. True, they are rather heavy in comparison with other tyres - they're designed for touring - but look on the bright side: after a winter riding around on those, your fair-weather road bike will feel light as a feather.

You're best bet for getting them off and on is to use steel-cored tyre levers. I've got a pair - bought from St John's Street Cycles as I recall - and with them it's a doddle. Again, putting them on is probably something you'll only need to do the once - until they wear out and you put on a new pair.

(But never say never!)

beancounter

Hoopdriver wrote:

I use them on my expedition bike - which doubles as my winter bike - and quite like them for their bombproof qualities. The last thing I feel like doing in the midst of a long ride on a bitter mid-winter's morn is fiddling with a flat tyre on some frost covered roadside. True, they are rather heavy in comparison with other tyres - they're designed for touring - but look on the bright side: after a winter riding around on those, your fair-weather road bike will feel light as a feather.

This is absolutely spot on.

No one in their right mind would put Marathon Plus on the Sunday best bike - but for commuting, if you absolutely, positively do not want to puncture, they are the best.

bc

rolf_f

Hoopdriver wrote:

I use them on my expedition bike - which doubles as my winter bike - and quite like them for their bombproof qualities. The last thing I feel like doing in the midst of a long ride on a bitter mid-winter's morn is fiddling with a flat tyre on some frost covered roadside. True, they are rather heavy in comparison with other tyres - they're designed for touring - but look on the bright side: after a winter riding around on those, your fair-weather road bike will feel light as a feather.

Depends on your mileage but I ride in all weathers and my main winter tyre are Schwalbe Delta Cruisers which are I believe a lot lighter than Marathons (though obviously with less puncture protection).

On average, I get a puncture maybe once every 2000 miles. Of the ones I've had, at least three have been down to riding on a road with a number of scrapyards on it (one of those was down to a lengthy shard of spring that I doubt a Marathon + would have survived) and one down to hitting roadworks detritus which if I'd been more careful maybe I'd have avoided. Two more were down to terrible quality tyres that came on a bike and another due to foolishly cycling through amost a carpet of hedge cuttings (hawthorn....). There are far more bombproof tyres than Delta Cruisers which still aren't as heavy as a Marathon plus. If I ignore the self inflicted punctures, I'm probably down to one every 4000 miles. In 25000 miles of riding, I think I've had to do about 10 roadside repairs - I was unlucky in that the weather was cold on a couple of them but I found shelter in both cases.

Most punctures are as a result of user error - not the tyre itself.

Azhar

excellent. thanks for the replies. i really appreciate the help. just a bit apprehensive about riding so far and not being able to take the tyre off to repair puncture or even put in a new inner tube. but from what you guys have said i really appreciate it. puts my mind at rest but i will look for some metal tyre levers.
have a nice day.

cougie

I've put them on my cross bike. Great for adventure racing on the bike - bombproof and I keep them on for winter too - who wants a flat when its cold.

I've not actually needed to take the tyres off - this could be fun when it happens.

beancounter

cougie wrote:

I've not actually needed to take the tyres off - this could be fun when it happens.

They're only impossible when new - after some use they go on and off the rims just like any other tyre.

bc

unixnerd

They're a pain to fit. I'm sure a saw a video on you-tube showing how to do it.

keef66

unixnerd wrote:

They're a pain to fit. I'm sure a saw a video on you-tube showing how to do it.

Scroll up a bit and you'll find a link to the Spa Cycles vid...

rolf_f

keef66 wrote:

unixnerd wrote:

They're a pain to fit. I'm sure a saw a video on you-tube showing how to do it.

Scroll up a bit and you'll find a link to the Spa Cycles vid...

Might be worth someone posting the direct link - I can't as it is a Youtube link and we can't access that at work. Not that it is hard to find on the page I linked.

keef66

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XUFVrl0UT4

Redhog14

I just swapped marathons 32c for blizzards 23c on my crossbike commuter the transformation has been fantastic they are very durable but as already stated this is at the expense of weight.
Can't say I have had too much of an issue in taking them on and off as I swap them about several times when I raced (singular) my crossbike and also for some off road riding.

Duranos are good too.

Azhar

well, thanks again for the replies folks. Feeling much better about the tyres but i have bought a couple of inner tubes, metal tyre levers and a puncutre kit so i'm kitted out. bought a rucksack to put my 1L water in rather than have it on a bottle attached to the bike. going for a good cycle this weekend so hopefully i'll be able to do it.

Secteur

+1 for Schwalbe Durano's

Marathons are too much unless you're doing heavy commuting miles on sh*tty suburban roads filled with puncture fodder

wilshawk

Azhar wrote:

excellent. thanks for the replies. i really appreciate the help. just a bit apprehensive about riding so far and not being able to take the tyre off to repair puncture or even put in a new inner tube. but from what you guys have said i really appreciate it. puts my mind at rest but i will look for some metal tyre levers.
have a nice day.

you definately should watch the Spa Man video link that was posted by Rolf F, and the main trick to remember is that when you get stuck halfway through fitting the tyre, then work around the tyre with your hands pushing it into the rim, that creates slack that allows you to make keep progressing, then POP it's all on.

keef66

I think Spa Man should wear some kind of superhero costume.

t4tomo

wilshawk wrote:

you definitely should watch the Spa Man video link that was posted by Rolf F, and the main trick to remember is that when you get stuck halfway through fitting the tyre, then work around the tyre with your hands pushing it into the rim, that creates slack that allows you to make keep progressing, then POP it's all on.

+1 pushing opposite side of tyre into the rim, making sure its all well seated as well as pulling with tyre levers/ pushing last bit tyre over rim is a good tip, with any tyre.

beancounter

I've yet to find a tyre which can resist the mighty VAR lever

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http://www.gbcycles.co.uk/product/34518/Var_Tyre_Lever

bc