These tires are a game changer for me. I am a daily rider and had to deal with flats on a pretty regular basis. While that is not a big deal, it can be a problem when you are trying to get in a ride before work, and taking time to fix a flat can be a problem when you don't plan for the additional time. The other problem with getting a flat is that in that short time you might ride before realizing you have a flat, you can break spokes and/or slightly bend a rim, which happened to me. I bought my first set of these Marathon Pluses two years ago and have not had a single flat since.
When I got a new bike, I was afraid of getting a flat and damaging the pristine new rims. I put another set of these on right away to avoid any chance of damage. Its been a few months on the new bike and still no flats!
I'm 76, 190, and currently ride an Orbea Gain e-bike about 90-100 miles a week. I use the the 4-Season 32mm with tubes around 90-95 psi. These tires feel absolutely correct. The weather is usually dry in Nevada so I can't speak about serious rain riding. A little hard pack or light gravel is no problem at reasonable speed. For me, the 4-seasons are a step up in feel from Gatorskins and seem to wear about the same. They are comfortable in corners with a heavy bike. Heck, they're comfortable all the time.
I bought these in 40mm to use on my gravel bike for winter/spring road riding. There is lots of gravel in the shoulders where I live, both in the city and out on long country rides. Also, lots of expansion joints, chip seal and generally rough pavement.
These measure just under 40mm when installed on a hookless 25mm internal rim. They are supple at lower pressures and make the roads a lot less punishing. Are they as fast as the GP5000 AS that I run on my road bike for the summer? No. But I haven't flatted in 200-300 miles so far so a good tradeoff.
Bought them, for my road bike, because of all the positive reviews of braking improvement, and I was impressed enough that, I bought another set for my off road bicycle.
The reviews are spot on regarding the improvement in braking performance over the previous generation. MUCH greater braking power with less lever force required. No more feeling like my hands are cramping up on long rocky downhills.
The grip and ergonomics have changed but for me it is not a big deal however, I did put on a shorter stem (80 from 90) because of the change in reach (I am 65 so I do not bend as readily as I used to.)
I replaced only the levers and calipers and I use them with my first generation Force eTap AXS front and rear derailleurs. They work fine.
The big improvement, shifting-wise, is the addition of the Bonus Buttons.
Using the AXS app I set the bonus buttons to shift the front derailleur. First generation shifters required pressing the left and right shift levers simultaneously which could be awkward. The buttons can be programmed to perform other functions but shifting the front derailleur is GREAT for me.
Sometimes I buy stuff and later question whether or not it was a good purchase but this one is a no brainer. Worth every penny to me.
