My first impression is 'awesome'. I use these on my 'city' bike, which is also my 'beater' road bike. I get a smooth ride with the 28s and great handling, especially cornering. I don't worry about all the small roadway debris and patches of sand that I might with my 23s.
Decided to put these on for the wet winter rides. Glad I did - sturdy - a bit more rubber on the road - they're always a long lasting tire - can't go wrong with Schwalbe Marathons.
I am retired and ride thousands of miles every year. I ride primarily on asphalt, but a little on crushed gravel. The tires work great on each. The only thing I haven't liked about these tires are they are a little more difficult to install than less robust tires that I have worked with.
Best commuter tire I've ever used. Zero flats in almost 2 years of daily loaded commuting.
Switched the front and back when rear showed wear.
Hard to mount first time. Use zip ties to temporarily hold tire.
These tires will not get you on the podium
I am a 4-season bike commuter (37 mile round trip), and have switched to a set of Marathons for the winter cycling season in Seattle. One thing I need in my daily commute is a sure-footed tire that is not prone to flatting. The Marathon comes through nicely in both counts. They are significantly heavier than the gatorskins I use during the spring and summer, but well worth it for the winter riding security I need. I recommend these tires.
I have ridden these for thousands of miles on city streets and they have been almost puncture free. They are heavy and very difficult to mount when new, but if reliability is the priority as it is for me, they are outstanding.
I use these on my commute to work. Not any flats yet. Thought they would be tough to install, but they were as easy as any other tire, just view the you-tube video.
Good stuff, best tires I own.
These are the most puncture and wear resistant tires I've ever ridden. There is a weight and liveliness penalty, but that's not why you buy them. Owned three different sizes on different bikes, never a puncture in many thousands of miles. Rear tires last a few thousand miles before wearing through to the blue layer. They handle fire roads and limestone trails well. Very round and they mount well, too.
In the past three years, I've put 4,000 miles on a set of these tires, riding roads and trails on my touring bike loaded with 220 pounds (gear and rider). I've had only six flats, all on the rear tire, each flat caused by a metal nail or screw that would have flattened an automobile tire. I think that's a pretty good track record - good enough for me to stick with this make and model for my next set of tires, and good enough for me to recommend this make and model to others.
Another feature I like about these tires is the reflective stripe on the sidewall. I think this feature improves my visibility to drivers when I'm cycling roads during twilight hours.
I was happy when I got the tires, came in just in time. Thats when I open the box up and felt the tires they were a bit heavy, that didn't really bother me. Now, when i was installing the tires on the rims my rear fit just fine and so did the front, but when I put it back on the fork it didn't fit the tire was rubbing my fork. It was pretty lame that was happening, even tho I got the right size tires (700c25x) and I found out the reason why, these tires are a bit thicker and heavier then other tires, so the size they say Isn't really the size. I also found out what people were talking about the rolling of the tire. You do feel a bit sluggish with this tires, like you have to pedal more to go faster. Beside that, the tires did not pop. Next time I'm going for gatorskin.
This is the sturdiest tire I have every bought. We were on our 800 mile ride down the Oregon and California coast. I put the tires on and had trouble with pinching the tube. This happened twice until I got the hang of making sure the tube was completely seated. After that no problems. The tire seems a bit slow with more tread than other tires like Gator skins, but I am looking forward to many miles without problems.
These tires wear very well, and are exceptionally puncture resistant. I rely on them for multi-day tours, loaded with gear, as well as local rides; they have never let me down. They are worth every penny.
I have used these tires on my touring bike for the last several years.They are tough, puncture resistance, and can handle a lot of miles even while touring. I usually get about 5000 miles out of them before tread is showing some wear and time to replace. The have not had a single flat in over 10000 miles.
I rode my Trek 520 from San Francisco to Portland, Maine on one set of Marathon Plus Tires without one flat tire. I have tour bikes and they all have SMP tires. I don't like to waste my time fixing flats when I'm out for a ride.I love these tires.
These are my favorite tires. I have had ones that have lasted me over 10,000 miles, no flats. And that's in goathead territory
City commuting to work. I don't like getting flats in the cold, dark winter months. Tire is very difficult to mount and probably impossible to change on the road.
I get about 5000-6000km on a set of these tires. Great for commuting and great flat protection. Will use these same tires the next time mine are worn down.
Couldn't ask for anything else with these
Schwalbe Marathon Plus and Touring are very reliable. They hold air for 3 weeks with repumping and flat proof. Therefore, they allow the cyclist to enjoy the ride without bothersome flats.
I have never had a Schwalbe flat tire. I ride 3 to 4 times a week.
So many goat-heads around here. I was constantly dealing with flats. Had Gatorskins in the past, but like these a lot better. Hope I didn't jinx things by reviewing this...
Hi,
Thanks for the review! We don't actually recommend swapping your front and back tires—instead, we suggest moving your front tire to the back and purchasing a new front tire. The rear tire does wear faster, but it's important for your front tire to have a good tread, since the majority of your traction will come from the front tire.
Thanks, Stacia