I commute to work, 180 miles per week. This tire is strong & sticks to the road. Absorbs small stones & bumps. Never had a flat. A small downside, the puncture resistant material adds a little mush in the rear tire, although provides a very comfortable ride.
This tire provides tremendous puncture protection, grips well on wet surfaces, and allows for smooth rolling even when pulling heavy gear loads. It's the best road touring bike tire I've ever used. 4,000 miles without a flat has made me a believer!
Excellent puncture resistance and rolls nice and fast! The seem a little taller than standard size so I was able to go down a size and that worked great! Great wet weather traction and even running on some single track was able to keep me planted to the ground.
I use this tire on my recumbent which has 70% of my 210 lb weight on it as well as the 30 additional lbs. I carry on my rack, well, not my rack... the bikes.. Anyway, I have hit some major potholes on this tire and nothing seems to affect the tire. The one flat I got turned out to be a tube defect. The tire was not at fault.
I commute about 23 miles a day through some questionable neighborhoods.
Yes, a little pricey but for dependability, my ass is worth it. I ride a 700 x 32 on the back end by the way. I do have a Schwalbe 20 on the front which I'm sure no one cares about.
Excellent price compared to any LBS. Bought 25c tires to replace worn out conti contacts on my touring bike. Just ordered the 32?s for my commuter
In the last 2 years, I've replaced 8 chains, a set of SRAM Apex shiftbrake levers, 3 sets of derailleur pulleys, a pair of wheels, one front and one rear derailleur, two bottom brackets, a set of cranks, a rear cluster, casings and cables - welcome to commuting in the Northwest. Same set of tires all that time and there's tread left - minium of 40 miles per day at least 3 times a week.
In two years, only had a flat once - that was pretty scarey as it's practically impossible to remove these tires with plastic levers. Carry four nylon covered steel levers - you'll bend these, but only once every 2 years.
My wife and I bicycle about 3500 miles a year. We had tried other so-called puncture resistant kevlar tires, but they were a disappointment. We would still get a flat tire every month or so or even sooner. I got tired of fixing flats on the road. So, I bit the bullet and shelled out more money for a bicycle tire than I normally would for a car tire! The Schwalbe Marathon Plus is the best. It has that 5 mm extra strip under the tire's surface that helps prevent long punctures. (I once pulled out a 6 mm long thorn! It had not reached the tube.) The Marathon Plus, when brand new, seems to repel pointed rocks and glass shards. It must be the rubber compound. After a thousand miles or so, the rubber compound starts to break down and the tire is more susceptible to cuts and abrasions, but still offers great puncture resistance. After 5,000 miles or so, my wife's front tire started to get tiny nicks through the casement that would nick the tube. My solution? I bought a Mr. Tuffy Lite liner and put it under the tire on top of a Schwalbe tube. No more flats so far. My wife's front tire has over 10,000 miles on it. Sure, it has lots of nicks and cuts, but it still has more tread on it than my less-mileage rear Schwalbe Marathon Plus. (I carry more weight and pull a dog trailer with dog.) If you want to spend more time riding and less time on the side of the road, I highly recommend these tires. And, oh, I do inspect the tires once a week to pull out pointed debris.
Goat head stickers are a serious issue where i live, even if you stay in paved paths. I tried gatorskins first, had multiple flats on both tires. Total waste of money for me. The marathons are noticeably heavier and more difficult to mount, although i was able to put them on with regular tire levers. It's been a month now, no flats. I ride every day through stickers, glass.. there's no avoiding it. Today i picked about 10 of those stickers out if these tires. The rubber does not let them through. I don't even carry emergency flat stuff with me anymore. Great grip in wet conditions. I highly recommend, these tires are awesome!
I love this tire. I commute about 30 miles round trip to work on a regular basis. This tire has significantly reduced the number of flats I have had. The biggest cause of flats here in NM are these sun-hardened goat heads. I have tired slime, tire liners, and thick tubes but these tires are by far the best. They still are susceptible to side wall tears but they are more of the exception than the rule. Also, they last a very long time. I think I have put 2000 miles on my 1st tire and even though it is worn it is still serviceable.
Would buy them again. They have been on my wifes bike for 2 years and have been flat free and we travel in goat head (puncture vine) mecca. I'm riding a Rans bike Alterra 700x and have a set of 700x25 Continental Gatorskins on a set of A23 rims that I use when I want more speed, but for commuting to work, or just a slow ride with the family, I really like the Schwalbes. They're a bit slow and heavy compared to the 25c gatorskins, but I appreciate how well they protect me from flats. More retailers should stock them.
I use Schwalbe tires for my touring bicycle and generally get over 10,000 miles before replacement. I use the Marathon plus because it's almost bullet proof and flats are almost eliminated. This tire works well with touring bikes but is much too heavy for racing enthusiasts.
Used for commuting to work. I have had no flats with these tires and the last pair i got thousands of miles out of with only a couple flats every.
The marathon plus is my choice for touring. I have used the tire on four trans continental rides, the longest from Anchorage,Alaska to Naples, Florida with one flat. In that case a piece of metal flashing bristling with nails jammed between the rear fender and tire driving a nail into the sidewall. That would have stopped a truck tire so you have 8000 miles without one conventional flat. On average I anticipate one flat in a 4000 mile loaded trip, two at the outside, down from four with conti contacts or gatorskins. Initial mounting of the wire bead model is very difficult but once seated for a time they change out like any other tire. I rotate once in a trip and finish with plenty of tread left even after the 6000 mile trip just completed.(2 flats)- Bad luck with nails through hurricane debris along the gulf coast.
I use these tires (700c x 28)on my 80's vintage, steel-frame Miyata. They are very heavy, which drastically increases rolling resistance. However, for me, I am a C rider (Clydesdale 215) leading a weekly D group so I still get a good workout.
It was very hard to get the tires on the rims but the you-tube video was helpful. It's a good thing these tires don't flat as I would hate to have to re-install them on the road. I bring two toe straps on rides just in case (See you-tube video).
I especially like not having to hold my breath during those inevitable times when I have to drive over to the right where all the broken glass usually collects. With these Marathon Pluses, I don't even have to give it a second thought. As well, I can traverse the worst dirt roads I come across without fear.
Handling is superb with excellent grip. I've ridden them on muddy dirt roads as well as dry pavement. Even pump all the way up, they yield a firm yet supple ride.
Another big plus is the reflective strip on the sidewalls. It is very effective and can be seen from any angle, not just from the side. I complement this with some added reflective tape on the rims (placed between 7 consecutive spokes), a reflective crossing guard vest, reflective tape on the back of my helmet and back of my shoes. For actual lighting, I use two blinkies on the back (one on steady mode and the other on blink) and a small front light. I ride a lot by myself at night and find the motorists are more respectful when I am lit up.
Above all, even though I can't go very fast due to their heavy mass, I fear nothing while riding with them and that, alone, allows me to qualify myself as a Bad Ass.
The Schwalbe Marathon 700c has little rolling resistance, handles well at high speeds down steep curving grades, and it's puncture resistance is second to none. I'll never use another tire on my Trek 520. Having these tires on my bike is sheer heaven...no more flats and that's a wonderful thing!
I have bought the Marathon plus tires for about 3 years now...and they are the only tire i ever use, because of their flat protection ,,, I would rather be riding then fixing flats,,, they are a little heavy but are a very good solid tire,,,I'm Happy...
Cross country touring.
I commute daily to work in all weather, about 30 miles roundtrip. I also do loaded touring. For a long time I have been reluctant to try these tires because of the horror stories I have heard about difficulty in mounting them. I finally broke down and gave them a try and have been extremely satisfied. They were rather stiff when I first mounted them, but so are all tires. I used fingers on the first one, finishing the last four inches with levers. The second one I mounted using fingers only (the secret is to go very slowly and not force it). I have Velocity Dyad rims (another reviewer also uses these rims and experienced no difficulty mounting them). I have ridden 4,900 plus miles without a single flat. Not much tread wear. Looks like I will get another 2,000 miles or better on them. Another common criticism is weight. They are somewhat heavier than comparable size road tires, but when doing loaded touring or commuting in the dark in bad weather, weight becomes insignificant to me. After a day of riding I no longer noticed it. On the other hand, I seem to gather more speed on descents. I am very satisfied with these tires, and will replace them with the same when the time comes.
This are definitely not light tires by any means, I haven't had the chance to ride it much yet, but so far i like it. I have been using a set of specialized armadillos. I liked them but wanted something a little fatter on my touringcommuter bike.
I recently purchased these Marathon Plus tires in 700x28. Installation went smooth following the steps in the YouTube video. These tires replaced my Michelin Pro 2's (700x25), which I am saving for the spring group rides.
My first impression after taking the Marathon Plus's out on the first ride. Much slower than the Michelins. No surprise here. There is no way more than a 2 lb. jump in rotational weight isn't gonna slow you down big time. It started to rain and the tires had plenty of reassuring grip. Moving onto dirt from tarmac, the treads offered plenty of grip on muddy dirt road going uphill. Wouldn't even have tried this on the Michelins.
On the road, the Marathon Plus is stiff, yet supple. I didn't detect any sqirming. I had the rear pumped up to its max of 100 lbs. and the front at 80 lbs. I weigh 215 lbs. Going downhill in the cold rain (fingers numb), I detected no slipping under cornering or braking.
Day turned to night for the return leg. One nice surprise was that I got more respect from autos, which I attribute to the reflective sidewalls. They can actually be seen from behind, not just from the side. I also use two blinkies, one blinking, one steady, and a small front light.
I gave these tires a high rating because they are everything I want in a winter non studded tire. The beauty of their heaviness, is that I can get the same workout going slower, which means I'm not gonna freeze from wind. Knowing I am not going to have to change a flat in the cold is comforting. Of course, I have an extra tube and a pump, just in case. In fact, I am stowing two extra toe straps (see You tube video). The reflective stripes on the side is a beautiful thing.
I also have a set of Schwalbe Marathon Winter Studded tires on my other bike, which I take if it is gonna be below freezing on my ride. Just one patch of ice could cause a broken hip at my age and I'm not taking any chances. The Winter studded tires ad another rotational lb. to the bike over the Marathon Plus's. Since it is even colder when I use the studded tires, the added weight forces me to ride even slower for the same workout. I like riding slow in the cold to avoid wind chill.
