Marathon/Plus

[GlenBen]

Just a quick question to find opinions on the schwalbe marathon or marathon plus.

The latter cost a fair bit more, just wondering if they are worth the extra cost. I feel as though if I get the marathons Ill always wish I had gone for the plus.

They will be used on a heavy hybrid I use for commuting and shopping so weight and performance arent an issue, purely durability and cost.

Alsoooo... My current tyres are
700x38c
28 x 1 5/8 x 1 1/2
40-622
Am I right in thinking they're 700c and 28mm wide?

 

[sabian92]

I use the plus and never had a problem. They are heavy tyres though, but they are the best.

700c is the diameter of the wheel, 28 is the width so yes, you're right.

 

[potsy]

Heavy and difficult to fit, but a great tyre for durability and puncture resistance.
You could probably fit 700x32 to keep the weight down a bit.

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

Just a quick question to find opinions on the schwalbe marathon or marathon plus.

The latter cost a fair bit more, just wondering if they are worth the extra cost. I feel as though if I get the marathons Ill always wish I had gone for the plus.

They will be used on a heavy hybrid I use for commuting and shopping so weight and performance arent an issue, purely durability and cost.

Alsoooo... My current tyres are
700x38c
28 x 1 5/8 x 1 1/2
40-622
Am I right in thinking they're 700c and 28mm wide?

The most accurate of those figures is the 40-622 bit. This tells me that your current tyres are 700c (to fit 622mm diameter rims) and 40mm wide.

The 700x38c is an older way of writing this but can be a bit vague. For example, my tyres are 700x35c but are actually 37mm wide.

The 28x1 5/8x1 1/2 bit is the imperial description of the size; 28 inches by 1 5/8 inches.

I run Schwalbe Marathon on my main bike and so far I've been really pleased with them. Comfortable, grippy and no punctures in the last 2700 miles. I'd certainly recommend them.

I haven't tried Marathon Plus but from what others have written, here and elsewhere, they are heavier, harder to fit and have a harsher ride. On the plus side they appear to be one of the most puncture resistant tyres currently available.

The choice is of course yours, but I can happily state I have no regrets about choosing the standard Marathons.

 

[GlenBen]

Thats cleared that up for me, thanks, I was looking at the completley wrong part. I'll dwell on it a bit longer, the lower cost is drawing me into marathons and they seem to be holding up nicely for you.
Thanks for the answers.

 

[Davidc]

I use marathons on both bikes plus now my wife's and have been very pleased with them.

I've fitted the plus version to another persons bike and my hands hurt afterwards.

 

[glasgowcyclist]

Just a quick question to find opinions on the schwalbe marathon or marathon plus.

I've enjoyed over 20,000 puncture-free miles since switching to Marathon+ tyres.

I'm not racing so don't give a monkey's about minimal extra weight or rolling resistance. I did once work out that using them added roughly 90 seconds onto my 7.5 mile commute to work compared to normal tyres but decided that was worth it, compared to fixing about 2 punctures each month in the freezing rain with numb fingers.

There is a knack to fitting/removing them but once you know that, they're no worse than standard tyres. (There's a video of the method somewhere on Youtube.)

The only reason there's still a pump in the bottom of my pannier is to offer help to those poor sods who've not seen the light!


GC

 

[MrJamie]

The 28 is 28inch diameter, width as said above is 38 or 40 mm.

I'd definitely go for the plus, theyre heavy and ride quite hard, but they're very very good against punctures and the last a huge number of miles so easy to get value for money. There's also the Marathon Plus Tour, which are the same but with a slightly knobbly at the edge tred, feels as good on roads but is vastly better for grip on light trails.

Price from Germany isnt bad.. http://www.bike-discount.de/shop/a1979/marathon-plus-28-40-622-reflex.html?lg=en&cr=GBP&cn=gb about £45 a pair or the more on/offroad version http://www.bike-discount.de/shop/a12469/marathon-plus-tour-28-42-622-reflex.html?lg=en&cr=GBP&cn=gb

You could look at going for narrower tyres, but I think people oversell the performance increase for the average cyclist. I've gone back up from 35 to 40mm, because theyre noticably better on trails and not noticably any slower on the road.

 

[rowdin]

+1 for the m+ tour just fitted on the touring bike. (700x40) They seem to be easier to fit than the M+, and like Mr jamie said not as slow as people think.

 

[mrandmrspoves]

I have Marathons on my Dalesman tourer - no punctures in 4 years.

 

[MarkF]

I can only echo what glasgowcyclist said. I have used M+'s for years now, I bought them primarily for puncture resistance and also for their longevity. If I gave a monkey's fart about "feel" and "weight" then I wouldn't have bought them.

Never had a puncture since moving to them, that's many 1000's of miles of often loaded, mixed riding, touring on road, trail, towpaths etc I don't even think about punctures now.
I can fit 32mm's and 35mm's as easily as I've ever fitted any tyres. I have heard 28mm's are difficult to fit.
I road across Spain on Continental Touring Plus tyres this summer, after 1000 miles they were very worn, had to switch them aound before the trip was done, incredible! The M+'s look like new at 1000 miles.

 

[DougieAB]

Just fitted Marathons to replace the original Maxxis tyres that came with the bike. Maxxis were pretty hopless when it came to preventing punctures so hope the Marathons fare better. Got the 700x35 versions off Amazon for £19 each.

 

[GlenBen]

Ahh just throw some M+tour into the equation and give me yet another choice...cheeeeers haha.

I hadnt actually considered the tours, though they would probably suit me well as a bit of my usual route cuts through a country park. May well help in the mud as its only getting wetter now.

 

[PaulLittle]

I'm looking for a way of reducing the number of punctures I am getting - currently 2 or 3 A WEEK!!! I have the standard "flack jacket" tyres on my Specialized Sirrus and it's getting beyond a joke. I have another flat to fix before I go home tonight on the front and the rear definitely feels softer than when I left this morning, grrrr

 

[ianrauk]

I'm looking for a way of reducing the number of punctures I am getting - currently 2 or 3 A WEEK!!! I have the standard "flack jacket" tyres on my Specialized Sirrus and it's getting beyond a joke. I have another flat to fix before I go home tonight on the front and the rear definitely feels softer than when I left this morning, grrrr

Are you checking your tyres after every ride?
So so and dig out anything that is sticking in or on to the rubber.
Get into the habit and it will seriously reduce the amount of punctures that you get.
It's a pain in the arse, but less so then another puncture.

Also on another note, are you pumping up the tyres to the recommended PSI as indicated on the sidewall of the tyres.