New 2016 Schwalbe Marathon Plus MTB looks good

[RobF]

A lot of the Wearside end of the C2C has been asphalted.

Great, much easier riding.

But the asphalt means the glass fragments sit on top of the surface, whereas on the previous mix of dirt, gravel and cinders, they could sink in out of the way.

The other thing to bear in mind at this time of year is ice.

It is much more likely to form on the asphalt than on the previous softer surface.

 

[paul20v]

Hi
Ive got a pair coming in the post
I will let you know how they are when there fitted and ive done some on and off road miles
There available at CRC if your quick
2 x 26"
4 x 27.5
1 x 29"
In stock

 

[Fordulike]

Hi
Ive got a pair coming in the post
I will let you know how they are when there fitted and ive done some on and off road miles
There available at CRC if your quick
2 x 26"
4 x 27.5
1 x 29"
In stock

Hi Paul, did you fit the Marathon Plus MTB (2016 version) in the end, and if you did, what are they like?

Any comments will be much appreciated, coz I'm itching to pull the trigger on a pair this week.

 

[paul20v]

Hi Paul, did you fit the Marathon Plus MTB (2016 version) in the end, and if you did, what are they like?

Any comments will be much appreciated, coz I'm itching to pull the trigger on a pair this week.

Hi
Yes they have been on now for around 500miles 2/3rds of that asphalt
The other 3rd off road trail centre work

As a road tyre they are really good in the dry roll really nice as i thought they would , wet weather i would say there a little hard compound wise but not so much were they make you nervous all this is run at around 55psi ,

Off road wet mud is out there rideable but ive had better , but gravel trails fire roads etc there great i run them at 30psi and there sure footed as any other tyre ive had

Puncture wise and im probably going to eat my words but ive not had a puncture yet in the last 500miles

Wear wise as i said the compound is quite hard and there barely worn at all i can see them lasting thousands of miles no problem

Would i buy them again ? Yes but i would like too see them in a slightly wider version like a 2.3"

Hope this helps

 

[Fordulike]

Hi
Yes they have been on now for around 500miles 2/3rds of that asphalt
The other 3rd off road trail centre work

As a road tyre they are really good in the dry roll really nice as i thought they would , wet weather i would say there a little hard compound wise but not so much were they make you nervous all this is run at around 55psi ,

Off road wet mud is out there rideable but ive had better , but gravel trails fire roads etc there great i run them at 30psi and there sure footed as any other tyre ive had

Puncture wise and im probably going to eat my words but ive not had a puncture yet in the last 500miles

Wear wise as i said the compound is quite hard and there barely worn at all i can see them lasting thousands of miles no problem

Would i buy them again ? Yes but i would like too see them in a slightly wider version like a 2.3"

Hope this helps

Excellent, thanks Paul, I'm convinced these are the right tyres for me

 

[georgehenry]

I am now over 3000 miles on mine, so they are certainly hard wearing. The back is wearing down but the front still looks re markedly good. About half my miles are off road and to date I have had no punctures. As Paul has said their strong construction makes them a really good road tyre. I run them at a pressure that works well on the road and keep them that way off road and although they would probably grip better at a lower pressure I find they work well enough and are the best compromise I could find for puncture resistance high miles commuting including off road in a variety of conditions in all weathers winter and summer. I am impressed and will replace like with like when the time comes.

 

[Fordulike]

Off road wet mud is out there rideable but ive had better , but gravel trails fire roads etc there great i run them at 30psi and there sure footed as any other tyre ive had

I'd like to run them as low as that. At that pressure though, am I at risk of damaging the rims when riding over prominent tree roots?

 

[paul20v]

I'd like to run them as low as that. At that pressure though, am I at risk of damaging the rims when riding over prominent tree roots?

There quite firm tyres
They handles roots and rock gardens at that pressure
No buckled wheels or pinch punctures (yet lol )

 

[martin@onbike]

Just completed a 24.7 mile ride mostly offroad through the Wyre Forest on the latest incarnation of the Schwalbe Marathon Plus MTB 27.5.

I'm running at about 45psi as I knew I would be doing a mix of terrain today...usually run at about 60psi for the commute. They absolutely fly along at 60 plus, and offer plenty of confidence at high speed as they feel rigid on the road. In fact, the first commute I did with these on, I shaved off 4 mins off my 17 mile run making it 52 mins, averaging about 19mph on a mountain bike.

Today, they felt pretty good as I hit the rough stone tracks, and gave confidence that they wouldn't pop due to the tough sidewalls and thick face when skidding sideways off the larger rocks and roots. Gripwise, they weren't great, and I felt everything due to their firmness, but I stayed on all day, and managed some fairly gnarly tracks without too much effort.

I took them over tracks that I nearly always get a puncture or two, without barely a thought for the thorns- which was great, as I just wanted a pleasant jaunt out today unplanned.

Before a pretty steep section:

...and after:

200ft in half a mile.
Got a feeling they will be utterly useless in the wet off road, but I'll stick with them through the dusty summer rides and see how they go.

Also, the Topeak mudguards did an admirable job.

 

[Fordulike]

Have ridden about 15 miles with the new Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres, and thought I would share my views on them.
They are the 2016 version with the improved dynamic tread profile.

Fitting them is a tiny bit harder than some tyres, due to the stiff nature of the construction. I wouldn't want to be fixing a flat on the roadside, but then again, hopefully riders shouldn't get any flats with these.

I'm comparing them with the Schwalbe Land Cruiser tyres I had on this bike previously.
Today was particularly muddy, as the Northern heavens have opened up over the past few days. Most of my testing was done in boggy woodland areas.
I am running them at 35psi, whereas the Land Cruisers were at 50psi.
This is because I feel the Marathons will cope with tough terrain better than the Land Cruisers, without getting snakebite punctures. The Land Cruisers need to be pumped up a bit more to avoid this.

Immediately I noticed they gave much more confidence on slippy surfaces.
I know the tread pattern is more aggressive than the Land Cruisers, but where I was ascending steep slopes before and getting tyre spin half way up, I was cruising up the same spots with the Marathons.
The lower tyre pressure probably helped too!

This was the same for cornering, and where the handling would get all squirrelly with the Land Cruisers, the Marathons didn't have this issue.
I actually had a smile on my face in places I had the look of fear with the Land Cruisers

They shed the mud really well and didn't look that dirty when I got home. Not compared to me, I was covered in shite lol.

Overall, I really like this tyre, and although it'll probably never be as good as a hardcore off road tyre, it's a fantastic all round performer.
The level 6 puncture protection really allows me to tackle some nasty terrain, knowing that the chance of getting a puncture will be minimal.

Here's some piccies of the bike when I got back:





and I also celebrated the Bafang reaching 2000 miles

 

[georgehenry]

Hi Fordulike, that's what I got them for, as a tough puncture resistant all rounder for my regular 23 mile commute with 13 miles off road, and I can't fault them after 3000 miles.

 

[Fordulike]

You just gotta love Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres.

Also, check out the bike the guy in the video is riding... Nice

 

[Croxden]

He mounts the bike from the right hand side, who else does that?

 

[Kinninvie]

My left handed pal does that and starts pedalling with his left foot!
I tried and nearly fell off.
He does have a dodgy back though and his left leg goes numb after 5 miles or so and then its get off on the right or fall off on the left (shame I didnt have my camera).

 

[Paul smith]

Hello fordulike...question if you don,t mind...my wheels are 27/5...by 2.35...the biggest size I,ve seen of these marathon plus is 2.0..do you think these be ok for my wheels...?....I go off road 90% of the time...forest trails an such...got a lap fs 500....thanks....just to add I wouldn,t mind using a bigger tyre..maybe a 3.0..would that be ok?....noob here...

 

[RobF]

Hello fordulike...question if you don,t mind...my wheels are 27/5...by 2.35...the biggest size I,ve seen of these marathon plus is 2.0..do you think these be ok for my wheels...?....I go off road 90% of the time...forest trails an such...got a lap fs 500....thanks....just to add I wouldn,t mind using a bigger tyre..maybe a 3.0..would that be ok?....noob here...

Going from 2.3 to 2.0 would be fine, and you may not notice much difference.

Going the other way to 3.0 is quite a big jump, the tyre might not sit well in the rim due to the beads being pinched closer together than they are designed to be.

Even if that works, you might have some clearance problems elsewhere.

 

[Paul smith]

Ok..thanks RobF...gonna give the 2.0 a try.

 

[Fordulike]

Ok..thanks RobF...gonna give the 2.0 a try.

Definitely give the 2.0's a try. Mine are 2.1's and I have no problem with handling or traction on the rough stuff.

The stiff construction allows the tyre to be run at lower pressure.
I have mine at 35psi and have noticed a marked improvement in grip and shock absorption.

Edit: In fact tyres for your size wheel are 2.1's according to the Schwalbe website:

http://www.schwalbe.com/gb/offroad-reader/marathon-plus-mtb.html

 

[georgehenry]

Pride comes before a fall!



The side wall on my Schalbe Marathon Plus failed at a mere 3800 miles on my off road route to work. It could have had a nick from something but I think it was just time and the punishing wear and tear I inflicted on it.

I do check my tyres quite often but had missed the beginning of this failure as it was where the rim and tyre meet. I had noticed what I thought was the beginning of a buckled wheel over a few days but it was in fact the tyre beginning to deform.

When it went the inner tube hernia'ed out of the widening gap, got caught on my rack and exploded in the most spectacular fashion with a loud bang and a burst pattern of green tyre sealant.

It happened exactly half way between home and work in the middle of nowhere. Typical. I carry tools and a spar inner tube but I don't carry a spar tyre! However I was going about 15 miles an hour and managed to come to a stop without falling off.

There are parts of my route where I am travelling at 35mph plus on a down hill road section with the motor off or 20 miles an hour plus on a steep technical single track section cranked over in a bend which does not bear thinking about,

When I saw what had happened I was not sure if I could bodge a repair to allow me to continue to work. However in the great tradition of bodging, Eddie look away now.



I replaced the tube, pumped it up as little as I could to ride the bike and used that well known repair stand by, string and a boot lace to brace the tyre. The cable ties I had with me were not long enough.

It got me the 5 miles to work, just about on time (Well most importantly not late. We have a timed sign on system) and more amazingly it got me the 10 miles home again, although 20 minutes slower than normal.

I emailed Martin at e-bikeshop where I bought my bike in the small hours of Monday the 4th of July and I dropped him the rear wheel at about 11:00AM on that Monday after I had got up, and Martin checked over/re trued the wheel and put on another schwalbe marathon plus new tyre that I collected at 2:00PM that same day and rode to work on it later the same day. Brilliant customer service.

They are brilliant tyres but because they are so resistant to wear (Mine still had some tread) I kept using mine too long. Their performance degrades so slowly as you use them that you don't notice how far they have degraded.

The new tyre has transformed the bike and I must remember to change my tyres quicker in future.

 

[paul20v]

Nasty
All thou there different too the new 2016 marathon plus mtb tyre which is also rated for e bikes so probably has a tougher side wall
But it shows not too dismiss anything out of the ordinary could have been a lot worse .