Punctures

[Jodel]

Yep, still carry all the puncture repair essentials. I had a rear wheel puncture this year as a result of a faulty inner tube (Schwalbe). A tiny hole appeared in the rubber right next to the valve stem - not an easy place to patch. I always carry a spare tube anyway, so fitted that and carried on.

 

[thirteen]

Reading through this thread, it seems we're all massive fans of Marathon Plus tyres and super confident we'll never get a puncture (I've got them too).

My question then is how lucky do you feel NOT to carry a puncture repair kit, pump, and/or a spare tube?

As Clint Eastwood would say "Do you feel lucky, Punk? Well, do ya?"!

I still carry a puncture kit and pump but never used it either!

I'm a Marathon plus fan, too.

I still carry a tiny ( but reassuringly expensive ) pump and a pack of scabs.

The only time I have used any scabs before they've gone past their use-by date is when I've given them to riding friends who've suffered punctures on a ride.

 

[StuartsProjects]

Tannus inserts will reduce the risk with most tubed tyre types, but do alter the feel. In theory you can ride them flat, but didn't work for me on 20" folder tyres.

I tried them.

Could not get them perfectly straight in the tyre, which made the steering wobble.

I took them out.

 

[slowcoach]

Over the years, I can only recall 2 occasions when I have had a puncture whilst out riding. Both of them when we were racing for home, having got caught in heavy rain.

 

[Bikes4two]

• Marathon plus tyres have their appeal regarding their resistance to puncturing but their roll resistance makes them a dog to ride (you'll maybe only appreciate this fact if you're used other tyres to compare against).
• And if you do have to remove a marathon plus tyre for any reason, they can be very very tight on the rim - a particular problem for some with weakened wrists/fingers (but there are tools to assist such as the VAR tyre levers or similar)
• A cycling chum of mine has on more than one occasion successfully used the bike tyre sealant dispensed from an aerosol can.
• You will eventually get a puncture, be sure of that, so it is good to have some means of repair/recovery (I usually carry two spare tubes and a puncture repair outfit and a tyre 'boot' (as they are called) to patch up a tyre wall if it gets cut).
• Alternatively, a good lock to anchor the bike to something, and the means to call a taxi/friend
• 

 

[PC2017]

Marathon plus tyres have their appeal regarding their resistance

what are these tyres like on wet slippery roads? My schawlbe land cruisers are not so great in this foggy wet period. They do look tread wise very similar.

Anyone tried SCHWALBE Marathon (GreenGuard) added bonus these have been tested for high speed ebike.

 

[sjpt]

what are these tyres like on wet slippery roads? My schawlbe land cruisers are not so great in this foggy wet period. They do look tread wise very similar.

Anyone tried SCHWALBE Marathon (GreenGuard) added bonus these have been tested for high speed ebike.

I find Marathon Plus are OK but not excellent on wet roads. We tend to ride pretty conservatively when its wet so aren't really testing them under serious stress. Sideways grip on slippy offroad mud is very poor.

 

[cyclebuddy]

Marathon plus tyres have their appeal regarding their resistance to puncturing but their roll resistance makes them a dog to ride (you'll maybe only appreciate this fact if you're used other tyres to compare against).

I do agree with that, having put them on one of my hybrid ebikes after the original Kenda Kourier tyres wore out at 1000 miles. The KK's had a narrow fast rolling centre strip with a more open side-tread. The MP+'s require more effort, feeling very sluggish by comparison. I don't share your views on being any more difficult to put on or remove though (on either of my 2 hybrid e-bikes), though I've heard many complain. Maybe that's specific to rims?

what are these tyres like on wet slippery roads? My schawlbe land cruisers are not so great in this foggy wet period. They do look tread wise very similar.

Anyone tried SCHWALBE Marathon (GreenGuard) added bonus these have been tested for high speed ebike.

Personally, I think MP+'s compound, their quite solid/closed surface tread, and their added 5mm puncture belt make them far too hard (as in not very pliable). IMHO that makes them a bit slippy too.

Regular Marathons (Greenguard) on my folding ebike has a more open tread, a lesser 3mm puncture belt, and do feel more supple and comfortable and a bit grippier on all surfaces.

 

[Jodel]

As above - what sjpt said. I find the grip from Marathon Plus perfectly acceptable, but I don't push my luck on wet roads. They are hopeless off-road - fine on railway paths and so on but they have no grip at all in muddy conditions.

With the correct technique:

they are not too bad to fit to a rim, but there are certainly easier tyres to fit.

They do feel very 'dead' to ride, but having a motor to help tends to lessen that sensation.

 

[guerney]

what are these tyres like on wet slippery roads? My schawlbe land cruisers are not so great in this foggy wet period. They do look tread wise very similar.

Anyone tried SCHWALBE Marathon (GreenGuard) added bonus these have been tested for high speed ebike.

My bike had a near catastrophic sideways slip once, while I was cycling over a large metal hatch in the road, in wet conditions. I managed to stop myself faling by instinctively sticking out a leg - that could have gone badly. That was with normal 1.5" Marathon tyres, not the 1.75" Marathon Plus. Since changing to the Plus, I take extra care to avoid such large metal areas as much as possible, especially in the wet. I would not trust them on muddy paths at all.

 

[Bikes4two]

The ease of removing/fitting Marathon Plus tyres does to some extent depend on the particular rim with some rims being easier than others.

That youtube video above is now a good few years old and the guy doing the tyre fitting is 'Colin', a renowned wheel builder who used to work for Spa Cycles (now retired - and known as Colin531 on the Cycling UK forum).

I was forced to follow his guidance more than once but I got so 'hissed' off at the time spent to get the tyres off and back on again, especially on a cold, damp winter's day, that I gave all my M+ tyres away.

Before you ask as to what I used as a replacement, I am not an expert in these things and there are so many factors to consider - my general criteria is price vs performance and having a reasonable resistance to punctures as I'm OK with fixing such things out on a ride.

As for wet weather performance, I really can't say as I'm mostly a dry weather rider now I'm retired but as has been said already, avoiding metal covers, patches of muddy roads, potential icy spots at the bottom of hills (frost rolls down hill and collects at the lower points) and so own, lead me to exercise careful road craft especially as I now no longer bounce of tarmac in the 'minimal harm' way that I used to

 

[guerney]

The strong nylon tyre irons work well - the metal ones I tried scratched rims and punctured inner tubes. At the final stage of heaving Marathon Plus tyres over the rims, I reasoned that keeping a reusable ziptie or two in my repair kit was useful.

 

[trevor brooker]

Well as the weather is starting to turn I've taken my MP off the front & replaced it with a winter tyre, as I found that MP grip on frost was not the best.
I also have a set of studded tyres for the extremely unlikely possibility that we get snow/ice that hangs around longer than overnight.

 

[Jodel]

The ease of removing/fitting Marathon Plus tyres does to some extent depend on the particular rim with some rims being easier than others.

Completely agree with the above. The original rim on my Woosh hub motor wheel was a very loose fit - even with a Marathon Plus tyre. Mounting to that rim requires a great deal of care to ensure that the tyre bead fully engages with the rim.

Conversely, I use Ryde Sputnik rims on other bikes and they are certainly towards the 'large' end of 700C sizes. Sputnik rims are cheap and really tough, but they are quite variable in terms of sizing. I have used Sputniks with a measured ERD of 603mm up to an ERD of 606mm - the Ryde website quotes an ERD of 600mm if I remember correctly.

Even allowing for a 1mm shrinkage when the wheel is brought up to tension, they can certainly make fitting a Marathon Plus tyre quite a challenge.

 

[GLJoe]

• Marathon plus tyres have their appeal regarding their resistance to puncturing but their roll resistance makes them a dog to ride (you'll maybe only appreciate this fact if you're used other tyres to compare against).
• ...

Good post. I pretty much agree with most of your comments about the marathon plus, apart from maybe the rolling resistance?
Are they really that bad in this respect? I'm not sure. It may be that they are soooo heavy, the perceived drag when accelerating etc might give the impression of high rolling ??

(I do have a pair of 47mm MPs that I once tried on my non electric gravel bike. Dear god ... they made the bike feel like a lump of lead! I had to take them off ASAP!! If I recall ,they added nearly 2kg onto the weight of the bike compared to something racy like a GP4000 !)

 

[thirteen]

My experience with Marathon Plus seems to conflict with most above.

I was put off fitting them for years because of opinions regarding their high drag and the difficulty of fitting on rims.

I decided to fit them to my Brompton for an all-day ride in a remote location, figuring that I'd put up with the issues for their puncture prevention properties.

I needn't have worried. The MPs were just as easy to put on without levers as any others I'd tried, and they rolled better than Brompton's own branded tyres.

Bolstered by this, I fitted a pair on my MTB. They have been brilliant for everything except mud. That said, neither are Schwalbe landcruisers, and the MPs are better on road. Again they go on ( and off when finally worn out) without levers.

On an ebike, particularly on a hub motor wheel, it's a no brainer. I would never even consider anything else unless I was riding extreme off road.

 

[sjpt]

The original rim on my Woosh hub motor wheel was a very loose fit - even with a Marathon Plus tyre.

I found that (XF07 700c front rim). I don't think it was just the rim, though. I think there was a batch of MPs just over three years ago that were much looser than most. After a failed MP fit I ran a different tyre on the Woosh rim for a time. I refitted an MP (after a puncture in the other tyre) and the new MP fitted fine. I can't remember what the other tyre was; it was much lighter but after it the MP felt smoother and faster rolling

 

[PC2017]

Huge response - good see - thanks. I think my tyre is similar in tread design, defo avoid wet metal covers and try not to venture out in the ice, although I read that letting the pressure out a little can help with ice.

 

[Danidl]

Just my tuppence . When I was doing serious cycling commutating .. across city 8 miles each way, I would replace the tyre and tube after 1 puncture .. which typically happened on month 11 Now that was 30 years ago. . Now with more leisure cycling, I did fit slime, marathon plus tyres on the ebike ,and ensure they are very hard pumped up. Yes I have the little pump and a few patches .. but the one puncture I got I had my wife bring the car and bike rack....

 

[Kinninvie]

Had a puncture yesterday in a virtually new marathon plus front tyre
In the middle of the forest on a cold,rainy,foggy morning.
Luckily I always carry a spare tube and a full set of tools including some Co2 canisters so a fairly quick fix.
I found a thorn in the tyre right in the centre and managed to pull it back out with sidecutters.
When I got home I put half a bottle of slime in in the hope it won't happen again. I already put the other half in the rear tyre which I had fitted just last week so hopefully it won't happen again at least until the weather improves.
I will still carry a spare tube though as slime has let me down once before with another thorn that it should have coped with easily. I also carry some scabs in case I get another puncture after replacing the tube!