Schwalbe Marathon: A Commuter’s Review

In this video we’re taking a look at the Schwalbe Marathon tires.

They are super reliable and likeable despite not being very exciting.

[donaldwalter]

I’ve used Schwalbe Marathon Plus for years on my touring bikes. I’ve had a few flats but not many and due to nails, tacks. They have proven to be a SOB to install/ uninstall.
Have recently purchased a Continental Contact Plus to use on my gravel bike. Their structure is nearly identical to the Schwalbe tires and are even harder to install/uninstall. I had ordered 650Bx50mm but they fit to a 46mm width at 10psi lower than max pressure. These two brands of tires I think are still the best tires for loaded long distance tours mostly on pavement. 7:14

[rochester]

Marathons(plus) are very heavy and difficult to mount, however once you do you will never take them off because they never wear out and they never suffer punctures. I got mine literally from the dumpster, the former owner got bored with them and discarded them.

[cdaviesme]

Thumbs up for showing the reflective strip. Couldn’t find any good images of this anywhere

[johnmckeeman]

Been using marathon Green Guard.
For more than 3 yrs had 1 puncture that got tyre on the sidewall
Can't complain.
Definitely recommend.

[scythe]

I've been using Schwalbe Big Apple Plus on my trekking bike, and during the ~4000 km so far I had 2 punctures. And I use it on dirt road 30-35%, so it's a really nice pair of tyres.

[amandajane]

I bought the marathon plus. I saw how amazing the reflective rim was on my partners bike doing a night ride. I just had to get tires with that reflective rim. I don't understand why it isn't mandatory. At night the bikes look like sideshow rides with the reflective wheels revolving.

[mickleman]

I see a lot of people on here complaining about how hard these are to mount, for good reason, however no one is talking about how the tire gets easier to mount with age/use. Brand new, they can be a real pain in the butt to mount. My first time mounting a set it took me something like 45 minutes and a lot of cursing per tire (note: I heard using a ziptie to hold the tire in place during the first mount is a great way to cut down on time/cursing). However, after putting some miles on them, they break in and are no more difficult than any other full bead tire to get on/off. I just had to patch a flat while out biking, and spent more time looking for what caused the flat then I did getting my tire on/off.

Now wish me luck, as I have to replace my front tire as the side wall failed (after like 5+ years of use though so can't complain).

[EntropyOCD]

I just got these in 25mm. They are the right tires for urban roads. The cheap tires my bike came with had flats every week.

[poelaertpieterjan]

Using the marathon supreme for my commutes. Very decent protection and rolling resistance is very low.

[simseven]

Schwalbe marathon are really good tires, never had a flat tire with them, mounting can be tricky but mounting fluid or soap solve the problem✌🏻

[misaelramos]

I use Marathon Almotion TLE Addix on my commuter touring bike and they were very easy to mount, haven't had even a little bit of a a puncture in the 1100 miles I've had my rear tire and now it's on the front as my Bontrager GR1 TL has finally worn out and the bike feels very good with both sturdy touring tires now on there. Much nicer under load. No signs of wear on the older tire.

[grintalcycles]

I have used the Schwalbe Marathons before, and they are good all around commuting tires. Since I tend to do longer rides on the way home I prefer the Continental Gatorskins most of the time. That being said the Schwalbe Marathon Winter studded tires are my go to when there is snow and ice on the ground. They go on my winter bike around the end of November and stay on till mid -March.

[zauliuz]

Bought these tires, it's a big boost from stock 'Kenda booster'. First it was strange visually, from 700x45c to 37-622, but it looks thinner. Now waiting better weather, to properly test them. Also one more thing, it was easier to put on/off tire (broke presta valve, so had to change inner tube) than wheel :)

[AdvKhaled]

I have used tyre-liners for 3-4 years and only had one puncture in that time frame. Today I bought and installed Schwalbe Marathon but still installed a tyre-liner with it.

[MarkusFolkesson]

As I think I mention on your other video, my favorite is Continental RideTour, but I think you have a point that if your roads are decent, you doesn't need the extra puncture protection on marathon plus.

[naturamico]

Lovely video. Super work. Thank you, my Man.

[emilen]

I have the 365 on my MTB 26" eBike and I'm quite dissatisfied with the rolling resistance and wear. I have practically limitless power (around 3kW BBSHD) but both top speed and energy usage (Wh) take a noticeable hit.
They do have good grip in the cold wet season and they sound great when accelerating.

[RideWithRoy]

Good review! I’ve just changed from Marathon to Contact Plus. I found the Marathon to be quite scary in the wet and had two crashes caused by the tyres losing grip on wet corners. So far, the Contact Plus feel very grippy but are also a much harder ride than the Marathons, especially on trails. However, it’s a trade off I’m happy to make in favour of safety. In your Contact Plus review you mentioned greater road noise with them, but I’m happy to report I haven’t noticed this with my setup. Thanks for your reviews 👍

[Vegan_Touring_Cyclist]

I have a pair on my Brompton in a 16" size, and it is not easy to mount them at all ... :D

[kdstoffel]

There’s no denying the durability of the Marathon Plus, but I prefer the weight savings of the Marathon Supreme or Continental Top Contact II. Vectran belting provides 90% of the puncture protection at 50% of the rolling weight, with a more lively road feel.