Schwalbe Marathon Supreme update

[dougP]

Rivendell says they cost a lot, last forever & don't get flats. 2 our
3 ain't bad (they do have a disclaimer on that). In May 2011, I
installed a pair of 40 mm Marathon Supremes on my Atlantis. They were
purchased "used" from a list member. Whatever use he put on them did
not amount to much as I changed out the rear after over 7,500 miles &
ONE (count 'em!) flat. It wasn't totally worn out but the moment was
right. The front has had zero flats & looks good to go for another
couple of thousand or so.

In the meantime, I got a set of 45 mm Marathon Plus with Smart Guard
from another list member. They have zero miles; they just didn't fit
his fenders. One of those is on the rear now. Being a bit wider and
about double the weight (1,070 grams of steel & ruibber), I don't
expect to have any further comment until perhaps 2014.

When you think about the cost per mile and the flat resistance, Riv's
statements are pretty much on target.

dougP

[Jim Thill - Hiawatha Cyclery]

Because I have several bikes and a steady stream of new tires to try (and an easy outlet to get rid of half-used tires), I almost never wear out my tires. Nonetheless, the durability of Schwalbe's various touring tires stands out. A friend of mine had almost 9000 miles on a rear Marathon Supreme 26x2, but after he got his first flat, he gave in to the temptation to install the replacement/spare he'd purchased some time before. The tire was worn and full of glass chunks, but a cheapskate could have made it work for at least another 1000 miles, I think.

[cyclot...@gmail.com]

I've been working on this write up for a bit, and finally motivated to finish it! Borrowed the tires from Doug who I have commiserated with off list about tires. I totally have Goldilocks syndrome when it comes to tires!

http://cyclotourist.blogspot.com/2012/10/schwalbe-marathon-supremes-making-cut.html

I did have a bear of a time putting them on/off a CR18 rim. I can put the Paselas one using just my thumbs, but the Supremes definitely needed a lever, which I try to avoid. Goathead flat the first ride. The also "feel" clunkier than Paselas. Not a ton, and possibly a good trade off.

On Tuesday, October 9, 2012 9:36:41 AM UTC-7, hangtownmatt wrote:

Here's my experience:

5 Months
2,100 Miles
5 Flats

Scares me to think these could last 6-9K miles.  I will not repurchase this tire.  On the positive side, however, the tire is easily removed and re-installed without tools.

Matt

[PATRICK MOORE]

One of the very few positive things about having many goatheads in
one's riding environment is that they certainly make tire choice much
easier: there is absolutely no benefit to a heavy duty, hard rolling
tire just for the flat protection, since such protection is more or
less useless against goatheads. The belt in 60 mm Big Apples is an
exception both in its ability to resist say half of the goatheads one
finds embedded in them and in the decent rolling quality for the type
of tire.

I am about ready to toss an almost new pair of Weirwolfs because there
are so many thorns embedded in the casing.

Five flats in five months???? I'm happy if I get no more than five a week.

> --
> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
> "RBW Owners Bunch" group.
> To view this discussion on the web visit
> https://groups.google.com/d/msg/rbw-owners-bunch/-/UHjEs9X8ZiMJ.
> To post to this group, send email to rbw-owne...@googlegroups.com.
> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to
> rbw-owners-bun...@googlegroups.com.
> For more options, visit this group at
> http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.



--
Vote early, vote often, vote Rhinoceros!
http://tinyurl.com/d7muj2t

-------------------------
Patrick Moore, Albuquerque, NM, USA
For professional resumes, contact Patrick Moore, ACRW
http://resumespecialties.com/index.html
-------------------------

[cyclot...@gmail.com]

The only thing that defeats goatheads is going tubeless. It's pretty amazing to ride through fields of the stuff and not have to worry a bit!

[Jim Thill - Hiawatha Cyclery]

Getting flats, even several flats, does not mean it's a bad tire. It might be bad streets, or bad luck, for example.That a person gets five flats is not a sufficient report on the quality of the tire, unless we have more information. Are these five flats from running over beer bottles? Goatheads? Pinch flat or other rim/rimstrip issue? Were the five flats caused by a single wire or piece of glass because it wasn't removed the first time? Several years ago, I had three flats in quick succession on a Marathon Supreme. It was one of those tiny wires that pokes 0.1 mm through the tire and is almost impossible to find. Once I found it and extracted it, no more flats over the next several thousand miles. Then I put them on my ladyfriend's bike, half worn out, and she hasn't had flats either. So I could report that I got three flats in a week, which would be accurate, but misleading.

[Tom Harrop]

I started using Schwalbe tyres in 2009. No idea about mileage but I commute every day on crappy roads with junk in the bike lines, including broken glass (used to ride past 4 dodgy pubs each way). I've used Marathon Pluses and Supremes on two different bikes and recently Große Äpfel on my Bombadil, and I've had zero flats in three years.

Personally, I don't care if they're heavy and slow 'cos I'm heavy and slow too, but I do care about having to fix flats.