Alternatives to Schwalbe Marathon Pluses

How do,
My commuter has had 37mm Marathon pluses for the last year and I’ve come to realise that although the puncture protection is impressive they’ve turned a bike that I used to really enjoy riding into a complete pig. Does anyone have any suggestions for a reasonably puncture proof (though potentially less so than the marathons) commuter tyre that doesn’t feel like riding through treacle on wooden wheels?

Could I get away with something like a 28mm Durano Plus on a 19mm rim?

Cheers

I’ve been using Schwalbe Kojaks for a couple of years now, they’re light and fast and supposedly have a degree of puncture protection- but that’s hard to really judge, I’ve had no flats but maybe I’ve just not ridden over anything flatty.

I run 25mm Durano Plus on Aerotrack rims – I came to the same conclusion as you and they are significantly better than Marathons….. but that massive PU layer is always going to compromise the tyre feel.

Something like Gatorskins or Spesh Armadillo’s is probably your next step ‘down’ in terms of puncture resistance, but ‘up’ in terms of tyre feel.

On my commuters, tend to run the Durano’s through the winter, Gatorskins spring/autumn and GP4000 through the summer – will happily prioritise puncture resistance through the depths of winter, but want something racier on sunny summers evening when changing a tube isn’t going to lead to hypothermia…..

I’ve found Vittoria Randoneur Hypers to be pretty good. Quite light, decent puncture resistance and feel nice on the bike. Cheaper than Schwalbe too.

I’ve had no flats but maybe I’ve just not ridden over anything flatty.

Sadly, there’s a few bits of the commute which quite often have broken glass so flatty is unavoidable.

There’s often broken glass etc on my canal path sections but still, I just wouldn’t want to promise that the tyres are resisting serious punctures, I could just have been lucky. I’d expect to have flatted a few times on my pro 3s in the same time, mind.

Over the past few years I’ve moved away from Marathon Plus to Specialized Armadillo (when I can find them) or Panaracer Ribmo on both my 20 miles/day commuter and the winter roadie.

Not a lot of difference protection-wise from the Schwalbes, but they feel much better. I use 25mm. Quite happy at 80-90psi on skinny training wheels over canal towpath, cobbles, forest paths and the like.

I think tyre choice for commuter bikes are all about where your priorities are. As mentioned above, you draw a line from Marathon Pluses at one end (heavy, dead feeling, draggy, pretty much puncture proof) to something like a Veloflex Master at the other (silly light, fast, great feel, puncture when you look at them in the wrong way) and work out where between them you want your tyres to fit. On my winter commuter I run 28mm Ultremo’s with HD protection as I’ll trade some puncture resistance for speed (I also have a frame pump so if I do puncture it’s not too bad to fix).

Durano’s are good tyres, certainly faster but you’ll get more punctures, Gatorskins are faster too though personally I think they’re horrible tyres that offer no more feel and lots less grip.

Schwalbe Marathon Supreme are much lighter than the Marathon Plus, and still pretty puncture proof.

Or look at Panaracer Ribmo or Pasela PT.

had these on for 2 months, after a year or so on marathons.
my bike feels like a race machine in comparison.

no puntures so far.

http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/TYVIRANDC/vittoria-randonneur-cross-wired-tyre

I also had the same tyres as ton over last winter. Not a single puncture. Great value.

Cheers all, some useful thoughts there. Those Vittorias are almost too cheap not to give a go.

Marathon Pluses and their ilk can ruin any bike, horrible things, even though I they have their place (i.e. Pashleys).

Marathon racers are a nice high volume compromise with enough tread to give you a sporting chance on unpaved surfaces.

If you’re staying on tarmac and want ‘tough & fast’ then try Continental Gator Hardshells, they go up to 32c as well. Standard Gatorskins are lighter but less tough.

lemonysam, i got mine for £7.99 😀

I’ve had a lot of good fortune with Specialized Roubaix Armadillo Elites. Lots of puncture protection and still a reasonable amount of feel and get up and go. Conti 4 Seasons were good too. Wouldn’t take either far off road though.

Can you still get marathon race?

about 30c but come up small. Seem to be lighter and faster than the heftier marathons in the range. Still no 23c race tyre but ride better than the equivalent gatorskin in my experience.

after moving (and the new commute) i have been up thorough punture protection and ended up with M+s. They are a bit wooden.

Durano was a light alternative to a gatorskin (with a much better feel imo) but not enough protection for me.

28c marathons would be a lot faster than 37s wouldn’t they?

I hated Marathon pluses also. They were just heavy dead feeling things that made the bike a pain to ride. I have quite a long commute so want something fast but there is a lot of glass on the route so puncture proof is important.

I am now running road tubeless and so far it’s been working really well for me. I’m a bit worried if I do get a puncture because they’re very difficult to mount, but that hasn’t happened yet. Expensive though, requiring new wheels as well as expensive tyres.

Can you still get marathon race?

Yes! [/url]

marathon racer is the same as a durano (imo) the durano is 23, 25, 28. The marathon racer starts at 30 and the weights and spec imply they are effectively the same.

I have a pair of each (28, 35) and they seem similar. i like them – but not punture resistant enough for the glass on my commute. 🙁

28c marathons would be a lot faster than 37s wouldn’t they?

That’s probably true but I think I’m done with them.

Cheers all, I’m thinking I’ll go for the Durano Plus or Ton’s recommendation.