Agreed Andre.

Another factor regarding tyre failure is of course their age (and how they have been stored…..moisture, uv exposure, on a wheel or folded etc).   Touring tyres by design should last for a good mileage (say 10,000 miles) so can take many years to wear out.  In the last few years I have scrapped 4 x tyres due to cracking not wear.   All were on secondhand bikes so their age was not known.

The recommended life for caravan tyres is 5 - 7 years.   If good reliability is wanted maybe we should consider a similar maximum age for cycle tyres?  But few if any have a date stamp showing when they were manufactured.

Not the latest style but very little use judging by the rest of the bike it was removed from. No tears/scuffs etc to fabric, just some marks on the rails as can be expected and a small amount of chrome paint loss underneath which I've tried to photograph. I'm happy to take more photos if requested.

£40 including post within the UK.

I've been using Schwalbe Marathon Supreme tyres for at least 15 years.

In 4 different sizes, 559x50, 559x4, 584x50 and 584x42.

I currently have them on 7 of the family bikes, they have a total of 62,600 kms of use.

I have scrapped 2, both in the 26" 559x50 size. These were the tyres that I had used for my 3,300 km tour to Spain and Portugal, carrying a fairly heavy load (max all-up weight 123 kg), at times on rocky tracks. After that tour I fitted new Supremes to my tourer and eventually finished off the tyres on one of my utility bikes. The rear tyre failed with a bulge (ruptured carcass) about where the puncture resistant belt fits, a short time after I dropped off an 18 cm kerb with fully loaded rear panniers. It had been first used ten years before the failure and had done 8,625 kms, in my opinion a good score for a lightweight tyre used on a rear wheel. I replaced the front tyre at the same time, as it had a deep cut through the thread, this tyre had done 12,109 kms. Still lots of tread left on both. All the other Supremes are still in use.

The other 26" 559 tyres that I currently use are :

- Schwalbe Marathon Dureme, which are supposed to be tougher than Supremes and are only slightly slower on tarmac. But these haven't been available for several years.
- Schwalbe Marathon Mondial, a heavier, slower and tougher tyre with reinforced sidewalls that seems more suitable for extensive riding off tarmac.
- Schwalbe Marathon Plus, a rather sluggish puncture-resistant tyre I use on the rear wheels of my visitor bikes to avoid visitors having to fix rear wheel punctures and hence mess up the adjustment on the Shimano hub gears.
- Nokian Hakkapeliitta W240 studded tyres that go on one of my utility bikes when icy roads might be a problem. I have had these for a long time, but haven't used them much recently as ice and snow has become rare here over the past 20 years or so.

I don’t think there is ever a definitive answer - too many variables, including the tyre type.  A rigid walled Marathon Plus may need a different pressure to a tyre of the same size from the same manufacturer (eg a Big Apple).  Any internet advice is just a starting point.

What I have found confusing is the advice on tyre walls.
I recently scrapped some old 26 x 1.5 tyres which said ‘max pressure 40psi’ on their sidewalls and replaced them with Marathon Plus tyres of the same size that have a minimum pressure of 55psi written on their sidewalls….

For sale.
Two used Schwalbe 2" tires for 26" wheels
Open to offers