Schwalbe ONE tyres - a history?

[trailplanner]

I'm confused.  Does Schwalbe like renaming tyres?

I have HS462 Schwalbe Pro-One 622-28 fitted. Are these now called Schwalbe One?
Is there a new tyre which has inherited the Pro-One title, the HS493 Pro-One with the new Soupeless marketing (whatever that means)?

Likewise, for winter I have a pair of G-One HS472, have they been superseded?  Maybe I have the G-One Speed tyre?

Schwalbe makes it impossible to read the HSxxx designation when fitted, as it is written on the bead, but I am sure I have never ridden on HS493s

I have about 3,000km on the HS462s and would like to know what experience people have on durability? The HS462 is priced at £32 and the HS493 is £57. So what exactly does that extra £25 buy you?  I don't expect the HS472 G-Ones to last long. Is there a better winter tubeless tyre?

[Andre Jute]

Man, don't even start on Schwalbe's Marathon line, where they count the variations by the baker's dozen.

[trailplanner]

Oh dear - I suspect we are being bamboozled and/or brand jacked.

I have to know why "souplesse" has a £25 premium.

[Andre Jute]

Oh dear - I suspect we are being bamboozled and/or brand jacked.

Not with Schwalbe. Certainly in the Marathon line, I've had some which were different from each other and had justifiable price differences, and the Big Apples too have been on my bikes or in my spares in several different versions, the most useful differences from the cyclist's point of view being the suppler sidewall of the "folding" version (since promulgated across the whole Big Apple range except the racing versions) and various levels of puncture protection. In addition, many forum members have experience of more than one, and some of several, versions of the Marathon touring tyres, differing in the surfaces they're intended for, load bearing, comfort, thorn-proofing (no pun intended), and so on.

Actually, I'm not at all certain that the cushy Big Apple wasn't once ludicrously classed in the Marathon group too, because "Marathon" was at one stage used by Schwalbe to class together long-lasting, puncture proof tyres for commuters and tourers, as distinct from lightweight tyres for roadies and racers, and some of the fatter touring Marathons like the Supreme and the Mondial are themselves balloon tyres, the class the Big Apples rather obviously belong to.

But all of this is the opposite of brand jacking or brand engineering in the old British Motors Leyland sense. Schwalbe includes really different products under an overly large sub-brand umbrella -- it isn't just changing names and pretending it is a new product justifying a price premium, which is what you suspect.

I have to know why "souplesse" has a £25 premium.

Every man must have a hobby. Go to the English Schwalbe technical site at
https://www.schwalbe.com/en/tour
and compare, within the type of tyre you're interested in (I've linked the touring tyre pictorial reference rather than the home page, and you need to scroll down to G-ONE), in the first instance the class of puncture protection of which there are several types of different weights and materials and effectiveness, then the formulation of the compound (grouped in classes by wear characteristics), then the sidewall construction, then safety and cosmetic features like reflective bands or colours.

Don't forget, once you're the maximum expert on SCHWALBE G-ONE ALLROUND multi-purpose gravel tyres, to report back so we can be experts too -- or at least less confused.

[trailplanner]

I think I get it now.  Just reboot your brain each time you need new tyres and go to their website / SJS to select a new tyre and wonder in the new technology and price/performance.

I am more than delighted with Schwalbe tyres, having used the Dureme /Mondial extensively for touring, and now the G-One for winter and the HS462 One TLE (formerly Pro-One).

Perhaps I'll try the *new* Pro-One HS493s next time and bathe in the souplesse performance. The HS462s are fast, comfortable and so far wearing well, although I have had a couple of punctures, promptly sealed with Stans sealant.  Messy when it happens, but surprisingly effective.

(See https://trailplanner.co.uk/2020/04/25/fine-tuning-a-new-thorn-audax-mk4/) - I shall update this as my experience develops.

I have too much time on my hands due this pandemic and lament the loss of a Dairy Milk Bar that tastes good and Worthington's White Shield with bits in the bottom of the bottle.

[Andre Jute]

I think I get it now.  Just reboot your brain each time you need new tyres and go to their website / SJS to select a new tyre and wonder in the new technology and price/performance.
....
I have too much time on my hands due this pandemic and lament the loss of a Dairy Milk Bar that tastes good and Worthington's White Shield with bits in the bottom of the bottle.

In these hard times, with the police politely but firmly supervising the cyclist's distance from home, brainfood much stronger than Milky Way is required. Even Cadbury's Bournville Black is too plain. I've also tried the Bournville Orange and the Bournville new old Jamaica rum and raisin, and can report that both fire at 185Vrms across the synapses of the brain.   

[PH]

I think it's Schwalbe's way of telling us German's do have a sense of humour after all, it's just different to everyone else's.
I have three bikes with Marathon tyres on, Almotion, original and Supreme (In two versions) the only similarity between them is the name.

[steve216c]

I think it's Schwalbe's way of telling us German's do have a sense of humour after all, it's just different to everyone else's.
I have three bikes with Marathon tyres on, Almotion, original and Supreme (In two versions) the only similarity between them is the name.

Thanks to Brexit, I had my sense of humour surgically removed and took German citizenship last year. Humour is overrated- and 'we Germans' find it no laughing matter.

As for tyres- there may be too many Marathon models. There are differences between the puncture resistance and rolling resistance. I have Marathon Plus on my MTB and derailleur trekking bike, both almost 'slick' style. And on my Rohloff, it came with slightly more knobbeled  Marathon Plus Tour which I rotated a couple of weeks ago, but will probably need to get replaced within 12 months as they are getting rather worn.


Since moving to Germany in the 1990s I've learnt tyre economics the hard way. Cheap tyres cost more. Not only in that they wear out quicker, but that you are more likely to tear/rip/get blow outs and of course get punctures. Even branded tyres with less puncture resistance like Big Apple or Road Cruiser both from Schwalbe proved inferior to me both puncturing within a year of purchase even if slightly nicer riding tyres- bringing me back to paying a bit more for piece of mind and Marathons with smart guard for stress free riding and longer life.

Unless you ride a lot off road, I believe you gain more with smoother tyres. A huge noise saving, less roll resistance on the road and you'll get to your goal with slightly less effort. My commute involves a 5km short cut through a forest. Unless there has been a lot of rain my 28" bikes perform fine. In my opinion, the Marathon Plus Tour on my Rohloff provides no real grip advantage for my ride, and will be replaced with regular Marathon Plus. On my 26" MTB I had Big Apples (punctured 3 times over 2 years), went back to knobbly Continental tyres for a while, but then bought ballon style Marathon Plus smooth tyres later which improved road riding and work great off road despite no knobbles on firm paths, sand, but no so good if mud gets deep and boggy.

Marathons are marketed in Germany as 'unplattbar' (unburstable). Not quite true. I've had a sidewall blow after an older tyre developed a bulge. I also punctured one a couple of weeks ago when I drilled out a rim to take car valve, and didn't notice a tiny slither of metal landed in tyre. I got tyre to 4 bar with hand pump and rode to garage to push it to the recommended 6 bar a day or so later. 3 hours later I returned to find my bike sitting on the rim having been punctured from the inside by that pesky drill slither I'd missed. But Marathon tyres really just protect you from external puncture risks and are really good at that and worth the compromise on weight and slightly increase in rolling resistance- based on the peace of mind and trouble free mileage they reward us with and the long term savings on lasting far longer than regular tyre alternatives.

[Matt2matt2002]

I think it's Schwalbe's way of telling us German's do have a sense of humour after all, it's just different to everyone else's.
I have three bikes with Marathon tyres on, Almotion, original and Supreme (In two versions) the only similarity between them is the name.

German humour is no laughing matter. 😉