Technical > Wheels, Tyres and Brakes

Current Schwalbe tyre options

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ourclarioncall:
Just chewing over which tyre to get. Here is my options . I currently have what feels like a soft spongy 1.75 panaracer on the front and a schwalbe marathon plus on the rear 1.75

I think i want to up it to at least 2.0 . I think I would feel a bit more confident/secure with a slightly wider tyre and hear 2.0 is a good choice and recommended. I would think I would be okay with 2.0 but maybe there would be an issue with mudguards I have on 🤔 I would have to have a closer look

Maybe even wider than 2.0 would be interested but don’t know if that slows you down a bit the wider you get ?

ourclarioncall:
Here’s the options

Schwalbe Marathon tyres

GT365 - 26 x 2.15 (wired)
rolling: 3.5 / 6
Road grip: 5 / 6
Off road: 4 / 6
Protection: 6 / 6
Service life: 5 / 6
The first tyre which you will ride safely throughout the year in almost every condition. DualGuard puncture protection technology for maximum safety.
Maximum Load: 125kg

PLUS - 26 x 2.00 (wired)
Rolling: 3.5 / 6
Road Grip: 4 / 6
Off-Road Grip: 2 / 6
Protection: 7 / 6
Service Life: 6 / 6
The flat-less tyre. Schwalbe's best selling model. The most puncture resistant pneumatic tyre there is. 5mm smart guard. Low rolling resistance. Anti-Aging Side Wall. Maximum Load: 118kg


PLUS MTB - 26 x 2.10 (wired)
Rolling: 4 / 10
Off-Road Grip: 6 / 10
Protection: 10 / 10
Service Life: 10 / 10
The most puncture resistant MTB-tyre approved for fast E-Bikes. On the central ribs it rolls easily over hard paths, while strong outer lugs give great offroad traction. Maximum Load: 121kg

PLUS TOUR - 26 x 2.0 (wired)
Rolling: 3.5 / 6
Road Grip: 4 / 6
Off-Road Grip: 3.5 / 6
Protection: 7 / 7
Service Life: 6 / 6
Flat-less - with a purposeful trekking tread. This versatile tyre always does the job. Its robust construction handles almost any mistreatment. Maximum Load: 130kg

MONDIAL EVO - 26 x 2.0 (folding)
Rolling: 4 / 6
Road Grip: 5 / 6
Off-Road Grip: 3.5 / 6
Protection: 6 / 7
Service Life: 6 / 6
The ultimate touring tyre, made for roads, tracks and trails of all continents. The tread pays homage to its legendary Marathon XR predecessor. Note: For great expeditions always choose the Evo version (Double Defense). Maximum Load: 130kg

SUPREME - 26 x 2.0 (folding)
Rolling: 5 / 6
Road Grip: 5 / 6
Off-Road Grip: 1.5 / 6
Protection: 5 / 6
Service Life: 4 / 6

maximum comfort and speed. With elegant, futuristic tread design perfectly suited for fast city and touring bikes.
Maximum Load: 120kg

ourclarioncall:
The supreme seems like it would be a no for me as I would like to go on all types of terrain , but mostly roads, pavements, old railway lines. In future I might tackle more Rocky rugged terrain but not at the moment.

The mondial evo didn’t get great review online compared to other schwalbe tyres and it’s also folding like the supreme . I’m not sure if folding tyres are softer and more bouncy but I think I would prefer the wired more rigid type of the are better for stability while turning and leaning into corners and also grip.

My gut says to go with one of the plus models , either the plus, plus tour , or plus MTB. I think they seem to be a very similar tyre with the same puncture protection, but slightly different treads. There may be a few other differences

There is also the gt365

I don’t want a slow sluggish tyre , yet it doesn’t have to be the fastest

I want to prioritise safety and have a decent grip . I don’t want something that’s going to slide or skid on light road gravel etc

I would really like good puncture protection although it doesn’t have to be the best

My biggest concern I think is if I’m occasionally going fast down a hill that I’m not going to slip or slide , especially when turning the front wheel for corners (while moving at speed) .

JohnR:
All my recent tyres are folding versions. I think the beads are reinforced with Kevlar or similar material and at least as strong as wire. One advantage is that they are compact when folded so easier to take a spare if you are travelling through somewhere well off the beaten track.

One aspect you haven't tabulated is weight: The folding Mondial is 740g in your size whereas the Marathon Plus is 1100g. For two tyres that's nearly 3/4kg although that's not significant in the overall context of bike + rider + baggage. What may be slightly more significant is that it takes more effort to build up speed with heavier tyres (and more braking effort to stop them spinning). There's also the option of having the front tyre (which gets less load) a size smaller than the rear one.

You should try to estimate your proportions of riding on road vs on track and factor that into the mix. Alternatively, if you are making different trips on different surfaces then swap the tyres to whatever is more suitable for the trip. Getting more than one pair of tyres is a higher initial cost but pushes the time when you need to buy replacements further into the future.

PH:
IMO 1.75" is the sweet spot for 26" wheels, I went up a size, then down a size but call be goldilocks the 1.75's which is where I started were best.
Unless your tyres are worn or corroded, I think it'd be more productive to put your wallet away and experiment with tyre pressures, which can sometimes make as much of a difference as the tyres themselves.  You might of course come to a different conclusion to me, but if you haven't put in some mileage on what you have, you won't have a baseline from which to make comparisons.
If you do change -  It's a shame my favorite Schwalbe tyre for mixed surfaces isn't available in your size, but the standard Marathon takes some beating as an all rounder without being exceptional at anything.  If the off roading was a bit more serious there's also the Schwalbe Hurricane with a smooth centre and knobbly edges, I have one of these in 650B, bought to get me out of a jam, I didn't need the off road capability but was surprised how well it rolled on road.   Was there a reason to restrict the search to Schwalbe?  The Continental Double Fighter is a good tyre for not too serious off road and fine on, I had them in 24", though an older version than the current ones.

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