Technical > Wheels, Tyres and Brakes

Current Schwalbe tyre options

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martinf:
I have three of those models.

Marathon Supreme, which I have on several family bikes. Rolling resistance is significantly better than the others on roads, and they perform better than I expected for off-road riding. The sidewalls are more fragile than the other models, so they could be damaged more easily on rocks, etc., although I haven't broken any this way yet. I haven't had many punctures. The Supreme is my favourite 26" tyre for use mainly on roads. The Dureme (out of production for several years now), which was similar to the Supreme but slightly heavier with more tread and stronger sidewalls, was my favourite for mixed road/off-road use. 

Marathon Plus. On visitor bikes, only because I don't want people messing with the hub gear if they get a puncture. To me, Marathon Plus feel a bit "dead" with their thick sidewalls and tread. Never had any punctures with these, but less distance has been done than with Marathon Supreme. Rolling resistance is higher than the other tyres, but in 26" by 2.0" not so horrible as the narrow 700C x 28 mm Marathon Plus I had on an old visitor bike.

Marathon Mondial EVO (but I have the wider 26" by 2.15" version). Rolling resistance is noticeably worse than Supreme (I reckon about I am between 5 and 10% slower on average) and (only slightly) better than Marathon Plus on tarmac. But the Mondial is better than both on soft surfaces. The sidewalls are strong but still flexible, so the tyre feels a bit more comfortable than Marathon Plus (although this may be partly because I am comparing a 2.15" tyre with a 2.0" tyre). The Mondial is the tyre I would choose for a tour with a significant amount of off-road riding, it is meant for expeditions so should be tougher than the other two. Marathon Mondial comes in two versions, Evolution line, which has Kevlar beads and better sidewall protection and Performance line, which has wire beads and is less expensive. Puncture resistance should be better than Supreme (already pretty good in my experience) but not as good as Marathon Plus. 

In my experience, folding tyres with Kevlar beads are less likely to fail at the bead area than wired tyres, on the latter the rubber and fabric around the wire can sometimes (not often) come apart.

Marathon Supreme is no longer in the 2022 Schwalbe catalogue, so will probably not be available for much longer.

Marathon Mondial EVO in 26" by 2.15" has also been dropped, but I found a webshop here in France that still had them. In 26" by 2.0" they are still listed in the 2022 Schwalbe catalogue. As it is slightly narrower than my 26" by 2.15" this size won't be quite so good off road but will be a bit lighter so perhaps very slightly better on tarmac.

And check that any tyre you might want will fit your bike before buying. 26" by 2.15" is the biggest size that will fit comfortably under mudguards on my Raven Tour frames.

There are other manufacturers.

Continental in particular might be worth checking out.

The Continental Contact Urban model in 26" by 2.0" looks like it could be a good alternative to the Marathon Supreme for mainly on-road use - according to tests this model has even better rolling resistance than the Supreme, it is just a little heavier (wire bead) and significantly cheaper. I have these in a 16" size on one of the family Bromptons, their rolling resistance is low compared to the 16" Schwalbe Marathon Racer I have on another Brompton.

The Continental Contact Plus Travel in 26" by 2.0" looks as if it might be an equivalent to Marathon Plus, or maybe even Marathon Mondial. But I have no experience at all with this model.

As for width, I like to have at least 2.0" for :

- carrying heavy loads,
- riding off-road (here the fattest possible tyre sinks in less on loose surfaces like sand and cushions the rim better against impacts on rocks).

For unloaded day rides on good roads I prefer a slightly narrower tyre, my favourite is once again Schwalbe Marathon Supreme, but in the 42 mm width.

Although there isn't really very much difference in rolling resistance between the 1.6" and 2.0" versions of the Supreme - the other day I was on a "utility" ride with my Raven Tour equipped with 26" x 2.0" Supremes and I had no trouble keeping up with a bunch of Sunday morning road cyclists on (mainly carbon fibre framed) lightweight 700C bikes for about 12 kms, despite me having a heavier bike, front and rear racks, full mudguards, about 10 Kg of luggage in rear panniers and Rohloff gears rather than derailleurs. Some of them asked if I had electrical assistance, probably because the big hub shells on the front dynohub and rear gear hub look like motor hubs, and I had my lamps on.

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