Marathon Plus on an RST ?

[energyman]

Lincolnshire landowners, bless 'em, are cutting some bridleway hedges at the moment and I've had two punctures from tiny thorns. (no pun intended)
I have 26x1.75 on my RST but want to fit Marathon Plus to alleviate the thorny problem.
I have mudguards and they are a tight fit.
Anyone out there fitted M-Plusses ?  Will they fit ? Or downsizing to 26x1.5 say be any better ?
Happy New Year

[Fred A-M]

If you don't see any substantial disadvantage in terms of the general terrain/surfaces you're covering or comfort, I would definitely downsize to 1.5.

I have 1.5 marathons on my RST, and once had to swap to a 1.75 on the rear whilst cycle touring in Britanny due to a split sidewall and availability in Vannes restricting me to 1.75 by way of replacement.  The increased drag was very noticeable, so unless you have a good reason for the extra width, I'd forsake it for the extra speed.   

[Neil Jones]

That's interesting Fred! SJS are in the process of building my new RST (can't wait) and I wanted to spec it with 1.5 Marathon Plus tyres but was persuaded to go up to 1.75 as there would be no noticeable drag and I would benefit from the extra comfort they give. Perhaps I should give them a ring?

[Fred A-M]

Hi Neil, yes I would discuss it with them, but it depends very much on the terrain/surfaces you intend cycling on (e.g a lot of wet muddy tracks?) and the distances you intend to cover but for normal road and touring use I'd definitely go with 1.5.  For me the RST is sufficiently comfortable with 1.5s and personally, I find sticking 1.75s on the RST a bit at odds with its sales pitch of being a fast tourer,   I ditched the 1.75 at the very first opportunity, because IMO the drag was quite noticeable, and that was with just one 1.75 on the rear.   If on-(normal) road isn't your primary use for it, then 1.75s might be more appropriate, but otherwise I would stick with your original intuitive choice of 1.5s.

[energyman]

Thanks for that, I will get on to SJS tomorrow.

[Crudson]

I've got 1.35 wide M+ for road/track/mud/brokenbudweiserbottled cyclepath
and no p*******s yet - lovely.
[I know i'm tempting fate there...]

[Bearbait]

Interesting.  I will use mine for much the same-gravel, some hard pack dirt, asphalt.  I definitely did not want 1.75 in summer because of drag.  I use my poor overworked specialized sirus pro-disk on the same (minus the dirt) and have the scars and tires with patches to prove it.  I was going to go 1.5 but think I will try the 1.35 and then maybe larger in winter. 

[cake]

I opted for 1.75" M+ on my RT when i bought it three years ago.

After 7000 miles i bought a dynohub front wheel with a Marathon 1.5".  I did notice a difference regarding drag (less that is), even with the dynohub.  I now run the 1.5 on the summer wheel as well.

The M+ on the rear is the original with 15400 miles on it.  I have a 1.5" M+ waiting to replace it when it eventually snuffs it, which looks ideal to me.  I tried a 1.35" M+ on the front for while, but i found it a little harsh for my country lane antics - i was surprised how small it was when it arrived in the post.

[Neil Jones]

I'll definitely ask SJS to put the 1.5 Marathon Plus on but leave enough clearance for 1.75 in case I feel the need to go wider.
I had originally planned on having a Son 20r dynohub fitted into a Rigida Grizzly CSS rim but SJS thought that the Son 28 would be better as you can charge gps, phones, cameras etc, I said it would be very unlikely that I would ever use them as I'm buying the RST to commute on mainly but they thought that it is better to have the option and I suppose I can see their point. They also feel that the 28 will have a longer service life so I bowed to their knowledge and opted for that instead.

[expr]

Just out of interest, what sort of pressure do you guys run on. I have allways tried to run on the high side around 65psi  on the marathon+ I'm on 1.75 but it sounds like 1.5 might be better by the sounds of it, mainly for on road and hard track.

[brummie]

That's interesting Fred! SJS are in the process of building my new RST (can't wait) and I wanted to spec it with 1.5 Marathon Plus tyres but was persuaded to go up to 1.75 as there would be no noticeable drag and I would benefit from the extra comfort they give. Perhaps I should give them a ring?

 The argument could be ( assuming the 1.5 Marathon &  1.75 model share the same carcass ) that the wider tyre will flex & absorb more than the narrower tyre, therefore providing greater comfort - coupled with the argument that fatter tyres roll better than narrow ones... I've probably just opened a can of worms, but...

( I've been more than happy, comfortable / fast enough on Schwalbe Marathon racers 1.5" & 1.6" Supremes over the last 4 years or so without a single puncture. Touch wood ! )

[Fred A-M]

Just out of interest, what sort of pressure do you guys run on. I have allways tried to run on the high side around 65psi  on the marathon+ I'm on 1.75 but it sounds like 1.5 might be better by the sounds of it, mainly for on road and hard track.

I just an hour ago inflated my Marathons to 80psi. 

Brummie, if "roll better" means greater comfort or more grip, I wouldn't disagree - ref speed, they are definitely slower, - I've managed perfectly well off-road with 1.5s, apart from one exceptionally off-road muddy occasion (first in about 10 years) during which I found myself wishing for 1.75s!   

[brummie]

I just an hour ago inflated my Marathons to 80psi. 

Brummie, if "roll better" means greater comfort or more grip, I wouldn't disagree - ref speed, they are definitely slower, - I've managed perfectly well off-road with 1.5s, apart from one exceptionally off-road muddy occasion (first in about 10 years) during which I found myself wishing for 1.75s!   

I wouldn't disagree either, the extra weight of a fatter tyre is a factor, BUT some fat tyres can weigh less than narrower ones... so maybe just as quick ( & more prone to punctures & wear out sooner ! )

[Andre Jute]

I ran 37mm (1.5in) Marathon Plus on two bikes for about four or five years, and found them superb, no flats and comfortable enough if a little noisy. 65psi seemed to give a decent balance between comfort and control, but I weight 220 pounds and always carry a fair amount of gear, and I don't even pretend to be fast up the hills. They have some tread to the sides but I never took mine offroad. Their weight is a consideration, to be considered against their undoubted supremacy in thornproofing. Longlasting. One of the great tyres. -- André Jute

[ThousandYardStare]

I'm curious about all this interest in the Marathon Plus, since I've previously heard them written off (too heavy and expensive, not durable enough...), and have never tried them myself. Does anyone know how many miles to expect from them roughly (loaded/unloaded)?

I've been out of the equipment loop for a year or so and have just been baulking at the prices of some of Schwalbe's latest tyres: eg £54 for the Dureme!! Has the price of rubber gone up or something?? Or do they really last more than twice as long as the good old XR...?