
User submitted reviews
Review by jrsimunic
I have been riding hybrids now for 10 years and schwalbe marathon plus tires are the without a doubt the best tires available. They are so well made and their roundness is amazing. The 35c to the 38c are just perfectly smooth and low friction. I will never own anything but a Schwalbe marathon tire
Review by FairOaks, CA Commuter
This is the best flat resistant tire on the market. When it's foggy, raining, or freezing outside, I have confidence that I won't get a flat on my 40 mile round-trip commute. I've also done two tours with significant weight with these tires on my touring bike. These are the best!
Review by Anonymous
I rode about 3000 without a flat on my last pair Great tire.
Review by Anonymous
Great touring tire (35). I got over 6,000 miles on my rear tire that I replaced. Even works well on gravel.
Review by Seattle biker
I've been thru Armadillos, Continentals, and none of them can hold up to the durability and secure tracking that I feel with this tire. It's a little heavy, but hey why did I buy this tire.....no punctures, no delay trying to get to work, and I get a little better workout.
Review by marcus
Even though these tires are a little heavy...I would Rather keep riding instead of fixing Flats... I Love these tires...been riding with nothing else for a couple of years and am extremely happy with them..
Review by Anonymous
I have owned three sets on three bikes. The touring set went over 3000 miles fully loaded with solo self-contained camping tour. I swapped front for back a little over half way. Can't beat that.
2nd set was for a carbon fiber bike with dura ace components. I used the 25's. They just barely fit in the frame and rubed a little on the first 150 miles or so. Now they clear just fine. Some will want to scold me for putting on a heavy and slower tire but I much prefer going to changing tires. I weigh 200 lbs. So who cares if I put another one in the tires? No flats.
3rd set was another carbon fiber bike with ultegra components and a slightly less aggressive stance. These 25's fit great and roll great. This bike is used in the streets of Phoenix and to go up South Mountain on my fitness rides. Lots of Glass and stickers. I did have one problem with a rear tire when I hit curb while riding pretty aggressively. I thought I broke a rim but I didn't. The tire tore at the metal bead. I didn't get a flat though. Rode home and replaced the tire.
These are not tires to go 50 miles an hour down hill. But 30-40 will be ok. They are designed to be tough and last. They wear for thousands of miles with no flats. If you get them on sale they are a steal. If you get them on sale use the savings to put in good tubes and have the bike shop install them. Then go do thousands of miles. I am loving bike tires direct these days. Great pricing and customer service. May you find peace on the road.
Review by Fujiman8
Don't have a lot of miles but with the lower pressure requirements they have improved the ride on our tandem.
Review by BigDave
I put a set of the 25's on my bike for winter commuting, which in California means rainy season. My commute includes a gravel stretch that eats up expensive race tires. These tires can deal with. They also give me the peace of mind I seek when riding home on a cold dark night, knowing I'm not going to have repair a flat with numb fingers.
The only drawback is that they certainly are heavy. You'll really feel the extra rotational weight when going uphill. What doesn't kill you though, makes you stronger.
I've never had the mounting issues that some have had, but not all rims are created equal. I've found Mavic rims are by far the easiest to mount tires on.
Review by vrannar
I own a 29er mountain bike, but use it to commute. I have put around 1,000 miles on a pair of these tires and they still look new. Best of all no flats.
Review by South Florida Peddler
I get about 4000 miles on the rear tire before I need to change it. The roads are coarse and hot here in south Florida promoting excessive tire wear. You could use cheaper tires but you'd be changing tires two or three times and still not achieve the mileage these Marathons will give you. The puncture protection is also excellent.
If you're doing your homework and reading all the reviews, try a pair. I do about six hundred miles a month and I wouldn't mount any other tire on my rims. I hate doing tire changes.
Review by Bones
We have goat heads (puncture vine) in Albuquerque and it's not unusual to see a half dozen people doing repairs on a 25 mile scrape. I had over 8000 miles on my front tire and had worn out 3 on the rear. For those 16000 tire miles, I had about 4 flats...all due to the goat heads. With no tire protection one would be lucky to get 10 miles esp. at this time of year. Great tire to be sure.
Review by RD
I bike commute 100 miles a week 12 months a year in Maine. This is probably the best tire ever for my 4000 miles of snow free summer commuting. They have a slightly higher rolling resistance than a true road tire, but the toughness and flat free worry free ride is worth it. My only caution is that they are VERY difficult to mount. Someone posted a great mounting tutorial....read it and use the wall over your bench in front of you as they suggest. I no longer worry about flats and enjoy the ride!
Review by jefzep
I just finished a 600 mile bicycle tour across the state of Washington and did not experience a single tire puncture. The ride was challenge enough withiout having to worry about my tires. The Schwalbe tires performed beyond expectations on a variety of surfaces. Although a bit on the expensive side, they were worth every cent.
Review by Anonymous
This is my first road bike, don't want to ruin my experience by getting flats, did my homework and I bought the marathon plus, I rode over one hundred miles already and no flats, just make sure you put in your inner tubes correctly (pinch flats) and inflate correctly and you won't be like those I pass (fixing flats) each time I'm ridingexercising.
Review by TNRider
Just completed a 350 mile ride through the Alps. 100 miles was with a heavily loaded Americano solo. The rest was with a group of 8 German riders, all using Schwalbe tires. A LOT of riding was on Schotterstrassen or rough gravel roads. No one had a flat. These tires are truly bulletproof. A bit heavy and a bit slow, but the puncture resistance alone makes these tires a first choice
Review by Dave
I travel long distences from my vechical on the Rails To Trails network so its importantn that I have a tire that I can trust not to puncher.
Review by aj
I use this too commute to work as the streets are full of glass and other debris.
I love the fact that my flats went down about 90% over any other tire
the cons are the tires are heavy, occasionally they will develop a bubble and if they are not pumped up fully they feel like you are riding in sand
Review by Anonymous
I have been using Gatorskins for years. They are fast and light. In Brooklyn, they seems to hold up for about a year of commuting. But at the end of 2011 my office moved, and I started biking through the industrial section of Brooklyn. After 6 months of dodging inordinate amounts of broken glass and all sorts of little spikey metal thingys, and 3 flats in 5 weeks, I decided I needed extra protection.
So I switched to the Marathon Plus. At first, I was unhappy with the increase in tire weight. I have a light steel frame bike. And I really enjoy the light ride. I've owned the bike for almost 10 years and have avoided putting anything on the bike to add weight.
But soon enough the Marathons proved themselves. One morning about 12 way through my ride to work, I heard a sudden ching-ching-ching. I stopped my bike to investigate and found a flat head screw sticking out of the tire. I quickly yanked out the little bastard. And a quick ffffffffssst followed. And then I was very suprised to find that my tire wasn't flat. It had only lost a little bit of pressure. So I got back on the bike and rode the remaining 4 miles to work(!). By noon the tube was flat. But being able to make it to work without having to stop was a livesaver that day. Really. If I was late that day, it would have changed the course of my life because of office politics.....But that's another story.
Review by Lyle
Excellent wearing, flatproof tire. I use it on both my city bike and on my touring bike along with slime tubes. In three years I've only had one flat. Living in California's northern central valley where goats heads are a dime a dozen, they are priceless .