SchwalbeMarathon Plus 700c Tire (HS 440)(Return to Product Page)

Several years ago I used the 26x1.75 size on a Fuji mountain bike set up for daily street use for over two years without even one puncture. Lately I've been using the 700x38 on a Motobecane flat-bar road bike for the same type of daily use for over two years now, again, without even one puncture. Prior to finding these Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires, I suffered anywhere from a puncture a month to one every hour (as many as 8 in a day). Don't tell me about tire liners, tire sealants, Kevlar belts - 35 years of experience tells me they don't reliably prevent punctures (heavy-duty tubes work, but the jackhammer ride will make you want to take the bus instead). Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires are totally effective, even against glass-covered streets and goatheads (thorns) so large they look like nuclear mutations (sharp as daggars, too), in addition to still providing a lively, comfortable ride. I'm not seeing a downside here!

I tour on paved roads almost exclusively this summer I will ride the Erie Canal and the C&O Canal and will use the 700X35.

I began using Schwalbe Marathon's (700X32) last year after wearing out another name brand of touring tires in under 500 miles. I also had five or six flats with the other set of tires in that 500 miles. I'm not your typical rider, I weigh in at 225 pounds. Add a touring bike 30 pounds, another 30-40 pounds of gear, food and water and I'm pushing 300 pounds.

I have approximately 1500 miles on my current set of Schwalbes. The rear tire is showing some wear, but I'm comfortable with getting another 500-1000 miles out of it. The true bonus is not having had another flat (knock on wood). This years journey will cover 5000 miles and I know of all the things that can and will go wrong, you can not go wrong in Schwalbe Tires.

I just finished a self supported tour from San Diego California to Saint Augestine Florida (3100 miles). I rotated my tires at the half way point. I experienced only two flats during the entire trip, but was rolling over glass and thorns the whole time (not on purpose).

I would recommend these tires to anybody who is looking to make problems with flats dissapear. I was delighted by the way the 35mm tires felt while riding. This is my third cross country tour. These tires are a game changer!

Where the rubber meets the road

Relatively expensive replacement tire for a commutertrekking bike. Sidewalls are VERY stiff which makes mounting challenging, but not overly so (folks with weak hands may have problems). Rolling resistance seems pretty low for a tire with deeper sipes, but the tread and overall stiffness inspires some courage to ride through less than optimal conditions. So far, I'm pretty happy with this purchase.

Put these on our tandem bike in preparation for a multi-state tour. Had read largely positive reviews for these tires and wanted something durable for primarily paved roads and possible some crushed limestone trail riding. A number of reviewers has indicated significant difficulty mounting the tires which concerned me. Evidently this must be dependant upon the wheels you are usings as the tires went on very easily (without tire levers) for me. They are thicker rubber than many tires and therefore a little stiffer to work with but this did not cause me any problems. The size does seem to run a bit larger than some other tires so you may want to drop back a size. I had to tweak my fenders to get them to fit. I put on 700 x 35C and noticed they seem as bigbulky as the Continental Contact 700 x 38C's that I have on my single bike. Have only ridden them a couple of hundred miles at this point but they ride well and you really feel the confidence with them to not need to dodge every little bit of debree on the road. They do absorb much more road vibration and bumps well, especially if you don't run them quite at max pressure. I would say the bike feels a tad more sluggish versus the Gatorskin 700 x 28C's that I had been running but that would be expected. If I was not going to tour and was just ridding in club rides etc. where top speed was the goal I would probably swap back to the Gatorskins. Overall I am quite satisfied with the tires and just judging from the construction they seem as though they will hold up well. So a thumbs up from this reviewer! By the way, the tires were on sale and an excellent deal when I bought them, so do compare prices. Have bought tires through Tires Direct a couple of times and have had an excellent experience.

I just finished a 1,100 mile tour, and had no flats. Which is absolutely amazing. I personally will always use these tires, because a flat in any situation is always a bummer.

This tire is rolling smoother that the factory tires that came on my REI Safari. No more punctures either! Installation was easy, there is a u tube video showing how to do it without levers! Again well worth the money. The tire does have a directional arrow for mounting so pay attention to that. They ride great in the gravel roads we have up here and also on top of all that traction gravel leftover from this winter that's accumulating on the sides of the road. Just as steady as my 29er on top of the loose stuff.

I will certainly buy these again. I added the slime tubes and they have really good review's. My goal is no flats on my commute! lol

I run these tires on a twenty mile-a-day commute in Juneau, Alaska (when I'm not running my Nokian studs) and I love them. I've tried other flat-resistant tires (I'm looking at you Continental!) and they always let me down. Not the Marathon Plus. Sometimes I feel like I could ride a should full of glass the whole way home and not get a nick. I have a set of these in 700x32 for my cyclocross bike (what I ride most) and 26x2 for my mountain bike. After hundreds (really, thousands) of miles I've never had a flat on either. Some comments talk about trouble mounting these - take your time! Once you get the tube in, move around the tire pushing the bead into the rim as you air it up. If you just keep an eye on it as you pump it will seat fine. Ride!!!

I mounted these to my Surley LHT in 700X35. I used them exclusively on that bike for the entire time I owned it. Most importantly, I put 1,000 miles of loaded touring on the bike and had zero flats. Between my weight and the weight of the bikebags, the tires were supporting close to 300 lbs. Not once did I have an issue. I mounted them without tire levers. If you have issues, look on youtube and watch a video on mounting these tires. If you are considering a touring tire, you are probably more concerned with durability and resistance to flatting more so than weight and rolling resistance. When pushing 300 lbs of gear and body, the weight and rolling resistance of my tires is the least of my concerns.

Put a new set of 700x32s on in Maryland and rode them 4200 miles to Oregon with one flat. The one flat was an industrial staple that would have taken out any tire made. Yes, they are a pain to put on, but once they're on, no worries. They work very well on dirt, as the C&O Canal and the Katy Trail were part of the route.

I replaced one tire of another brand with a Schwalbe and liked it so much that I bought a second. When inflated to 90 psi the ride is fast, smooth, quiet and secure. I mostly ride city streets with the usual hazards and I go through some neighborhoods where I'd rather not stop and fix a flat. The Schwalbe gives me a combination of great performance and peace of mind. Well worth the extra dough.

These tires are amazing I have a 20mile round trip commute through a pothole,glass and debris ridden city and was getting a average of 1 or 2 flats a week, and it was seriously killing my drive to even ride my bike.

with these tires ZERO flats since I installed them, yes they are heavy but that is something I care little about since I get ZERO flat, I pretty much ride over anything and can even hop curbs without worrying about flats.

I have had no flats with the Marathon Plus tires from Schwalbe and no delamination that I used to get with the Armadillo tires. These are perfect for bicycle touring but are rather heavy for racing. I still carry a repair kit but I haven't used it for a long time. I'm getting about 6,000 miles out of a tire.

These tire work great for touring. Good resistance to flats. The 700x35 work good on gravel roads.

Quality tire,reasonably priced.great feel on and off the bike.The added reflective band on the tires has made me that much more visible at night.You can't put a price on safety.I have ridden in the rain,snow and patchy spots of black ice,These tires are the best that I've owned yet.I would recommend them to anyone that lives in the northeast or that plans on putting in a lot of miles.Awesome tire!!

It just doesnt get any better. The tires puncture resistance, and tread inspire riding confidence in all road conditions for thousands of miles. Not a single flat from Mexico to Peru... does it get any better? Look no further, this tire will go the distance touring, commuting, or just trying your best to ride hard on gravel or pavement. Im a believer.

I ride roughly 10 miles to work and 10 miles home from work each day. Since I have been using the Marathon Plus tires I have put on about 8000 miles on my first pair with no flats. The reflective sidewall is extremely visible at night. I really love these tires.

The one negative of the tires is installation. Because the sidewall is so strong its tough to just use a force fit. But there is a video on you tube that pretty much explains the trick for installing the marathon plus tires.

As for Bike Tires Direct, the customer service was excellent. They correctly fulfilled the order and it was delivered on the day they said it would arrive. About the only thing I would change about Bike Tires direct is that I would like them to expand their inventory and start selling the Schawlbe Frank Fat tires for another bike I own.

I purchased two of these early last year preparing for a Northern New Mexico tour. We rode 350 miles with about 25K feet of climbing. I also commute to work about 4 days a week 60 miles round trip. Because of the excellent puncture resistance of these tires, I can ride to the far right of the bike lane where the gravel and sometimes glass lies. These tires not only are a fantastic tire, but a great deal at BTD especially on sale. I bought an extra tire for the rear, but I should get about 3,000-3,500 miles before I change it. I can see the front going 5,000 miles plus. I highly recommend these tires. They save you a lot of money on tubes, too! I have had one rear flat. It must have been a nail of some sort. I guess one flat in 2,500 miles isn't bad. Buy them!

I have allways had good sevice out of these tires.