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

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.

Purchased a set for my commuter in October of 2008. Had my first flat today 12111 as the tire died of natural causes. my commute distance x average amount of days worked a year pencils out to a little over 15,000 miles on these tires through all sorts of conditions and road hazzards. First tire I've ever worn through to the threads! About to purchase 2 more!

I commute 13 miles each day to work. These tires pretty much eliminated my worry about flats. I have had them for about 2 months and put on about 1250 miles during that time with no flats and no more worries about flats. With my previous tires I was averaging a flat a day on this route.

As for fitting the tires, watch the How to fit a Marathon Plus tyre on youtube. After you see the video, you discover that installing the Marathon Plus tire really isn't a difficult. I installed my tires without using any tools.

I KNEW something was wrong when I ordered the tire according to the specs on my existing tire with a great price and quick shipping. When I finally got around to mounting, I called my local mobile bike shop to do so because ALL the reviews talk about how difficult it was. My FIRST set was simply too big and rubbed the frame even though the specs were correct. BTD was very good about taking them back for 25s instead of 28s, but of course time was lost and the shipping offset my savings. So again, I had them mounted. Clearance was fine, but within ONE mile they blew off one of my rims, so with no choice, I had to re-mount them on the road. Difficult? Absolutely, but since that time, I have come to really respect them for my daily commute, as I live in glasstown. So, a bit heavy, but as they say, bulletproof.

I bought a set of these last May for my daily 30 mile round-trip commute to work. I read a review that mentioned the difficulty of mounting, presumably because of the wire bead, but I actually found them easier to mount than the folding bead tires I originally had on my bike. Plus, I had Mr. Tuffy liners in my original tires and still got multiple flats. I haven't had a flat yet with the Marathon Plus tires and that's without the Mr. Tuffy liners. I would highly recommend these. Maybe you lose some speed but I'm not racing to work and the reliability of the tire is worth the tradeoff.

If you don't like flats this is the tire. I put a pair on my Specialized Tricross Sport that I use for long distance rides. After multiple flats on the 32 x 700c OEM tires that came with the bike the Marathon Plus has been a joy. Holds the road well in the wet and dry, as well as gravel paths in all sorts of weather. Completed a Granfondo a couple of weeks ago in mixed weather didn't have to worry about wet pavement. I paired a 28 x 700c with the Continental Tour 700 tube. This was a bit of a chore as there is not much tire to stuff a tube that is rated up to a 43 x 700, but by using a velcro strap as a 3rd hand, and applying some soap around the valve for lubrication I managed to fit the tube in the tire and the tire to the rim. Another hint - inflate the tube and let out the air, the residual will be just enough to fit the tube without pinching it between the tire bead and the rim.