Schwalbe

This review is for the redesigned PRO version of this tire.

This is an amazing all-round tire with very even transition of knobs throughout the tire. It actually can hook up quite decent up front as the knobs go pretty far to the outside of the tire. Mounted on 28mm internal rim these 45mm blew up to 46.5mm WAM.

Ran this at unbound XL with zero flats and have continued to punish them on all kinds of terrain with no issues so far. Very satisfied with road feel and capabilities on chunky stuff. I really don't see why you would run the RS version now that these are so dang fast and likely better tread protection.

I had a 2.25 inch MTB tire on the front of my bicycle. I have now installed this 2.15 inch tire on my bicycle. And after a couple all day rides, I am going to say the rolling resistance is great/ easier riding. I also changed my crankset back to a 28/38/48 Acera--170mm (down from 175mm crank--30/42 t). When I am starting my ride, southbound, I use 28t to warm up a few blocks, then 38t to get moving, and then from 42nd Street to downtown (next 45 blocks) I use the 48t ring. So, I believe this Schwalbe Marathon Plus tire is a major part of the ride coordination / speed / less rolling risistance. When I am returning home mostly northbound. I use the 28t or 38t rings. I felt less exhausted last week on my ride.

If you're looking for a fast 29" tire for the tarmac these are the ones. Had been running Thunder Burt's on my 29" road mountain bike forever and they are a pretty fast tire, but on the first ride with these I was able to shave 2 minutes off my previous best time on an hour ride.

I was going to get another set of the Thunder Burt's, but checked Bicycle Tire Rolling Resistance website and saw these were significantly better so decided to give them a try. Since I only ride this bike on paved and chip sealed county roads these seem like an ideal fit.

I've only got one ride on them so I can't speak to the durability or longevity of the tires, but they probably won't match the Thunder Burt's where I had over 4000 miles on the front tire when I took it off and could have ridden even longer. But, for the speed increase and smooth road handling characteristics I'll give up some tire life. Plus, I just happened to hit a sale here at BTD so ended up saving a nice chunk of change.

Swapped a set of these tires on for the Tour Divide. Zero issues in thousands of miles of every trail surface you can imagine.

Only surprise I had was the sizing. Ran a 50 mm up front which measured 47 mm when installed. Ran a 45 out back and it was closer to 44 mm. Also, the front was ridiculously difficult to mount. Toughest install in probably 10 years. The narrower rear tire went on without issue. Both rims are We Are One Composites Faction's, which I think measure 25 mm ID.