I am a big fan of Schwalbe Marathon tyres. I have used them on regular bikes as well as more recently on the two folding bikes I own. I have always found them worth their premium price.
The main reason why I really think they are the best tyres I have owned so far is duration but even more importantly, puncture protection.
I have often heard bicycle mechanics praising them for the same qualities but my praise comes from direct experience. On my Dahon folder that I mostly use on city rides I haven't got a puncture in 3 years which I think is a testament to the quality of these tyres.
During a 1350 kilometres tour on my Brompton the tyres held on really well even when carrying the load of extra luggage. Over sixteen days I have found myself a few times needing to cycle on dirty side lanes with lots of debris and only on a particularly bad section, I had to ride for over three hours did I experience one puncture. On repairing the tyre I found out that a sharp and thin metal staple had somehow managed to get straight into the tyre. After inspection of the tyre at the end of that day I thought it was still remarkable that no other objects had managed to get into the tyre despite the weight I was carrying.
2 comments:
Your blog really is a treasure trove of info on brompton touring. My wife and I will be doing Passau to Vienna in July on a pair, so I'm going through all the tips I can find. Are there three types of Schwalbe marathons? The regular marathon, the kevlar and the plus? Or is the plus and kevlar the same?
Thanks! You will have a great time touring on bromptons. Not a Schwalbe authority but I recommend the Schwalbe Marathon Kevlar if you can get them. They are lighter and the kevlar parts means they are easier to replace on the rim. Also they are easier to fold if you wish to pack a spare in one of your bags etc. Fantastic tyres overall with very good resistance to punctures.
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