After a few months of commuting on my Cannondale Caadx the standard Sammy Slick tyres are starting to fail so I have turned to the Schwalbe Marathon Plus Tyre. A decision I have not taken lightly, the mean streets of Manchester are a wash glass and other puncture risks and I was in need of a tyre to help prevent flats. There are many tyres on the market that claim to offer good puncture resistance but the Schwalbe Marathon Plus Tyre seems to be number one. My research was based on other reviews where overall the general consensus is that they are a very good tyre, especially for commuting. I don’t disagree, after 4 weeks of use I have found them solid and dependable, I have even cycled through broken bottles (not intentionally) on a couple of occasions and the tyre coped without fault.
I have used them both on road and off-road and they seem to offer good grip in the wet, mud and dry. Contrary to other reviews they were easy to fit, some report on it being hard to prise the tyre bead over the rim but I had no problems. The look of the tyre is good, a white reflective sidewall offers a nice touch combined with a profound grip pattern.
Bought on a price match from Evans Cycles at £21 each I think I got a very good deal.
The Schwalbe Marathon Plus Tyre certainly has some good points but I am not totally convinced by the tyre. The major problem is that I feel that the bike has lost all speed; the weight of the tyre seems to have slowed down my pace by a huge margin. Previous reviews did point this out but nothing has prepared me for the reality. The bike now feels sluggish and no longer a joy to ride.
The drop in speed is a price to pay for a good, well made puncture proof tyre, if you don’t want to go anywhere in a hurry and don’t want punctures then this is tyre for you. If you’re looking for speed and a responsive road tyre then avoid the Schwalbe Marathon Plus Tyre.