Best Cycle Touring Tyres: Schwalbe Marathon Plus Review
Pros:
- Good traction in wet and dry conditions
- Superior puncture protection
- Long-lasting
Cons
- Heavy
You can trust us. We only review items we use on long-distance cycle trips or hikes. Or, items that made the shortlist for our trip's kit list; all items were heavily researched by us.
We've been riding on Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres for five years. We cycled JOGLE with him, the Outer Hebrides and countless other bike rides. We even cycled 13,000 miles from the UK to Vietnam on one pair of tyres, each.
I thought to write a round up blog comparing one tyre against another, but knowing what these bad boys can do I decided, screw it, give the people what they want: the best cycle touring tyres.
In our minds, it is, without a doubt, the Schwalbe Marathon Plus.
Schwalbe Marathon Plus Tyres Review
So, if you haven't guessed already, we're going to be reviewing Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres, crowning them, King of the Cycle Touring Tyres. It's 5/5 stars for us!
Schwalbe Marathon Plus Tyres
Schwalbe marathon plus tyres are the best tyres for long-distance riding. They boast superior puncture protection to keep you rolling, puncture-free, for as long as possible. If we did 13,000 miles on them, you can, too.
View ProductOur experience with Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres
For us, Schwalbe Marathon Plus Tyres pay for themselves over and over. We've had nothing else on our bikes for over five years and we've barely had a problem.
When we cycled half way around the world we didn't have a problem with punctures until we made it to China.
Zoe had zero punctures in 13,000 miles thanks to Schwalbe.
Stew did have a harder time with his, racking up about thirty punctures, all in one tyre and all within about a week of each other. Admittedly, it was hell, but we think, we simply didn't identify the source of the original puncture. Plus, Stew carried all the weight in two panniers on the back of his bike; we think the pressure contributed to the punctures.
Outside of the tyre trauma in China, we've literally had two other punctures in five years.
Schwalbe Marathon Plus Tyres
Schwalbe marathon plus tyres are the best tyres for long-distance riding. They boast superior puncture protection to keep you rolling, puncture-free, for as long as possible. If we did 13,000 miles on them, you can, too.
View ProductSchwalbe Marathon Plus tech spec
- 5 mm thick SmartGuard layer for rollin'
- Manufactured with a proportion of recycled C50rubber from old latex products
Why you should buy Schwalbe Marathon Plus
No one wants a puncture, especially when you're out trying to explore the world, immerse yourself in nature and enjoy your travels. Punctures are pure misery and if you're out cycling the deserts, as we did, at 40 degrees celsius (and more), the last thing you need is a puncture. When it's that hot, standing still is the worst!
With the Schwalbes you'll get peace of mind. Of course, puncture proofing is not a guarantee, but the Marathon Plus tyre undoubtedly gives you the best chance of making it 13,000 miles (and more) puncture free. Zoe has already proved you can ride 13k with no bother.
The value for money is out of this world. Retailing at £20 to £40/tyre they are a bargain. For our world cycling tour we paid £147.96 or £6.17 each, per month for blissful cycling.
Seriously, Schwalbe, take my money.
Schwalbe Marathon Plus Tyres
Schwalbe marathon plus tyres are the best tyres for long-distance riding. They boast superior puncture protection to keep you rolling, puncture-free, for as long as possible. If we did 13,000 miles on them, you can, too.
View ProductBike Touring Tyre FAQs
No tyre is fully puncture-proof. There’s always a chance you’ll pick up a puncture. As we said earlier, we got a tonne in China, but this is due to metal shards on the road, the weight of Stew’s bike and to be fair…the tyres, by that point, had done at least 9,000 miles.
When it comes to the best tyre size for cycle touring, this is ultimately going to depend on what the bike needs, but if it helps, we took 700c 38mm.
You want a tyre that’s:
- Robust enough to last
- Slim enough to ride at a decent pace
- Wide enough to weather the bumps in the road and manage the weight of your bike
You would choose the most robust tyre in the industry: the Schwalbe Marathon Plus.
I did think to stretch this cycling tyre review out some and write a load of words to compare one tyre against another, but I vowed that this blog would be as useful as possible and solve problems rather than cause them.
If you want an awesome tyre, take the Schwalbe Marathon Plus.
Generally, wider bike tires are more puncture resistant than slimmer tyres. It does of course depend on a lot of other factors like how good the tyres are.
As a general rule, wider tyres are less likely to puncture because they have a larger surface area in touch with the ground. When the weight is distribute over a wider surface you’re less likely to puncture.
Schwalbe Marathon Plus Tyres
Schwalbe marathon plus tyres are the best tyres for long-distance riding. They boast superior puncture protection to keep you rolling, puncture-free, for as long as possible. If we did 13,000 miles on them, you can, too.
View ProductPost written by: Zoe Ashbridge
Comments
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I have ridden Marathon Plus tyres since 2009 after experiencing them on a Poland tour with my local ski club. 18 people, 10 days, 800 kms, no punctures. What more can one say.
Oh yes.
Living now in Finland, riding in Winter is achieved using the Marathon Plus spike tyres, the over 200? spike version being best performers. My girlfriend cycles on these as a part of her 32km commute almost every day. No punctures. These get put on every October and exchanged for the summer versions in May.
I love how many comments we get on this blog, agreeing that these tyres really are the best, haha!
So glad to hear you get on with them, too!
Hi and thank you for the advice. I just wondering, I’m looking for a version for mix roads, as we are travelling in Hungary right now and we are heading Romania and the Carpartians mountains, so I know we will meet old asphalte and rough or gravel roads. On my daughter’s bike, the biggest I can get I think would be 40mm. She’s only 12 so it’s still a bit hard to go down gravel hills and she lost control a few times already in the low Tatras. Do you know a similar tire with just a little bit more « spiky » in the sides, but still pretty slick in the middle with this 5 mm thickness? I know, I may ask a lot…. Oh and by the way, my daughter also has luggages, so her bike is also heavy. Thank you! Oh, by the way(#2)! I love Marathon Winter tire with the studs, I have practised winter bike for around 15-20 winters in Quebec and for a winter in the Yukon with my minimum weather of -53 Celsius with the wind driving on the ice and wow! Thanks, Jean
Hi, Jean, I’m so sorry, but we’re not sure! I’ll post your comment, you never know, someone else might chime in! I hope you find something that suits. Your adventure sounds amazing and how cool you’re out there cycling with your daughter!
My tours are far less exotic than yours, Nebraska, Iowa and Wisconsin, though last year around lake Michigan. Mostly ride pavement, lot of shoulders, some Rails to Trails, and avoid real gravel. My set up with bike, gear and me, about 300 lbs, hang panniers on the front. Have a set of Marathon Plus 700x38s that I retired to switch to Marathon Supreme TLE (Tubeless), 700×40. My thinking was folding bead to carry an extra tire, tubeless to reseal in minor punctures, and less rolling resistance. I carry a spare tube, and my thinking in a real flat, never had one with the Schwalbe, but has with Pirelli’s, I just put a tube in.
Schwalbe has quit making the Supreme in TLE. I do see your comment that you would “not ride on anything else”, but have you contemplated tubeless? Do you carry an extra tire? Can’t prove anything, but I think the bike had a smoother feel when I switched to the Supremes. Any thoughts? Thank you
Your tours sound amazing! Everyone always says things like “far less exotic than yours”, but all tours are brilliant!
To be honest, we’ve never tried tubeless tyres. We don’t carry a spare tyre, we’ve always just picked them up as we’ve gone.
For touring, we’ve not contemplated tubeless, because Stew likes the ease of tubes; they’re easy to find and repair on the road. Tubes can be harder to repair on the side of the road, too.
We’d be intrigued to try tubeless, but for smaller tours, or weekend rides.
I have had a set of Marathon Plus on my mountain bike converted to a road bike for well over 5 years and I was actually unaware of the puncture resistant nature of these tyres until I googled them today.
It did strike me as weird that I have never had a puncture because I keep them at around 90-95psi.
Regardless of what I am unfortunate enough to run over ( Australia can throw some pretty nasty things at a set of tyres ) they just keep going without complaint.
When these wear out I’m up for another set without question.
They are fantastic aren’t they!! I think any tyre holding up in Aus is a testament to the tyre haha. With all the trucks that go by, the tyres have to manage a lot.
I commute 30 miles a day in Leicester, UK. I deal with quite a lot of grass and different debris on my journey in. I wish I had discovered the marathon 5 years ago when I started cycling again.
The amount of inner tubes I used to go through and the amount of tires I’ve had to give up on cause I was just getting to many punctures is ridiculous. Even the gator skin hardshells which are rated one of the best commuter tires let me feeling less than confident that I wouldn’t get a puncture.
I ride the schwalbe Marathon in the summer on my road bike and then throw on the marathon plus in the winter when the weather gets worse and mor debris is on the ground.
What a tire…
I feel the same as you, Sean! I couldn’t tell you what tires I was riding on before I met Stew, but now I’ve discovered the Schwalbe Marathon Plus I wouldn’t use anything else.
I’m glad you’re finding they’re good for your daily commute.