Originally Posted by
Photosmith
Yeah, don't get me wrong, I'd rather have it take 8 hours to run flat instead of 8 minutes or 8 seconds, but I am still bummed out to get my first flat in just 250 miles on the Marathon Pluses. Then again, Phoenix is apparently notorious for an incredible quantity of tire-destroying weeds and such ending up all over our roads and trails.
When the going gets tough it's time for:
PLAN B - Fill the tubes with Slime.
PLAN C - Plan B + Mr Tuffy liners
From all the posts about supposedly 'puncture-resistant' Marathon Plus and Conti Contact Security (I have MP with 4,000mls on the front & a new Security 28 x 700 on the back) getting holed and cut up regularly, most of this seems to be happening to riders in very hot, high UV sun belt locations where the road surface temperatures (even with winter sun) can be very high. And in summer a real rubber killer.
Cactus spines, shards of metal and glass can slice through the overheated supple rubber and the thick inner breaker like butter. Which is why Plan B & C is a good backup.
If your tire is showing cuts, nicks and inclusions, like my (worn) MP after only 500-1000 miles that proves the heat and UV is a key factor in decreasing the performance of the tire.
Can you post a MACRO pic of the tread ?? with the mileage as it will be instructive to compare both tires.