Commuting - Is it me or are Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires really hard to mount?

My wife gave me a set of Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires for my birthday and I found them extremely difficult to mount on my Salsa Delgado Rims. I broke three tires levers on these tires, including a Quik-Stik that I've had for 12 years! I've never had a problem mounting a tire before, now my thumbs are blistered. These are one tough tire! I hope they live up to their reputation as the ultimate commuting tire, because I don't want to fool with them again for a long while!

I just got marathon's myself (not the pluses) and I found them very easy to mount, although I have nothing to compare it to. I didn't use tire levers for mounting them at all. These wre 26 x 1.5's

They are an absolute bear to mount. Incredibly painful to get them on. Much *much* harder than marathons or marathon slicks.

It seems to depend on the wheel and tire combo. Getting my Nimbus Armadillos onto my MTB's wheels was an absolute terror as was mounting my All Condition Armadillos on a set of Mavic Cosmos wheels. Mounting an All Condition Armadillo on a Mavic Open Pro rim was probably the easiest tire mount ever for me. By far the worst I've done so far has been a Vredenstein Fortezza Kevlar bead tire on an American Classic 350 Sprint wheel. It probably took a good 30 minutes per tire because I kept having to stop to let my thumbs recover.

Wow you actually had an issue installing Nimbus Armadillos? Granted they don't slip on as nice as a well worn pair of Converse All Stars but they shouldn't have been that hard.

Wow you actually had an issue installing Nimbus Armadillos? Granted they don't slip on as nice as a well worn pair of Converse All Stars but they shouldn't have been that hard.

Like I said, it may just be the wheel/tire combo. Have you mounted them on various wheels? It probably didn't help that they were cold from sitting outside and I was too impatient to give them time to warm up.

the 700s are tough to mount -- but you can take heart in the fact that you won't have to do it again for a while or very often.

the 26" version are much easier -- no surprise there.

Bumping this thread 'cause I had a tough time getting my new 700x28 mounted this weekend but I did eventually get it, with the butt-end of the tire level not the hook.

One additional caveat though, I thought Qty 1 on my order meant one PAIR of tires. Nope. One tire. $43. It does look like it'd stop a bullet though.

Have you mounted them on various wheels? .
Yes. Including the "infamous" Sun Rhyno Lite

i have never had problem mounting any tires. in fact, it takes 3 minutes... I mounted marathons and michelin world tour.

The secret is to put the tube in the tire first, then put one side of the tire all the way around the rim and then the second side. I never need any tools to mount or dismount any tires.

I use Schwalbe Mara Pluses exclusively. At first I seemed to have a problem, but not anymore. Just have to make sure you use the right technique. Good tire levers, and end at the valve.

The Marathon Plus is very different to the std Marathon, a much tighter fit.

Agreed, when I switched from Pluses to Slicks for my weekender bike, I couldn't believe how easy it was to mount the Slicks: I don't think I even needed to use tire levers. That said, I have found the Crank Brothers speed lever works a helluva lot better for mounting the Pluses (which I still use on my commuter) than standard tire levers. (YMMV.) Still, I consider this a a small price to pay for not having to worry about pinch flats, IMHO.

I find the Marathon Plus particularly difficult to mount. The first time, it took me about 45 minutes to mount a pair of them, but now I can do one in a couple minutes. There is a trick to it that doesn't require as much force as you are using. I find that lubing the rims or the tire itself with a bit of water or spit really helps.

BTW, they are a fabulous commuting tire. There is absolutely no comparison between the other tires I've tried (including the Armadillos a lot of people on BF use) and the MP. Having said that, nothing is totally flat proof -- I've had one flat with the MP (this nail would have gone through anything).

It seems to depend on the wheel and tire combo. Getting my Nimbus Armadillos onto my MTB's wheels was an absolute terror as was mounting my All Condition Armadillos on a set of Mavic Cosmos wheels. Mounting an All Condition Armadillo on a Mavic Open Pro rim was probably the easiest tire mount ever for me. By far the worst I've done so far has been a Vredenstein Fortezza Kevlar bead tire on an American Classic 350 Sprint wheel. It probably took a good 30 minutes per tire because I kept having to stop to let my thumbs recover.

Had the same experience with the Vredestein Fortezzas. I thought I couldn't possibly have any more problems mounting tires after having mastered mounting Armadillos, but the Vredesteins were much much worse.

Yes. Including the "infamous" Sun Rhyno Lite

That combination (Armadillo Hemisphere and Sun Rhyno Lite) nearly killed me yet my friend did it with his bare hands in seconds. There's definitely a skill involved. Not one flat in two years though....

Chuckie

marathon plus 700x38 went on really easy. one Sun rhyno lite and one mavic A719. And I have to say this is the most comfortable ride I've ever had.

I used Marathons on my 1083 mile tour. No flats. No flats on the training rides either. 300 pounds with rider. They are 26 x 1.5. I can just barely get them on. While on the tour I suffered nerve damage in both hands, and lost a lot of movement & strength. At one point I started worring that if I did have a flat there was no way that I could fet these back on the rim, if I coudl get them off! I bought a tire mounting lever that is a handle with a hooked pivoting arm that pulls a tire on the rim. Lousy description, I'll see if I can find its name for you. I'm going to add it to my tool kit.

These are one tough tire! I hope they live up to their reputation as the ultimate commuting tire, because I don't want to fool with them again for a long while!

I mounted a pair of Marathon Pluses last week and I was kind of worried about having to deal with a flat on the road. It took me almost an hour! I'm told, however, that after a week or two of riding, they get easier to mount. I hope so...

I just installed 3 Marathon Plus's this weekend. Got each one on with just my hands, no tire levers, and hardly any effort. Guess it's just a matter of techinque and practice.

I just installed 3 Marathon Plus's this weekend. Got each one on with just my hands, no tire levers, and hardly any effort. Guess it's just a matter of techinque and practice.


3? Which wheel got two tires? front or back? I doubt you'll get a flat on that wheel!

3? Which wheel got two tires? front or back? I doubt you'll get a flat on that wheel!

Didn't you see? He has a tandem. :p

Mine were easier to get on than my stock tires were to get off.

Consider using a 'TIRE BEAD JACK'. It cost $10 at the lbs and weighs about three ounces. Makes
putting a tire on much, much easier.