Touring - fast but tough touring tire in 26 x 1.25 or 1.5?

Suggestions for a fast but tough (even
somewhat lightweight) touring tire in 26 x 1.25 or 1.5?

Just wanting suggestions, as my gal's bike (Surly LHT) came outfitted with schwalbe marathon plus in 1.75 but I think they're a bit overkill in size, so am looking for either 1.25 or 1.5....I want a tire that is both fast and rugged: ie, good for city commuting (70% of use) as well as for loaded touring (30% of time).

Cheers
Joe

Doesn't the Marathon PLUS also come in 26x1.3" size? That's bigger than the 1.25" and smaller than the 1.5" sizes you asked about.

yeah, just found that out...thanks!

A lot of tandem riders (notoriously hard on tires) swear by the Performance Forte Fast City Kevlar tires:

http://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile.cfm?SKU=2314&subcategory_ID=5425

They come in 26" x 1.25". Only $11.99 on sale.

These are a pretty good tire for the price. Even though they spec them as 26x1.5, they're actually more like 1.35-1.40" wide.

http://www.performancebike.com/shop/sub_cat.cfm?subcategory_id=5425

I've also used the Perf 1.25s as linked by Ronzorini. They're OK too, but I have few miles on my 1.25s so can't recommend them as strongly as the 1.5s, which I have ~5,000 miles on a pair.

I have the marathon plus 26x1.35 on my tourer/commuter. I'm really happy with how fast they feel. I've only put a few hundred miles on them so far, but everyone says they're flatproof. I bought from wallbike.com.

How's the ride quality of the 26 x 1.35 marathon plus? Is it harsh in any way? I ride specialized armadillos in 26 x 1.5 and it picks up all road vibrations. It's fast, but harsh. I'd like to explore a tire that is just as flatproof and carefree as the armadillos, but more comfortable.

Specialized Nimbus Armadillo 26x1.5. Cant beat it for a reasonably priced, (nearly)bombproof comuter/tourer slick.

How's the ride quality of the 26 x 1.35 marathon plus? Is it harsh in any way? I ride specialized armadillos in 26 x 1.5 and it picks up all road vibrations. It's fast, but harsh. I'd like to explore a tire that is just as flatproof and carefree as the armadillos, but more comfortable.

What psi do you run? I usually keep mine at about 70. Loaded, I drop it to about to about 60. High psi in any tire will be a bit harsh.

Has anyone tried the Panaracer Urban Max?

How's the ride quality of the 26 x 1.35 marathon plus? Is it harsh in any way? I ride specialized armadillos in 26 x 1.5 and it picks up all road vibrations. It's fast, but harsh. I'd like to explore a tire that is just as flatproof and carefree as the armadillos, but more comfortable.

Marathon Pluses are generally harsh riding. This was especially true on my Cromoly MTB. Surprisingly, when I transferred them to the Safari, the ride was much better even though the Safari is aluminum.

Another option is the Panaracer T-Serves which come in 26 x 1.25 but are even narrower. These are fast, light, good riding tires but not nearly as bullet proof. I was averaging a flat every 500 miles or so when I was using these for commuting.

How's the ride quality of the 26 x 1.35 marathon plus? Is it harsh in any way? I ride specialized armadillos in 26 x 1.5 and it picks up all road vibrations. It's fast, but harsh. I'd like to explore a tire that is just as flatproof and carefree as the armadillos, but more comfortable.
I wouldn't call them harsh, but I'm used to riding road bike tires, so maybe I'm not the best judge. I keep mine around 90-95 psi and enjoy the speedy ride and low rolling resistance.

I run my about 90psi. I'll try lowering them.