Touring - Schwalbe Marathon Cross

Been slowly building up a Surly LHT and now deciding on tires. I need one that will handle roads as well as the occassional off-roads. Plan to ride China down to Singapore. The Marathon Cross is one I'm considering, and is on sale for only US$30 a piece.

Has anyone used this? I notice many use the other versions of the Marathons. Would appreciate your kind comments.

Many thanks!

OnF

I used the Marathon Cross for a few months while training for my ride, my initial impressions were good, nice grip on and off road, but after recieving at least ten punctures, and a subsequent thumb tack test, I was not convinced of the puncture protection these tyres provide, and subsequently, the life of the tyre.

I now use the Continental Travel Contact, a much superior tyre, similar tread, MUCH better puncture protection (none so far) and they roll better. I will be riding this tyre from England to Oz later this year.

There was a thread here about Schwalbe tires & reliability not too long ago. http://bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=374182&highlight=marathon+schwalbe
A few people had experienced problems, but most had not. Since I gather you're riding a folding bike, I'll mention that I just completed a tour in Laos & Thailand on my Bike Friday with Schwalbe Marathon 20" x 1.5 (40-406) tires with Kevlar. I had no problems whatsoever and continue to use the tires for my daily commute, part of which is on an unpaved trail. I very much like the ride I get with these tires. I don't know how the "Marathon Cross" tires compare with the "Marathon" tires I've got. Schwalbe really needs to come up with some additional names for their various tires.

I have used the Marathon cross on my LHT for awhile. I realized I wanted a little smaller tire 35mm) for touring so I switched to the XR's. I am using a studded tire up front and a Cross in the back right now for winter riding. There is a little more slipping around with the back but not much. It's a good solid tire from my experience.

conti travel contacts if trip is more pavement.

Marathon Cross is not best for paved riding. larger lugs lower pressure make for slower tires. best for dirt trails, off road, high divide trail, etc.