Touring - 26 x 2" Tire

Looking for an all purpose tire for my mtn bike I'm building up as a loaded tourer looking to do 75% on road and 25% on dirt roads. Was thinking about a 2" tire. Any options out there other than the Big Apple? Should I just go with the 1.75" Marathon Plus or pop for the 2" Dureme? Thanks!

The 1.75 inch Marathon Cross might work, too. I have 2 inch Supremes which are great on the road. I have had them off road a bit and they are not so great. They're tough but too smooth to get good traction. The Hurricane is worth a look too. It says "occasional off-road". Probably just fine on dirt roads.

Continental Travel Contact. It's their adventure touring tire for just that .
Some unpaved road, but paved mostly..

I'm thinking of just going with the Big Apples. Is there any reason not to do this as a touring tire?

I am quite happy with 26X2.0 Dureme. I have used Dureme on the front and Extreme on the rear on rails to trails tripping where most of the trip was on gravel.

If I was going to do a trip with 75 percent pavement, I would likely use 26X2.0 Dureme on both front and rear.

That said, I recently bought a pair of Marathon GreenGuard 26X1.5 tires to use this coming summer on a tour of about 500 miles that will all be on pavement. I will however carry a 26X2.0 Dureme as a spare tire on that trip since the Duremes that I own have a folding bead.

I'm thinking of just going with the Big Apples. Is there any reason not to do this as a touring tire?

I'm imagining a BA front tire slipping out on some surfaces compared to tires with some tread on the sides. What makes it so great is a relatively narrow contact patch for it's width which I think will make it less wonderful on dry loose stuff. I've used a Travel Contact just a few times on the road and while it wasn't that great unloaded (slippery on wet surfaces) I could see it doing well as a load carrying tire and was surprised how well it did in the dirt and slippery gravel strewn dirt roads.
I rode for a few weeks with a 2.0 Marathon Extreme on the front all road riding and was surprised how fast it rolled.
Anyway if that 25% dirt roads involved descents, ruts and loose material I'd pick a different tire than the BA. What you're describing sounds like the basic mountain bike tire sold on most new bikes that has close spaced center blocks or solid strip with tread out to the sides.
Kenda makes an inexpensive tire like that in 1.95. Travel Contact and Dureme seem ideal and further up the price range. I could see having an Extreme on the front if the dirt was dicey.

Couple of good tires in that size, I've been looking at them myself.

Marathon Extreme: holy cow, $$$ but probably the best for the job.
Maxxis Overdrive Elite: better price, reflective, folding, puncture belt, probably won't last quite as long (I'm seriously looking at these) If I buy a set, I will review them
I also looked at a few other tires, mostly 1.9's, including some Cheng Shin tires, Kendas, etc. but I will probably go with the Maxxis (even though it's made by CST)

Schwalbe makes a staggering amount of tires in this size, I can't even begin to think about which would be best, but any of the Marathon Plus/cross/extreme/dureme would work. Probably give you more traction on dirt than the BA.

Marathon Extreme: holy cow, $$$ but probably the best for the job.
.

yeah, makes one feel obligated to find something that costs 1/2 as much but in the grand scheme of things a $90 tire isn't that big of a cost compared to the other consumables used up in a few weeks when the tire will last much longer.

Yeah, in the grand scheme of a tour like this, it's not that bad... just stings to drop $150 on 1 pair of tires!

I have had good experiences with Continentals, such as the Town and Country. Smooth riding and long lasting. Not a lot of flat protection, though. For that, I like Specialized's Armadillos. Yes, a bit heavier and a bit pricier, but I am williing to forgo those things for the flat protection that comes with them.

Thanks for all the advice.
I decided to go with the Big Apple 2.15 off RivBike.

http://www.ebikestop.com/schwalbe_big_apple_hs338_26x200_kevlar-TR4850.php

Looking for an all purpose tire for my mtn bike I'm building up as a loaded tourer looking to do 75% on road and 25% on dirt roads. Was thinking about a 2" tire. Any options out there other than the Big Apple? Should I just go with the 1.75" Marathon Plus or pop for the 2" Dureme? Thanks!

I rather like the Marathon Extreme. It's got a more aggressive tread than the Plus but still rolls nicely on the road. I did a trip with some friends a few months back and did 260 miles in four days (150 in two days, one day off, 110 miles back in one day) on a Specialized Rockhopper with a Marathon Plus on the front and an Extreme on the back.

I used to run Marathon Plus on the front and rear but spent an awful lot of time fishtailing through mud as they didn't have as much grip as I'd hoped. When the rear one wore out I put the Extreme on.

I have a years worth of riding on a set of Marathon Supreme tires (about 2200 miles so far) and they have been great. Smooth, quick rolling and no flats. The only issue I have had is in mud or loose small gravel since there is not a very deep tread.

I rather like the Marathon Extreme. It's got a more aggressive tread than the Plus but still rolls nicely on the road. I did a trip with some friends a few months back and did 260 miles in four days (150 in two days, one day off, 110 miles back in one day) on a Specialized Rockhopper with a Marathon Plus on the front and an Extreme on the back.


I have a years worth of riding on a set of Marathon Supreme tires (about 2200 miles so far) and they have been great. Smooth, quick rolling and no flats. The only issue I have had is in mud or loose small gravel since there is not a very deep tread.

What's the width of the tires you used?

What's the width of the tires you used?

26 x 2.0"

You can get both in different widths, in the UK market the Extreme comes as a 26x2 or 26x2.25, the Plus MTB (which has a different tread pattern to the Plus ATB on my bike, which may be discontinued now) comes in 26x1.75 or 26x2.1.

If you want a slightly more aggressive tread pattern while retaining the puncture protection of the Plus you could get the Plus Tour, the tread pattern is similar to the Extreme - that comes in 26x1.75 or 26x2.

Sorry, they are 26x2. They replaced a set of 26x1.75 plain Marathons and the difference was night and day in ride quality.

sefras drifters, serious bang for the buck

Continental Traffic 26x2.1 actually makes for a nice dual purpose tire up to 65psi with lots of knobs where you need them on soft surfaces. If you want something more road friendly, Serfas Drifter 2 is pretty bomb-proof with an inverted tread and no knobs on the outer edges.

I have no experience with Big Apples. Sorry.

Continental Traffic 26x2.1 actually makes for a nice dual purpose tire up to 65psi with lots of knobs where you need them on soft surfaces. If you want something more road friendly, Serfas Drifter 2 is pretty bomb-proof with an inverted tread and no knobs on the outer edges.

I have no experience with Big Apples. Sorry.

The 2.1 would be a really, really tight fit on the LHT, I'd go with the 1.9's (unless they're skinner than advertised). Comes with a reflective sidewall, too... not a bad suggestion at all.

The 2.1 would be a really, really tight fit on the LHT, I'd go with the 1.9's (unless they're skinner than advertised). Comes with a reflective sidewall, too... not a bad suggestion at all.

Good call. I just traded wheels from my ATB with 2.1s to my Trucker (currently running 1.9 like you said) and it would be tight - and forget fenders. The 2.1s do fit, and would work without fenders, but probably not necessary for what you are doing.

Marathon Extreme: holy cow, $$$ but probably the best for the job.


yeah, makes one feel obligated to find something that costs 1/2 as much but in the grand scheme of things a $90 tire isn't that big of a cost compared to the other consumables used up in a few weeks when the tire will last much longer.

In post number 5 above I mentioned that I had an Extreme on the rear for rails to trails on gravel. But that for 75 percent on pavement I would use a Dureme instead. The Extreme rolls well on pavement but is very very noisy.

I found the Dureme and Extreme with free shipping for $60 each with a google word search, but that was a year and a half ago, I have no idea if you can find that kind of price now. I spent that much because I did not want my trip to suffer from bad equipment.


I have had good experiences with Continentals, such as the Town and Country. Smooth riding and long lasting. Not a lot of flat protection, though. ... ... ...

I have had too many flats with Town and Country, one was from a little piece of wood about the size of a toothpick. When a twig can cause a puncture, that is unacceptable in my opinion. I bought the Town and County based on a recommendation from a friend, but his tires were the older ones made in Germany. I unfortunately did not know that manufacturing was shifted to India and the quality went down and the price stayed high. My friend's German Town and Country tires had tread that was almost twice as thick and a more robust casing.

So far my Town and Country tires haven't had flatting problems, but they don't grip all that well off-road. I can spin the rear going up grassy hills. Still, it's a good universal tire.

Another vote for the Dureme, I have them on both of my bikes 26x 2 and 700x 35. Since getting the Duremes I sold my supremes to a friend and haven't looked back. They are a great all around tire imho.

Unfortunately, Schwalbe is going to discontinue the Duremes in favor of the new Mondials. The Mondials are said to be like the old XRs, so maybe it'll be a good thing.

Unfortunately, Schwalbe is going to discontinue the Duremes in favor of the new Mondials. The Mondials are said to be like the old XRs, so maybe it'll be a good thing.


wow, wonder what they introduce/retire next year.

If anyone is interested in a lightly used set of Marathon Extremes, I have a pair listed on ebay for $40: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280810627093&ssPageName=ADME:L:LCA:US:1123

Cyclocamping.com has the Extreme 26x2.0 in stock for $59.90 each (with free shipping if you order $120, so just buy a couple of Schwalbe tubes while you're at it to put you over $120). Whereas the Dureme 26x2.0 is $75 and is out-of-stock (and has been out of stock for a while there). The Extreme runs fairly well on pavement and is better than the Dureme for loose stuff. The Extreme was the replacement for the old XR, which is being brought back as the Mondial this year. This would explain the discounts on the Extreme right now. The Extreme was a little lightweight in the sidewalls in the 2.25" version, but is okay in the 2.0" version.

i just bought a set of kenda K935's for touring. (25 pounds in panniers and barbag)
1.75 front/1.95 rear. they are both black AND round. nice center for pavement, a little
profile on the shoulders. put about 2000 km on them last month, 80% pavement, and am pleased. smooth, quiet, durable - no appreciable wear at this point.

not bad for $4 tires.

http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=8071224420

I'm thinking of just going with the Big Apples. Is there any reason not to do this as a touring tire?

I ride big apple 2.0s and love them, but beware, they are very comfy but rather slow. I did not realise just how slow until I put on some Vittoria 28s for comparison. Wow... It is like picking up a month of training! I ride a Salsa Fargo and commute mostly on crappy asphalt...

Maxxis Overdrive Elite: better price, reflective, folding, puncture belt, probably won't last quite as long (I'm seriously looking at these) If I buy a set, I will review them

I'm also interested in these (in 1.75".) Has anyone here ridden them?

I also have been considering the Overdrive Elites. I haven't been able to find many firsthand reviews. The tread looks similar to Marathon XR to me. Nice weight.