Kojak

Anyone and everyone who has ever dreamed of a Marathon Supreme in a 700 x 28; chime in now. I have the ear of one of the gentlemen who oversee the product line and I have told him about the noise that I've heard regarding this tire in this size.

He is listening, but he needs to be able to make a strong case to his peers. Let me know what you think here, and I'll forward the thread. Please be persuasive and eloquent.

Cheers.

gb

destikon

I'd buy some. Persuasive enough? :-)

Yan 

I'd buy a set.

degnaw

For me, 700x28 is the ideal compromise between ride quality and speed (I've run 28 gatorskins in the past). No offense, though, but I'm done with tires that cost more than $25.

Praxis

That's my size! I'd finally be able to try out this tire that so many recommend.

Kojak

No offense taken. Everyone has their own criteria for the perfect tire. Price is definitely one of them for most people.

martianone

I've been riding on a tire called Marathon - probably about 20 years. Have had great luck with them. So when my new bike was built up a few weeks ago I had planned on utilizing the folding 700x37 Marathon Supreme, they were not in stock. Thought about 700x32- could not get them either.
I'd would not buy a set of 700x28.
The regular 700x37 Marathons on my wife's bike were due for replacement last month. She wanted some lighter weight tires- tried to get a set of Supremes. We did end up with another well known tire with a folding bead. Last Sunday afternoon [5/3] we were standing in line for the Staten Island ferry at the end of 5Boro tour in NYC. It had rained for much of the ride, we were wet and with the temp about 10 C getting a little cold- she says to me- "I don't like these new tires as well as the old". I promised to get some newer new tires before our next trip [a weekend in mid-June] - So now you really need to get the 700x37 Supreme in production.
To heck with 28 mm.
Thanks.

baldsue

I'd buy a pair of the 28s. On my way home from work I was thinking about replacing the tires I was riding on thinking I'd settle for the 32s if I could get them. But 28s would be supreme.

mds0725

My bike (a Sirrus) came with 700x28s and I like that size. So I'd definitely support Marathon Supremes in a 700x28.

JeffS

I'd like to try them. The thing is, I'm paying $24 for a Gatorskin. I wouldn't pay twice that for the supreme.

nubcake

Im with the majority on this one, to me a 28 is the perfect width for most of my riding and being able to get that in a super tough, well proven tire that is a little more robust than something like the gator skins

JeffS

They already make the Marthon and Marathon + in a 28 and the Racer in a 30. At some point they're just cannibalizing their own customer - though I suspect they'd be making more money selling a Supreme over a Marathon.

UberIM

You get a vote from me.

Tabor

28mm is as wide as my bike will go (with fenders). I just purchased a set of Ultra Gatorskins in 700x28c

lukasz

Love the flat protection/visibility/ride quality of the Supreme. If my bike didn't fit them in 32 then I would be very sad.

I think that there are a lot of bicycles that can fit 28 width tires but not 32.

As others are saying, the 28 size is a great compromise between comfort and weight/agility/ other fun stuff.

Andy_K 

A month ago, I was looking for a set of tires for my fast commuter/weekend ride bike. These were to be a replacement for my Continental Gatorskins.

I wanted something that would be fast rolling and light like the Gatorskins, but hopefully more puncture resistant. You, Guy, referred me to the Schwalbe Durano, but I wasn't convinced that it had the kind of puncture protection I was looking for. I considered the Schwalbe Marathon Plus for its flat protection, but the weight of the tire turned me away from it. I ended up getting 700x28 Panaracer Ribmos.

Had a 700x28 Marathon Supreme been available, it seems like it would have been just the kind of tire I wanted.


Edit: I went back and looked, and it was actually the Durano Plus that was recommended, but that's not available in a 28.

CB HI

The real question is, why would they not carry a 700x28 size?

Do they really prefer that I buy Specialized Armadilos rather than buy their tires?

degnaw

$145 minimum spend is tough though.

NeezyDeezy

I honestly would buy only supreme 700x28 for the rest of my cycling life.

Wanderer

I run 700X35(37) Supremes on the front, and a 700X40 on the back, and really like this combination. I have another set just like them for when I need them.

But honestly, what good does it do to make more sizes, if you can't keep any sizes available to the public?

You guys have got to be missing out on a lot of sales, because of unavailability. I'd work on the supply chain, before I started breaking promises on more sizes...............

On the upside - I love the Supremes.

jeffpoulin

I have the 700x32 supremes on my commuting bike and would buy 28s if they were available. Not everyone uses their 'touring' tires for touring. Many of us buy them for daily bike commuting over distances of around 25 miles/day because they last a long time and seldom get flats. I know I could get the pluses in 700x28, but the pluses are really heavy and only about 20% of my commute is in the city where the thick layer of protection would be useful. Most of the time I'm out riding on clean roads and just want a strong, light tire with good grip when it rains. The supremes are perfect for that. Schwalbe could continue marketing the Pluses to city commuters, and the Supremes to fast/long distance commuters as these are slightly different markets.

The important thing, as already mentioned, is that the tires in whatever size need to be available. It took me 3 weeks to find my 700x32 supremes last year, and I almost gave up. I'm glad I didn't, but other first time buyers may not be so patient.

Oh, and just to add, I was so happy with the Supremes that when I needed tires for my touring bike, I bought a set of Marathon XRs simply because of the Schwalbe name. The Supremes are what introduced me to the Schwalbe line of tires and now I don't want to buy anything else.

Cyclist0383

I've been waiting for this for a long time, and actually moved away from my long time use of Schwalbe tires due to the fact that Conti is producing close to what I want (4 Seasons), and Schwalbe has dropped the ball. My wife still uses 32mm MS.

Why a 700x28 MS? To me it's the perfect three season city commuting tire. It's fast, flat resistant, and has great wet weather grip.

The 28mm size is the perfect combination between speed and size, allowing one to still go rather fast due to the higher pressure, but with the added width compared to a 23 or 25mm tire the ride is smoothed out considerably. Also, for going over cobblestone roads 28mm is great as they tend not to get stuck between the stones as thinner tires do.

As Schwalbe tend to be on the wide side of the tire range, a 32mm tire is just to wide for me to have a nice and fast commute; I've tried them and didn't like them.

jwbnyc

I'd certainly take a look at a 28 Marathon Supreme but right now; I'm still waiting on LBS to get the 32 in for me.

TheRealNicola

How much would these go for? same price?

tarwheel 

I don't know how you people rave about such heavy tires. All I can say is the roads must be really bad where you ride. The folding Marathon Supreme weighs 430 grams in 700 x 32. You can buy a Continental GP 4 Season 700 x 28 that weighs about 250 grams or a Panaracer Pasela TG 28 that weighs less than 300 g. Personally I would buy some GP 4 Seasons from PBK for $35 and never look back. However, it is very hilly where I live so I pay attention to things like the weights of wheels and tires.