I just mounted my new Marathon XR 26x2.0 tires on my Surly LHT and rode to work as usual.

Man, these things are slow. Previously I have been using a set of standard Marathon tires that were 26x1.75. I am assuming that the reduced speed has more to do with the aggressive tred pattern rather than the increase in width. Would that be a safe assumption? My old Marathons were nice tires but did not perform too well on the few occasions I took them on dirt track. I also had 4-5 punctures with about 2,000 miles of touring on them, good but not amazing.

I bought these XRs for a cross China ride taking place in February. I will be riding from Beijing to and through India. I wanted something that could handle just about any terrain I threw at them (I know, unrealistic) and also be pretty darn flat proof. Everyone rants and raves about these tires so I took the plunge. On my short ride into work I was unimpressed by the rolling resistance on my unloaded bike. Maybe once I load it up the difference in speed will not be as noticeable? Even when descending these tires felt slow. I had the inflation pressure set at 70 PSI which is the max written on the side of the tire.

Did I choose the right tire for the kind of ride I am doing? I am thinking that most of the first half of china is going to have good pavement but will slowly peeter out when I get closer to Tibet. These tires look like they would be great for Tibet and Nepal. Maybe I should order the XRs in a 1.6 for faster speeds? Or should I just get a new pair of standard Marathons in the 1.75 that I know I like and just deal with the occasional flat?


Thanks in advance,