I took delivery of the 700x32 Marathon Pluses last night, rode 'em in this morning.

I surprised me that they are actually slightly narrower than a 32mm Gatorskin. They might roll a tad faster, but the ride feels harsher. After wresting them into place on the rims last night I'm not really looking forward to my first flat.

They are not as heavy nor as massive as the motorcycle tire-like 26"x2.0 Marathon Plus Tours on my mtn. bike, one of which tires was terminally damaged by roadway debris on my commute this past spring. So I ain't expecting these new tires to be immortal either. If I destroy one a year I'll be about at parity with my Gatorskin experience.

About the only area where Gatorskins stumble IMHO is traction in the dirt relative to tires like the Marathons and Conti Top Contact II's that have actual tread patterns, but navigation is still doable on Gatorskins and it ain't like those other tires turn your bike into a mtn. bike.

Having tried prob'ly a half dozen different tires now, I can say that Gatorskins are probably my favorite tire.

Whether these new Marathons I'm riding also grow on me remains to be seen.

Mike