This spring is killing me. I think I've had seven flats in the past two months. I guess that's what I get for having more than 2000 miles on the tires on two different bikes. I got a pair of Ribmo's to try out on my road bike, but it looks like Schwalbe is the obvious choice for the rain bike (Marin Muirwoods 29er).

Right now I've got 42-622 Continental TownRides on it, the stock tire. I've liked this tire a lot, but I'm thinking maybe I want something even bigger and more flat-resistant. So I've narrowed my choices down to Schwalbe Marathon Plus or Schwalbe Big Apples.

The trade-off, as I see it, is flat protection vs. comfort. This bike is already a tank, so weight is no issue. I'm wondering how the comfort of the 700x45 SMP compares to the 29x2.0 Big Apples. Is there a big enough difference to justify the drop off in flat protection with the BAs? Also, which grips better on wet, sand-laden roads?

Any opinions?