oboeguy

I'm going to miss the Stelvios over the winter, but a couple of rough, windy night commutes along the Greenway (read: lots of twigs, branches, etc blow across the path + the usual glasseverywheredangit) convinced me to get the Marathons. Plus I want to be able to ride on dirt and such when the occasion presents itself (e.g. when camping, which is why I didn't get the Marathon Slick tires). Did I meniton they're way cheaper than Stelvios?

I'm itching to see the difference in ride quality. They top-out at 100psi, which is not much less than the Stelvios, and I've been running the latter at 100psi lately anyway (bumpy commute). Interestingly enough (or not), these are the first wire-beaded tires I've had in a long time, though IIRC the tires on the wife's hybrid are wire-bread too. Anyway the point is that now I have to figure out how to get them home (no floor pump here at work, not going to lose an arm filling them with the mini-pump). Good thing my backpack is loaded with straps and "shock cord".

spambait11

Marathons are excellent puncture-resistent tires, some of the best. However, you should experience a much slower ride - one of the biggest reasons why I only use them on my recumbent.

I've also heard that the Marathon Slicks are pretty tough and have better rolling resistence than the Marathons. I want to try the slicks, but my Marathons refuse to become worn out.

v1nce

When i put together my Twenty i bought some brand new marathons (damn,.. i am not 100% sure anymore now, could have been Vredesteijn's but i am pretty sure). Anyhow i had some second thoughts from the beginning because they weren't very wide and i was worried about comfort. Then when put them on and they just never went on right! They were crooked/bumpy, you could really tell by the reflecting stripe. The bike store that sold them to me tried to rectify problem for half a hour using special grease and pneumatic pump etc... but they just wouldn't go on straight?! I think it was a real fluke or the combo of my rims and those tires. But then my LBS offered to replace em free with Tioga Comp Pools. Great switch! Tioga's are fatter, way faster and slicker (i don't really do offroad). So far not a single puncture. I am very pleased with them though i hear great things about the marathons as well (very puncture restistent among others).

oboeguy

First ride on the Marathons this morning. I notice the difference mostly in acceleration from a dead stop in that the bike feels a bit sluggish. Otherwise my commute wasn't particularly slower, judging from perceived exertion in the gears I normally use. This is not surprising, IMO, as they run at 100psi, which is the pressure I had on the previous tires (the Stelvios rate at 120 max, but I was running lower for a softer ride -- no flat problems).

I didn't have any particular problems putting them on the wheels. I haven't had much of a chance to test how they handle compared to the Stelvios but I got the impression on some fast bends in the road that I was riding plumper tires, whatever that really means (psychological, perhaps?).

sleestack

I've got Marathon Slicks on my Dahon Speed8 and they do have nice rolling resistance, but I've had two flats in three days, both of which were in Boston rush-hour traffic...yikes. The tires aren't worn out and both flats were punctures. Knowing that the streets of my fair city just love to gobble up bike tires - what with all the debris and the sassifrassin' potholes - my misfortunes aren't too surprising.

So, I was thinking of getting some Marathon Pluses. But other posters on this thread have gotten me worried that they're slow. Is it mostly acceleration that suffers or is the ride slower at all work levels?

What about the Conti Grand Prixs? Anyone have a pair of these on their folder?

v1nce

I wouldn't worry all that much, i don't think almost any (semi) slick high end tires by reputable brands are truly slow as such if they are run at good pressure. The Tioga Comp Pools are pretty much the very fastest tire out there. On the downside though: they had me worried because i had read about one guy who had a few punctures. But i have been riding them for some weeks now in "lots of glass, sidewalks jumping and wet conditions" and not a single puncture yet. The tread is very thick and slick and keeping them at high pressure seems to help as well. I am only a little concerned how they may perform when there is even more leaves, but so far so good.

I like the tiogas better than all the other very Slick fast tires i have seen because they are on of the thickest ones too which makes for a more comfortable ride, important with small wheels. But that's a very personal and subjective thing. Hope your choice works out for you! Nice to see there are so many good 20 inch tires out there.

spambait11

For me, I feel the overall ride is slower, or, at least, I have to push harded to maintain a certain speed, and I have the front and back inflated to 110psi. In speaking of the regular Marathons, the treads are thick and I suppose the kevlar belts make them heavy, but since using them since January I have not encountered one flat. Many people, especially on recumbent newsgroups, describe the same experience.


Overall, I like these tires and put them on my Bike Friday, but have only ridden them about 4 months. They are noticeably lighter, and I do feel quicker, but even at 120psi, when I'm riding quickly, sometimes I get this sluggish feeling like I've got a flat. Yet when I check the tires, they're fine. I don't know how else to explain this. Other than that, the other considerations you have to factor in are that these tires take thinner tubes than your Slicks, are skinnier tires overall, and are expensive. The major knock on Conti's is that they're supposed to give fairly good protection on their tread, but their sidewalls are so thin that they are prone to blow outs from sidewall punctures. Having examined these tires, I would agree with those assessments theoretically. However, my real world experience is that I have yet to get a flat though there is constant construction going on where I live, and that means riding over broken glass, screws, nails, wires, etc.

oboeguy

Heh, I have that feeling sometimes with the Vredsteins on my road bike. Those are some slick tires (no pun intended). Sweetest ride I've encountered in a road tire.

But back to Marathons... I've had a couple more days to "play" with them. The acceleration I'm sure now is a bit more sluggish, but I don't think the overall speed suffers tremendously. One thing I've forgotten to do is a new rollout for my bike computer. My commute RT usually reads around 28.25km on the Stelvios and I realized yesterday that it was only 27.56 on the Marathons. I suppose I could simply figure the ratio from there...

oboeguy

One more update! The Marathons performed admirably while riding this past weekend in part on a hardpack "trail". It was more of an unmarked dirt road (same thing I suppose), but in any case, I had no trouble keeping traction going uphill, etc. Very handy for getting to a pretty unmarked gorge / falls in the Adirodacks ("Auger Falls" for those interested).

james_swift

https://www.pedal2paradise.com/bftires/

oboeguy

I disagree with the opinion on Stelvios. I've found them to be relatively bulletproof compared to my road bike's tires.

wpflem

Oboeguy,

I've loved reading your posts especially as they pertian to your high levels of enthusiam for your Dahon Speed Pro. I talked to Josh Dahon about you at Interbike. So he knows you are out there. I must say the Dahon team is great to know personally.

oboeguy

Heh, good to know. It must be a love/hate thing from them, because of all the problems I had with the rear wheel! Seriously, I will continue my fanboyism, because I really think my SpeedPro is possibly the greatest thing since sliced bread. My poor road bike hasn't been touched in nearly two months now, I think.

BTW, lots of rain today, Marathons didn't notice.

rgilmore

I may have to get a pair for my Boardwalk - I don't feel like fixing a flat on the bike trail in the dark in the dead of winter. My extra spending money is exactly zero, though until 11/12/05 (date of my daughter's wedding ;D )

oboeguy

A pair of Marathons from Thor is like $40 + shipping. Cut a guest and you're good to go, maybe with some extra goodies while you're at it.

rgilmore

I'd like to cut about a hundred but I think I can scrape up the bucks. Thanks for the heads up.

oboeguy

I won't ask how many guests you have then! (and glad to help )