dmitrij

Hi, i will be starting a 3 month long tour in a few weeks and im still undecided on the tyre choise.
its either 700x32 or 700x35, both schwalbe marathon plus.

can anyone give any advice on the best size for touring europe. i will be mostly on fair road in western europe, but also quite a bit on poor roads, in the balkans and albania

any advice will be appriciate

John Nelson

I don't really have a recommendation, but I'll offer a few thoughts. Both cost the same. The 35 is 90 grams heavier and is rated for 10 more kilograms. I've heard that Schwalbe tires run a bit small to size. I think both would work fine.

dmitrij

maybe i should go for the 700x37 then? how would 700x32 compare with 700x37

John Nelson

I think you mean 38. They don't make a 37. The 38 is 140 grams heavier than the 32, and is rated for 25 more Kg. What's the total weight (you, your bike, your gear, your food, your water)?

dmitrij

well i have 4 panniers plus tent and bar bag, i am guessing around 25/30 killo, plus me at 78.
ive got a revolution country travveller by the way

rbrian

The '09 Country Traveller has 32mm tyres as standard. My Raleigh Royal came with enormous 40mm tyres, but since this is my first road bike, all I can tell you is that it takes less effort than a mountain bike on the road, and that 40mm tyres are quite capable of trundling over more or less anything.

What tyres do you have on there now? Are they worn out? If they're ok, why not start with what you've got, and change them if necessary later on. Western Europe has pretty good roads, and plenty of bike shops.

dmitrij

ive got the 08 traveller, with the standard tyres. They seem ok, but i rather have the schwalbe just because they are much more puncture proof and more reliable. i dnt want the hassle of buying tyres once im cycling.
Plus ive never hear a bad thing about the schwalbe marathon plus

John Nelson

Except for weight, right? You have heard that they weigh almost twice as much as many other tires you might consider. And many say the ride is lifeless and soul-draining.

late

Schwalbe runs a couple centimeters small. In fact, the Marathon Racers I bought
said 30c on the advertising and 28c on the sidewall. So the 35 is actually going to be about 32 or 33c.

There are some other tires you might want to look at. Both Continental and Schwalbe make a touring tire with that new hi tech stuff called Vectran. The Schwalbe Maratho Supreme looks to be a very cool tire. The Continental touring tire with Vectran is beefier.

I'd like to try the Supreme. I got a bunch of the Pasela tires I have now cheap. So I'm stuck with them for a while.

Hey, have fun on the trip. If you are spending as much or more as the Marathon Plus costs, they're pretty much all good in that price range. You are just trading off one thing in favor of another. One will be heavier and tougher, etc. Btw, Grant Petersen has a nice review
of the marathon supremes at the Rivendell website.

dmitrij

for me the most important thing is to have reliable tyres to last me the 6000km, without too many punctures. i just wanted to get advice on the sizing, as 32 seems quite thin, so 35 seems like the best choise.

MichaelW

Marathons are quite generously sized on the outside but the plus version is notorious for being hard to fit and remove.
I have toured in Spain using plain Marathon 32mm. I had some light camping kit and did some serious off road trails. Ive never met a trail I couldn't ride using 32mm but it was quite tricky and 35 would be more comfortable and give more feeling of security.

Generally i wish I had narrower tyres on road and wider tyres off road.

noglider 

Get the bigger tires. You're going a long way and carrying a lot of weight. The weight of the tires won't be a burden compared to your cargo. And the extra width might add some comfort.

Longfemur

Well, look at it this way... You're going to be touring in a part of the world where most touring cyclists know enough to choose the narrowest tire that will handle their weight, rather than the fattest that will fit under their frame. When in Rome, do as the Romans do.

The Smokester

I use 1.75" wide Continental Travel Contacts (26" size) on my touring bike. They have been reliable for 4000+ miles and I don't hesitate to recommend them.

They have been quite flat resistant and look like they will last another 4000 miles. They have a flat strip to contact the asphalt road and the rolling friction seems amazingly low. They have knobbies to the side for gravel roads and are stable thereon. They corner stably, too, despite the knobbies. About 690 grams.

They are available in 700 x 37c.