I can't fathom how people are wearing out Supremes at such low mileage.
I would estimate I have ~5000 miles on mine.

The tread starts delaminating. The sidewalls (where the XR would wear out) continue to look pretty good.

Mileage depends on total load, surfaces, and width of tire. Chipseal that experiences freeze/thaw cycles really seems to wear down the softer Supreme / Extreme / Dureme compound (versus XR).

BTW, Wallbike still shows an inventory of 37-622 XR's.

2 things come to mind: rider weight and braking style. Can't do much about the first, but braking slowly makes a huge difference in tire longevity. Also, maintaining proper inflation pressure makes a large difference in tire life.

Just to be clear -- the Supremes were the *worst* tires I've owned in the last 20,000 miles of riding in terms of flat protection. Same rider, same weight, same roads. They did not look worn out at all to me when I was running into lots of flats; I didn't think they were worn out until I started discussing it with Schwalbe.

In my email exchanges with them, we discussed 2 issues: life expectancy and flat protection. I told them that the tires had 1 or 2 flats at less than 1,000 miles, but quite a few at 2,000 miles, and continuing until I wrote them (at 3,000 miles). I said they didn't look worn, but asked them whether at that mileage I should expect more flats.

Issue one: life expectancy:

1. Here is what Schwalbe told me in an email: "Also, at +2000 miles, you are certainly already past the halve way point
for the life expectancy of theses tires." (When they wrote "halve" I think they meant "half.").

That suggests to me that they think the life expectancy of the tires is about 3,000 miles.

2. Flat protection. I sent them pictures of pieces of the sidewall that were pulling away from the tire; they said that had nothing to do with flats. They wrote that flats (as we all know) are caused by luck, bad roads, and the belt in the drive. My disappointment was caused by the fact that *on the same roads* I had a lot more flats with the Supremes than my other tires.

In terms of flat protection, Schwalbe said that I should consider using a tire sealant or one of their heavier models. Even though on their website they described the Supreme as "Exceptional. Outstanding. The best. A touring tire that can do everything" ....in their email communication with me they suggested their other models were better at protecting against flats.

So, here was my conclusion:
1. If the manufacturer says the life expectancy is 3,000 miles, that's not enough for a $69.95 tire, IMHO.
2. If the manufacturer recommends against using the tire in situations where I've encountered lots of flats, then I should switch.

I'm happy that everyone else is having good luck with them, I just didn't think I should buy another pair if the manufacturer was essentially recommending that I go elsewhere for tires that fit my needs. I now have Continental Top Contacts on my bike; I don't think they are as good on wet streets as the Marathon Supreme, but so far, no flats. And they are a relatively lightweight, not a super-heavy tire like the very heavy Marathon models.

What's been your experience with the Continentals? Do you think you'll get more mileage out of them than the Schwalbes?

Keep in mind that statistics will tell you the experience of just *one* person is not very meaningful.
Especially since flats are generally caused by random bits of debris on the road with the emphasis on *random*.

For example I'm pretty sure we all agree that a tire with a thin tread should be more prone to flats than one with a thick tread.
Well, over the first year I ran Gatorskins on my road bike, I had at least one flat every six weeks.
In the second year (same pair of tires) I had one flat early in the spring and *never* had another flat right up to the day late in the fall that I found the cords showing through the rear tread.
Now if I used my single experience, I could conclude that a thin worn tread was most resistant to flats, but I doubt I could convince anyone here.

Over this same two years I have been running the Supremes on my touring bike which has the lights and fenders, so it gets most of the winter riding, while the road bike gets most of the summer riding.
As I mentioned before, I lost a front tire due to a sidewall being sliced wide open by a large chunk of glass hidden in other road debris, and one flat due to either metal or glass (I've forgotten which), and that is all the flats over two years and ~5000 miles.

As for sidewall problems, are you talking about the reflective strip?
I've noticed that loose in a couple spots, but it is only a cosmetic issue.

It's like trip logs. An accumulation of anecdotes starts to point in the right direction. Sort of "where there is smoke there might be fire"...

I only have a few hundred miles on the Continentals.

I have had good luck with the following tires on my commuter bikes: Continental Gatorskins, Bontrager (Racelites? whatever came stock on Trek 520), Pasela TourGuards, Continental Top Contact.
Other tires I've used on these same roads: Continental 4000s, Michelin (forget model number), Vittoria (forget model number)


I agree with a point above. My experience is just an anecdote. I'm not sure it means anything.

The surprising thing to me was when Schwalbe told me that 2,000 miles was well past the half way point of the life expectancy of the tires.

BTW, they did offer me a discount on a future purchase, but all my other bikes have relatively fresh tires so I wasn't able to use it.

2500 miles, mostly loaded touring, on a set Maxxis Overdrives, 38mm. Looks like they'll be good for at least 4000. Light and quick, easy on/off. 3 flats caused by retread wires. I'll take that in a $25 tire. Screw Schwable. Bring back the XR.

I went through a pair touring this summer. The rear lasted about 3500km. My impression was generally positive. On one occasion the Marathon Supreme on my rear wheel came out unscathed after I rolled over a pile of glass, while the Vittoria Randonneur Hyper on my front wheel got two punctures. My only major problem with it is that it has very vulnerable sidewalls. I got a sidewall blowout while riding on a gravel road near the end of the tire's life. I ended up sewing the hole shut and it held until the carcass in the tread failed a few hundred kilometres later.

The 700 SMSs are flat magnets, and oversized. I've switched back to Gatorskins, and looking to dump the 26s too.

that is similar to my experience, Supreme held up fine through glass when a Randonneur Pro, Hyper and Panaracer Protex got flats. Seems to me that putting a Supreme on the front with some kind of heavier sidewall tire on the rear is a reasonable combo for efficiency/durability/ride quality.

So far I've been moving a 35mm Marathon XR , Marathon Supreme and other tires around on my CrossCheck according to conditions and come back to the XR on the rear and Supreme on the front when I don't want to risk flats.

Flats with the Supreme (37-622) on my rear wheel stopped when I started using a Spinskin Duro tire liner. (I've got a 28x622 Marathon Plus on the front; I'm trying to use up my last Supreme - of three I purchased - before I go on tour next year).

I am very happy with my supremes but that's just my opinion.

I've got a 700x35 Supreme on the rear of my LHT with about 1000 miles so far. Nice handling tyre but already showing a fair amount of wear. On my MTB tourer I've got a pair of 26x"" Supremes, again around 1000 miles. Great handling and fast for 26x2" tyres. The rear is shopwing noticeable wear. I've had one puncture on the MTB - a chunk of glass.

I rate them for handling, speed, and puncture resistance. Pricey though, and seem to wear fast. I'll be putting Marathon HS368s on my LHT for my next big tour.