MontanaJustin

Does anyone know if Schwalbe has released (or will soon) a smaller Marathon Supreme in the 26" size than 2.00?
Also, if you were doing a big tour on 26" wheels (fully loaded, but I don't weigh much and camp light - 130 pounds plus gear) would you prefer Marathon Supremes, 2.00, or Marathon XRs in a smaller size, 1.6?

Any advice on pros/cons of each would be great. I know both XR 1.6 and Supreme 2.0 weight the same, but any thoughts on durability, rolling resistance, off-road handling, comfort, etc.?

kipibenkipod

Most of the hardcore tourers are using the XR for its durability. This is what this tire made for and because of that it gained its reputation.
The XR will also let you do some dirt tracks.
If you have a lot of feeling about tire handling, I guess (not from first hand use) that you will enjoy the added traction of the supreme.
I personally go with the XR for its reputation and durability. I guess traction will not come to mined in touring when traveling at 10mph. Other extreme condition should be considered per trip.

Paul Barnard

That's a good question Justin, and one I'm interested in seeing answered. As it stands right now, I'm not aware of a good 1.5" touring tire in 26". I'd love to see a Schwalbe in a low rolling resistance 26" tire.

vik 

I've got:

- Conti - Travel Contact's in 26 x 1.75" - very comfy fairly fast tires
- Conti - Sport Contacts in 26 x 1.3" - fast durable on road tire

- Schwalbe - Stelvio in 26 x 1.1" - very fast road tire [not for carrying loads]
- Schwalbe - XR in 26 x 1.6" - tough, durable slowish tire

For a fast Schwalbe 26" tire that you could tour on I'd try a Marathon Racer in 26 x 1.5". Not as durable or flat proof as the XR. I'd also seriously look at the Conti - Sport and Travel Contacts.

Paul Barnard

Thanks Vik, I'll take a look at those.

Juha

In my experience the Marathon Racer has an annoying habit I have not seen with other Marathon versions: after it wears down to a certain point, it starts developing one slow leak after another. Small shrapnels of glass, gravel and other road debris seem to be able to penetrate through a worn Racer surface fairly easily. It's annoying, because locating the shrapnels can be time-consuming, and removing them is a temporary fix. It's only a matter of time before next one works its way through the tyre.

It's a very nice tyre up to that point and it's foldable too, but I would rather tour with Marathon Plus or something like that. I'm currently going through my 3rd Racer in the rear, and I've given up trying to ride them into the ground. When the first slow leak appears, I just fix the tube and discard the outer tyre.

--J

vik 

I agree that Marathon Plus or XRs would be a lot more durable, but the question was what would be a faster 26" tire from Schwalbe.

I'm running some 406 Schwalbe Kojaks - cousins of the Marathon Racers and I haven't noticed the problem you describe - perhaps I need to wear them down further before it starts happening.

MontanaJustin

Thanks for such great information. I guess another question is how much more durable and flat-proof are the xr, supreme, and plus than other touring tires?
I should say my real question is at what point does supreme reliability outweigh any concerns of speed? I sort of think I'd rather have a bombproof tire and not worry about weight or rolling resistance, but I'm curious what many tourers out there think. I suspect that when touring you just want to enjoy traveling, not race from one campsite to the next, but shaving off a few hundred ounces in tire weight could make a long tour quite a bit easier.

aside: I love this site, and all of the great people here!

tomn

I emailed Schwalbe 3 times asking them if they were going to make a 26 x 1.5" Supreme, which I would really have the hots for. They finally responded and said that it would be more than a year before they would add to the line.

Tom

MontanaJustin

Cool, thanks for the update! I think I'll lean towards Marathon XRs once my current tires wear out, or before I depart on a big tour.

DukeArcher 

What about the Marathon Cross?

Mchaz

What is wrong with regular Marathons? They aren't as puncture resistant than the XR's or Supremes, but I would rather take 10 minutes and patch a tube every 300 miles than add a huge chunk of rotating mass. The plain Marathon is a really durable tire.

Erick L

I wouldn't want to fix a tire every 300 miles but anyway, the XR is slighty lighter than the Marathon Plain and Plus and the Supreme is about half a pound lighter than the plain Marathon (26*2.00 size).

I have XRs now that I bought for a trip with gravel roads. They do feel slower than the Specialized Nimbus (not Armadillos) that I had before but maybe it's just who's in lesser shape. After about 5000km, they still look new. If I stayed on asphalt, I'd try the Supreme. I really liked the Specialized but they aren't as durable.

vik 

Funny thing - I had 700 x 32 standard marathons on my LHT and replaced them with 700 x 35 XRs for a tour. The XRs were just as fast - perhaps even faster than the standard marathons. On my 26" touring bike I found the 26 x 1.75" XRs to be pretty slow though.

I agree with you that the standard marathons are pretty nice tires.

Mchaz

Hmm, I guess I should do research before I post. Heh. I confusing the Supreme with the Plus, and the XR isn't as heavy as I thought it was.

duppie

I run the Marathon Supremes in 26x2.0 on my daily commuter. While it is definitely a wide tire, it is not much wider than the IRC Metro Duros 26x1.50 they replaced. They fit my Planet Bike fenders nicely
I bought them for the traction and puncture resistance. I chose to commute without any flat repair, so I need a though tire. According to Schwalbe's website it is the thoughest tire in the Marathon series
They feel fast, yet with a lot of traction. I run them at about 65 PSI and I put about 210 lb on it (weight, bike and stuff)
Price can be somewhat of a concern. They cost me $102 for the pair not including a set of new, wider tubes.
Duppie

vik 

I'd run the Marathon Supremes with confidence as a commuter tire, but they aren't the most puncture proof in the Marathon line - that honour goes to the Marathon Plus, but it is a really slow tire as well.

tomn

Duppie,

Would you please measure the actual width of your 26 x 2" Supremes. Do you have a caliper laying around?

Thanks,
Tom

Nestoreitor

I have the Supremes in 26 x 2.00 mounted on 23 mm rims. I run them at 45 psi rear, 35 front. Both measure 48 mm (1.88") wide after 100 miles of use, time enough (i guess) for them to get settled.

jibi

I run on 26x2 XR Evolutions now, I had the XR 26x 1.9 in South America for a 5 month tour.

I wish I had a thinner tyre as most of the time I am on sealed tarmac roads, but saying that the XR's seem to be rolling Ok, got 80 km/hr ( 50mph) down a hill in Holbart, without the trailer on.I had a Plus for a while and it lost what little tread it had very quickly , compared to XR.

all the Schwalbes meant I didn't have to do roadside repairs.

george