Schwalbe marathon plus tyres - traction?

[splreece]

Hi all,

I've just had my bike services as i am starting to commute to work (20 miles each way on road and pavement). I was recommended to replace my cx tyres with lots of grip with some marathon plus tyres to avoid punctures.

The worry is i've just taken the bike out on a 10 mile part road part ctc cycle track and i can't think of a minute in the ride where the back or front wheels didnt slip or twitch. This is really bad when the road either has a corner (oh dear) or when going down hill.

I'm aware the grip feel will be different (sacrificing grip for speed), but any advice on how to ride it would be great.... or if others have had the same experience.

I don't care for speed, i just wanted safety and grip and puncture resistance.

[fausto copy]

I can only suggest that they may be a bit "slick" or "greasy" as they are new.
We've cycled probably 20,000 miles on ours and have never experienced that problem.
Is the cycle track newly laid tarmac, that could be causing the problem?

I'm sure once they settle in they'll be fine.
Most folk complain about the M+ as they say they feel "dead" and slow.
I prefer the fact that we've never had a p*nct*re in all that time and they follow the line I choose.

fausto.

[reohn2]

What size tyres are they and what pressures do have in them?

[Vorpal]

I don't like the traction on Marathons in general. the pluses are the worst of the Marathons in that regard.

In my opinion, the road tyre with the best traction is Continental GP 4 Seasons. I have them in 28 mm on my commuter. They are puncture resistant, as well, though not as much as Marathon pluses. But unless you are riding cycleways strewn with glass and thorns, GP 4 Seasons are plenty puncture resistant.

There are other road tyres that do nearly as well as the Contis with grip, but cost less, like Vittoria Randonneur. Vittoria Voyager Hyper is similar, but has better puncture protection. IMO, the traction is not quite as good as on the Randonneur.

If you need more grip than GP 4 Seasons, you probably need to revert to CX tyres.

The reason they probably told you to change out is rolling resistance.

[whoof]

I commute on Marathon + and have ridden over 40,000 miles over the past eight years in my current job. My return home starts with a down hill about 35 mph including a corner which I don't brake for but most cars do slow for. I'm also carrying one pannier of fire wood. The rest of the ride is across Bath and then a tarmac cycle path. No traction issues.
As above when they squeal and feel a little weird first time out when new.
Ride a few more miles and see how you get on.
I ride through glass strewn under passes and last puncture December 2015.

[Brucey]

I can only suggest that they may be a bit "slick" or "greasy" as they are new...

tyres are indeed coated in a layer of wax or silicone because that allows the finished tyre to come out of the mould. It is called 'mould release compound' and it is applied to the mould before the tyre is made. This takes some tens of miles to disappear completely, and until then the tyre is most likely to skid, especially in the wet.

If you are used to knobbly tyres the lateral grip available in mud etc might seem a bit lacking. Also the rubber compound is a bit harder than some so absolute grip levels in the wet are a bit down on some other tyres.

Other things that affect the way the tyre feels include

- tyre pressure; M and M+ tyres are (in places) stiffer than many other tyres and if you set the tyre pressure for comfort, the whole tyre is liable to be laterally unstable. [also very hard work to pedal too]

- tyre profile. The carcass is round on the inside but M, M+ have a fairly thick layer of rubber under the tread centre. This makes the external profile of the tyre different and the whole way the tyre reacts when you turn into a corner is different. This can feel as if the steering is lighter or twitchier.

- tread squirm: any tyre with a pronounced tread pattern can feel a bit odd if you are used to slicker tyres. The ridges in the tread tend to move around a bit and this can make the tyre feel a bit peculiar. This sensation (moreso than the others) actually disappears as the tread wears.

Quite a lot of these other things are the kind of stuff that you just get used to. . The second two are usually worse when the tyre is at full pressure However if you don't have a lot of trail in the steering, the bike won't ever handle in quite the right way with such tyres fitted. You might still get used to it though.

cheers

[alexnharvey]

I found the M+ does indeed have a very odd, squidgy feel when cornering, especially noticeable on the front wheel of course. At first I thought something was wrong with it, that it might be toppling over. I came to think it's just that you can feel the protection layer squashing. This was on an old, part worn tyre so wax etc was not the cause.

It's not so bad on the back and of course the puncture protection is more useful on the rear wheel. I've still got a marathon plus on the back of an old hack bike whereas I have put on another tyre on the front. It's nearly done though and I'll definitely use something different instead.

[Tigerbiten]

The only time I lost traction with a M+ was after I had worn the rubber off and was down to the anti-puncture layer after around 2,000 miles while on tour.
Then it would slip while climbing ~15% hills on wet tarmac vs +20% when new.
But this was on a back wheel of a bent trike, so there's a lot less traction anyway vs a bikes back wheel.

YMMV .......

[rmurphy195]

I have marathons on my Brompton, and tyre pressure makes a huge difference.

As little as 15-20 extra can make a tyre that is noisy(propellor-like, squirmy, amd drags so much you think the brakes are stuck on, and a smooth, quiet, easy ride.

[splreece]

thanks for the reply... no its established track and also the roads are that grippy surface rather than really slick flats.

I can only suggest that they may be a bit "slick" or "greasy" as they are new.
We've cycled probably 20,000 miles on ours and have never experienced that problem.
Is the cycle track newly laid tarmac, that could be causing the problem?

I'm sure once they settle in they'll be fine.
Most folk complain about the M+ as they say they feel "dead" and slow.
I prefer the fact that we've never had a p*nct*re in all that time and they follow the line I choose.

fausto.

[splreece]

What size tyres are they and what pressures do have in them?

thanks for the reply, they are 700 35s. straight from the shop so i will have to measure when am out.. they are more solid than i've had the cx tires, however that maybe due to the tyre build and that they are road tyres rather than the hybrid ones im used to.

[reohn2]

What size tyres are they and what pressures do have in them?

thanks for the reply, they are 700 35s. straight from the shop so i will have to measure when am out.. they are more solid than i've had the cx tires, however that maybe due to the tyre build and that they are road tyres rather than the hybrid ones im used to.

Tyre pressures?
This chart may be of help(pressures are per load per tyre):- https://www.google.co.uk/search?num=10& ... NwExjl-QBM:
Go off actual tyre width not what says on the tyre as tyres often measure up smaller than what's written on the sidewall.