Schwalbe Marathon Supremes

Please be fair and thoughtful in your opinions. No rants please.
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reohn2
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Schwalbe Marathon Supremes

Post by reohn2 »

These are 700x50 size folding tyres and were bought s/hand very slightly used (less than 150miles)from a forum member.
They're nice tyres right enough and pretty quick too,but due to their thick tread,5.5mm centre 3.5mm on the shoulder aren't quite as supple as I expected,they also have a thin sidewall of 1mm which could mean more vulnerability than other supple quality tyres I use.
I have to confess where big supple tyres are concerned my benchmark are Vittoria Voyager Hypers and the Supremes aren't as quite as good IMO.Time and mileage will tell if they go the distance.
I'd be interested in other people's opinions on these tyres.
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Grarea
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Re: Schwalbe Marathon Supremes

Post by Grarea »

I have the 26" version of these.
42-559
26x1.60

I use them every day but only for 4 miles commuting.
But I then try and take it out once a fortnight say, for about 20 miles.
I have had them something like 18 months.

I don't have a lot of comparison.
However, I rather like them.

They seem to roll pretty well.

I have a lot of confidence leaning with them.
They seem pretty good in the wet.
They weren't great in the snow :)

I used it happily on a gravel type track and I was pretty confident using them for some light mountain biking actually.
The compound seemed to give more grip than I was expecting up some pretty steep muddy bits.
Also on some slippery rocks.
I was really quite impressed. (AND that was at full pressure).
They were a bit sketchy down steep loose stone descents, but that is mainly due to their width I think.

I am currently just repairing my first slow leak. I reckon they have done getting on about 2000 miles.
It took me a long time to even wear off the central ridge (you know the flappy bit you get from the mould).
In fact, there is still slight evidence of it on the front tyre.
I have been over glass a fair few times in the dark plus all the rubbish at the side of a main road and also through some lanes.

Even with my slow leak and the pressure was down to about 2 psi, the tyres still held some shape and I could get home on them.
Although they were a little bouncy :)

Really pretty pleased.

Edit:
I take it back. The leakage was from an old repair on the tube. Nothing to do with the tyres at all.
PH
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Re: Schwalbe Marathon Supremes

Post by PH »

Firstly, if you're reviewing something it's good to be clear about what it is. Supremes have been available in at least two versions, which are yours?
I've had both and folding and wired, I've liked them all but the current folding version seems slightly more supple.
They are my favorite tyre, my experience with Hypers was a lot less positive than yours - I found the grip unacceptable, they remain the only tyres I've removed before they've worn out and there's some pretty rubbish tyres in my list. I've worn out at least 4 Supreme, sizes 32 and 35s, I don't keep a count of punctures, not any more or less than with other decent tyres and not enough to bother about. Grip on tarmac is excellent, they last well, feel nice (Subjective I know) stand up to the sort of lightweight off roading I do. I read they roll well, though I'm more interested in feel and although I may notice a change of tyre they rarely make any significant difference to my average speed. The only downside is the cost, though luckily I've never paid anywhere near the RRP.
reohn2
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Re: Schwalbe Marathon Supremes

Post by reohn2 »

PH
They're the latest folding version Evolution H469 :)
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PH
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Re: Schwalbe Marathon Supremes

Post by PH »

reohn2 wrote:PH
They're the latest folding version Evolution H469 :)

Hope your satisfied with them in the long term, it did occur to me that my experience is in a very different size and it may be that any differences are amplified by that. The conclusion of the Hyper rolling resistance review, rates them very highly 5/5 yet still suggests the Supreme is better as an all round option
I rate the Voyager Hyper 5/5 because it sits at the top of the touring bike category for now and rolling resistance is still the most important factor here. I must add that the Schwalbe Marathon Supreme (read review) is probably the better all-round tire when you look at the big picture and consider other things like the amount of rubber to wear down and puncture resistance. If you want the absolute lowest rolling resistance, the Voyager Hyper is the tire to get.

Apart from the issue with grip, which isn't unique but I know not everyone shares, I'd go along with that conclusion.
reohn2
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Re: Schwalbe Marathon Supremes

Post by reohn2 »

PH
I'm not putting down Supremes but saying that my first impressions are they aren't as supple as Hypers,and that's considering the Supremes I have are 700 x 50(measuring 45mm actual )compared to the Hypers 700 x 40(measuring 37mm actual)I normally ride.
I'm putting that down to a much thicker tread 5.5mm centre 3.5mm shoulder compared to to 3.5mm/2.5mm,though the sidewall on the Supreme is much thinner @1mm than the 2mm of Hypers.Which makes the Hyper more uniform across the carcass and also has a 120 TPI carcass against the Supremes 64(that could be measured differently).
I'm still fiddling about with tyre pressures on the Supremes but I'm down to 28psi front 45rear and they're rolling very well on gravel or tarmac at these low TP's

As you say we have differing views of Hypers and I find their grip very good but I do run them at 40f/60r as alround TP's.
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rotavator
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Re: Schwalbe Marathon Supremes

Post by rotavator »

I have the folding version on my MTB and my Triban 520 at the moment.

The MTB has had HS469 559-50 on it for may be 200 miles. They are good at smoothing out minor irregularities like control joints in concrete paths and give a very smooth ride on tarmac as you might expect. I used them on the rough road along Claerwen Reservoir and they were OK apart from a pinch-puncture that ruined an inner tube and they were a bit snaky on loose gravel.

I am also pleased with them on the Triban 520, size 622-28, not sure of version. The only puncture so far after a few hundred miles was a bit weird: at the bottom of a long steep hill when loaded with gear on Lon Las Cymru. I was stopped at a junction and the tyre just went bang. No sharp object in tyre. May be caused by hot rims or inner tube getting rucked up during braking?
Bez
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Re: Schwalbe Marathon Supremes

Post by Bez »

Having spent a day putting the original 130 miles on the OP's set of tyres I should probably offer my opinion :)

I had a long day in France coming up and I wanted to try something which would make the most of the clearance of my Disc Trucker and 53mm Bluemels guards, but which would roll easily on tarmac and cope with some light gravel. Going on various reviews my best options without spending silly money seemed to be the Supremes or the Almotions. In the end I ordered both. The Almotions frankly seemed ideal for what I wanted but sadly they were just a bit too marginal on clearance (on 18mm rims); the Supremes came up 1-2mm smaller, enough to make a significant difference, and so I kept those.

They certainly seemed to roll fast on tarmac (I had them at quite a high pressure) and they seemed a good tarmac touring tyre but they seemed to feel curiously draggy on gravel (the close-packed stuff as found on most voies vertes). Moreover, the (lack of) tread means that although they cope with gravel they aren't quite at home on it: they didn't lose grip unexpectedly, but I was being cautious with them. When I did try to test their limits I found the front slid sooner than I'd have liked—not a surprise, but just not quite what I was after long-term.

Overall I came to the conclusion that while they performed probably better than I expected on road, the large volume wasn't offering much benefit for what I wanted, and I felt I'd be better off with a 40-42mm tyre with a bit more tread. For now I've refitted some 47mm Vee Rubber Rails, which are a quite different tyre to the Supreme, but they cover me nicely for a mixed-terrain commute. I may yet buy some 40mm Almotions if I can justify the expense, but I have other things to choose from for now.
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Greybeard
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Re: Schwalbe Marathon Supremes

Post by Greybeard »

Around 2010 or 2011 I bought a pair of 35mm Supremes for my 2009 Ultra Galaxy and used them for long distance camping trips. Whilst I found that they rolled very well, they were prone to slip on wet grass/mud tracks as I expected they would given that the tread pattern is minimal. That in itself wasn't a huge issue as I mainly used the road. The main problem that revealed itself after about 18 months was that the side walls had cracked extensively. I understand that this was a common fault in the early versions which I would like to think was sorted out by now. Schwalbe at that time were happy to blame it on under-inflation which wasn't the case at all.
Anyway, I voted with my wallet and I replaced them with Continental Top Contacts instead.
Those are soon to be due for replacement/relegation to the everyday bike and despite my suspicions of Schwalbe tyres I have decided to try a pair of their Almotion tyres (700x38 in the quest for greater comfort for the ageing bones :wink: ), mainly as a result of their reviews here
https://www.bicyclerollingresistance.co ... otion-2016

I ordered them from Bike-Discount.de as they were far cheaper than any suppliers here - naturally :roll:
They're not fitted yet, though I look forward to trying them out.

Steve
Bez
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Re: Schwalbe Marathon Supremes

Post by Bez »

Greybeard wrote:I ordered them from Bike-Discount.de as they were far cheaper than any suppliers here - naturally :roll:


Roughly £67 posted from Bike Discount, roughly £69 posted from SJS Cycles… I'd go for the latter.

It's a shame Starbike don't have stock of the original version of the Almotion: the 50mm version is discounted to €27 but they don't have the 38mm :(
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Greybeard
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Re: Schwalbe Marathon Supremes

Post by Greybeard »

I paid 71 quid for the pair, including delivery. That was only two or three weeks ago. Perhaps I was lucky and dropped on em at the right time. I certainly wouldnt have stumped up 60 odd quid for just one :shock:

Steve

Just checked their website - still 33 quid each :wink:
Bez
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Re: Schwalbe Marathon Supremes

Post by Bez »

I was quoting prices for a pair :)
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Greybeard
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Re: Schwalbe Marathon Supremes

Post by Greybeard »

Ah, my mistake. When I looked for some I couldnt find any 38s at that price here. Shame as I regularly use SJS :?

Steve
peterh11
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Re: Schwalbe Marathon Supremes

Post by peterh11 »

I have a pair of 37-622 Supremes (new style folding 2016+) on my day-ride bike (an old Dawes Super Galaxy). They have been on almost about a year and I have done about 2500 km in that time, almost all on back roads - many with poor condition surface - with a bit of dry and reasonably good surface off road - farm tracks and bridleways. Bike + me together are about 80kg, I run them at around 4-4.5 bar front, 4.5-5 bar rear. On 17mm internal width rims (LX17) they are about 34mm wide and 35mm high.

I am very happy with them, they replaced some standard Marathons 32-622 (Greenguard) which I found slow and not very comfortable (they in turn were replacements for the previous generation Marathons and I took them off after a year as I was fed up with them).

The Supremes roll much better and are more comfortable, soaking up vibration from bumpy surfaces better. Much more suitable for my riding. I do need to take a bit more care off road with them but I am never hurrying then as I normally want to look at the view anyway. I do find I need to take care to keep checking the pressure, they are not so nice if they get soft.

No p*******s so far - don’t expect that to last forever but over 2k km is not bad.

Yes they are pricy but well worth the money for the ride and comfort.

Do ask if you have questions.

Peter H
rmurphy195
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Re: Schwalbe Marathon Supremes

Post by rmurphy195 »

peterh11 wrote:I have a pair of 37-622 Supremes (new style folding 2016+) on my day-ride bike (an old Dawes Super Galaxy). They have been on almost about a year and I have done about 2500 km in that time, almost all on back roads - many with poor condition surface - with a bit of dry and reasonably good surface off road - farm tracks and bridleways. Bike + me together are about 80kg, I run them at around 4-4.5 bar front, 4.5-5 bar rear. On 17mm internal width rims (LX17) they are about 34mm wide and 35mm high.

I am very happy with them, they replaced some standard Marathons 32-622 (Greenguard) which I found slow and not very comfortable (they in turn were replacements for the previous generation Marathons and I took them off after a year as I was fed up with them).

The Supremes roll much better and are more comfortable, soaking up vibration from bumpy surfaces better. Much more suitable for my riding. I do need to take a bit more care off road with them but I am never hurrying then as I normally want to look at the view anyway. I do find I need to take care to keep checking the pressure, they are not so nice if they get soft.

No p*******s so far - don’t expect that to last forever but over 2k km is not bad.

Yes they are pricy but well worth the money for the ride and comfort.

Do ask if you have questions.

Peter H


That's about 1600 miles, right?
Brompton, Condor Heritage, creaky joints and thinning white (formerly grey) hair
""You know you're getting old when it's easier to ride a bike than to get on and off it" - quote from observant jogger !
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