Schwalbe marathon equivalent

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fatboy
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Joined: 5 Jan 2007, 1:32pm
Location: North Hertfordshire

Schwalbe marathon equivalent

Post by fatboy »

I have run marathons for years but I'm unsure about the greenguard version which seems a bit harsh to me. I run 700x32 and my slightly odd rim sizes (17mm on back and 19mm on front) mean that 32 is the right size. My question is what is the best to ke for like (ish) replacement for kevlar marathons? Vittoria Randoneur 2? Continental touring plus? Something else?
"Marriage is a wonderful invention; but then again so is the bicycle puncture repair kit." - Billy Connolly
Brucey
Posts: 44521
Joined: 4 Jan 2012, 6:25pm

Re: Schwalbe marathon equivalent

Post by Brucey »

I think that if there were an identical tyre to the ones you have been using, it might already be obvious. What might be helpful is if you can identify in what way the tyres could realistically be improved, e.g.

- grip
- tread pattern
- longevity
- puncture resistance
- cost
- rolling resistance
- comfort
- availability
- appearance
- performance offroad (if applicable)
- load rating

cheers
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Brucey~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
fatboy
Posts: 3477
Joined: 5 Jan 2007, 1:32pm
Location: North Hertfordshire

Re: Schwalbe marathon equivalent

Post by fatboy »

The key thing is comfort. The green guard is a much harsherr ride than the old kevlar ones. They're heavier too (not a biggie). I guess I wish that they'd left well alone and was wondering if anyone else had gone down the same path and found a good replacement.
"Marriage is a wonderful invention; but then again so is the bicycle puncture repair kit." - Billy Connolly
reohn2
Posts: 45158
Joined: 26 Jun 2009, 8:21pm

Re: Schwalbe marathon equivalent

Post by reohn2 »

Vittoia Randonneur Pro's or if you want real comfort Voyager Hypers,Both are high quality suppleand fast touring tyres :)
Or if you want a bombproof touring tyre at the expense of a little comfort,though still more comfortable than Marathons,Panaracer Ribmos.
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"All we are not stares back at what we are"
W H Auden
PH
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Joined: 21 Jan 2007, 12:31am
Location: Derby
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Re: Schwalbe marathon equivalent

Post by PH »

If you have the clearance for 35mm or are happy to go down to 28mm, Spa still have some of the old style left,
http://www.spacycles.co.uk/products.php ... 0s142p1092

I've been swapping between the original Marathons and the Vittoria Randoneur for years, depending on what has been on sale at the time and I find them very similar. This is on my touring/treking/hybrid bike on mixed surfaces and used most days. Of course vary any of the factors (bike, rides, pressure, usage...) and you might not find the same, but for the price they're probably worth a try.
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/vittoria-randonneur-ii-tyre/
mercalia
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Joined: 22 Sep 2013, 10:03pm
Location: london South

Re: Schwalbe marathon equivalent

Post by mercalia »

may be reduce the tyre pressure a little? I have yet to try the green guard tyre ( I do have one waiting ) at the moment I have the last kevlar ones with tyre liners that I think must be similar to the green guard tyres. I dont rate the kevlar protection - maybe its good for large flints ( ie knives ) but needle thorns and such like it is use less - thats been my experience. I have found I can reduce the tyre pressure a bit using the liners, or I get a rather harsh ride such as u experience. So the green guard is I suspect an improvement over the kevlar guard, and there fore you should hold try reducing the pressure a bit before u give up on them.
fatboy
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Joined: 5 Jan 2007, 1:32pm
Location: North Hertfordshire

Re: Schwalbe marathon equivalent

Post by fatboy »

I want to stick with 32. I always found the kevlar ones OK, I'm going to try the Randoneurs sometime soon
"Marriage is a wonderful invention; but then again so is the bicycle puncture repair kit." - Billy Connolly
Brucey
Posts: 44521
Joined: 4 Jan 2012, 6:25pm

Re: Schwalbe marathon equivalent

Post by Brucey »

IME both Kevlar and greenguard variants become very slow and draggy if they are soft enough to be comfortable.

One of the Dutch magazines did tests that showed this very clearly with modern Marathon tyres.

At the same pressure as a hyper, a schwalbe M+ was about 'half as comfortable' when transmitted vibrations were measured, and IIRC a greenguard wasn't much different. Once deflated to give a similar comfort level I estimate (from the available data) that the drag is likely to be about double that of Hypers (or other fast tyres).

Both M+ and Mg tyres roll well considering their puncture resistance but they are not really very pleasant tyres to ride on.

cheers
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Brucey~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
fatboy
Posts: 3477
Joined: 5 Jan 2007, 1:32pm
Location: North Hertfordshire

Re: Schwalbe marathon equivalent

Post by fatboy »

I definitely think that the Mg is too harsh. I do need good puncture protection but found that the green guard ones has more protection than I need/want and harsher than the fairly harsh kevlar marathons
"Marriage is a wonderful invention; but then again so is the bicycle puncture repair kit." - Billy Connolly
mercalia
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Location: london South

Re: Schwalbe marathon equivalent

Post by mercalia »

Maybe there is a minimum size a Marathon ( Green ) should be. I dont find the HS 368 at 1.75" harsh at all at 50-65 psi. When I had a 700c bike I used 1.5" and again found them ok, certainly no road vibration.
fatboy
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Joined: 5 Jan 2007, 1:32pm
Location: North Hertfordshire

Re: Schwalbe marathon equivalent

Post by fatboy »

mercalia wrote:Maybe there is a minimum size a Marathon ( Green ) should be. I dont find the HS 368 at 1.75" harsh at all at 50-65 psi. When I had a 700c bike I used 1.5" and again found them ok, certainly no road vibration.


You may be right. They're not terrible but I just want to try a different sort
"Marriage is a wonderful invention; but then again so is the bicycle puncture repair kit." - Billy Connolly
reohn2
Posts: 45158
Joined: 26 Jun 2009, 8:21pm

Re: Schwalbe marathon equivalent

Post by reohn2 »

mercalia wrote:Maybe there is a minimum size a Marathon ( Green ) should be. I dont find the HS 368 at 1.75" harsh at all at 50-65 psi. When I had a 700c bike I used 1.5" and again found them ok, certainly no road vibration.

What other tyres have you tried to compare Marathons with?
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"All we are not stares back at what we are"
W H Auden
don1
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Joined: 14 Jun 2013, 8:06pm

Re: Schwalbe marathon equivalent

Post by don1 »

Apologies for intruding on your thread fatboy.
I've always ridden Schwalbe, whether it be Marathon plus or Durano plus.
I'm currently running the Durano plus 28mm on my Croix de Fer.
I see lots of praise for the Vittoria Randonneurs or the Hypers on this forum.
What differences would I find compared to my Durano plus if I ran some of the Vittorias ?
Would they be more comfortable than my Duranos ?
reohn2
Posts: 45158
Joined: 26 Jun 2009, 8:21pm

Re: Schwalbe marathon equivalent

Post by reohn2 »

don1 wrote:What differences would I find compared to my Durano plus if I ran some of the Vittorias ?
Would they be more comfortable than my Duranos ?


They'll be more comfortable with little or no loss of speed,especially if you ride bad tarmac(which TBH is most of the UK).

I'm currently running the Durano plus 28mm on my Croix de Fer.

I doubt the Croix de Fer will take anything bigger than 32mm actual size tyres especially with mudguards.Hypers are available in 700x32 for £22 each +post:- http://www.rosebikes.co.uk/article/vitt ... aid:643237
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"All we are not stares back at what we are"
W H Auden
don1
Posts: 107
Joined: 14 Jun 2013, 8:06pm

Re: Schwalbe marathon equivalent

Post by don1 »

reohn2 wrote:
don1 wrote:What differences would I find compared to my Durano plus if I ran some of the Vittorias ?
Would they be more comfortable than my Duranos ?


They'll be more comfortable with little or no loss of speed,especially if you ride bad tarmac(which TBH is most of the UK).

I'm currently running the Durano plus 28mm on my Croix de Fer.

I doubt the Croix de Fer will take anything bigger than 32mm actual size tyres especially with mudguards.Hypers are available in 700x32 for £22 each +post:- http://www.rosebikes.co.uk/article/vitt ... aid:643237


Thanks. I think I'll give them a go once payday comes back around.
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