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My normal commute is on Swalbe Marathon 27s. My 30 mile route is on ill maintained backroads and disused railway tracks where the existence of potholes and sharp pointy things means the threat of a puncture is never far away. So far so good.
Now I've been "volunteered" for a 60 mile road event through the Yorkshire Dales. All on road. I'm worried that the Marathons might be too big and grippy for smooth and fastish rolling.
Am I worrying too much, or should I put some smaller road covers on? 23mm or so, but what are the options considering that I'll only use them a couple of times a year so I don't want to spend a fortune.
Can anyone advise me?
Simple. Swap out the Marathons with the intention of never using them again, and replace them with Continental Sport Contact IIs. I had the Contis on my CX bike, and they were superb.
Ive got a set of 25mm Conti Ultra Sport I took off a bike. Bit of wear and a few cuts but you can have them for the cost of post if you want. I took off as I replaced with 28s.
ill dig them out at weekend.
@mcnultycop, that's brilliant. Thank you.
Sorry, I've not worked out how to use the quotes on here, but yes please. I am more than happy to cover whatever costs you have.
I'll send you a message.
+1 on the contis Saxon rider mentioned, they feel like road tyres rather than solid blocks of rubber like the schwalbles.
That said I can see the appeal of marathons, my ultremos are cut to shreds due to the amount of glass there seems to be on my commute. When they start puncturing I'm going to have to go with something harder wearing.
Yes. The Schwalbes do feel solid but they came on the bike and through the winter they have served me well. But it's summer now and better rolling will be appreciated.
I can always put them back on in November!
I have Schwalbe Marathon GreenGuard in 700 * 28mm (not the Plus version) and it's a fast tyre IMO.
I have some Continental 4000s in the same a size, which are lighter and grippier, but the Marathons are barely any slower.
I wouldn't bother taking the Marathon's off unless I was doing a fast crit race or something. They are just fine for longer rides.