I was about to pull the trigger on a set of Schwalbe Johnny Watts, but they seem to be out of stock everywhere. My backup plan is to get a pair of Schwalbe Marathon Plus Tour. But in doing my research, I’ve read multiple people say that although they stand up really well to thorns and other trail nasties, they’re a mild pain to take on / off due to sidewall stiffness.
Everything I’ve raid suggests Schwalbe is a pretty solid brand. Before I pull the trigger on these, are there any other brands I should be considering?
I’m riding an ebike mainly on rail trails. Some are paved, most are packed dirt or well-packed pea gravel. Sometimes I’ll hit a small mud patch but I don’t really go mudding. Once in a blue moon I’ll hit single track or railroad ballast, but that’s rare. I want something that’s going to be reasonably quiet and smooth on paved but that won’t shred itself when the terrain gets a little rougher, and that won’t fly out from under me if I hit a mud puddle.
I’ve had great experiences with Continental going from DH to road bikes and almost anything in between. I’d definitely look at those, maybe Race Kings or Mountain Kings to compare with your Schwalbes. Also, maybe the complains are due to folding vs. wired beads more than sidewall stiffness.
That could be - I won’t know for sure unless I get my hands on some but the chief complaint is that as soon as they get one side on the rim, the other side forcefully pops off. My first thought was that people are trying to put the wrong size tires on their rims but this complaint is common enough that I think there may be more to it.
I’ll check out the Mountain Kings, thanks!
+1 for Continental. Their tires are my favorite.
I’ve also had good experience with WTB, Kenda, Maxxis. The only tires I really haven’t liked are Serfas.
I’m also a Conti fan, though I haven’t tried folding, and have only used them on a narrow wheel road bike
Maxxis. My current pair of tires i’ve had for a year. I ride daily up and down enduro trails and have only had pinch punctures, no thorns or nails flats. Maxxis Rekon is what i would recommend for you. If you want a more aggressive setup i’d go Maxxis DHF in front and Maxxis Rekon in the back.
Very durable, but not “fun”
- Schwalbe Marathon
- Conti Gatorskin (no grip in wet)
- Pirelli Cinturato
Vittoria Rubinos aren’t as durable as those fellas, but still very durable, fun to ride, and can be taken off and put back on at the roadside without much difficulty.
Thanks - I’ll check those out! The gatorskin will probably be out since I don’t want to lose it if I hit a wet / mud patch going around a curve.
maxxis, panaracer
I’m checking both out now, thanks!
A mild pain to take off/put on = tire levers, and an extra five seconds of effort.
The good news is that flats should be so rare on Marathon Plus tires, that this is a non-issue.
As for Schwalbe availability, check out bike24 out of Germany. Even with shipping to Canada, they end up still being cheaper than buying local.
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