SCHWALBEMarathon Plus HS 348 Road Bike Tire

I waffled for a long time whether to try these tires. I was perfectly happy with the Bontragers I'd been using since I bought the bike. When my rear tire needed replacing again, and Bontrager stopped selling the tire I'd been using, I went for it.First, the installation. As suggested in other reviews, be sure to go the video site not to be named here on the web and watch the British guy install one. Once I saw his method, I installed the tire easily. I had read for years how hard these are to install. Once you know the trick, it's not so bad.Yes, the tire is heavier than my previous tire (which also had puncture protection). No,it's not an issue. The tire rolls like a dream. I don't have solid proof, but I swear the bike is a bit faster.I have 500+ miles on this tire. It's on the rear, and I carry 2 heavy panniers to work (changes of clothes for the gym/swim/work, lunch, books, etc...). There is no wear on the tire yet. The route I take is famous for punctures. I won't even bring my tri bike on this particular causeway. I've had nothing on this tire. The front tire, on the other hand, has punctured twice since I installed this tire.I now need a new front tire. I'll be buying another Schwalbe for that. And I'll be buying it from Niagara Cycle works. They have been awesome for every purchase I've made from them.January 2013 UpdateSince September 2012 when I got the first tire, I went ahead and replaced the front tire earlier than I would normally do so. I'm glad I did. I have had no punctures since. These tires are one of the best purchases I've ever made. I have about 1500 miles on the rear tire now and it hardly shows wear. Amazing for the weight I carry in my panniers. I'm still happy with how well they roll.There are certain products in my house that I always say "when this thing dies, I am buying the exact same thing immediately." This is one of those products. Until somebody proves to me there is a better tire out there for my commuter bike, I'll be using these.

I've been riding on these tires since May and I have yet to have a problem with flats. These 38mm are a perfect medium for urban roads, hard packed dirt, and gravel. Anything heavier than light gravel and they start washing out and slipping in steep climbs. If you encounter more dirt than pavement you should look elsewhere for more mountain-ready tires. However, I use these tires primarily for city riding and light dirt trails and these tires are amazing. I have literally rolled over broken bottles in the street and explosively shatter them with the impact and there aren't even any bits of glass embedded in the tires. I've taken these tires on day-long rides through San Francisco and Oakland and it's a nice peace of mind to confidently roll through glass and not have to swerve into the car lane to preserve tires.To underline the toughness of the tire, the seam where the two sides of the tires are mated together that runs on the center of the tire has yet to wear down. A little strip of rubber that generally wears off in the first few weeks of riding is still proudly present on these tires.The downside is that these tires are heavy and stiff, if you're concerned about that sort of thing. But I doubt you're a weight weenie and more of a person looking for a reliable tire that will last and looking for peace of mind when riding in dicey pavement conditions on your way to work. These are a steal at twice the price. Think about it, how often are you digging glass out of your tires and changing tubes when you're en route and in a time crunch? Get these tires.

First I have to say these are super well built and extremely solid and durable. They look awesome on my All City Thunderdome. For build and quality you can’t go wrong with these tires.Now, they were a pain to install. Because of the solid build I ended up pinching two inner tubes before the third one worked. You can probably also say user error and I’m sure that was part of it, but even so, these are pretty tough to get on the rim, so I’m definitely nervous if I ever have to replace a tube on the side of the road. But given these are one of the most durable tires I’ve had, I don’t expect any punctures.