Yet another question about tyres - to M+ or not to M+?

[Oaky]

I ride mainly on Hampshire/Wilshire flint which will slice through an M+ as easily as an M

The flint may cut into the tyre just as easily, but it won't go all the way through the M+ because the puncture resistant layer is so very deep.  You can actually push a drawing pin into an M+ and it will not puncture (at least for the 700x35 version).  I've seen this with my own eyes, as well as on Schwalbe's advert.  The rider was wondering what the tapping noise was!

And as for the theory that even a small shard of flint or glass continues to work its way into a tyre until the inner tube is punctured: well, it just doesn't happen with M+, in what I've experienced and witnessed.  You can ride over broken bottle glass daily for a number of years without getting a single puncture.

I realise that one data point does not make a significant sample but I certainly have punctured with good old East Anglian flint straight through the middle of the puncture protection band on my rear Marathon+.

I'm usually pretty puncture free (I'm quite obsessive about avoiding detritus on the roads, and regularly inspecting tyres and digging out anything embedded) although the M+ have made me more blasé about that.

EDIT: I should add that I'd still recommend the M+, even though they haven't avoided punctures for me as well as my old (non-armadillo) Spesh Nimbus did.

[nmcgann]

I fit M+ to my wife's commuting bike as they are bombproof - zero p*nctures in the last 4 years of daily commuting. Their longevity is massive too, there's so much rubber on there that they hardly seem to wear at all. I think I replaced the last one due to sidewall cracking and I suspect that was more cosmetic than structural.

There's nothing else like them for a commuter tyre where you absolutely do not want to have to fix a p*ncture.

She carries such a load of books and papers on the bike that the weight of the tyres is unimportant.

[Biggsy]

I realise that one data point does not make a significant sample but I certainly have punctured with good old East Anglian flint straight through the middle of the puncture protection band on my rear Marathon+.

What size is your tyre?  I'm just wondering if the smaller ones can have as deep puncture resistant layers as the larger ones.

[Oaky]

I realise that one data point does not make a significant sample but I certainly have punctured with good old East Anglian flint straight through the middle of the puncture protection band on my rear Marathon+.

What size is your tyre?  I'm just wondering if the smaller ones can have as deep puncture resistant layers as the larger ones.

700x28C, so it is quite narrow by M+ standards.

[Biggsy]

I use 28s too, and have never punctured them despite riding over tons of broken glass.  I appreciate that you've proved they're not puncture proof, though.

[nicknack]

The problem is that they are BORING.

Does that imply you find some tyres interesting.  

On the bent it's Marathon on the front (only because they don't do M+ in that size) and M+ on the back. Never had a p since.

Not had one yet on the Koga shopper type thing that I ride all the time now which has got own brand p-resistant tyres. Don't know who actually makes them but they must be pretty good.

Where's the fingers crossed smiley when you need it?

[Crumbling Nick]

The problem is that they are BORING.

Does that imply you find some tyres interesting.  

Old Chinese curse - "May you live in interesting times." 

[clarion]

I can't comment on drawing pins, but I do know that I only noticed an enormous industrial staple protruding from my M+ because it was flapping against the seatstay as I was riding round Elephant & Castle roundabout!

No p*nct*re.  And the tyres ran for a long time after that before wearing out without ever having to be removed from first fitting.

In fact the only M+ p*nct*re I can recall was after someone had pushed a long screw into the top of the front tyre when I'd locked it at Borough High St.  Nothing would resist that.

[mrcharly-YHT]

Glass, smlash. Krylion carbon, Pasela TG, conti gp4s, vittoria randoneur; none of these have punctured from glass.

Marathon, Conti Sport contact *have* punctured from glass.  I regularly crunch over glass on the cyclepaths.

Marathon, Pasela TG, Conti gp4s & sport contact have all fallen to the mighty Hawthorn.

Maybe M+ are hawthorn-proof. The only way you'll know is by using them and digging a hawthorn out of an inflated tyre.

[clarion]

*puts hand up*

I have done.  Just the one.  But I did.

[Polar Bear]

Yes, there's always one...      

[clarion]

I don't often ride in thorny places.  And it hadn't been there long, but it was in.

Similarly, I haven't ridden the flinty roads that Oaky does much.  But I do a range of 'interesting' urban environments in the grime of the Great Wen, including roughstuff.

[Morrisette]

I bought some M+ tyres based on recommendations on here. 700x28 which is the size of the tyres the Vita came with. Bought them online which was probably my mistake.

BUT

They do not fit! They are not close to fitting. This is not a 'tough-to-fit' problem, they are simply the wrong size - much too big. Think I'm going to take the bike to a shop and make sure I get the right size. But I think I have - is this a know issue with M+ tyres? Do you need to go down a size?

If anyone wants them, 30 quid the pair plus postage. They are brand new.

[Biggsy]

Too big in diameter?

It's a known phenomenonomenon where the tyre seeeeems to big in diameter, but actually isn't once fitted.  Try holding part of the tyre in place with a cable tie or toestrap or two.

The weird thing is that it can seem too big at first, yet too tight at the final part of the fitting.

[bobb]

Like others, I'm a normal M user rather than M+

The only time I've had p*nctures have been completely freakish. One time a flint so long and sharp deflated the tyre in just a few seconds! It was much bigger and sharper than a drawing pin, so a + would probably have bought it too.

I find they do wear quite quickly, but I like them 

[Jacomus]

Marathon Supreme 700x40c user here. Easy to fit and no visits so far. I also run other Schwalbe tyres and so does Emily - no visitations there either, though neither of us have ever been very p* prone riders.

I think quite a lot of it can be down to where one rides on the road, admittedly not all of it by a long shot.

Essentially I'm a big fan of Schwalbe tyres!

[rogerzilla]

I bought some M+ tyres based on recommendations on here. 700x28 which is the size of the tyres the Vita came with. Bought them online which was probably my mistake.

BUT

They do not fit! They are not close to fitting. This is not a 'tough-to-fit' problem, they are simply the wrong size - much too big. Think I'm going to take the bike to a shop and make sure I get the right size. But I think I have - is this a know issue with M+ tyres? Do you need to go down a size?

If anyone wants them, 30 quid the pair plus postage. They are brand new.

It is incredibly hard to get narrowish M+ onto a narrow rim because they keep springing off.  You have to use zipties to temporarily hold it in place until you get to the last bit of bead and it all tightens up.  I couldn't face doing this on the road so gave up.  The 35mm ones fitted fine though.

[pdm]

It is incredibly hard to get narrowish M+ onto a narrow rim because they keep springing off.  You have to use zipties to temporarily hold it in place until you get to the last bit of bead and it all tightens up.  I couldn't face doing this on the road so gave up.  The 35mm ones fitted fine though.

I have found that, once you have fitted them properly once, they are very easy to fit a second time. (have had to move tyres between wheels due to hub and rim failures in the past which the tyres outlasted  )

[Andrew Br]

Marathon Supremes for us as well 'though we use 35s.
We've had one puncture each in ~3000 miles on mine and 2500 miles on Helen's.
My deflation was a small piece of glass working its way through the tread when we were doing Manchester-Blackpool. I started feeling naseous again after I'd fixed it (nothing to do do with the tyres  ). A huge thorn went through Helen's tyre.
I find that Supremes are easy to get on and off even if the diameter seems to be too large when you first try to put them on the wheels.

[Domestique]

I had M+ on my Orbit but my new bike has Continental Touring Plus's.
Never had a problem with the M+'s and was unsure about the TP's at first. But a 1000 miles later I have had no troubles.

[dave r]

I must admit to being a racelite hardcase fan. Put one on the front of my fixed last october, and put one on the back of the fixed and a pair on my Dawes just after christmas. About 1500 miles last year and about 2000 miles this year with no problems, the only deflation event I've had was rim tape related. I find that the rear tyre on the fixed, used mainly for commuting and general running about, picks up a fair bit of glass, I pick that out about once a week while I am checking the chain. I am very happy with them so far.

[RJ]

M+ (26 x 1.75" @ 50-60psi in my case) - ultra-reliable commuting/utility tyres.  Well worth the money in terms of time not lost at the side of the road/path/whatever.

[vorsprung]

I bought some M+ tyres...
BUT

They do not fit! They are not close to fitting. This is not a 'tough-to-fit' problem, they are simply the wrong size - much too big.

Yes, the marathon + in 28mm are "big" for a 28mm

I had to adjust the mudguards on my old bike to the maximum extent and put up with rubbing from mud and twigs to use these tyres

[TimO]

Like a few others on here, I've got Marathon Supremes, which are supposed to be almost as puncture proof as Marathon Pluses, but lighter and with better rolling resistance.

I've had a single "puncture" in 5000 miles or so, but this was actually a 15-20mm slash, which I doubt any tyre would have survived.  I had to bin the tyre, since it was essentially unrepairable, although I did do another 150-200 miles with a boot on the tyre.

I've had one other failure that was due to the valve coming away from the inner tube, so wasn't the tyres fault.

The downside with the Supremes is that they are more expensive, and don't come in small size (I think 32 is the narrowest).

[mark]

I've got Marathon Supremes in a 26 x 1.6, they're much lighter and faster rolling than the Marathon Plus. The sidewalls are not as puncture resistant as the Marathon Plus, according to the Schwalbe website, and in fact that's the only puncture I've gotten with my Supremes. A good sized piece of wire went through the sidewall. The tread is pretty clearly intended for paved surfaces, I don't know how well it would do on gravel or dirt paths.