Schwalbe Marathon Plus SmartGuard Tyre, Black/Reflective

I've had these on my previous bikes and have now got a place where I don't buy any other tyre. I've got two bikes currently and the oldest one has well over 2000 miles on the two Marathon plus tyres and they still look well tredded. Never had a puncture during those miles and have now done a few hundred on the new bike. I bought this one for the rear of the new bike as I bought it used and the guy had never replaced the tyres over his five year ownership. The front one was actually okay but the rear was cracked around the rim and well worn.These are great tyres and although nothing is impenetrable i've never had a puncture with these personally. I'm sure there are people that have but they must be super rare.

I had four punctures in only about 120 miles of cycling on my new Trek DS Sport 8.6 with Bontrager tyres. The bike’s great, but the tyres are rubbish, and as I was buying my third pair of replacement inner tubes the sales guy suggested puncture protective tyres. Frankly, mechanical ignoramus that I am, I did not even know such things existed.As usual a visit to Amazon produced a great selection; I always regard price as a give-away on items you want to reply on and so the slightly higher price than most and the large number of 5 stars attracted me to these Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres.It is in my nature to worry a lot about reviews that express difficulty in performing manual tasks; this is because I am a total half-wit when it comes to doing anything with my hands. I get men to do even the simplest of tasks in the home and any device in need of repair is either simply replaced or sent to a mender. My skills extend to very minor mechanical tasks but this does at least include mending punctures (or rather replacing the inner tube) and I have put new tyres on a bike before as well.I figured there was a You Tube video; I had got string and cable ties if needed; I’d had tyres on and off many times before and, most encouraging of all, and probably the decider for me, many of the reviews plainly thought the difficulties of fitting, expressed by so many, were exaggerated. So I decided to take the risk.To say they were much easier than I expected would be a huge understatement. Unfortunately, I cannot say that the exercise was trouble free but I believe this to be due to my own carelessness and absolutely not any refleciton of the tyre. On my first attempt everything seemed perfect and I had got the tyre on so easily I actually wondered if I had received the same tyre as ordered.However, on inflation, reaching about 80 psi the inner tube burst. Yet another tube up the Swuanee. I am still not entirely clear what caused this but I think I had not checked thoroughly and there was a place where the tyre was not on the rim properly. None weeks later I still have some minor hearing loss from the bang and ringing in my ears and I am awaiting an apppointment at Ear Nose and Throat. This is not a joke or an exaggeration. I am told I may have permanent damage. Be warned!Anyway, undaunted I tried again. The second time around, again dead easy to get the tyre on, but this time I made extra sure that it was sat perfectly in the rim and that the tube was not caught between tyre and rim in any place. I also inflated it gingerly and checked the tyre at about 2 bar before going further. This time all went smoothly; with this practice the other wheel took no time at all.I didn’t need the YouTube video, I didn’t need string or cable ties, I didn’t even need a tyre lever. I was able to get them on with my fingers alone. I just did not find that the tyre came off on one side as you worked in the other as so many seemed to find. I am not showing off. I want people to know that they are much easier than some would have you believe. If I can do it, anyone can do it, trust me on this.They look the part as well and the ride is undoubtedly smoother and even more comfortable than it was before. Nor do they seem to me to be materially heavier than what I had before. I found that I did not need to blow them up to the 80 to 85 psi I used to use previously with my Bontrager tyres. 70 psi seemed perfectly sufficient.So far, after nine weeks as already mentioned, and much use, I have not had a single puncture. To say that I am mightily impressed would be a massive understatement. These tyres really are the business. Absolutely first class.

A great all-weather tire which is difficult to puncture But you don’t get this for nothing as it is slightly heavier than most.

The only tyres you should think about using. This one was easier to get on than I remember previous ones being.

Since the 700c x 28 are like gold dust at the momet I had to put up with poor service to get hold of this tyre. This tyre came courtesy of Sprocketts sports supplier who underestimated the delivery time. I chose this company to purchase from since they had the fastest estimated Royal Mail delivery time. On late arrival this rigid unfoldable tyre had been folded and taped down under considerable pressure. This bent the wire surround and splayed out the edges of the tyre making these, difficult to fit, tyres even harder to fit. The 'flashing' from the moulding process had not been removed from the tyre by the manufacturer so the seller kindly passed the problem onto the unsuspecting customer. The extra friction drag created by this when cycling has slowed me down nicely. I had no problems when I bought this tyre from Amazon Direct, no ridiculous folding and 'flashing' was certainly not there removed.

Ridden 100+ miles on mix of roads and trails, so far so good. Quick delivery, easy to fit.

Got these for my commuting/winter bike after getting several punctures with my previous tyres. Changing inner tubes at the side of the road at 0630 in Aberdeen in the winter is a grim task! You get what you pay for with these tyres, bombproof resistance to punctures. I have also done a fair bit of offroad (forestry roads) on these without any issue. They aren't light by any means, but that is largely irrelevant when your top priority is not getting a flat. I wouldn't put these on my Sunday bike, but for commuting/winter training they are perfect. Other people have commented that they are hard to fit onto the rim, there is a technique involving a few bits of string which means you can fit them with thumb power only without the need for the dreaded tyre levers - check You Tube for the method.