[jools88]

I am considering  replacing my Lugano tyres with Marathon Plus. I’m aware that they are heavier. Are they bulkier because they have an extra layer?  If so, do I size down?  I know people size up on tyres but don’t know about down. I’m a bit clueless here. The Luganos are OE on a Cannondale Quick 1 – love the nimble bike but not the punctures!

Topic

[Compact Corned Beef]

Just to add my two penn’orth

Just to add my two penn’orth – I had marathon pluses on my commuter for a short while and after a pretty terminal puncture (some sort of metal wire about 1.5mm in diameter)  ended up walking home as I couldn’t get the tyre back on for love nor money.

In addition, my cack-handed efforts to remount did enough damage to the interior of the sidewall that they were basically totalled, about 60km into having them on.

The shop I bought them from gave me a deal on marathon racers as a replacement, and they were pretty good, but not quite as good as the Conti 4 seasons I’ve got on now, especially in the wet.

They’re not puncture-proof, but they’re soooooo easy to change a tube on by comparison.

[jools88]

OK – have now researched the

OK – have now researched the Marathon Greenguards and have decided to go with those at 700 x 28c. 

Thanks again for everybody’s input, much appreciated!

[Secret_squirrel]

Beware the fitting of

Beware the fitting of marathons – their tolerances are all over the place but tend towards the very tight.

google “fitting marathons” or “fitting tight tyres” and see how many YouTube hits you get where marathons are the ones in the video.

The only tyres I have snapped levers on.  I have a set of old school steel levers especially for mine.

Great commuting tyre though if you don’t push them out of their comfort zone.

[mike the bike]

 

 

If you think the Marathon Plus might deaden the ride, and it will, why not consider the Marathon Greenguard?  It’s a little lighter, a tad plusher and 90% as puncture resistant, my lady loves ’em and she is really puncture-phobic.

[DoctorFish]

It is certainly very unlikely

It is certainly very unlikely that you will get a puncture with M+, but I’ve stopped using them because they just deaden the ride too much.  You will, no matter what size, deaden the nimble feel.  If I commuted they would possibly be the tire I would use, but as a leisure/pleasure rider they are not the tire for me.

[jools88]

Hi Everybody

Hi Everybody

Thank you for taking the time to respond

I’m now looking at either the M+  (28c) or the Durano (32c)

I was considering the Duranos (32c) because of not wanting to lose too much of  the nimble feel of my current ride but my LBS tells me that if I were to size down from 32c to 28c for M+, then that should counteract this – I hope they’re correct – what are you thoughts on this?  I understand that I will lose some but I don’t want to lose too much?  And is the Durano very similar to the Lugano but enough to make a difference?

 

[EddyBerckx]

Another option is to take a
Another option is to take a mid range (protection wise) tyre like a gp4season or Michelin pro4 endurance and stick some panaracer tyre liners in. It’s basically an extra layer of kevlar and really ups the protection for minimum weight gain

[EddyBerckx]

CXR94Di2 wrote:

CXR94Di2 wrote:

The reason I prefer tubeless is, that I prefer just to ride a line instead of navigating a course to dodge all the debris hazards that we encounter daily.   I run 40mm tyres for general riding and aprt from potholes, just plow along.  I  sometimes look at the tyres to see some weepage from thorn and glass shards, they seal.  I dont even bother checking pressures until the tyre feels squishy cornering, then just add a little air to give the super plush ride you get from big lower pressure tyres.

This is the key though – 40mm tyres are almost mtb width…with resulting low pressures. High pressure narrow(er) road tyres seem to cause a lot of problems with tubeless (some definitely due to user error and lack of research)

Hopefully very soon standards will settle and improvements will be made to really make it a viable option for more people. I liked them on my gravel bike (47mm) but am put off on my road bike due to the hassle and horror stories…

[CXR94Di2]

The reason I prefer tubeless

The reason I prefer tubeless is, that I prefer just to ride a line instead of navigating a course to dodge all the debris hazards that we encounter daily.   I run 40mm tyres for general riding and aprt from potholes, just plow along.  I  sometimes look at the tyres to see some weepage from thorn and glass shards, they seal.  I dont even bother checking pressures until the tyre feels squishy cornering, then just add a little air to give the super plush ride you get from big lower pressure tyres.

[alexb]

I’d also add Vittoria

I’d also add Vittoria Randonneur tyres to the list, I’ve been using them for a while I have perhaps 2000km on them with no problems, they’re comfortable, grippy in all weather sand they feel great, seem durable and also haven’t let me down with regards to the dreaded “P” word! 700x28c were pretty cheap from Planet X when I bought them. 

I use Continental Sport Contact on my commuting bike as well and love them, I’ve tried them in 700x32c on my road bike, but I have a bit of mudguard rub, so took them off after a single 100km ride. I really liked them and will replace my mudguards so I can use them in the future.

I’ve also had thousands of km on Michelin Sport Dynamic (again in 700x28c) – another great tyre. Cheap, grippy, comfortable and durable.

So a few different choices for you, all of them at under £15 a tyre.

[Thatsnotmyname]

Echo the above comments.  M+

Echo the above comments.  M+ might prove a bit of a shock in terms of ride.  Another tyre to add to the list is the Specialized Roubaix Pro, available in 28 and 32.  I have the 32s on a bike here and I like them.

[Sniffer]

Simon E wrote:

Lugano are Schwalbe’s cheapest tyre and IME aren’t worth buying.

Instead of M+, which are extremely heavy and draggy and definitely not nimble, I’d look at the Durano (£16 at Spa and available in 32mm), Durano Plus (£22 for 28mm), Michelin Pro4 Endurance (review) or Bontrager AW tyres (review). The narrower 28mm tyre is not a problem.

I have had a good experience  with Durano.

[Simon E]

Lugano are Schwalbe’s

Lugano are Schwalbe’s cheapest tyre and IME aren’t worth buying.

Instead of M+, which are extremely heavy and draggy and definitely not nimble, I’d look at the Durano (£16 at Spa and available in 32mm), Durano Plus (£22 for 28mm), Michelin Pro4 Endurance (review) or Bontrager AW tyres (review). The narrower 28mm tyre is not a problem.

[Xenophon2]

How many flats are we talking

How many flats are we talking about?

Matter of priority, if you value puncture protection above all else, go for Marathon or Marathon+.  I rode a Brompton for 4 years on those and never, ever flattened.

Problem is that they’re not supple and comfortable tyres, rather the opposite.  Also, they can be hard to mount/unmount so if you were to flat on them it could be a problem.

The size will indeed be similar but not the feel when riding.  Don’t size down, you’ll need to increase pressure and Marathons are hard enough as it is.

If you’re not prepared to invest learning time, effort and purchase some material -not to mention having a wheelset with tubeless compatible rims- then I’d stay away from tubeless.

 

 

 

[CXR94Di2]

The size will be similar,
The size will be similar, just the weight due extra puncture protection. Whilst very good Marathons do knock the feel a bit

Your options can be

Go tubeless- excellent system, but you do need to learn and understand how to set them up

Heavy weight tyre with extra puncture protection

Standard tyre and tubes, put in 75millilitres of Orange endurance sealant. You need an inner tube with removable valve This last option will help a great deal. There is an inner tube with called ‘Slime’

[Author]

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