greatscott

From what I've read on various forums, the Conti Urban tires are not as tough against flats or wear as the Marathon Supremes are; however the Conti has a higher TPI which makes for a bit more comfortable ride than the Supremes. That is the way it usually goes, more wear resistance and more puncture resistance you pay for in the ride comfort.

For loaded riding the Supremes are a light duty touring tire, a better tire for touring is the Marathon Almotion tire, it lasts longer and it's also more puncture resistant. Schwalbe does make a better touring tire that will last longer and supposedly flat proof, but you do pay for that in the terms of a heavier tire and less comfort; on my touring bike I weighed all of that out and opted for the Almotion tire, a good compromise between comfort and flat protection. I did however, install a set of Rhinodillos Clean Motion flat liners because getting a flat with a loaded bike is a real pain, not to mention these types of tires are also a pain to take off and put on, even with the weight of the liners I'm still significantly lighter than the top of the line touring tire the Marathon Plus Tour by about 300 grams each. I feel with the liners my flat protection is about on par with the Plus Tour while still being more comfortable with less rolling resistance, in fact the Almotion has among the less rolling resistance of any touring tire. Even loaded the Almotion tires will last between 5,000 to 6,000 miles, whereas the Tour Plus will last about 10,000 miles; so I can tour across the USA on one set of Almotion tires, which is my goal.