bluefoxicy

I swapped my 700c x 32 Kenda Kwest (the literature said Kiniption; I examined the tires ...) for Schwalbe Marathon Supreme 700c x 32 kevlar bead tires. Bike is a 2010 GT Tachyon 3.0. Tires are lined with Stop Flats2 tire liners. Tubes and rim tape are stock, except the front tube failed (replaced with generic) and the rear rim tape failed (replaced with whatever the tech used).

I have no way to efficiently test puncture resistance. I've never had a problem with punctures.

On-Road

The traction improvement is notable. The tires roll smoother, straighter, and faster. These tires weigh slightly less than the Kenda Kwest--395g rather than 450g. Their weight and profile give lower rolling resistance and better cornering control and acceleration: the tire is round, wider than the Kenda because of this but the contact patch is very narrow. The more rounded profile gives a smooth transition when leaning. Traction on wet road is much improved over the Kenda.

Braking force is substantial. The Schwalbe holds firm under three times as much braking force as the Kenda before skidding on the rear wheel. When skidding, the Kenda would slide dramatically left; the Schwalbe will wobble with the rider's balance at worst, but overall tracks straight even then. Braking up front is still massively more effective, but the back brake is less of a joke and has made braking and speed control on hill descents much more efficient since I can modulate the brakes better. This is especially useful on bad terrain and steep hills where I don't have to endo to flip the bike.


Off-Road

The Schwalbe Marathon Supreme is a road tire. It is made for operation on the road; traction off-road is known poor. The manufacturer rates the off-road performance as very low.

I found the off-road performance much better than the Kenda Kwest. The Schwalbe Marathon Supreme is a more round profile tire. While this reduces the rolling resistance and improves handling on-road, it serves a completely different purpose off-road: the wider profile prevents sinking in the mud as much and, more importantly, increases contact area and thus traction in the mud.

Packed dirt and loose rock is fine; as well, the Schwalbe performs well in light mud. I would avoid extremely loose, slick, or muddy surfaces. Thick, goopy mud doesn't give me a problem, even though I can sink tire-deep in it; mix in more water, though, and I'd imagine the mud will become a grease bearing under these mainly-slick tires. Stick to the Nobby Nics in those conditions; the Marathon Supreme will get you through a mile-long dirt path diversion on your commute, though, even when muddy a day after the rain.

Overall

Overall I like these tires. I don't know if they'd hold up as Tandem tires (I'd try it!), but for road use and commuting they're great. Fast, grippy, and yet decent in the mud. They go up to 95PSI and accept tire liners well, although they're puncture-resistant themselves.

HardyWeinberg

Unless you commute on fields of thumbtacks and roofing nails you can take the tire liners out. I have about 5k miles on a pair of 32mm supremes on roads/trails that devour lesser tires I've tried and have never had a puncture.

They even grab onto wet thermoplast street markings, they are amazing. They are for crap, however, on a 1/4" of post-winter cedar needle goo pasted onto pavement, or on sand or mud. Needs at least the coarseness of gravel to dig in, or the firmness of a dry dirt road.

Andy_K 

Agreed. In 1500 miles of use on wet, often glass-infested, bike lanes the only flat I got was caused by this:

bluefoxicy

I've had bolts in my car tires, and keep a flat kit in my trunk. The roads here aren't clean, and are often full of nails and staples and other metal things, lots of glass, bits of whatever. But I doubt anything's actually penetrated the tires on my bike ever, liners or not; they're cheap insurance.

All of this is why I declined to comment on flat prevention. While I'm faced with a hellish field of hazards, I've never had a problem with flats.

waynesworld

People seem to pretty universally (almost, anyway) love these tires. I considered them for my Jake, but the Randonneur Pros were about half the price, so I went with those, also in 32. I really like them, and the reviews are usually very good, but I kind of think the Marathon Supremes probably have better flat protection, and probably longer wear. I'd like to try them sometime.

Praxis

Marathon Supremes are actually *lighter* than something? I mean--lighter than another bike tire? I could think of a few things that they're lighter than--your average automobile, for instance--but I never dreamed that they'd be lighter than another bike tire, and a tire not explicitly designed for puncture protection, at that!

[Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't mind a pair. But they're--you know--heavy.]

jeffpoulin

Heavy compared to what? 400g for a touring tire is not bad at all. Maybe you're thinking of the Marathon Plus, which is heavy even by touring standards.

BTW, the supremes are now available in 700c x 28, at least in Germany.

Ediblestarfish

Well, the Supremes and Duremes use a light Vectran belt instead of the incredibly weighty, thick, un-foldable, rubber armor sandwiched into the tire that some of the regular Marathons use.

alan s 

Schwalbe shows the 700x32 Marathon Supremes weigh a whopping 375g. While they are not light compared to a road racing tire, they are lighter than most comparable touring tires. What tires would you recommend as an alternative? I have the 700x35s (440g), and they are great both on and offroad. I wouldn't consider riding a substantial distance offroad on a lightweight tire such as a Gatorskin.

Edit: the Gatorskin in 700x32 only comes in a wire bead, but actually weighs 5g more.

ronwalf

After two glass-related flats in a month on my rear Vittoria Randonneur Pro, I'm tempted to switch! At this point I have several small gashes in my rear tire (and bizarrely, none on the front, which is older).

waynesworld

I hate reading this. Crossing my fingers for my Rando Pros.

randomgear

Supremes + tire liner? Do you wear belts and suspenders?
Why not just save the money and go with the Marathon plus's?