MAK

+1

63rickert

I have had the roofing nail flat. Running over a block of wood should not cause a flat. Could cause a loss of control or some excitement, should not cause a flat. The rusty metal plate would only cause a flat if there were major sharp edges or loose shards of metal. We all run over unseen obstacles all the time. Tires should normally stand up to that.

Really hard to know anything from far away, one possible explanation is significant over- or under-inflation. Marathon Plus is a fleet tire for bikeshare programs, they really don’t have many flats.

GravelKings are very good. All Panasonic tires are good. The made in Osaka tires are wonderful.

Except for the nail, which might puncture a car tire, your flats are not punctures. Marathon Plus is about attacking the problem with a bigger hammer. If you need a bigger hammer than a Marathon Plus it is time to re-evaluate. Get a tire you will enjoy. Tires with a bit of suppleness will flow over obstacles. Ordinary pressure for a 700x38 would be 40-50psi. Measure the tire. Plenty of 38s will be 35mm or even less, then you would need more pressure.

But its me 

I made the switch to 42mm Shikoro tires in March after years of various flavor Marathon tires in 35-38mm. These are on a Soma Saga strictly used for commuting my Clyde self around. Would have loved to try some Compass tires, but I’m cheap and was not sure they could handle my commute without too many flats. Mostly it came down to purchasing two Shikoros for the price of one Compass, which is still spendy for me. I mean close to $100 a tire is nuts to me. I don’t want to spend that on car tires (wishful thinking, I know). Figured I would keep the Marathons I have stored away for what passes for winter around here.

I found the Shikoros to be a much more supple tire in feel than the Marathons, and the ride is so cushy I don’t think I will ever go back to Schwalbe’s offerings. Granted, the Shikoros are the folding version and the Marathons wire bead. Volume difference probably helps there too. As for rolling resistance, I’m not sure I can notice a difference. At least at my tortoise like pace. I know they feel smoother. The feel is so much nicer, however there is a bit of road noise to the Shikoros that I never noticed with the Marathons. Have 1200 miles on them and only one flat at around 800 miles. About what I experienced with Marathons over the years.

Definitely worth the upgrade.

katsup

Thanks for that, I'd be curious how many miles you get out of the Shikoros. It also doesn't sound like you tried the Marathon Supremes as those are folding only as far as I know.

I still have many years of riding from a small collection of Vittoria Voyager Hypers that I purchased before they were discontinued so who knows what will be out then.

altondavis2

I've got about 2,000 miles on my Schwalbe Plus; no flats and they don't leak much. I'm thoroughly satisfied, I don't think you can get tires that are much more flat resistant. Yeah, they're slightly heavy but the reliability more than makes up for the weight. I'm riding a Specialized Diverge with 105 components and speed isn't my main concern.

altondavis2

So what you're saying is that NEW tires roll better than 5 year old ones do. I agree. I also have owned 2 Specialized bikes that came equipped with Specialized brand tires. My experiences with them was so bad that when I purchased my new Diverge, I ordered Schawlbe Marathon Plus for it the next week. I'm happy.

DorkDisk

I've been running the same-tread patterned Supple Vitesse in 38mm; first the EX and now the SL on my CX rig. Very happy with both regarding speed and comfort. Zero flats on either so far. Wear acceptable on the EX; they were replaced after 7 months of riding when the rear tread smooth at the center, front tread is still OK, sidewalls all good. For anyone seeking something a bit lighter and fragile, these are nice