fishboat

I was looking around for the 700x40 Marathon Supreme and everyone I checked (beyond domestic suppliers at $75 each) longer carries them. The more I looked, the harder Supremes in general were hard to find. I'm looking specifically at vendors in EU that had good prices on them(half of domestic). Looking at the Schwalbe website, they are all but tapped out too. I started by sending emails to various EU vendors asking about supply and they replied they no longer carry them. I finally sent an inquiry to Schwalbe and received the following reply:

Thanks for your e-mail. Marathon Supreme is being discontinued with its direct replacement being the Marathon Efficiency which you can check out in the link below. It’s based off the same casing and protection belt, has a smooth center line but is a bit more versatile with it’s cornering tread texture. We make it in the 700x38c (40-622) but we do not offer it in 26” anymore.

https://www.schwalbetires.com/Marathon-Efficiency-11654366

Not sure the Efficiency is a drop in replacement for the Supreme(a little heavier, though they seem to be very conscious of preserving superior rolling resistance)..I suspect the Supreme is a causality of the e-bike market, to some extent. Very sad turn of events.

The good news, for me at least, is I was able to stock up on 2 sets of 26x2 last fall and 4 sets of 700x35 just before the end of the year when they seemed to be getting harder to find. Why so many?..it's my favorite road tire and I have arguably too many bikes(between my GF and myself) to mount them on.

I know some folks here are partial to Supremes...

gauvins

Interesting and dispiriting... I mean, yes, the Supremes (the tires, not the band) were my favorite (right after the Almotion, now discontinued). I assume that if I were new to touring I wouldn't miss them at all -- there are plenty of options that are probably just as good (although the Almotion is (was) still in a league of its own..

Oh well...

sapporoguy

i, too, mourned the demise of Supremes, which we rode cross-country on the tandem in 2021. We switched to Almotions, which are still alive in tube and tubeless models, although maybe a new version. We rode tubeless Almotions cross-country last fall.

irc

I'm going with an Almotion on the front for my next tour. I have put a Conti Contact Urban on the back.

https://www.bicyclerollingresistance...n-supreme-2016

Both tyres look to have similar performance to the Supreme. Time will tell. The slight tread on the Almotion may be useful occasionally compared to the slick Supremes.

rumrunn6

looks like you can get some here, but not 40s
https://www.biketiresdirect.com/prod...yABEgIo2fD_BwE

OP is in Wisconsin, but wants to get them from Europe? not sure I understand the desire to buy from the EU

fishboat

The link points to a Schwalbe "Marathon". There's 1-2 dozen "Marathon" tires, of which the Supreme is one. The tire linked (HS420) has little in common with the Supreme.

Find a premium model of Schwalbe tire and search globally for suppliers.

rumrunn6

oh whoops, my bad, sorry

base2 

Because EU does not allow MSRP/MAP restrictions typically put in place by brands to artificially inflate brand value. The cost of a good or service tends to reflect actual market pressures. Since a market is defined by the ease of which a good or service can be transported, there isn't really much distinction between "EU" & North American" marketplaces anymore.

In short, often it's cheaper to buy from EU, pay actual market derived price + import duties + shipping than it is to buy at artificially inflated domestic prices + shipping.

A lot of brands place dealer restrictions to prevent shipping out of dealer area to circumvent this. Some dealers are more compliant than others depending on enforcement efforts. (IOW: Good luck capitalizing on Shimano EU routinely undercutting Shimano USA for that $500+ savings on the latest group-set.)

Edit for illustrative example: Shimano 8170 shifters & brakes are €349 ($369) each left/right at SJS vs $537 each at Universal Cycles...The American price for a set is artificially inflated by $336

fooferdoggie 

I have one new one I could sell if shipping does not kill it.

MarcusT

I would not want Supremes if they've been discontinued. It could mean finding some might be old stock leading to hard rubber and less traction. There are so many Marathon versions, I'm sure a fitting substitute can be found

fishboat

The Supreme was a pretty good seller. Given the last 2-3 years in the bike industry, I'd be really surprised if there was any old dusty stock laying around after a two year global stock-out of any bicycle component that is remotely popular. The one supplier I usually order from has been out of Supremes for 6 months. I was hoping the stock-out was a hangover from the recent bike boom and they'd catch up in inventory. When they didn't seem to be coming back I finally sent emails to vendors and eventually to Schwalbe..only to find out they are already gone.

My read on Schwalbe's response is that the new Efficiency is basically a Supreme with new tread..which probably addresses a weakness in the Supreme...would make sense. It doesn't serve their purpose to eliminate a great seller and not replace it with a new and improved model that fits the same slot in their lineup.

MarcusT

It is an odd looking tread. I'm sure people much smarter than me designed it and know it's an improvement
It's a shame they don't offer it in a 42-47 width, maybe in the future

Tandem Tom

You might check Star Bike in Germany. That is where we have bought all our tires.

djb

I would tend to agree that it must be at least as good as the supreme.
I would also think that it is taking advantage of the whole gravel bike interest, so for a lot of riders that mostly ride on pavement, but sometimes go on trails etc, the weird looking side tread thing will make them feel better about cornering on gravel, but still have a really quiet center slick part.

interesting that it is not available in 26 inch (not a real surprise really)
but in 27.5 only a 55 and 60mm
and in 28/622 there is a 38, 50 and 55mm

oh well, don't have a 27.5 bike so cant even try it out, and at this moment, dont have an urge to try the 38s on my 700 bike, I like using lighter slicks on that bike, even though it can easily take up to 40 something mm tires, more in front, probably a 45.

tcs

FWIW Bicycle Rolling Resistance

https://www.bicyclerollingresistance.com/

sez the Efficiency does have lower rolling resistance, but less puncture resistance and was ultimately not as highly rated.

tcs

My understanding is that US residents do not pay import duties for item dollar values under $800.

stardognine

I think they missed the sweet spot on sizing, which should be 700x45. 🙁

I'd sure like to see someone make a super tough tire, that lasts a few years worth of serious touring. I'd pay more (within reason), for a little more peace of mind. Going to a less endurable tire, is going the wrong way. 👎

Darth Lefty 

The Efficiency tread is pretty goofy. Definitely someone in the design department getting a leg up on the engineers. Not that side knobs are bad. But if you can imagine them having a behavior that alternates, rather than having a rough frequency, then the knobs are too spread out. But how often is that going to apply? For going in a straight line it looks like nothing objectionable.

The video on the product page is Very Dramatic!

fooferdoggie 

ya we would get more flats on them then the regular marathons.

robow

djb: I would tend to agree that it must be at least as good as the supreme.

Remember, we are talking about the cycling industry here so there's no guarantee it's better, only that it's "new" and marketed as such.

IPassGas

The loss of variety in good quality 26" touring tires has been an ongoing observation, so I bought many and store in a cool place in plastic. I might have a 12 year supply, which will get me through my days. However, the bike market is always changing to attract a new buyer. Perhaps in 10 years 26" will be all the rage.... or maybe touring will come back in vogue.

djb

didnt find dramatic video,
but re the very slight side "knobs"--with this other inexpensive schwalbe model, the Hurricane, the larger side knobs are what appealed to me for riding on softer gravel roads where these larger side knobs really do help when you sink into soft stuff. I've only ridden a bit on them, but I can say that they work well on these types of surfaces. I ride in snow all the time and am very used to squirming and pushing the front and all that, but these Hurricanes worked really well with weight on the bike and on a bunch of varying gravel surfaces, and I'd be a lot more comfortable on them than the Efficiency on much more loose dirt and gravel stuff.

Probably not as fast, no--not as fast, and probably not as puncture resistent, but close enough for me, and at 30 bucks each, a good option and avail in 26.

heck, there are all kinds of cool gravelly-ish tires out there, some expensive as heck, but for a joe-blow like me, something like this Hurricane can work ok, and at 54mm and 620g, not too shabby. The Efficiency 27.5 - 55mm is 795g, sure a better tire, but wont be as good on loose stuff, but faster on smoother surfaces.
How much faster, who knows. I'll never know cuz I cant try them out....

djb

not necessarily, the regular marathon and this Efficiency and the Supreme all have very close protection ratings by schwalbe (they fudge the graphs a bit, so not exactly the same comparison) so as a long time supreme user, as well as regular marathon user (greenguard jobs) I'm sure these Efficiencys would be really good also for flats.

fooferdoggie 

I have the marathon e bike ones so maybe they are different. but the harsh ride from them compared to the supreme was noticeable. plus we lost a fair amount of acceleration with the marathons.

stardognine

That Hurricane doesn't look too bad at all. I wonder if they come in 700x45? 🤔

I have plenty of time to look it up better. Probably next month I'll be tire shoppin'. 😎
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Meant to say, I've been riding around San Francisco for awhile now, and there are plenty of small sand dunes in the roads, after a good wind. Especially around the North Beach. These would certainly help with that. 👍