Schwalbe Marathon Plus SmartGuard Tyre, Black/Reflective

I had four punctures in only about 120 miles of cycling on my new Trek DS Sport 8.6 with Bontrager tyres. The bike’s great, but the tyres are rubbish, and as I was buying my third pair of replacement inner tubes the sales guy suggested puncture protective tyres. Frankly, mechanical ignoramus that I am, I did not even know such things existed.As usual a visit to Amazon produced a great selection; I always regard price as a give-away on items you want to reply on and so the slightly higher price than most and the large number of 5 stars attracted me to these Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres.It is in my nature to worry a lot about reviews that express difficulty in performing manual tasks; this is because I am a total half-wit when it comes to doing anything with my hands. I get men to do even the simplest of tasks in the home and any device in need of repair is either simply replaced or sent to a mender. My skills extend to very minor mechanical tasks but this does at least include mending punctures (or rather replacing the inner tube) and I have put new tyres on a bike before as well.I figured there was a You Tube video; I had got string and cable ties if needed; I’d had tyres on and off many times before and, most encouraging of all, and probably the decider for me, many of the reviews plainly thought the difficulties of fitting, expressed by so many, were exaggerated. So I decided to take the risk.To say they were much easier than I expected would be a huge understatement. Unfortunately, I cannot say that the exercise was trouble free but I believe this to be due to my own carelessness and absolutely not any refleciton of the tyre. On my first attempt everything seemed perfect and I had got the tyre on so easily I actually wondered if I had received the same tyre as ordered.However, on inflation, reaching about 80 psi the inner tube burst. Yet another tube up the Swuanee. I am still not entirely clear what caused this but I think I had not checked thoroughly and there was a place where the tyre was not on the rim properly. None weeks later I still have some minor hearing loss from the bang and ringing in my ears and I am awaiting an apppointment at Ear Nose and Throat. This is not a joke or an exaggeration. I am told I may have permanent damage. Be warned!Anyway, undaunted I tried again. The second time around, again dead easy to get the tyre on, but this time I made extra sure that it was sat perfectly in the rim and that the tube was not caught between tyre and rim in any place. I also inflated it gingerly and checked the tyre at about 2 bar before going further. This time all went smoothly; with this practice the other wheel took no time at all.I didn’t need the YouTube video, I didn’t need string or cable ties, I didn’t even need a tyre lever. I was able to get them on with my fingers alone. I just did not find that the tyre came off on one side as you worked in the other as so many seemed to find. I am not showing off. I want people to know that they are much easier than some would have you believe. If I can do it, anyone can do it, trust me on this.They look the part as well and the ride is undoubtedly smoother and even more comfortable than it was before. Nor do they seem to me to be materially heavier than what I had before. I found that I did not need to blow them up to the 80 to 85 psi I used to use previously with my Bontrager tyres. 70 psi seemed perfectly sufficient.So far, after nine weeks as already mentioned, and much use, I have not had a single puncture. To say that I am mightily impressed would be a massive understatement. These tyres really are the business. Absolutely first class.

My tyres arrived very promptly as promised. Great value for money and I last replaced the tyres years ago. I commute to work and have covered thousands of miles since last replacement. Nobody needs a puncture cycling to work so I'll never fit any other tyre except Marathon Plus.

I’ve been using these tyres for at least 10 years.The only time they puncture is when they are worn out.Great as a winter or commute tyre when you want that reassurance of minimum amount of punctures.They can be a tight fit!I use the clincher version as never been a convert of tubeless!

Tyre looks great and exactly what I needed.

Brilliant tyre for the commute to work. Yes they do feel a bit heavy and remote at first, but I am not racing on them. What they have ensured, is that I am not pushing my bike too and from work. I am on my second set and my first set suffered no punctures in two years. Good enough for me. They are not too difficult to fit, you can do it by hand alone. However, be careful not to trap the inner tube between the rim and the tyre wall, this will cause a nip puncture. I think a few negative reviews may be due to this. Take care with inflation to ensure that the tyre is seated on the rim properly, you may need a couple of goes at this. The wire in the tyre means that there is not as much 'give' as in a non wired tyre. Once on it will give you trouble free commuting. I recommend the Schwalbe inner tubes too. They give superior air retention. I also run with slime inside from the start should disaster strike! I can leave my bike either at work or home and go to it confident that the tyres are still up! Peace of mind when winter is coming. Will not stop some prat sticking a Phillips screwdriver through the sidewall, hence the second set, but damn near perfect.

I bought a pair of these tyres recently, and I've now had the chance to road test them on two day rides.First of all, I approached the fitting with trepidation having read some of the reviews on other sites. But, armed with the highly recommended YouTube video by Spa Cycles which explains how to fit them without using levers, I had them on easily within 20 minutes or so. As I'm one of the least practical people on the planet, that's good going! The "trick" is to secure the tyre using toe-clips, string or cable-ties, then gradually work round the tyre, creating slack by "bedding" the tyre in the rim well, making sure the inner isn't snagged. It's much easier to watch than explain, but if I can do it, believe me it can't be that bad. I guess that the wheel rim type will make a difference to how easy the fitting process is; mine are Mavik 319s. Anyway, I'm now confident that I could fix a puncture on the road if I need to. Not bad for a numpty like me.The ride seems fine. I don't detect any appreciable slowing effect over my previous tyres from the extra puncture protection. I'm using them on a loaded touring bike (20kg spread over 4 panniers).I'm about to embark on a lengthy tour (4000+ miles) with these tyres, so will report back more fully on how they perform. But for now, it's thumbs up.Update: I've now completed 2500 miles using these tyres and I've found them to be remarkably durable. Firstly, I've had no punctures, despite riding over diverse surfaces including rough chalk, potholed lanes, and broken-glass on city cycle paths. I ran over a thorn, which I removed from the tyre with no problem at all. The wear seems light, and I like the light-reflective band on the tyre edge.I'd recommend thes to any touring or commuter cyclist who is fed up of getting punctures.So, only a partial review, but I thought it might be useful for anyone who is put off by the fitting issues.