Road Bike Tire Test: Schwalbe Durano Plus 25

NOTE: We have a test available of a newer version of this tire: Schwalbe Durano Plus Addix 2020

The Schwalbe Durano Plus is a road bike tire with a thick anti-puncture layer similar to the puncture protection systems found on the heavy-duty touring bike tires like the Schwalbe Marathon and Marathon Plus. As the Durano Plus is pretty much the only road bike tire that comes with such a thick anti-puncture layer, the test results will give us some good insight in how much this affects rolling resistance. I've already tested the regular Durano (read review) some time back which gives us a good baseline to compare it with the Plus version.

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Although both the plain Durano and Durano Plus use a 67 TPI casing, it appears the Durano Plus is made up of a dual layer of casing material as the sidewalls are specified as "Twin." My measurements of the thickness of the sidewalls confirm this as the sidewalls of the plain Durano have a thickness of just 0.6 mm while the sidewalls of the Durano Plus are much beefier at a thickness of 1.5 mm. The much thicker sidewalls make the Durano Plus a much sturdier tire similar to most touring bike tires.

The specified weight of the 25-622 Durano Plus is 380 grams; my sample comes in quite a bit heavier at 400 grams. The maximum width of the tire at an air pressure of 100 psi / 6.9 bars and mounted to a 17C rim is 27 mm. The Height of the tire is 24 mm.

As expected from a tire with a thick anti-puncture layer, total tire thickness at the center of the tread comes in at 4.8 mm. Most "all-round" road bike tires have a thickness in the 2.5 - 3.0 mm range. The extra thickness means that short objects that penetrate the tire can't reach the inner tube and thus prevents flats. The sidewalls come in at 1.5 mm thickness which is much, much thicker than most regular road bike tires as a thickness of 0.5 - 0.7 mm is the average sidewall thickness in this category.

Rolling resistance of the thicker and heavier Durano Plus comes in higher than the plain Durano. What's surprising is that the difference in rolling resistance between these tires isn't that big. At the highest air pressure of 120 psi / 8.1 bars, rolling resistance of the Durano comes in at 19.7 watts while the plain Durano comes in at 18.0 watts. At the lower air pressures, the difference is similar with rolling resistance of the Durano Plus coming in at 1.7 - 1.9 watts higher than the plain Durano.

When we look at the touring bike category, it's obvious that the thick anti-puncture layers do not add that much rolling resistance. The fastest tire in the touring bike category, the Schwalbe Marathon Almotion (read review), also makes use of a thick anti-puncture layer and is faster than the similarly specced, but thinner Marathon Supreme (read review). I suspect the biggest part of the higher rolling resistance of the Durano Plus can be attributed to the much thicker sidewalls/casing when compared to the plain Durano.

The strongest point of the Durano Plus should be puncture resistance. In my test, which is a test based on the force required to puncture the tire with a steel needle, the Plus version of the Durano doesn't score any better than the thinner Durano. The similar scores can be attributed to the soft but thick anti-puncture layer on the Durano Plus which is relatively easy to penetrate as it relies on the fact that a foreign object that penetrates the tire won't reach the inner tube.

This soft but thick approach might work well for things like glass or other smaller sharp object. If you happen to ride over a long steel nail, even this kind of protection won't save you.

In the sidewall puncture test, the Plus version outscores the plain Durano by 3 points (7 points Vs 4 points). This higher score is expected as the sidewalls are much thicker and seem to use a double layer of casing material.

It's a bit hard to put a verdict on a unique tire like the Durano Plus on a site called Bicycle Rolling Resistance. Riders that will consider buying the Durano Plus aren't looking for an ultimate performance tire, but do like to know how this tire performs compared to the other tires. If you're looking for a strong, puncture resistant road bike tire with an all-season compound, and don't mind the high weight and higher rolling resistance, the Durano Plus could be an excellent choice.

If you're not convinced the Durano Plus is the right tire for you, my suggestion would be to look at both the Michelin Pro 4 Endurance (read review) and Continental Grand Prix 4 Season (read review). Both those tires are stronger tires than the average road bike tire, but still have a low weight, higher puncture resistance, and lower rolling resistance.