Touring Bike Tire Test: Schwalbe Marathon Plus

The Schwalbe Marathon Plus is Schwalbe's most puncture resistant tour/e-bike tire. It also happens to be their best-selling tire, which tells us that people looking for these kind of tires value puncture resistance over a lower rolling resistance and weight. Ending up somewhere in the middle of nowhere with a flat tire isn't fun, but how much speed are you giving up with the Marathon Plus when compared to the regular Marathon?

Ad Buy Schwalbe Marathon Plus at Amazon.com

When comparing all specifications of the Marathon and Marathon Plus side by side, both tires seem very similar. They both use a 67 TPI casing and the Schwalbe Endurance compound. The biggest difference is that the Plus version of the Marathon has an even thicker puncture layer when compared to the regular Marathon (3 mm). Schwalbe calls this 5 mm thick layer 'SmartGuard.' The 5 mm thick SmartGuard protection should result in a nearly flat-less tire at the cost of a higher rolling resistance and weight.

I've already tested the regular Marathon (read review) and was surprised by its very low rolling resistance. The Marathon can outperform tires that supposedly should have a much lower rolling resistance (on paper). Let's find out if the Plus version can surprise us as well.

Manufacturer Specifications

Manufacturer Specs
Brand	Schwalbe
Model	Marathon Plus
Year	2015
Supplied By	Supplied by Schwalbe
New or Used	New
Mileage	0 km
Price Range	High
Buy At	Ad Amazon.com
Manufacturer part number	11100769
TPI	67
Compound	Endurance
Bead	Wire
ETRTO	37-622
Size Inch	28"
Width mm	37.00
Specified Weight	900 grams
Max Air Pressure (psi)	85
Made In	Members Only
Available Sizes	40-635 (28x1.50) 47-622 (28x1.75) 40-622 (28x1.50) 37-622 (28x1.40) 32-622 (28x1.25) 28-622 (28x1.10) 25-622 (28x1.00) 42-590 (26x1.60) 37-590 (26x1.40) 40-584 (27.5x1.50) 50-559 (26x2.00) 47-559 (26x1.75) 40-559 (26x1.50) 35-559 (26x1.35) 47-507 (24x1.75) 47-406 (20x1.75) 35-406 (20x1.35) 35-349 (26x1.35)

Schwalbe Marathon Plus Test Results

Size, Weight, and Thickness Measurements

Size, Weight, and Thickness Measurements
Specified Weight	900 grams
Measured Weight	898 grams
Measured Width	34 mm (un-round)
Measured Height	36 mm (un-round)
Tread Depth	2.0 mm
Total Tire Thickness Center	9.0 mm
Total Tire Thickness Sidewall	Members Only
All size measurements are taken at an air pressure of 60 psi / 4 bars on a 17.8 mm inner width rim.

The specified weight of the Marathon Plus is 900 grams; this is 170 grams more than the regular Marathon. The real measured weight of my sample of the Plus is 898 grams, which is pretty close. The Plus measures 34 mm wide and 36 mm high at 60 psi on a 17C rim. The regular and Plus Marathon both have almost the same size.

Tread depth is 2.0 mm; this is a bit less than the regular Marathon which has slightly more tread depth (2.3 mm). The really interesting measurements are the Total Tire Thickness Tread and Total Tire Thickness Sidewall measurements. As expected, the Plus has a higher thickness in the center of the tire, with a total thickness of 9.0 mm it's the thickest tire of all tires tested to date. The thickness of the sidewalls is very similar to the plain Marathon at 1.60 mm.

Rolling Resistance Test Results

Rolling Resistance Test Results
Inner Tube	Conti Tour 28 (170 gr butyl)
Rolling Resistance 75 PSI / 5 Bar	23.6 Watts CRR: 0.00707
Rolling Resistance 60 PSI / 4 Bar	25.5 Watts CRR: 0.00764
Rolling Resistance 45 PSI / 3 Bar	Members Only
Rolling Resistance 30 PSI / 2 Bar	Members Only
All numbers are for a single tire at a speed of 29 km/h / 18 mph and a load of 42.5 kg / 94 lbs. Use the formula: RR (Watts) = CRR * speed (m/s) * load (N) to calculate rolling resistance at a given speed and load.

As expected, rolling resistance of the Marathon Plus is higher than the plain Marathon. Depending on air pressure, you're giving up 4 - 6 watts of power per tire (20%). This isn't all that much given the 2 mm of extra puncture protection the Plus provides. I think it comes down to personal preference whether you like the lower rolling resistance or the higher puncture protection.

When we compare the Marathon tires to similar tires from different brands, the Schwalbe tires seem to be in another league when you take both puncture and rolling resistance into consideration. At least at the time of this writing, the other brands just can't compete.

Puncture Resistance Test Results

Puncture Resistance Test Results (higher is better)
Total Puncture Score Tread	129 Points
Total Puncture Score Sidewall	Members Only
Tread Puncture Force Sharp Needle	13 Points
Tread Puncture Force Blunt Needle	No Data
Tread Total Tire Thickness	9.0 mm
Sidewall Puncture Force Sharp Needle	Members Only
Sidewall Puncture Force Blunt Needle	No Data
Sidewall Total Tire Thickness	Members Only

Rolling resistance of the Marathon Plus is 20% higher. In an ideal world, puncture resistance should be 20% higher as well. Unfortunately, this isn't true, in the raw puncture test, which measures the force required to puncture the tire. Less force is needed to puncture the Marathon Plus (13 points) than the plain Marathon (14 points). The low raw puncture score indicates the material used in the Plus version is even softer and easier to puncture than the material utilized in the plain Marathon.

When we also take the thickness of the tire into consideration, the tables turn in favor of the Plus. With a Puncture Factor of 117 points, it outperforms the plain Marathon (102 points) by 15%. Both tires score nearly the same puncture scores in the sidewall test.

Static Grip Test Results

NOTE: Grip test data is only available on tires tested after November 2018. You can find more information about our grip test here: Introducing Grip Testing

Static Grip Test Results
Wet Grip Average	No Data
Wet Grip Center	No Data
Wet Grip Edge	No Data
Grip in points = coefficient of friction * 100 Tour/E-Bike grip test rim width = 23.0 mm

Conclusion

The Schwalbe Marathon Plus offers some extra puncture resistance over the Marathon (GreenGuard), at the cost of a 20% (4 - 6 watts) higher rolling resistance and a 170 grams higher weight per tire. I think that sums up the biggest differences in a concise manner. It comes down to personal preferences and usage conditions whether you like the Marathon or the Marathon Plus better.

You can't go wrong with the Marathon Plus or the Marathon (GreenGuard) (read review), both tires are best in class and easily outperform tires from other brands.

Ad Buy Schwalbe Marathon Plus at Amazon.com

RATING: 5.0 / 5
TEST VERDICT: Highly Recommended

Comments