Schwalbe Marathon Deluxe Evo - Has anyone ridden them?

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piston9
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Schwalbe Marathon Deluxe Evo - Has anyone ridden them?

Postby piston9 » Tue Nov 04, 2014 11:44 am

In the market for a new commuter tyre... Not wanting to restart the perennial argument, I'll ask specifically - has anyone used the Schwalbe Marathon Deluxe Evo?

Not a cheap tyre, but -

- I currently ride gatorskins (25), flatbar road bike, but I take some paths on the way to work.
- I'm getting pinch flats from rocks\branches\etc, usually cornering at 25-30K's. I might be old and fat but I'm not too slow :D
- at 100PSI, my ride is HARD. And i'm old and soft. I'm 188CM weigh 110Kg's, so at 80PSi they are comfy but hit the rims.
- Before you ask, when I started I was over 125Kg's, so the cycling makes a difference - take that to your friends and tell them to get on their bikes :D
- Commute is 35k's one way. I carry two spares. I got two flats this morning and was less then impressed, and walked the last 500m to work in cycling shoes.

So, I want larger tyres - my bike will easily take 35's (Merida T5), so thinking between 28-35m and came across these.

Anyone tried them? They seem a new line with no reviews at all :(. Otherwise I guess it's the 28 Gatorskins...

Schwalbe Marathon Deluxe Evo Double Defense Road Tyre
Another one of those high-vis commuter types. Ultegra equipped flat bar is my weapon of choice - with panniers :D

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find_bruce
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Re: Schwalbe Marathon Deluxe Evo - Has anyone ridden them?

Postby find_bruce » Tue Nov 04, 2014 12:18 pm

Holy wars are waged over tyres, so like you I am tiptoeing into the minefield.

Seems like they are new to the market. Couple of links for people interested - Schwalbe site, wiggle at A$65.20 bike24 at €25,97 (A37.31), so a bit more expensive than the Schwalbe Marathon plus

Significantly lighter than the marathon plus though - to pick the same size, 37-622, marathon plus is 900g, marathon deluxe is 545g. Still not lightweight but a significant improvement. If they are as durable as the marathon plus then that will be brilliant.

I say you should buy a pair ... and report back to us

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queequeg
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Re: Schwalbe Marathon Deluxe Evo - Has anyone ridden them?

Postby queequeg » Tue Nov 04, 2014 1:29 pm

It gets confusing! Is a Marathon Supreme above or below a Marathon Deluxe? I tried the supreme as a lighter version of the SMP and was not impressed. The deluxe seems heavier than the supreme, but also more expensive.
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piston9
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Re: Schwalbe Marathon Deluxe Evo - Has anyone ridden them?

Postby piston9 » Tue Nov 04, 2014 1:31 pm

find_bruce wrote: I say you should buy a pair ... and report back to us
Ha, volunteered in true Aussie style :D

I'll give it a day first to see if anyone else has feedback, then I might go for it. There is a couple hundred grams of rotating mass I will feel, but same as with a headwind, I will just tell myself 'thats more calories burnt!'
Another one of those high-vis commuter types. Ultegra equipped flat bar is my weapon of choice - with panniers :D

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Re: Schwalbe Marathon Deluxe Evo - Has anyone ridden them?

Postby warthog1 » Tue Nov 04, 2014 2:47 pm

I'm not sure the comparison between a 25c gatorskin and a 35c marathon deluxe will be that relevant given the large diff in weight and size :?
It will be interesting to see how you find them anyway.
I love tyre threads btw good to see another one started, well done 8) :)
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Re: Schwalbe Marathon Deluxe Evo - Has anyone ridden them?

Postby thecaptn » Tue Nov 04, 2014 5:02 pm

They look to be similar in construction to the folding Mondial(same compound and puncture protection) so should be very good.

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Re: Schwalbe Marathon Deluxe Evo - Has anyone ridden them?

Postby piston9 » Thu Nov 13, 2014 2:15 pm

Tyres arrived from Wiggle (standard postage and got here in about 4 business days!). A couple of notes.

- The are directional. And I put both on the wrong way. Which leads to point 2.
- Their width makes them a pain to fit on my rims - I have a set of fulcrum racing comp CX rims. Once on they are fine and don't look too wide, but they just didn't want to go on nicely :D. Also being foldable tyres they didn't play nice.
- You can definitely feel the difference between the tread section and the sidewall - there is an obvious thickness change which should make wear and protection nice. I am guessing the softer sidewall will make a softer ride, though we will see....

And now the big one

- Their profile is higher than the old tyres - I wasn't expecting as much change. I had to adjust my rear guard and remove my front guard due to clearance issues. No problems with width (I knew they would go), but clearance especially at the front is limited...

I will put 100K's on them and give my impressions after...
Another one of those high-vis commuter types. Ultegra equipped flat bar is my weapon of choice - with panniers :D

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Re: Schwalbe Marathon Deluxe Evo - Has anyone ridden them?

Postby piston9 » Tue Nov 18, 2014 11:50 am

Ok, have some K's on there now, here are my thoughts.

Summary

Great commuting tyres, the ride is amazing, but you wouldn't want to race them....

Fit

As I mentioned above, first fitting was a real pain. I had to reverse them, second fit was easy. Guess it was just out of the box... Clearance is a little tight at the front - not in width, but height. These tyres have a larger profile (more 'suspension'), which meant I had to remove my front guard.

Ride

Oh that sweet, sweet ride. This is what I paid for. Smooth roads are 'dreamy'. Older roads (with lots of aggregate showing) that used to be uncomfortable on the narrow tyres are now just fine. Bumps that used to be disasterous are now an inconvenience. Bumps that used to be an inconvenience are now just little bumps. For touring or distance commuting this is great.

I ride on some rubbish roads and a bike path or 2, and they make a real difference.

Also speed wise I can feel they are heavier, but I set 3 PR's on strava on the way in this morning, so they are not slow. Actually on some area's they feel faster as they aren't upset by rubbish surfaces, so you keep rolling speed up.

So you ask, what is the downside?

Cornering.

Yep, from 100PSI slicks to 80PSI with wider profile and a little tread is massive. I can feel the tread move in tighter corners, and real tight corners I can feel my speed being 'scrubbed'. So you wouldn't want to be racing them - my old tyres felt 'positive' when I turned - the bike followed my pure thought.... Now I have to tip in earlier and more aggressive to maintain the same cornering, and can feel the tread moving under me.

Also, if you have ever driven a car with wider tyres you will be used to tramlining - the feeling the tyres are following road contours and lines. There is a little of that on these on profiled roads - I felt I was fighting the road profile a little more, but the effect was limited - just a little disconcerting when I first went out!

Conclusion

So, the question is not 'what is the best tyres', but 'what is the best tyres for .....'. What are you using them for? In this case, for commuting over an hour each way, they add to the comfort and make the ride that much more enjoyable. I lose a little speed in corners, but I make some on rougher surfaces, so the balance is pretty even. Personally, a good choice so far. Though at what amounts to $65 a tyre, an expensive one! (not to mention I had to buy new tubes and spares as well because of the width...)
Another one of those high-vis commuter types. Ultegra equipped flat bar is my weapon of choice - with panniers :D

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Re: Schwalbe Marathon Deluxe Evo - Has anyone ridden them?

Postby find_bruce » Tue Nov 18, 2014 1:57 pm

Thanks for your initial thoughts piston. I am interested to hear how durable they are, in both puncture resistance & distance traveled.

When I have used up my current spares of marathon pluses, I might try one on the front.

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Re: Schwalbe Marathon Deluxe Evo - Has anyone ridden them?

Postby piston9 » Tue Mar 31, 2015 1:04 pm

Quick update - a few months, a couple thousand K's, not a puncture, no visible wear. Handle great in the wet, save your touche and hands over bigger bumps. I've hit some rocks that at my weight (115KG+) would have pinch flatted my gatorskins, no issues. Also ridden through glass a few times (you know the times - when you see too late, or just no where to go), nothing.

So conclusion remains - for a more comfortable commuter tyre, these have been gold. They are probably 1.5k's an hour slower on my average, i'm only now getting my average speeds back to where they were, which is purely fitness, and all good :D
Another one of those high-vis commuter types. Ultegra equipped flat bar is my weapon of choice - with panniers :D

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Re: Schwalbe Marathon Deluxe Evo - Has anyone ridden them?

Postby jemo27 » Sun May 10, 2015 3:43 pm

I used these tyres last year, I cycled 8000 kilometers on them and only got flats after 7000kms on a really bad day of flats.

I'm trying to find a pair again but the bicycle store I went to is waiting for an order to come in and I tried wiggle and bike24 both are out of stock in my size of 700x35.

Anyone got suggestions of where I can find a pair or an alternative set of tyres

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Re: Schwalbe Marathon Deluxe Evo - Has anyone ridden them?

Postby MattyK » Tue May 12, 2015 12:35 pm

At a glance these look like a kevlar bead version of the original Marathon (wire bead). I had some of those as my last commuter tyres. As you say, squirmy under cornering. Ride was only average. I now have Marathon Supremes, love them, the ride quality is way better, cornering is confident and I'd say they roll faster too. I have 28s but next time might go for 32s for even more plush.

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Re: Schwalbe Marathon Deluxe Evo - Has anyone ridden them?

Postby find_bruce » Wed May 13, 2015 9:24 am

How many km do you get out of the supremes MattyK - I was under the impression they were a softer compound than the marathon plus or the delux evo - good for more grip, bad for less life. That said I might use them on the front where the tire lasts longer anyway.

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Re: Schwalbe Marathon Deluxe Evo - Has anyone ridden them?

Postby MattyK » Wed May 13, 2015 12:56 pm

I have about 6000km on them over a couple of years; the rear still has tread depth.

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Re: Schwalbe Marathon Deluxe Evo - Has anyone ridden them?

Postby travellingminds » Mon Feb 19, 2018 7:36 am

Agree with everything in piston9's review above. Best thing I did on my commuter was put on these tyres. I went from some Gator Skins and when I first put them on nearly took them straight off again! So much heavier and a very different beast. But once my legs adjusted I quickly realised what a great move it was. Fantastic stopping power - they have saved my arse more than once. And bombproof. 2000+ km and no flats. I used to sometimes get two in a week!

So yes, not a question of which is the best tyre, but which is the best tyre for what? For commuting these are awesome.

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