Schwalbe Tires

I have to admit I'm a little smitten with Schwalbe tires. I've had a pair of 35mm Maraton XRs on the IndyFab for a couple of years and just installed a new pair of 40mm Marathon Extremes on the MonsterCrosser last week and the love affair continues. I build the MonsterCrosser with a pair of big 29er knobbies and now that I've logged a few hundred miles on them I have come to love the traction and comfort they provide. But they are a really tight fit in the frame and occasionally rub on the fork legs or on the front derailer in granny gear. So while the big tires are cool and work great on rides that are 75+% dirt, the Marathon Extreme model is a better fit for the frame and with a less agressive tread pattern provide a significant reduction in rolling resistance. Their smaller size dramatically changes how the bike handles. With the big knobbies it rides just fine, but doesn't provide particularly sharp feedback to the pilot. With the Marathon's it feels more like a road bike with crisp feedback and reduced steering effort.

BMC MonsterCross with 40mm Schwalbe Marathon Extreme tires

Last Saturday I rode a 70 miler with about 25 miles of dirt. The large size (700cx40) of the Marathon Extreme still provides great traction and comfort but being slightly narrower and a lot smoother. They have a little more agressive tread than the Marathon XRs but seem to roll about the same.

BMC Monstercross with 29x2.0 Kenda Kharma Tires

I just checked and my Garmin says I have ridden 2734 miles on the Xrs on the IndyFab but I've had the bike a year longer than the Garmin so I suspect the true mileage is more like 3500. There is no visible wear on the front tire at all and the rear has developed a little wear in the center of the tread but I'd estimate that wear is in the 10-20% range. Based on the wear I'm seeing on the IndyFab I expect to see over 7000 miles from the Maraton XRs which is more than three times the milage I get from the Michelin Pro Race III tires I use on my lightweight road bike. Based on a discussion with a Schwalbe product guy at the Sea Otter event, the Extreme's have the same rubber compound as the XRs so I expect comparable wear from them.

Final shot showing the beautiful Nitto lugged stem and bar tape detailed with a little orange electrical tape. Too bad the stem is totally hidden under my Garmin GPS when it's installed.