Continental Top Contact II vs Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres

[Jasonpb]

Hi,

Read lots of good things about the Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres online, is it a worthwhile upgrade over the standard ST2 S tyres (Continental Top Contact II)?

Going to be using this as my daily commuter bike so really want to minimise having to repair punctures on the side of the road in winter.

Do the tubes used with the tyre make any real difference? not interested in using slime either, used to run Stans no tube sealant and that stuff just turned into a ball of white crap in me tyre.

 

[Jasonpb]

Answered my own question and found a tyre comparison site - http://www.bicyclerollingresistance.com/ (hope I'm not breaking any rules linking to it)

 

[David1]

If you can use Schwalbe tubes. They do exstensive testing of them before release. Their website explains the tests.

 

[Jtschump_sea]

I'm running the Marathons on 2 commuter bikes and love them. One being my ST2. Roll really nice and corner well on the often wet rides I get here in Seattle. I did encounter a flat but it was a inch long sliver of steel that maybe only tuffy liners would have deterred. Found out I can change a rear flat on the ST2 with out much difficulty on the road.

 

[smitty]

I'm running the Marathons on 2 commuter bikes and love them. One being my ST2. Roll really nice and corner well on the often wet rides I get here in Seattle. I did encounter a flat but it was a inch long sliver of steel that maybe only tuffy liners would have deterred. Found out I can change a rear flat on the ST2 with out much difficulty on the road.

Any tips on the rear tire repair? New to Stromer, but changing that rear tire doesn't seem to look like much fun

 

[smitty]

Hi,

Read lots of good things about the Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres online, is it a worthwhile upgrade over the standard ST2 S tyres (Continental Top Contact II)?

Going to be using this as my daily commuter bike so really want to minimise having to repair punctures on the side of the road in winter.

Do the tubes used with the tyre make any real difference? not interested in using slime either, used to run Stans no tube sealant and that stuff just turned into a ball of white crap in me tyre.

I'm running Schwalbe tires and tubes on my Salsa Casseroll and like them very much. Tubes seem to hold the air better than most...

 

[Jtschump_sea]

Any tips on the rear tire repair? New to Stromer, but changing that rear tire doesn't seem to look like much fun

Shift into the smallest rear cog. Find a soft spot to flip the bike over so you don't mess up the mode buttons or simply rotate them out of the way. Loosen the through axle with a 5mm allen and pull it out - I've got a t-tool that works really nicely. Pull the rear derailleur back and slip the wheel out a bit until you can get to the rear motor connection. Flip the sliver ring down so you can hook a finger in it and pull it out to disconnect. Then slip the wheel out and clear. To reinstall pull the derailleur back to slip the wheel in and make sure you have the wheel rotated so that the motor connector lines up. Slip the wheel in far enough so you can connect it. Then make sure the disk lines up ans slips into the brake calipers. Line the wheel up a bit with the axle - slip in the through axle and tighten to hand tight. I think it 20nm torque which is really just hand tight. Make sure to pump the rear brake lever a time or two to pressure the fluid back up.

 

[smitty]

Shift into the smallest rear cog. Find a soft spot to flip the bike over so you don't mess up the mode buttons or simply rotate them out of the way. Loosen the through axle with a 5mm allen and pull it out - I've got a t-tool that works really nicely. Pull the rear derailleur back and slip the wheel out a bit until you can get to the rear motor connection. Flip the sliver ring down so you can hook a finger in it and pull it out to disconnect. Then slip the wheel out and clear. To reinstall pull the derailleur back to slip the wheel in and make sure you have the wheel rotated so that the motor connector lines up. Slip the wheel in far enough so you can connect it. Then make sure the disk lines up ans slips into the brake calipers. Line the wheel up a bit with the axle - slip in the through axle and tighten to hand tight. I think it 20nm torque which is really just hand tight. Make sure to pump the rear brake lever a time or two to pressure the fluid back up.

Really good description of the process to remove the rear wheel. I'm currently riding the ST-1 Limited Edition and hoping that the only difference in your description is that I have a bolt on axel on the rear wheel which requires a wrench to remove it. I am not yet familiar with the rear motor connection, just know that it is part of the process in removing the rear wheel and was a bit concerned about just how to manage the disconnect...thank you very very much for your insight.

 

[David1]

Thanks for that great info. on tire removal. One thing also to watch are the wires to the motor. Pay close attention as the disc goes back between the brake shoes that the wires are not pinched between anything. Also when bike is upside down be careful rear brake lever isn't compressed while disc is out. Maybe stuff a shirt or wedge something in between grip and lever.

 

[Charles Peck]

Thanks so much for this info ... of course hoping not to need it but feel better figuring it out before hand.

 

[Luc]

Currently I have always a GAADI inner tube with me when using my ST2. You can replace a flat one without removing your wheel as it has 2 ends. The ends are the weaker part of the tires, but they are almost there in assuring sufficient quality.
Btw, when using marathon plus on the ST2, is it the 1.75 or the 2.0?

 

[Jtschump_sea]

Currently I have always a GAADI inner tube with me when using my ST2. You can replace a flat one without removing your wheel as it has 2 ends. The ends are the weaker part of the tires, but they are almost there in assuring sufficient quality.
Btw, when using marathon plus on the ST2, is it the 1.75 or the 2.0?

I'm running the 2.0 - it's the perfect size in my opinion.

 

[Rick Huizinga]

I just had a flat today. There were a bunch of staples on the side of the road and I had multiple stuck in my tires.

I tried to use the GAADI inner tube so I didn't have to change the rear wheel, but the tube failed as soon as it had to bear weight. I found the hole at one of the ends of the tube.

In the future, I will always bring two spare tubes (I only had one spare tube today) and they will be regular tubes. I just don't trust the GAADI tubes anymore after being stranded and having to call for assistance.

 

[Luc]

Hi, I went for the marathon plus and it works great. Thank you for the advice.
Relating to the GAADI, make sure you have the right size! I got once almost the right size from my dealer, and yes, that was a disaster and brought the same problems as Rick indicated.

 

[marcel]

what is the right size innertube for a ST2s which come with the conti ?

 

[bluecat]

myStromer AG released some winter tyre recommendations. A special remark for all customers within the (over-regulated) EC: All tyres approved for the Stromer.