New tires

[Jonah]

Dear all,

I just had Marathon Plus (700 X 38) tires put on my Evo Jet. The difference is immense. The bike ride is so much more smooth and comfortable - better shock absorption. The bike handles very well in the turns. Together with the Easy Float suspension seat post, the bike rides like butter.

By the way, I met the CEO and area representative from Easy Motion at my local bike store (Bike Attack Electric) this weekend. Very nice guys (and they gave me a very cool EM T-shirt). I was shown an upgrade they are working on that allows the bike to interact with your smart phone - one interesting feature would allow you (if I understood correctly) to plan a trip and the bike would meter out the energy to allow you to complete the route. The device mounts where the control pad goes - your smart phone would be mounted the handle bars. The device and control pad link. It is backward compatible (will work with older model bikes).

Best,

Andy

 

[stevenast]

Dear all,

I just had Marathon Plus (700 X 38) tires put on my Evo Jet. The difference is immense. The bike ride is so much more smooth and comfortable - better shock absorption. The bike handles very well in the turns. Together with the Easy Float suspension seat post, the bike rides like butter.

By the way, I met the CEO and area representative from Easy Motion at my local bike store (Bike Attack Electric) this weekend. Very nice guys (and they gave me a very cool EM T-shirt). I was shown an upgrade they are working on that allows the bike to interact with your smart phone - one interesting feature would allow you (if I understood correctly) to plan a trip and the bike would meter out the energy to allow you to complete the route. The device mounts where the control pad goes - your smart phone would be mounted the handle bars. The device and control pad link. It is backward compatible (will work with older model bikes).

Best,

Andy

I have had Marathon Plus 47-622 (aka 700 x 45c or 28" x 1.75") on my bike for about a week now. I completely agree with your assessment, they roll and handle great. The flat-resistant peace of mind is also huge!

Inflation range is 47-70 psi, currently running mine at 60.

 

[stevenast]

 

[PowerMe]

When it's time to replace my tires I will go with the Schwabe Marathon Plus (same as stevenast). I'm using the stock Kenda tires with Mr. Tuffy liners installed. 65 psi.

 

[NYC Rider]

Just installed my Schwalbe Marathon Plus tire, can't wait to run around with it. Its a few ounces heavier that the standard tire. It came sort of folded by mail. At first unpacking the tire looked deformed, but after a couple of days it reshaped to normal and you can't tell that it was ever folded. I got it mounted on the rim using only my hands. I WAS getting weekly flats, only in the rear, in different spots. Any issues, I'll report back here.

 

[stevenast]

Just installed my Schwalbe Marathon Plus tire, can't wait to run around with it. Its a few ounces heavier that the standard tire. It came sort of folded by mail. At first unpacking the tire looked deformed, but after a couple of days it reshaped to normal and you can't tell that it was ever folded. I got it mounted on the rim using only my hands. I WAS getting weekly flats, only in the rear, in different spots. Any issues, I'll report back here.

Cool, watching this thread for "Marathon updates". Hopefully no news will be good news!

 

[NYC Rider]

Finally got my first flat, but it wasn't the fault of the tires failing to prevent puncture. I got a puncture directly across the tube cross section from the air valve. Since I last pumped the tube to the recommended tire max of 55 lbs over a week earlier (14 days at most), I probably had about 40 pounds in. The hardness of the tire by feel is INSUFFICIENT to gauge pressure! I get away with a false sense of security because most of my miles are commuting. But after 7 miles of rocky trails on low air which did not appear or feel low, I got this pinch puncture. If you ride off road, you must fully inflate!

I was mad at myself for not having my repair kit along (not even in the car). But when I got home, I found that one hub nut was so tight, I needed vice grips (only kept at home) to get it loosened. So I couldn't have done a field repair anyway it turns out. Prepare for all eventualities or prepare for the consequences of not preparing.

 

[J.R.]

Finally got my first flat, but it wasn't the fault of the tires failing to prevent puncture. I got a puncture directly across the tube cross section from the air valve. Since I last pumped the tube to the recommended tire max of 55 lbs over a week earlier (14 days at most), I probably had about 40 pounds in. The hardness of the tire by feel is INSUFFICIENT to gauge pressure! I get away with a false sense of security because most of my miles are commuting. But after 7 miles of rocky trails on low air which did not appear or feel low, I got this pinch puncture. If you ride off road, you must fully inflate!

I was mad at myself for not having my repair kit along (not even in the car). But when I got home, I found that one hub nut was so tight, I needed vice grips (only kept at home) to get it loosened. So I couldn't have done a field repair anyway it turns out. Prepare for all eventualities or prepare for the consequences of not preparing.

Just curious what advantage vise grips would be over a wrench or adjustable wrench?

 

[NYC Rider]

Just curious what advantage vise grips would be over a wrench or adjustable wrench?

The tips are thinner and the nut is not fully accessible, kinda sunk in there.

 

[J.R.]

The tips are thinner and the nut is not fully accessible, kinda sunk in there.

Ahh. I asked because I carry a stubby adjustable wrench about 5" long, but I didn't want to suggest something without knowing the situation. Since your space is limited maybe consider a thin-jaw adjustable wrench.

http://www.amazon.com/Engineer-TWM-08-Pocket-Adjustable-Wrench/dp/B002MJHGN6/ref=pd_bxgy_469_img_y

Just a thought.

 

[NYC Rider]

Thanks. I never saw that before.

 

[Ann M.]

How about a set of cone wrenches, you need a pair no matter what tool you use. They come in different sizes, metric, anywhere from 13mm to 16mm or so. They're thin with handles long enough to let you comfortably get to the axle area. Gotta watch that binding or you end up needing to replace bearings and possibly the cones if the races get pitted. For better quality races there's enough metal so that you can do a tiny amount of grinding to smooth out minor pitting.