I was about to pull the trigger on a set of Schwalbe Johnny Watts, but they seem to be out of stock everywhere. My backup plan is to get a pair of Schwalbe Marathon Plus Tour. But in doing my research, I’ve read multiple people say that although they stand up really well to thorns and other trail nasties, they’re a mild pain to take on / off due to sidewall stiffness.

Everything I’ve raid suggests Schwalbe is a pretty solid brand. Before I pull the trigger on these, are there any other brands I should be considering?

I’m riding an ebike mainly on rail trails. Some are paved, most are packed dirt or well-packed pea gravel. Sometimes I’ll hit a small mud patch but I don’t really go mudding. Once in a blue moon I’ll hit single track or railroad ballast, but that’s rare. I want something that’s going to be reasonably quiet and smooth on paved but that won’t shred itself when the terrain gets a little rougher, and that won’t fly out from under me if I hit a mud puddle.

  • Showroom7561
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    11 months ago

    A mild pain to take off/put on = tire levers, and an extra five seconds of effort.

    The good news is that flats should be so rare on Marathon Plus tires, that this is a non-issue.

    As for Schwalbe availability, check out bike24 out of Germany. Even with shipping to Canada, they end up still being cheaper than buying local.