Schwalbe Marathon Plus Smartguard 24 x 1.75 E25 Wire Bead Tire

Pros

I've been using these tires for years. Using these are like a tale of two cities.......Usually, I've had great experiences with these tires. My wife and I rode from Spain to Kiev a few years ago without either of us getting a single flat. Amazing. (now go to the cons)...

Cons

However, on two other trips (out of many more) I had problems. Here's what happened: both times I got a flat which is normally not a big deal: you either patch the tube, or put in a spare tube and move on. When patching, I keep track of where in the tube the hole is and look closely for a foreign object (nail, glass, thorn....). On both occasions, after about another half-hour of riding, I had another flat, fixed it, then another flat (Always in the same general area of the tube). I searched my tires thoroughly and never could find anything that would be poking holes in my tubes. I think what was happening was that a sharp object like a thorn and gotten into the space in the tire (unique to Schwalbe tires) that is supposed to act like a buffer. Then with pressure in the tire and the increased pressure caused by hitting bumps, etc the object that is retracted when not riding pokes through the inner side of the tire and is forced inward into the tube. I found the object impossible to find, since it is retracted into the tire, and so small that there is no mark to indicate where it might be coming through the tire. So after several flats within an hour or two, I've had no option but to throw the tire away and put on a spare (which i always carry). It is a real bummer because the tire is usually in very good shape otherwise.

Other Thoughts

However, I still gave the tires a rating of 4 stars. This is because 95% of the time I've had great luck with these tires. The repeated flats I've experienced on a couple of trips was irritating, but overall I think these are great tires.