Rob MacCulloch VC10′s long distance rider. Who has the habit of popping out the door and riding to the South of France writes a report a review of two tyres that have served him well over the last few years.

Over to Rob.

After Greg Lewis’  review of the fast and light Continental Tempo tubular tyres, it seems only fair to submit a review to VC10 members for a pair of slower and heavier training tyres from the same country as the Contis. Here’s a review of two different Schwalbe ‘Plus’ series tyres: the touring cyclist’s favourite, the Marathon Plus tyre, and their slightly faster brother the Stelvio Plus (now re-named Durano Plus) tyre.

 First a bit of background as to why I’ve chosen to review a pair of tyres that make you feel about as far removed from Eddy Merckx as its possible to be. I live in an area of Chalk downs, like many parts of the South of England. Mixed in with that chalk is flint – lots of it. All of that flint washes onto the road (and trails) over time and in my experience, flint causes mayhem with tyres. The local back roads round here, such as my commuting route into work (see picture below), are great training roads with marvellous scenery and rolling terrain, but those roads are in about the same condition as Paris-Roubaix.

A perfect road for Schwalbe 'Plus' Series tyres

On one winter audax around my home patch in 2008, my riding partner and I suffered twelve punctures between us, actually running out of puncture patches and tubes that afternoon (and having to be rescued via a car lift back home). That same winter, I also wrote off one set of Continental GP4000’s, one set of Vittoria ‘cross tyres and one set of Michelin Carbons due to flints, as well as buying around three puncture repair kits and countless spare tubes. In all, the total cost must have been well beyond £100 for tyres, tubes and puncture kits over about five months. Flint – love it when it’s used for building a wall, hate it on the roads.

By the end of February 2008, I’d had enough – enough of fixing muddy punctures by the side of wet roads in the cold, enough of patching tyres when I got home, enough of repairing inner tubes every evening. There’s more to life, quite honestly. That’s when I invested in a pair of Schwalbe Marathon Plus 25mm tyres.

Schwalbe Marathon Plus 25 tyre tread after 2 years continous use

I’m still on the same tyres. I still haven’t had a puncture with them. I’ve lost count of how many miles I’ve done on them, as the same pair of tyres has been used on three bikes at different times, but suffice to say a lot of miles. They look slightly dirtier now, but that’s about it. Oh – and I’m a lot fitter now than when I bought them, partly as a result of using these tyres.

These are supreme training tyres: they’re heavy as sin (the 25mm’s weigh around 580g each – i.e. about the same weight as using three Michelin Pro 3’s on a single wheel). But that’s OK, because the object of training is to make you stronger – and powering these things over a typically hilly Hampshire ride does exactly that. These tyres also allow you to train effectively. By that, I mean that you don’t lose any minutes or any heat on a winter ride through having to repair punctures.

Because of their construction (more on that later) these tyres also shrug off potholes, so you also don’t have to worry too much about damage to wheel rims, which is especially reassuring if you have to train in the dark over winter, where potholes often aren’t too visible. Basically, once these things are on your training bike you can do just that – train and get an extra strength and time benefit. Perfect.

A note on these tyres’s construction: Schwalbe tyres, in my experience, ‘do what they say on the tin’. Therefore, where Schwalbe specify a 25mm tyre, the tyre measures a ‘real’ 25mm. Compare this with another well-known UK winter tyre, the Continental GP 4 Seasons 28mm, which measures 3mm less than stated at an actual 25 mm in my experience: I’m reassured by Schwalbe’s accuracy. There is a deep chevron style tread on the tyres – enough tread for light gravel paths like towpaths – yet there is enough rubber along the crown of the tyre for reasonable rolling resistance for such a heavy tyre. The tread also copes well with wet, mud and ice on roads; I’ve found them to be pretty grippy tyres. There’s also a few extras built in to the tyres: a luminous band around the circumference of the sidewall (handy for visibility in traffic) and a reinforced area on each sidewall for a tyre-driven dynamo, handy enough if you use them.

The secret to these tyres, however, lies under the tread. Between the stout rubber tread of the tyre and the inner carcass of the tyre is a thick layer (at least half a centimetre thick) of stiff blue foam rubber. This layer of protection basically prevents flints and thorns from penetrating the inner carcass – the foam rubber is stiff enough that it seems to almost push sharp objects out. Therefore – punctures are minimal and if you hit a pothole, you’ve got an extra layer of bounce that absorbs the shock. At times, when I’ve got home from a ride, I’ve pulled out big bits of sharp flint from these tyres which would have punctured ‘normal’ tyres in an instant, yet these tyres just shrugged it off.

But what’s the downside of Marathon Plus’s? OK, you can probably puncture them if you really try, but it’s going to be a really rare occurrence. They’re not fast tyres either, but then again, they’re not meant to be. The added layer of foam rubber between the tread and carcass also means that the sidewalls have extra carcass layers too, so these tyres can be quite a stiff ride (low tyre pressures are advisable – I use a maximum of 90psi for the 25mm’s). However, I find that the 25mm version of these tyres gives a more comfortable ride than Continental GP 4 Seasons 28mm’s. The other downside of the thick, stiff carcass is that getting a new pair of these tyres onto your rims is a struggle – patience and a set of rounded steel tyre levers to help gently lever them on to the rim is advised. You’d also be right in thinking that these tyres aren’t going to get you up a hill faster – until you get back on your race wheels, when you’ll really notice the long term benefit from training with these.  Also, a true 25mm is as thin as these tyres come, so you need to have a frame with some clearance to fit them. The last downside is the cost – these tyres ain’t cheap, being about £35 each. But they’re an investment, as they’ll probably last you for 2 years or more, even if you ride a lot, as well as giving you extra savings through buying fewer spare tubes or puncture kits.

All in all, when you think “winter training tyre”, when “winter training” means a long, wet, gritty, cold ride because you’re riding to get stronger, Schwalbe Marathon Plus 25mm are hard to beat. I love them – they’re like a poor man’s Powertap hub.

Schwalbe Stelvio Plus 25 tyre

That leads me on to a review of Schwalbe Stelvio Plus tyres (now re-badged as Schwalbe Durano Plus). Much as I love the Schwalbe Marathon Plus for my commuting and training bike, I do actually want to go faster sometimes, especially in summer. That’s not always easy on the Marathon Plus’s, unless you have Miguel Indurain-size lungs and legs. But, round my way, that flint on the road doesn’t magically disappear over summer, so I’ve still found that a puncture resistant tyre is well worth having in order to get the miles into your legs.

Enter the Schwalbe Stelvio Plus 25mm. These are my favourite tyre of all time, because for 80% of the riding I do (Hampshire back lanes), they’re perfect for about 90% of the time. Realistically, you can’t expect much more from a humble tyre.

Basically, the Stelvio Plus are the ‘race’ version of the Schwalbe Marathon Plus – they have the same stiff, puncture preventive blue foam rubber layer in between the tread and the inner carcass, but a much slicker, thinner tread and a lighter sidewall and overall weight, because the tread, foam rubber layer and carcass are all a bit thinner. A 25mm tyre weighs around 380g per tyre – so they’re not a ‘race’ tyre, but they’re a decent enough weight for a training bike: and for flinty back roads most of the year round, they’re fine. The Durano tread looks a bit different to the Stelvio tread, but basically the construction and weight is the same (unless Schwalbe did something technical, like change the rubber compound – I can’t say I’ve noticed, so as far as I know, they’re the same tyre with a changed tread pattern).

Schwalbe Stelvio Plus tread after many 1000's of miles

The tread has a grooved pattern for wet weather, but wet weather can overwhelm these tyres a bit – they’re OK in the wet, but they’re not superglue. That’s my only note of caution. Otherwise, the tyre looks like a ‘normal’ 25mm road tyre – no dynamo or reflective strip like the Marathon Plus – and behaves like a normal 25mm tyre. And yet just like the Marathon Plus, the Stelvio Plus is pretty much puncture free and definitely a bit softer over potholes (due to the foam rubber layer). I’ve had one puncture, ever, over two pairs of these tyres, after a combined 10,000-odd miles. That puncture was a sharp bit of flint, about half a thumbnail wide, which only just penetrated the inner carcass. It would have slashed open most other tyres. I used these tyres to cycle through France in summer 2008, with panniers, a few gravel roads thrown in and with one accidental ride over a broken glass bottle in a dark tunnel: 1606 miles in eleven days cycling with not a single puncture. There was a small cut in one of the treads when I got home (probably from the broken glass) and that’s it – and I’m still using the same tyres now, as they haven’t worn out yet. From a puncture resistance point of view, that’s remarkable.

The Stelvio/Durano Plus are also pretty fast tyres. OK, they’re not like time trial tubulars – but for your average training ride, on your average UK road, in your average UK conditions, they’re fast enough and they’re very comfortable (a thinner carcass than the Marathon Plus makes them more comfortable by far). The only thing they’re not – like their stable mate, Schwalbe Marathon Plus – is cheap. Again, Schwalbe Durano Plus are around £35 each. Possibly that’s a result of the currently weak pound against a truly European, Euro-priced, imported product, but these tyres are worth it, in my opinion. They last for ever, they’ll save you from most punctures and a lot of pothole damage, and they’ll give you many happy training miles, making you all the stronger on race day.

Schwalbe Marathon Plus and Durano Plus – the perfect winter/summer training tyre combination, with added ‘Vorsprung durch Technik’. 

Panaracer Fire XC Pro 1.8

Super skinny tyres are usually the weapon of choice for out and out MTB XC racers. Indeed I used to run 1.8″ tyres when racing – particularly in the claggy conditions on the Marlborough Downs as they were less likely to clog and seemed to cut through the mud more effectively. The Panaracer Fire XC Pro 1.8 is the thinnest tyre in the very popular and established Fire XC range. The Panaracer Fire XC is renowned for its grip, cornering stability and mud shedding capability. ASB re-inforced sidewalls mean that the likelihood of pinch flats is significantly reduced and I have in fact had no issues in that department after several rides. The usual compromise for a super skinny is less grip when cornering hard but in this case the Fire XC Pro’s aggressive pattern and directional – front and rear tread really seems to hold on almost as well as its larger cousins.

Panaracer Fire XC Pro 1.8 - tread pattern

We recently tested the Fire XC Pro 1.8 on the second Chiltern Epic Snow Ride. The terrain was mixed and was covered in either soft powder or rutted hard pack snow…an unusual but excellent test. We thought that the tyre would react poorly to such conditions as lower inflated large tyres seemed the order of the day for grip. I was therefore pleasantly surprised to feel the tyre cutting even the hard pack snow and gripping as needed. I ran the tyres at a shade under 40PSI for the entire snow-bound 28 miles and never felt the need to reduce the pressure for more grip or stability.

The verdict
In general use it is important to remember that, particularly if you are riding a hard tail, tyres essentially act as suspension…the larger more voluminous ones being more forgiving on the rider and the bike. If it is comfort you are after then these may be not for you. I have to say though that if you are after a super fast set of nobblies that are suitable for both racing and trail riding in any weather, you could not go wrong with a set of these.

RRP is £29.99 … as always… shop around for a bargain!

Conti Temp ready to test at Calshot Velodrome

Being a regular to the track at Calshot and Newport you can soon wear your tyres out. Calshot in particular is very abrasive on tyres.

So when my current Vittoria Evo CS started to look a little balder than me it was time to consider some new tyres.

One of my fellow track riders Mike Brampton from Thames Medical Racing had lent me a pair of wheels to try and they were shod with Continental Tempos.

Mike had asked me to try out his wheels because he was unsure of their stiffness incomparision to my FastForward wheels and was considering changing wheel brands.

I used Mike’s wheels at Newport and was impressed with the level of grip the Continentals offered at low speed. Being the second group on the track that day. The track was quite dusty and slightly slippery especially above the blue line.

Initial impressions of the Continentals versus the Vittoria’s are of a completely different compound of rubber on the Continentals. It is almost like bubble gum to the touch. If you have ever touched the rear wheel of a high performance motor bike you will know what I mean.

The Vittoria’s have a fearsome reputation for grip. But they do feel less sticky to touch.

Vittoria Evo CS on Trek track bike

The next difference is the actual tyre size. When fitting the Vittoria’s. You could easily work them around the rim and into place as a one man job. However, the Conti’s are definetly tighter and required two people to get them over the rim.

I should have noticed before but one of the biggest differences between the two tyres is the side wall construction. The Conti’s seem to have a continous band of rubber around them with canvas only being applied to the glueing area. The Vittorias’s have a rubber tread area which then changes to a canvas side panel. This gives the tyre a white side wall effect.

Barry Watkinson another Calshot regular actually commented on how he like the white side wall on the Vittoria. Whilst the Conti looks a bit clinical.

Most people think they have actually improved the look of my bike. So if you prefer a more retro look then the Vittorias are for you.

How do they ride?

There is no question the Contis offer more grip especially at low speed high on the banking and in fast corners like the tight bends of Calshot. However, there is more side wall flex than the Vittorias. Which makes the turn in less sharp on my bike.

The less compliant side wall and slightly lower grip of the Vittoria do seem to offer slightly lower rolling resistance than the Conti. We tested this with some roll test to stationary from 15mph with both tyres.

The real test will be if the super sticky Contis last the test of time in the same way as the Vittorias. I will keep you posted on this.

Summary

Both tyres are right up there in terms of grip and speed. If I spent more time at Newport than Calshot then the Contis would be my choice.

Conti Tempo on FastForward Track Disc

Vittoria Evo CS on Trek Track Bike