Biking - Testing New Tires

In preparation for October's tour of the Great Allegheny Passage and C & O Canal from Pittsburgh to Washington, I had bought some new tires, 700x35 Schwalbe Marathon Pluses. These are wider, have some tread, and ride 25 pounds softer than my 32mm slicks.

Yesterday, I got them on the bike, and today I needed to be sure they were going to be usable. The only real issue was whether there would be sufficient clearance to be used with my existing fenders. They spin freely, but the clearance in the front is especially tight. Today, I headed to Schoharie Crossing to give them a workout on several different riding surfaces.

First, I rode some single track on the old Erie Canal Towpath. No problems here, though I noticed these tires pick up a lot more pebbles than the slicks, and then fling them against the inside of the fenders. Lots of noise, but no real issue. The paved but bumpy bike trail was no problem, nor was the stone dust surface further west, aside from that same pebbling noise. On the road, all was quiet. I'm not sure if the rolling resistance was really greater, though it seems like it should be. Maybe I was just expecting it, and thus feeling it...

The whole ride was under 9 miles, but it answered all of my questions. These tires should be fine on this bike for all-around use, even with fenders. And they're also supposed to be virtually puncture-proof. Time will tell...