I have cyclocross bike with alu frame (Focus Mares). It is currently running on Continental Cross tires which are around 400g. I mostly ride it in city and sometimes go for weekend tours in countryside, but also on solid roads. Now I thinking on putting Schwable Marathon Plus 37-622 tires on it which are around 960g. Is it fine to do that? I get more robust tires, but at the same time solid weight increase. Will it make any bad impact on frame reducing its lifetime for ex.?
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I think that such "unbreakable" tires are usually overkill, unless you live in an area with lots of glass/debris and/or are unable to fix a (very rare) puncture. I’d suggest a Schwalbe Marathon Almotion, Schwalbe Marathon Supreme or Vittoria Voyager Hyper which all have pretty good puncture protection, low weight and very low rolling resistance, almost on the level of road-bike tires.– MichaelMay 25, 2018 at 11:54
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@Michael's suggestion of marathon supreme is a good one if you're mainly on road. I've got them on the tourer and they're OK on gravel and occasional mud (for a road tyre). Mine are 35mm. I took a chunk out of a sidewall but I've never had a puncture on them– Chris HMay 25, 2018 at 11:59
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@Michael another reason for marathon plus: the time it would take to fix a puncture would make you significantly late (miss a train and wait half an hour for the next one in my case). So I've got them on the commuter hybrid– Chris HMay 25, 2018 at 12:03
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1 Answer
No, mounting different tyres will not affect the frame or bike lifetime.
Schwalbe Marathon Plus are very common tyres on this type of bike. Focus sells the commuter version of the Mares AX even with such tyres (Conti Touring Plus).
However you will experience a different ride. For instance grip, comfort, and rolling resistance suffer a little with tyres with such good puncture protection. The weight is only a minor factor. Reduced suppleness due to the protection layers is the main reason for this.
Still, Marathon Plus are excellent tyres and will serve you very well for the described use cases. For equal puncture protection and a faster ride you would have to pay twice as much. For good roads you might consider a good all-round road tyre in 28-622.
You may check the touring tyres section at https://www.bicyclerollingresistance.com for additional info, and an article by Jan Heine for further information on the matter.
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1I live between the Isar river and Oktoberfest (lots of broken beer bottles!). Good puncture protection is therefore important to me. If you were happy with your CX tyres in a city, tires might be not as harsh on tyres as mine, and you might consider road tyres. They are light and fast. You probably have wide rims, and bed to ship nothing smaller than 28 mm. Look up another SE question on minimum rim width for a tyre size.– gschenkMay 25, 2018 at 9:26