When I opened the box from Schwalbe North America, I was surprised to see the tires jammed in there in, what seemed to me, a hap-hazard sort of way. The first thing I noticed was that everything was twisted together and folded onto themselves without crimping the bead of the Marathon Plus HS 348 622-37 (700c x 35). These are the fattest tires that I feel will allow me to go down the road smoothly while not giving way under the extra 60lbs of gear that I'm riding with.
The second thing I noticed was was the totally bitchin' reflective stripe down the sidewall of the tire. Awesome. Although I hope never to have to rely on them for my only visibility, crazier things have happened.
I had heard and was expecting that these tires would be hard to put on. I didn't experience this at all. They were a dream to get on. In fact, after everything I had heard, it felt like they were too easy to put on. I'm sure it's all in my head. So my lady has new shoes (yes my bicycle is a she, but she doesn't have a name yet). These tires are HEAVY. I mean they probably weigh at least a pound each (at least, and I don't have time to check the specs). So in retrospect I think I might have gone with all three Marathon XR which are much MUCH lighter, have a folding bead (as seen above) and some of the most luscious rubber I've ever felt on a tire.This is all pre test ride, so I will post more on this in the near future. Now I gotta ride.
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