Marathon Winter HS 396

Love the tires here in Central Oregon (Bend) after two winters. Run about half pressure on mix of ice and packed snow for best traction. The going is slow but the ride comfort and grip is fantastic. Flat protection is terrific as noticed when riding over sharp stuff. Run full pressure when the going is over 90 percent dry roads.

If you must ride in the winter these tyres are for you. Icy patches and roads become a worry of the past, they are noisy on dry pavement ( if the pressure is low ) and really make a racket when cornering regardless of the pressure, but it's better than having the bike unexpectedly slide out from under you. Only drawback is the price, but it's cheaper than a broken arm or wrist.

I've got a Ultra Motor A2B electric bike that we use as a delivery bike. The bike comes standard w/ 20X 1.30, I'm wondering if anyone has used the studded 20x 2.40 how it handled.
Thanks

I used to use studded tires with a tread pattern like this from another company. The chevron style pattern seems to allow sliding side-to-side in snow too easily, as many people have noted in the comments on these. I switched to a more knobby style tread pattern and was amazed at how much more control I had in snow. The HS 264 looks to me like it would be better for stability in snow. It's too bad for people who want the higher stud count and also good stability in snow that they can't have both. But the HS 264 looks like an excellent choice if you don't mind the lower stud count.

I've put about 1200km on my pair so far. They work great on any ice/slush but, not as well in soft-packed car tire snow; To be fair not much does though. Usually you'd want a larger volume tire for such applications. The carbide studs are holding up well, but they are wearing. The wear pattern is mostly on the centre column of studs with about 1mm of material worn away on the side nearest the centre, the outer cornering studs are almost as new.

I would buy these again.

I also rotate them one a month.

I tried studded tires once. I didn't like them; too much vibration and rolling resistance. This year, however, Bill Goldston, owner of Framework Cycle & Fitness, introduced me to these.

I was intrigued with the design. The selling point for me was the fact that there were no center studs. The idea, Bill explained, is that they can be run at higher pressure on dry pavement to minimize stud contact, cutting vibration and rolling resistance; when the roads are slippery, the pressure can be reduced and the studs brought into contact for better traction. Also, the studs weren't overly aggressive (as I find most studded tires are, particularly for road riding) and didn't look like they'd give much vibration, anyway. So, I decided to try a set (700x40c).

I ran into a small problem when we tried to put one of these on the front of my bike; 40c was too wide for the fork (my fault; I should've checked the fork clearance before buying 40c tires). At first, I was thinking of just giving up and going with something else but something told me I'd like these tires so I decided to shell out an extra $100.00 on a new fork to accommodate the width. I thought to myself, These things had better be worth it...

I am not disappointed. These things are amazing! At full pressure on dry pavement, they are a little heavy (they're honkin' huge compared to my usual 23c slicks so that's not unexpected) but roll surprisingly smoothly. At low pressure, they have astonishing grip; I've made stops and maneuvers I never thought possible, particularly in snowy/icy parking lots.

If you're like me and hate giving up that snappy "racing slick" performance come winter, these are your dream winter tires; you couldn't ask for better handling performance from a studded tire.

I highly recommend them. :)

Dudes and Dudettes
Ye who are slip sliding around are going about it all wrong. In the winter you are completely stable on a tadpole trike. 3 wheels- tripod- no falling down.
I'm gonna try some of these Marathon winters on my Catrike 700, and I'll post back.

But quit fearing ice and snow, and give a tadpole a try. It's like a go-cart, or a Porsche, only human powered.
WAAAAYYYYY Fun!!!!!!

I have the 700x35 version of these tires on my touring bike. Purchased through an Amazon store for about $60 each. Used for my 2.1 mile each way commute to work. They provide great traction on slick roads. No sliding on clear iced roads. On dry pavement they chatter, which is kind of a pleasant sound. They are heavy and make the bike feel very, very slow. In snow, such as the snow on the side of the road the cars have run over, they don't have great traction. The tire and studs cannot get through the snow to bite into the solid pavement or ice. So you can slide in snow even with studs. I run the tires at 35 psi, the minimum recommended pressure. This is with the belief that the tires will flatten out enough to allow all four rows of studs to contact the road and provide better traction than running the tires at 70 psi and only having the middle two rows of studs contact the road. The 35 psi probably contributes to the extreme slowness of the tires.

If there is already snow on the ground (and thus no pavement to roll on for the suggested 25 miles) am I SOL? I slid out A LOT this morning on my commute, and really don't want a repeat of the humiliation of sliding side-by-side with my bike down the local bike path.....

I am riding a Trek 7300 fitted with an Xtracycle. Max I could go is 700x40.

MaryBeth
www.dinkswithkids.com

Can these be ridden on dirt trails? I mean will they be ok there?

Nobody makes a good streetable high volume winter tire for balloon bike applications, for example cargo bikes.

We have a Surly Big Dummy that we run Marathon XR 2.25" tires on the rest of the year, but would love to see a tire like this in at least a 2" size so that we could get a larger footprint and better load carrying capacity without going to an off-road studded tire thats ill-suited to clear roads.

Just put a set of these on my winter bike. After a run-in period (40-50 miles or so), they are much quieter, roll very well, and after this morning's inadvertent test on "unseen until it was too late" black ice, I must conclude these are the best winter commuting tires I've ever ridden.

Didn't lose a single stud during break-in.

Nice job, Schwalbe!

-John

Just put these on this morning and rode to work with them. I expected more rolling resistance, but was surprised to find they really did not feel like they slowed me down. It did sound like I was riding on gravel and sand, but it was not that loud or awful and no pedestrians turned their heads when I went by. It does seem like they'll get quieter after the ride-in period. In the end though, I really don't care how they sound, as long as they help me keep from falling on the Wisconsin snow and ice while riding to work in traffic. Nice tires, Schwalbe!

Would love a set of 20 and 16 inch studded tires for my trike.

I got these tires for Christmas. Despite more studs, these ride quite smoothly. And of course, they grip in the snow and ice very well! The control in slick conditions are fantastic. I highly recommend them.

I'm interested in the 26x1.75 Marathon Winter HS396 and see some sites have them for less than $60. Are these older or slightly different versions of this tire?

Our winter here in Wisconsin is looking like it's going to last another couple of months and I'm going stir crazy. Are these tires out-of-stock for the season?

I own a most wonderful EZ-3 aluminum trike, which I bought from New Orleans before Katrina. They had it delivered all the way to Finland (northernmost country in Europe).
Is this Marathon Winter HS 396 available to my country?
Best wishes
JMH

Overall highly recommended. I have a virtually car free lifestyle, so I ride almost every day in widely varying New England conditions. These tires have exceeded my expectations for safety and grip on ice, packed snow, loose snow, and sandy roadsides. I think you should tell bikers that the tires become much quieter after about 40 miles when the studs have settled properly into the rubber. When I first rode on the tires, it felt like I was driving over gravel or broken glass; now the vibration and noise on dry pavement are minimal and completely acceptable. I did lose 5 studs during the break-in period; I will contact Schwalbe to request replacements. Peter Libre, Norwalk, Connecticut.

How about this tire for 18" wheels?