Contact Urban vs Marathon - A 1200km Brompton Test
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- Опубліковано 14 лип 2024
- Should you change your trusted Schwalbe Marathon for the Continental Contact Urban? That's what we will discuss following our 1200km evaluation trip in Eastern Europe.
Schwalbe Marathon 35-349 [ amzn.to/3QOoQ6T ]
Continental Contact Urban Folding 35-349 [ amzn.to/3P65UPR ]
00:00 Introduction
00:26 Puncture Protection
01:47 Tread
02:57 Comfort
03:23 Weight
03:42 Rolling Resistance
04:07 Ease of Installation
04:27 Packing
04:47 Cost
05:05 Conclusion
#brompton #continentaltires #continentaltyres #schwalbetires #schwalbe #2bikes4adventure
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Music: The Day is Close - The 126ers
Approved PNGs by Vecteezy
Schwalbe Marathon Video [ www.schwalbetires.com/Maratho... ]
Continental Contact Urban Image [ www.continental-tires.com/pro... ]
I do admire how carefully these information films are researched...
..but I am in awe of the quality of the graphics, and of how well they get across the results of that research. Script writing is pretty darn good, too!
Best Wishes, and Many Thanks, from UK.
Having a script would already stand out. Having an excellent script stands out even more!
@effyleven, darn good feedback!
4:30 "take a spare tire in case of catastrophic failure"
On my last trip at the last moment I decided to take an old spare tire along. I'm so glad I did because once I got to my destination I noticed that my rear tire had developed a bulge on the sidewall - impossible to ride and impossible to get a replacement within thousands of kilometers (closest Brompton shop was a plane ride away).
Having taken the replacement tire saved my trip. I only took a spare tire because those adventurers on youtube always take one along. I nearly didn't take a spare tire because a regular tire is so bulky.
I make a note of the foldable tire and take one of those on my next long trip.
We had a similar experience with a Birdy tyre (18”) while touring in Spain.
We bring a spare tyre ever since.
This is one of the best/most informative tire reviews I've seen on UA-cam, thanks for sharing! 🙏
This is an excellent review of two tyres I have to choose between. I think I'll go with the Continental now, especially as I can take it with me on the road.
Incidentally, it's great how far you guys ride with the Brompton. I do long rides too, but compared to your rides it's not much.
I am using Schwalbe marathon Plus ( 7 protection maximum avail) combined with Tannus Armour inserts... Heavier, but for me, puncture protection means everything... I am not seeking performance but nice worry free long distance riding. 😊
Total peace of mind concerning punctures with such a set-up.
Tannus Armour is an interesting product, but I do not see a 16” version for Bromptons, so I’m wondering why you’re mentioning it…
@alexanderslee Tannus does make 16” tyres.
@BromptonFamilyTime channel has some excellent videos on the subject.
I dont have a Brompton, but I'm using the Continental Contact Urbans on my city/touring bike in size 37-622. What an amazing tire! Rolls amazingly well, grips fantastic in the wet and in the dry and no punctures apart from when I cased a bunny hop onto a sidewalk and caused a snake bite puncture due to the soft sidewalls.
Marathons felt sluggish. Contact Urbans truly strike fantastic balance between comfort, speed, puncture resistance and price - even for regular sized bikes!
Stopped using Scwalbe years ago.
Firstly, thank you so much for your fantastic videos. You were the biggest inspiration and help with my Brompton purchase two years ago. And also the reason for my decision to start directly with the Contis. With them I cycled 1000 km through Brandenburg (East Germany), on the Polish side of the River Oder up to the sea and back to Germany. With a bit of travelling by train, then through Sachsen. There was also a lot of side roads, those ancient cobblestones and gravel. I was delighted with the tyres, no punctures, fast and safe.
Just before I had completed 1000 kilometres, I got a flat tyre and the nightmare began.
Rear wheel fucked, front wheel flat, then again rear wheel. And then again and again. In the finish area, Berlin, I just pumped up my tyres every 10 minutes and then switched completely to Schwalbe Marathon Plus. I was annoyed and just wanted maximum puncture protection. The Marathon tyres were a bit sluggish/slower.
As it turned out, back at home, I rode through shards and was just too stupid to remove them completely from the Conti during the journey. Which again speaks in favour of the Contis.
P.S. Last year I rode the EuroVelo 8 from Marselle to Barcelona (over the Pyrenees and in Spain I thought I was riding a gravel bike) and again 1000 km through eastern Germany (Mecklenburg, beautiful) with the Marathon. Nothing, no flat tyres, not even having to inflate. And when you have luggage with you for a trip like this - I sleep outside with a hammock, cook, etc. - the difference in tyre weight doesn't really matter. For my next, this time much longer, trip in 10 weeks, I will take a spare tyre with me because of your tip, a Conti. Maybe I'll switch back again :)
This text was translated from German into English by DeepL, please forgive any mistakes.
Sorry to hear about your troubles with the Conti. So far, we have more than 2500km on them, and no flats to report.
The peace of mind the Marathon Plus provides is tough to beat however. Long distance tourers (like the Brompton Traveler) recommend them for good reasons. Having a folded Conti as a spare can be a good compromise.
We will look into your recommended routes for future trips. Hope our paths cross someday.
Awesome well researched and presented review, as always. Thanks Pam and Sholbert!
Great video as always. Hope you had a great trip
Another excellent video, many thanks for all the work you put into these. 👍
Another great Brompton video by 2bikes4adventure - many thanks!
I also recently switched to the Continental Contact Urban. I decided to test it in a non urban situation. It worked wonderfully on my 240 mile (386 km) ride on the Katy Trail in Missouri, US. The trail is a combination of crushed limestone, larger rocks, mud and sand. I had no flats, cuts or abrasions and the tire held pressure very well (90 psi front, 95 psi rear).
Thanks for your review.
@peterforde9513, the Katy Trail is on our “todo” list. Any special recommendations/tips?
@@2Bikes4Adventure Wonderful trip, just not in the heat of summer.
www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/r50u229i3q5uc4pjnepwz/Katy-Trail.pdf?rlkey=8y0udljclbml1p20odholcsob&dl=0
Interested in the front and rear bags set-up you are using.
@@2Bikes4Adventure Front bag is UPSO, made in UK from repurposed lorry tarps. Very waterproof.
Rear is Swift Industries saddle bag.
I travel light and these two are all I need .
I started considering Contact Urban for my MTB turned hybrid thanks to your "The BEST TIRE for your Brompton" vid (even though I'll never get a Bromption, though I have a foldie). I was glad to find out the Urbans came in 27.5" in various widths! I also got the Big Apples for my foldie when you mentioned it.
Thanks a lot for your videos, they're definitely useful even for non-Brompton/foldie riders!
Thank you so much for these informative videos. It's obvious you put a lot of time and energy into them and it shows.
I’ve done 300 miles each on the Marathon racers and the Contact Urbans. No punctures on either. Although not an uncomfortable ride (Racers), it just can’t match the Continentals for rolling resistance, comfort and grip - not a huge difference, but noticeable; I love the Contact Urbans and can’t see me going back to the Racers.
Excellent review. Thanks for sharing.
1) Schwalbe Marathon plus 700x32 43+K km and still in use on the front wheel, no punctures, almost no thread.
2) On the rear wheel got the first puncture at 28K km, then a couple of punctures and replaced at 30K km. If you fold that tire the inner blue protective layer was visible through cracks.
Based on my experience the front tire can last around 30K, the rear tire can last approximately twice as long.
I weighted the rear tire - the original weight is 820 g, the used one was ~720 g. To give you the rough idea what the wear was using numbers.
Usually rear tire wears faster
40+ тысяч это очень круто. У меня стоят такие же Marathon Plus уже 5 лет (700/32 спереди и 700/35 сзади). Брал их вместе с б/у велосипедом, накатал 3000 + км. Уже заменил одну камеру, а покрышкам ничего! И это после езды на полностью спущенном переднем колесе😂 По состоянию протектора на сегодняшний день, думаю мне их еще на 5 лет хватит, как минимум. Сейчас покупаю складной велосипед на 16 колесах и ищу, чем заменить стандартные Kenda k1045 (и стоит ли вообще).
Great info, thanks!
Great video! I had already bought de Urban from Aliexpress (i'm from Brazil) but still was in doubt about it's puncture protection. This video calmed me.
After u watch u think, those 20 min didnt take that long...Amazing editing and summary skills, been looking for the best tire for my commuter/gravel and found those and this vid, win win!
Thanks for the in-depth review. I am currently on stock racer tires for about a year; have not encountered any puncture. I have used contact urban (non-foldable) previously on my other brompton-clone bike and were equally good. Next round when it is time to change the tires, I will try the foldable contact urban (I already have them on standby!)
Very good video and very informative 👍
I switched to Contact Urban and my Brompton is now a joy to ride. With the Marathon Plus, it always felt lethargic.
Great vid, thank you.
I have the Schwalbe M+. Going from a pro evo one tonthisntyre is hard work but less flats.
Thanks again.
I have the Marathon on my trailer, used it for more than 10000 Km (2019-2024), I will add 2000Km in july 2024. Inspected the tyre last week, it is still looking reliable. Best tyre of all my bicycles/trailers through the years. On my touring e-bike I use Marathon MTB Plus which is also very reliable, never got a puncture with both tyre-types. I got punctures in the past with other Schwalbes and also with Continentals, these 2 are exceptions (I do 15000Km a year on my bicycles - so carfree).
Love your Chanel, very informative, learned a lot. As to contis, just got to London cycling from Poland on them so roughly 1700km. No punctures not even signs of wear on the rear one, I'm amazed. And once luggage got off my bike (MG) these are fast, I feel like I could be a bike courier 😂.
Nice ride, which route did you take?
Hi, I live south of PL and wanted to explore Czech R more. Started at Bielsko and headed west towards Ostrava, Pardubice Prague and then Beroun (as I wanted to see a river very present in Ota Pavel stories). I liked Czechia a lot. Then there was the north Bavaria bit of the Netherlands, chunk of Belgium and a bit of France. I use Mapy cz. App and that was basically it's route projection which I was changing according to my needs.
Regards
Tomo
Part of our route between Prague and Krakow overlapped with yours. We used Mapy as well for CZ coverage.
Thanks for your answer. Looking forward to see a new content on your channel.
Best regards
Tomo
Thank you for testing the Contact Urban on dirt and gravel. Wondering how it would do outside paved roads. Seems like a great tire.
Very informative video with lot’s of facts included as always 👍🏻 I’m riding the Continental Contact Urban for more than 8000km on my two Bromtons. Not one puncture so far, better comfort and performance. My absolute favorite tire. Save ridings and thanks for your videos.
@Druidus98, we hope to reach a similar milestone (8000km without puncture).
i have used Continental contact urban for two years and like them over marathons. also my daughter and partner have started to use them and have the same opinion.
I am very happy with Schwalbe Energizer Active Plus.
I have the urban on my hybrid bike (700c) and my partner has a shwalbe marathon green on hers. Her bike somehow feels a little smoother to ride, but we’ve both have 1 puncture in a year. The shwalbe was a lot harder to install with the tight stiff bead. The continental can be put on using fingers.
For tires with Schrader valves, I use FlatOut sealant *in the innertube*. It works well for me thus far.
I hope you try it, and have success with it as I did.
You are amazing
I just did an 184 mile tour on gravel (Zizzo Forte bike) and it really beat on the 20” Schwalbe Marathon Greenline tires, but no flats and the tires still look fine.
I decided move from Marathon racers this after 2 punctures in less than a year of riding. One of the punctures being a small thorn which I was surprised at after being used to 700c marathon plus. They have been less durable than my GP5000s on my CX bike. Hopefully the Contact Urbans ride and preserve a little better
I swapped the Ones on my T Line for Schwalbe Marathon Almotions after 3 punctures in the in the same 150km. So far so good. I like the reflective walls, and although I know the threads are not really relevant on an urban bike, I saw myself gravelling a little more since I swapped. They do "hum" a little bit on very flat tarmac and I admit I kinda like it :D
@ElliottK, keep us updated on the Almotions' status
Thinking marathon plus with added Kevlar layers put in myself for additional puncture protection. Maybe a foam core. The extra weight might be worth it over carrying the extra materials.
Somewhat unrelated, but I had been using a Continental 26" tire for years and it turned out to be my all time favorite standing out in durability, grip, comfort, and puncture resistance. Just to say that I would trust Continental to have some expertise with bicycle tires.
I'm using schwalbe marathon, it has great performance, but i'm looking to try continental urban for gonna be my new 16" folding bike (a cheap version of brompton)
great
Another anecdotal story. I had 2 flats with the stock marathon over a year and none with the contis (although I have the non-folding version) for the next year. Since then I also check the pressure more often. The contis are more comfortable for sure
Oh and I hope you liked our neck of the woods. Nice trip!
@HolgerNestmann, it was a great trip. We could have done without the occasional cobblestones however :-)
@@2Bikes4Adventure tell me about it. They are terrible with any bike though ;)
I have the marathon on ....400 km in 8 days at the beginning of august. No problems.
However, these continental are interesting for sure (lighter, faster, more confortable),
but I'dlike to try the new almotion marathon ....unfortunately they are very expensive.
Have anyone tried them?
The video is very very interesting and well done!!
Many thanks from Italy
At twice the price of the Continental, the Almotion are indeed a difficult proposition.
I was using the urban contact come with P line. After 1000km ride across Switzerland and France, I got a flat tire when entering Germany. I spent several hours checking the tire but can find anything wrong, and it kept puncturing the inner tires (leaving very small hole). I had to change the tire and the only available kind in local shops is Marathon.
@peachpear9055, these are the worst kind of puncture. That’s one of the reason why we carry a spare tire with us while touring.
In doubt, we replace the tube and tire and try to figure out the problem once at the hotel (or at home).
As a Brompton rider in Brooklyn, NY and Manhattan, I much prefer the Marathon plus. I am fortunate to live and work walking distance to two bike shops that sell and service Brompton bikes. Both shops swear by the Marathon plus because of how rarely they have to change flats for people who have them. In NYC broken glass shards are the enemy. The thickness of the Marathon plus really helps with that.
Except for airless tires, difficult to beat the Marathon Plus for puncture protection.
I'm also in NYC and have always sworn by the marathon and marathon plus on all my bikes but I have to say, the Conti's have really won me over. While I don't doubt the marathon plus is overall more puncture resistant, even the marathon plus isn't impervious. Somewhat ironically, I *have* had a puncture on a marathon plus before (just one), but not on the marathon greenguard or contis. I had multiple punctures with the marathon racers; really not a fan of those. Curious how the new almotions fare.
For me one of the biggest selling points of the continentals is actually how grippy they are in the rain though,. Seemed a rather tangible difference to me.
For glas the marathon+ are certainly a good tip. However keep them pumped up. The thick top and normal sides may cause snakebite flats if running over a curb with insufficent pressure
People out there bikepacking on Bromptons and I'm yapping on my 26er. Gotta reevaluate my view.
I’m curious about the new (very expensive) Schwalbe Almotion tire, and if you plan to do a comparison with the Contact Urban, someday? I preordered a T-Line with 12 speeds, and already thinking of changing the tires 😅 My previous Bromptons (old titanium and old electric) had Marathon Plus tires, but now looking for something light, easy to install, nicer/faster rides… Thanks for all your informative videos!
We would welcome the opportunity to evaluate the Almotion. Performance wise however, lab tests seem to indicate they are quite similar. Certainly no significant differences that would justify the price premium.
Thanks for the fast reply!! 😊
Thanks. Excellent film. I tried the Continentals but went back to the Schwalbe as I found the side walls to be very vulnerable to punctures. Thanks
The sidewall are indeed quite thin compared to the Marathon
Having to carry a spare tire, the continental urban definitely has a big advantage.
Even for those who prefer Schwalbe, a folded Contact Urban would make an easy to carry spare tire while touring.
Hi
Great video again.
Looking to change also and have a lot of faith in Continental from my road bike usage.
The website indicates 65-116 psi. What is your view on this rating against Marathon?
Have you tried varying on either?
Obviously any reduction will equal a smoother ride that counter intuitively equals a faster ride.
Brompton tyre pressure could be the subject of an entire video.
We inflate our Continental to about 90psi, comfortable enough without sacrificing too much rolling resistance.
We do check them regularly as we are told they are more prone to pinch flat than Marathon.
I never had a puncture in my 26" Shwalbe Marathon but I only rode it for around 2000km before I upgraded to a whole new MTB with bigger wheel (27.5). I now use Contact Urban for the rear wheel and it alreay had 1 flat due to puncture (0.5" nail) on the outer tread within 2000km of use. I also noticed on the Contact Urban some slashes on the main tread due to glass and even road wires that puncture the main tread sideways (which does not cause any flat), the thin wires can puncture rubber but the nylon layer redirects them sideways so they won't go through towards the inner tube.
I also like the Urban since they really stick on smooth road especially on parts of our home with smooth tiles, they grip like Basketball shoes.
I am using the marathon plus with muc off inner tube sealant and so far haven’t had a puncture yet 🤞
You should be quite safe from puncture with such setup!
I dumped Schwalbe years ago for Conti. They are fare better in my opinion.
Is there any mileage (pun intended, sorry!) on doing a review of inner tubes. These are rarely mentioned so curious to hear other's tales. I bought a P-line last year which came with Contact Urbans as standard and have had one puncture due to a thorn which entered off the centre line of the tyre. C'est la vie! I've done a similar mileage to yourselves, about 12-1300 kms
@PeterGorrill, interesting point, except of the Tubolito, we don’t see much review about 16” tubes.
Maybe something to look into in a future video.
Hi, for the Continental Contact Urban Tyre 16 Inch 349 ( Wire ), what pressure should we pump it up? Thanks.
Tyre pressure could be a video subject of its own. We usually pump 90psi at the front and 100psi at the back. If road surface is poor (bumpy), we reduce the pressure slightly (-10psi or so)
Do you think there could be some differences with the Continental Contact Urban 26 inch tires?
I'm looking for the fastest tires for 26' but I don't have many options in my country.
As an all-around touring tire, the Continental Contact Urban is excellent, but it would be out-classed against most dedicated fast road bike tires.
I can't deal with that white stripe along the side. On the Schwalbes, you can tear it off, and color in the gray rubber with a sharpe.... Can you also remove it from the continental?
That can be done on the Continental as well. Brompton Family Time channel has a video on the subject.
Only schwalbe marathon plus or marathon plus tour!
I've only used Schwalbe tires on my 2- Bromptons during 12-years of riding and never have had even 1-flat.
Keep the winning streak rolling!
Contact Urbans don’t work on old Bromptons. I bought a couple of them and the tyres bulged, took it to a bike shop and they had the same problem when they tried to refit them. Something to do with the tyre bead being too wide on some older Brompton models. Very disappointing.
Disappointing indeed. We have installed the Continental only on our 2016 M6R. Our older 2001 T3 still have Schwalbe Marathon. We will keep your warning in mind when it’s time to change them.
@@2Bikes4Adventure Good idea! I’ve got marathon +s on my bike. Great for riding in London but a bit heavy and like you say in the video the ride on the contact urbans is better.
I tried the Contact Urban for a short while. They gave a lovely ride, but after three punctures in six months cycling around London (including some gravel paths) I went back to the virtually bullet proof Marathon Plus.
Considering punctures are such a PITA, have you not considered Marathon+ for long tours?
Indeed PITA, especially the rear tyre. We were very pleased with the puncture protection offered by the (regular) Marathon (only 3 punctures on 2 bikes in more than 6 years, so an average of 1 puncture per bike every 4 years), so we didn’t feel the need to upgrade to Marathon Plus.
We decided to test the Continental more out of curiosity than displeasure with the Marathon. We may return to Marathon if the new tyres are too puncture prone.
Conti all the way!
I uses the continental urban tanwall foldable tyres with 90psi pressure + tpu tubes, unfortunately I got two damage sidewalls within 6 months, have you experience it? Is it correct to say the non foldable conti urban sidewall are more durable than the foldable ones?
We haven’t experienced any problems with our foldable Conti, but BrilliantBikes mentioned that some customers have complained about the relative fragility of the foldable sidewalls compared to the regular Conti.
@@2Bikes4Adventure thank you for your reply, may i know the inner tubes that you used?
@pitinn2 Our preference is for the Schwalbe AV4, but while on the road, if we need to buy a new tube, we are less picky.
@@2Bikes4Adventure I replace my tpu tube with Schwalbe av4 to see if the sidewall will fail again, will repurchase the folding tyres. Thanks
Really good video as always. I use Marathon Plus on my Brompton. Have got theough a few tyres but no punctures yet & puncture peotection is my priority. Like thw idea of more speed though. These foldable contia look great as a sparr for travelling though?
Keeping the M+ for the puncture protection and having a foldable Conti as a spare while touring could be the best of both worlds.
1200KM?!
why not compared to marathon racer?
Some technical details concerning the Racer were covered in our previous video: ua-cam.com/video/p1i1W6xy8hM/v-deo.html
@@2Bikes4Adventure thanks so still prefer the contact urban to racer by the sound if it. I might try it thsnks
@roberts8783 , between the 3 tires, we would put the Racer last.
I am currently using Marathon Plus for unbelievable 15500 km without any punctures. The rear tire really needs to be replaced soon though, the tread is completely gone and blue puncture protection layer can be seen almost everywhere. I feel that these tires are very uncomfortable and slow though. Therefore, I'll try the Contact Urbans soon. The Contact Urbans I already bought are not foldable though, slightly heavier than yours probably. But I payed less than 20€ per tire.
@mfabian1963, you certainly had your money’s worth on those Marathon Plus.
But yes, by the time you see the blue layer, it’s pretty much time to let them go :-)
You must have the wired Contact Urbans as they aren't foldable. I picked up a set of these as well, they are similar in thread as shown in the video but slightly chunkier with a metal thread along the seems, right?
@@guidoscholl2215, indeed the non-foldable are slight heavier. Once installed, they look similar however.
it will depend on the road you are taking everyday. I used my B for work and get on canal paths and London roads filled with broken glass.i came on schwalbe racer then got tired because it seems I have a subscription to flat tire for 3 times or less a week with mostly glass as the cause. I shifted to contact urban and I thought I was invincible because of the new tire but 3 day to my journey a glass cut through my rubber instantly puncturing it. from then it tooked half of the joy cycling because Im always for the look out for broken glass on the route I always take. I dread the part where yesterday I know there was not a broken glass but now some bloke decided to smash his beer BOTTEL on the canal path. Overall I still love the contact urban and over the schwalbe racer due to low rolling resistance. 3 months on only had 1 flat compared to 3/week. BUT I WANT TO TRY SCHWALBE MARATHON PLUS SOON.
You are not the only one to mention London canal paths as a profit center for bicycle tube/tyre manufacturers!
Wired Continental Contact Urban from March to October and Schwalbe Marathon plus as a cold weather tyre since they have slightly better puncture resistance.
How is the grip of the Marathon Plus in cold weather?
I always found them satisfying in this regard. Even with a bit of snow. As said, main reason I use them in winter is getting a puncture this time of the year becomes even more annoying.
@@2Bikes4Adventure Fine I guess? I ride them in winter in the Black Forest on both my Brompton as well as my standard 28'' bike. I've even cycled on frozen lakes with them. (As well as roads with the occasional black ice patch). As long as I don't lean into the curves I'm fine ;)
(regular unstudded Marathon Plus tires)
I feel offended. Gues why. :D
I'm using marathon plus 26"
how did it go with those tires?
Schwalbe Marathon Plus for our Bromptons.
Idk about the Conti but the Schwable Marathon is absolute trash on wet surfaces, especially when uneven like cobblestone.
What's the point of loading a folding bike and then suffering on the road? It's masochism. :). A folding bike and tourism are incompatible. You can also try traveling on roller skates with a heavy backpack on your back)))
tread on a hard surface doesn't negatively impact rolling resistance, it does affect grip however.