Schwalbe Marathon Plus Performance SmartGuard Tire - 26 x 1.75

The tire that lets you forget about flats. Some riders want speed; most of us just want to get where we're going without kneeling on the shoulder with a patch kit. The Marathon Plus is Schwalbe's best-selling tire for exactly that reason. This 26 x 1.75 (47-559) wire-bead version brings its famous puncture protection to commuters, tourers and everyday riders on 26-inch bikes.

The heart of it is SmartGuard, a patented 5 mm layer of highly elastic rubber under the tread that shrugs off glass, flints, metal shards and even thumbtacks, so you keep rolling instead of walking. Schwalbe says it rolls easier than any generic thick-belt tire, and part of that layer is recycled rubber. TwinSkin sidewalls add a rubberized skin that protects against cuts, and the anti-aging sidewall resists the cracking that low pressure usually causes. Reflective stripes on both sidewalls make you more visible in headlights after dark. It's approved for e-bikes up to 50 km/h (E-50) in this size, and the 67 EPI casing and long-wearing ADDIX compound are built for high mileage. One tip from the shop floor: check pressure with a gauge, not your thumb. This tire is too stiff for a squeeze test to tell you anything.

Whether you're commuting through broken glass, loading up a touring rig, or keeping an older mountain bike or e-bike on the road, the Marathon Plus is the set-and-forget choice.

About Schwalbe. Schwalbe's parent company, Ralf Bohle GmbH, was founded in Germany in 1922. In 1973 Ralf Bohle began importing "Swallow" tires from Korean manufacturer Hung-A, and the German word for swallow, Schwalbe, became the brand. The two family-run companies still work together today as joint-venture partners. Schwalbe launched the Marathon Plus in 2002, introduced the second generation in 2014, and it remains the benchmark for puncture protection.