Marathon Mondial Review

Lately, I've been obsessed with fat tire bikes.The thought of floating over snow has me dreaming of the Buffalo winter's I ran away from. If I had stayed there, I most certainly would have gotten one. Here on the coast of California, snow is not an issue. This dream of popping over snow was partly why I left for Buffalo in December to ride along the Erie Canal.

Urban tires at UN Plaza.

With snow in the forecast for me I needed tires that could handle the snow; the only name that came to mind was Schwalbe. Schwalbe is known for two reasons, one is their winter tires (specifically studded tires) and the other is their touring tires. I rode their touring tires across the country and loved them, then being foiled by Continental's afterwards (a mess of constant flats). With previous positive experience and a push towards snowy markets I went with the Marathon Mondial's topping out what my bike would allow at 40mm with fenders.

Rumbling on dirt.

Adding the extra 12 mm around the whole tire meant these were a little tougher to get going, but that lack of speed was worth it. The wider base meant lower pressure and lower pressure meant going over whatever I wanted. This meant that the short cut over the median was no big deal. The treads on these tires also gave me more possibilities. I never went super technical on these tires, only hitting single track really once, but given the bike I was on, the tires fared well on soil. I'm not saying I would take it down Cinderella Trail, but fire roads felt as good as pavement, and even a little more technical was not a downer.

At $40 a pop, they are not exactly cheap, so durability is definitely a plus on these. On my previous pair of Marathon's I wore them out to the tread every time, never having any blowouts, they were solid and reliable. The Mondial's on the other hand didn't turn out so well. About three months into these tire, admittedly giving them some rough terrain, the sidewall of the rear tire blew out. It was unexpected and unfortunate.

The end.

While I never truly got to test them on snow, I'd say for an aggressive urban commuter or a casual off roader, these tires are worth the investment. They make curb hopping or potholes much easier to deal with and grip very well around tight bends. Off-roading was a blast on these, not super comfortable, but manageable, and despite their final blowout, they were very puncture resistant. If I had to cross the country again, I'd consider taking these so that I could get off the Interstates and into the forests, maybe next time!