The Schwalbe Marathon Plus has been a popular choice for commuters and tourers for many years and now after almost 10 years the tyre has been thoroughly overhauled and as a result it has a new, dynamic profile and boasts many internal improvements.One of the main features that makes this such a popular tyre is the SmartGuard 5 mm thick layer of flexible, special india rubber that offers durable puncture protection. SmartGuard has a crucial advantage especially with objects that lodge in the tread and that can be forced through almost any other protection belt by the rotation of the wheel. Here the SmartGuard has the advantage of thickness, because a thumbtack, for instance, simply remains in the rubber without damaging the tube. SmartGuard does not increase rolling resistance however the Marathon Plus rolls as easily as a tyre without protection. Puncture protection is further enhanced thanks to TwinSkin sidewalls which have an additional rubber coating on the side to protect against c