Schwalbe Marathon Winter – Winter Tyres
The Schwalbe Marathon Winter is a road tyre and not a mountain bike tyre as the picture to the left would presume. The reason for the extra treading etc. on the Schwalbe Marathon Winter is of course to allow for more grip and control in both wet and icy roads. In the winter, cycling on the roads can be treacherous, and therefore, a good set of winter tyres is a necessity.
The Schwalbe Marathon Winter has little spikes attached to allow for extra grip on icy roads – the main reason for Schwalbe designing this tyre. It works best on icy roads at low pressures, which may seem odd, but then at higher pressures you can cycle relatively normally on normal and safe roads. This ensures that you not only get great protection from the elements, but also ease of use and value as you don’t need wet tyres as well.
In my opinion, cycling on icy roads is to dangerous and I rarely ever partake in this. However, for some more serious riders, it’s not a choice, it’s a must. To keep in shape and train for the coming summer races, you need to risk it all to train in the worst of conditions. The Schwalbe Marathon Winter tyres make this a little easier and safer, however, I believe that you should just buy a set of decent bike rollers. You can use these in your garage and there’s no need for winter tyres like the Schwalbe Marathon Winter.
