Yes Erl, the Marathons offer a lot more flat protection than a Little Ben. The Little Ben is a downsized Big Ben of course and the Big Ben is the exact same tire as the Big Apple with a little more tread. Riv measures the Little Ben at 36.5mm wide and the Marathon 37mm wide. The tires do however offer a good amount of height though, this is the amount of tire above the rim.
The Barlow Pass have no flat protection, but that does not necessarily mean they will flat any more than any other tire. Some people get flats on Marathons and others never flat on Barlow Pass tires, so obviously "protection" does not mean so much for everyone ! I too ride on Vittoria Voyager Hyper tires in the 38mm size(actually come out to 40mm and are very round). While they have been trouble free for me, I have never ridden either of the Schwalbe tires so I cannot compare them. The Vittoria's however are not particularly long lasting, and by most accounts the Schwalbe's tend to be quite good in that aspect. These ride best at low pressures. I run mine @40/45 psi front/rear . I'd say stick with what has been working for you , so either of the Schwalbe tires or the Compass. The Schwalbe tires will likely outlast a Compass tire, but again everyone has their own experiences. Oh... come to think of it Panaracer has a Gravel King SK in a 40mm too and measures a tad wider in actuality. No, they are not gravel specific or anything like that, these run just fine on the road as the tread is minimal. By all accounts these are very nice riding tires and likely my next pair. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
