Touring Bike Tire Comparison:
Continental Top Contact II 2015 vs
Schwalbe Marathon Plus 2015 vs
Schwalbe Marathon Supreme 2016

Contents and Test Summary

Manufacturer Specifications
Size and Weight Measurements
Rolling Resistance Test Results
Puncture Resistance Test Results
Static Grip Test Results
Conclusion

Continental Top Contact II *
Schwalbe Marathon Plus *
Schwalbe Marathon Supreme *

* Grip test data not available

Performance compared to all other touring bike tires
(100% is best)

Pro Members get 11-point radar charts

Manufacturer Specifications

Manufacturer Specs
Brand	Continental	Schwalbe	Schwalbe
Model	Top Contact II	Marathon Plus	Marathon Supreme
Year	2015	2015	2016
Supplied By	Supplied by Continental	Supplied by Schwalbe	Bought in store
Full Review	Full Review	Full Review	Full Review
New or Used	New	New	New
Mileage	0 km	0 km	0 km
Price Range	High	High	High
Buy At
Manufacturer Part Number	0100441	11100769	11600780
TPI	3/180	67	67
Compound		Endurance	OneStar
Bead	Folding	Wire	Folding
ETRTO	37-622	37-622	37-622
Size Inch	28"	28"	28"
Width mm	37	37	37
Specified Weight	600 grams	900 grams	440 grams
Min Air Pressure	50 psi	55 psi	55 psi
Max Air Pressure	88 psi	85 psi	85 psi
Made In	Pro Data	Pro Data	Pro Data
Available Sizes	47-622 (28x1.75) 42-622 (28x1.60) 37-622 (28x1.40) 50-559 (26x2.00)	40-635 (28x1.50) 47-622 (28x1.75) 40-622 (28x1.50) 37-622 (28x1.40) 32-622 (28x1.25) 28-622 (28x1.10) 25-622 (28x1.00) 42-590 (26x1.60) 37-590 (26x1.40) 40-584 (27.5x1.50) 50-559 (26x2.00) 47-559 (26x1.75) 40-559 (26x1.50) 35-559 (26x1.35) 47-507 (24x1.75) 47-406 (20x1.75) 35-406 (20x1.35) 35-349 (26x1.35)	50-622 (28x2.00) 42-622 (28x1.60) 37-622 (28x1.40) 32-622 (28x1.25) 50-584 (27.5x2.00) 42-584 (27.5x1.60) 50-559 (26x2.00) 42-559 (26x1.60)
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Size and Weight Measurements

Size and Weight Measurements
Model	Top Contact II	Marathon Plus	Marathon Supreme
Specified Weight	600 grams	900 grams	440 grams
Measured Weight	584 grams	898 grams	431 grams
Measured Width Casing	37 mm (un-round)	34 mm (un-round)	35 mm (un-round)
Measured Height	35 mm (un-round)	36 mm (un-round)	34 mm (un-round)
Tread Depth	2.5 mm	2 mm	1.6 mm
Total Tire Thickness Center	4.4 mm	9 mm	5 mm
Total Tire Thickness Sidewall	Pro Data	Pro Data	Pro Data
All size measurements are taken at an air pressure of 60 psi / 4 bars on a 17.8 mm inner width rim.

Rolling Resistance Test Results

Rolling Resistance Test Results
Model	Top Contact II	Marathon Plus	Marathon Supreme
Spin Up Video	No Video	YouTube	YouTube
Inner Tube	Conti Tour 28 (170 gr butyl)	Conti Tour 28 (170 gr butyl)	Conti Tour 28 (170 gr butyl)
Rolling Resistance 90 PSI / 6 Bar	Pro Data	Pro Data	Pro Data
Rolling Resistance 75 PSI / 5 Bar	Pro Data	Pro Data	Pro Data
Rolling Resistance 60 PSI / 4 Bar	24.2 Watts CRR: 0.00725	25.5 Watts CRR: 0.00764	19.1 Watts CRR: 0.00573
Rolling Resistance 45 PSI / 3 Bar	Pro Data	Pro Data	Pro Data
Rolling Resistance 30 PSI / 2 Bar	Pro Data	Pro Data	Pro Data
All numbers are for a single tire at a speed of 29 km/h / 18 mph and a load of 42.5 kg / 94 lbs. Use the formula: *RR (Watts) = CRR speed (m/s) * load (N)** to calculate rolling resistance at a given speed and load.

Puncture Resistance Test Results

Puncture Resistance Test Results (higher is better)
Model	Top Contact II	Marathon Plus	Marathon Supreme
Total Puncture Score Tread	95 Points	129 Points	99 Points
Total Puncture Score Sidewall	Pro Data	Pro Data	Pro Data

Tread Puncture Force Sharp Needle	Pro Data	Pro Data	Pro Data
Tread Puncture Force Blunt Needle	Pro Data	Pro Data	Pro Data
Tread Total Tire Thickness	4.4 mm	9 mm	5 mm
Sidewall Puncture Force Sharp Needle	Pro Data	Pro Data	Pro Data
Sidewall Puncture Force Blunt Needle	Pro Data	Pro Data	Pro Data
Sidewall Total Tire Thickness	Pro Data	Pro Data	Pro Data
NOTE: As of 2021, we've improved the puncture resistance tests and now provide 'Total Puncture Score' as the main puncture resistance indicator. Total Puncture Score: This score consists of Puncture Force Sharp Needle, Puncture Force Blunt Needle, and Total Tire Thickness. This value will give the best indication of real-life puncture resistance. Puncture Force Sharp Needle: Pre-2021, this score was known as 'Puncture Resistance'. On some tires with weakly bonded casing wires, the sharp needle can split the casing wires resulting in a lower score. Puncture Force Blunt Needle: The Blunt needle has a flat tip and won't split the casing wires. To puncture the tire, the blunt needle has to cut the casing wires. Total Tire Thickness: The puncture force tests are static and test the force required to puncture the casing and anti-puncture layers. To convert from a static lab test value to a more dynamic puncture resistance score, the thickness is used to calculate the total puncture resistance. More Info Close

Static Grip Test Results

Static Grip Test Results (higher is better)
Model	Top Contact II	Marathon Plus	Marathon Supreme
Wet Grip Average	No Data	No Data	No Data
Wet Grip Center	Pro Data	Pro Data	Pro Data
Wet Grip Edge	Pro Data	Pro Data	Pro Data
Grip in points = coefficient of friction * 100 Tour/E-Bike grip test rim width = 23.0 mm

Conclusion

Conclusion
Model	Top Contact II	Marathon Plus	Marathon Supreme
Full Review	Full Review	Full Review	Full Review
Verdict	Recommended	Highly Recommended	Highly Recommended
Rating	3.0 / 5	5.0 / 5	5.0 / 5
Buy At

Continental Top Contact II *
Schwalbe Marathon Plus *
Schwalbe Marathon Supreme *

* Grip test data not available

Performance compared to all other touring bike tires
(100% is fastest - lightest - thickest - strongest)

Pro Members get 11-point radar charts

Touring Bike Rolling Resistance Reviews
Brand	Model	Watts
Compass	Bon Jon Pass TC	15.6 W
Continental	Grand Prix Urban	16.9 W
Schwalbe	Marathon Almotion (OneStar)	17.1 W
Vittoria	Voyager Hyper	17.7 W
Continental	Contact Urban	18.4 W
Schwalbe	Marathon Efficiency	18.5 W
Schwalbe	Marathon Supreme	19.1 W
Schwalbe	Marathon Almotion Addix	19.4 W
Schwalbe	Marathon Almotion TLE Addix	19.7 W
Panaracer	Pasela PT (ProTite)	20.6 W
Continental	Sport Contact II	20.6 W
Schwalbe	Marathon (GreenGuard)	21.3 W
Schwalbe	Energizer Plus	21.5 W
Continental	Pure Contact	21.9 W
CST	E-Series Reach	21.9 W
Schwalbe	Green Marathon	22.4 W
Continental	Top Contact II	24.2 W
Continental	Urban Taraxagum	24.2 W
Continental	Contact II	24.3 W
Schwalbe	Marathon Racer	24.6 W
Schwalbe	Kojak	24.8 W
Continental	City Ride II	25.1 W
Schwalbe	Marathon Plus	25.5 W
Schwalbe	Marathon Mondial Evo	26.7 W
Vredestein	Perfect-E	27.3 W
View All

Road Bike Rolling Resistance Reviews
Excludes previous models/discontinued tires Visit the road bike overview to view all
Brand	Model	Watts
Vittoria	Corsa Pro Speed TLR 28	6.7 W
Veloflex	Record TLR 25	7.7 W
Continental	Archetype 30	8.0 W
Continental	Grand Prix 5000 TT TR 28	8.3 W
Continental	Grand Prix 5000 TT TR (TdF) 25	8.4 W
Schwalbe	Pro One TT TLE Addix 25	9.0 W
Enve	SES Raceday 29	9.3 W
Continental	Grand Prix 5000 S TR 28	9.7 W
Pirelli	P Zero Race TLR RS SpeedCore (retro) 28	10.0 W
Continental	Grand Prix 5000 S TR 30	10.0 W
Continental	Grand Prix 5000 S TR 25	10.1 W
Panaracer	Agilest Fast TLR 28	10.1 W
Goodyear	Eagle F1 SuperSport R TLC 28	10.2 W
Michelin	Power Cup TLR 28	10.3 W
Continental	Aero 111 29	10.5 W
Pirelli	P Zero Race TLR RS SpeedCore 28	10.5 W
Challenge	Criterium RS (white) 30	10.5 W
Continental	Aero 111 26	10.5 W
Michelin	Power Time Trial 25	10.6 W
Veloflex	Record (silica compound) 23	10.6 W
Vittoria	Corsa Speed (tubular) 23	10.6 W
Michelin	Power Cup TLR 25	10.8 W
Challenge	Criterium RS (white) 25	10.8 W
Vittoria	Corsa Pro TLR 28	11.1 W
Bontrager	Aeolus RSL TLR 28	11.2 W
View All

CX/Gravel Rolling Resistance Reviews
Brand	Model	Watts
Continental	Grand Prix 5000 S TR 32	12.8 W
Pirelli	P Zero Race TLR RS SpeedCore 32	13.2 W
Rene Herse	Snoqualmie Pass TC Extralight 44	13.5 W
Hutchinson	Caracal Race TLR (tan) 40	13.6 W
Michelin	Pro 5 TLR 35	13.8 W
Schwalbe	Pro One TLE Addix 38	14.3 W
Challenge	Strada Bianca Pro HTLR 40	14.8 W
Ultradynamico	Cava Race 33	14.9 W
Hutchinson	Caracal Race TLR (black) 40	14.9 W
Schwalbe	Pro One TLE Addix 34	15.5 W
Continental	Grand Prix 5000 All Season TR 35	15.6 W
Schwalbe	G-One RS Pro (black) 40	15.7 W
Schwalbe	G-One RS Super Race 35	15.7 W
Challenge	Strada Bianca Pro HTLR 36	15.7 W
Pirelli	P Zero Race TLR SpeedCore 32	15.8 W
Schwalbe	Pro One TLE Addix 32	15.8 W
Continental	Grand Prix 5000 TL 32	16.0 W
Schwalbe	G-One RS Super Race 40	16.2 W
Hutchinson	Caracal Race TLR (black) 45	16.3 W
Continental	Grand Prix 5000 All Season TR 32	16.3 W
Pirelli	P Zero Race TLR SpeedCore 35	16.3 W
Continental	Terra Speed TR (tanwall) 45	16.4 W
Panaracer	GravelKing TLC 35	16.6 W
Schwalbe	G-One R Pro (black) 40	16.6 W
Schwalbe	G-One R Pro (transparent) 50	16.7 W
View All

Mountain Bike Rolling Resistance Reviews
Excludes previous models/discontinued tires Visit the MTB overview to view all
Brand	Model	Watts
Schwalbe	G-One Speed Pro	11.9 W
Schwalbe	Thunder Burt Super Ground Addix Speed	15.7 W
Schwalbe	Rocket Ron LiteSkin Addix Speed	18.1 W
Schwalbe	Thunder Burt Super Race Addix Speed	18.1 W
Continental	Race King Protection (E-25)	18.2 W
Schwalbe	Thunder Burt Super Ground Addix Speed	18.6 W
Schwalbe	Rick XC Pro Speed	19.0 W
Schwalbe	Racing Ralph Super Ground Addix Speed	19.0 W
Continental	Speed King II RaceSport	19.1 W
Schwalbe	Rick XC Pro SpeedGrip	19.3 W
Continental	Dubnital Race Rapid	20.2 W
Schwalbe	Racing Ray Super Ground Addix SpeedGrip	20.4 W
Schwalbe	Racing Ralph LiteSkin Addix Speed	20.5 W
Continental	Race King Protection (tanwall)	20.6 W
Continental	Dubnital Race Rapid	20.6 W
Schwalbe	Rocket Ron Super Race Addix Speed	20.8 W
Vittoria	Peyote XC Race	21.3 W
Schwalbe	Racing Ralph Super Race Addix Speed	21.5 W
Continental	Trinotal Race Rapid	21.9 W
Schwalbe	Rocket Ron TL-E Addix Speed	22.2 W
Continental	Race King RaceSport	22.4 W
Schwalbe	Racing Ralph 2019 TLE Addix Speed	22.5 W
Schwalbe	Rocket Ron TL-E Addix SpeedGrip	22.7 W
Vittoria	Mezcal XC Race	23.1 W
Vittoria	Mezcal TNT G+ 2.0	23.5 W
View All