The popular Schwalbe Marathon XR tire has been discontinued. It is replaced in the Schwalbe bicycle touring tire range by the Dureme and the Extreme. These new tires have a more sophisticated puncture-protection system at a lighter weight. (folding 700 X 40:  XR – 670g, Extreme – 525g. Dureme – 550g)

I have tried to show the treads of these three tires in a photo. Clicking on the photo will take you to our Flickr photostream. The picture can be enlarged there to show the treads more clearly.

You can see the tread on the Extreme is more open than the XR, slanting it to a tour that will see more rough surface. The Dureme tread is a little more appropriate for smooth surfaces than the other two.

You can learn more about the new tires at the Schwalbe website.