I replaced the new Schwalbe Marathon Plus 20 x 1.75 (47/406) (click for post on the 20 x 1.75's) on my Expedition with new Marathon Plus 20 x 1.35 (35/406). The 1.75's are heavy and they put a lot on rubber on the ground. Steering was sluggish and I felt like I was putting to much effort into just getting them to turn. The riding conditions in my area don't call for over sized monster tires on the front of my Expedition. Lesson learned. I still wanted the protection that the Plus's offer but I didn't want the size so I replaced the 1.75's with the 1.35's and the difference is obvious.
At first I tended to over steer but it didn't take long to appreciate the nimble quality of these smaller tires compared to the beefy 1.75's. All together it was a more enjoyable ride having smaller tires up front. I'll keep the big 26 x 1.75 (47/599) Marathon Plus Tour on the rear to handle the load of the trailer and for traction on the occasional gravel path.
As for the 20 x 1.75's they ended up replacing the worn tires on Betzi's trailer.
The next issue was the front fenders. With the 1.35's the Green Speed fenders (click here for my post on the fenders) were over sized. No problem, I cut back the front supporting bracket that supported the front of the fender. I then replaced the fender itself with the smaller Catrike front fender that I already had and was hanging on the wall in my garage. The Green Speed fender support bracket paired with the Catrike fender is still rock solid.
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| You can see where the front bracket use to be. Now there is only a small section of it protruding out. I closed the end up with a small bolt. The flame is a little bling I added. |
