Getting the rear wheel off my Eastman Roadster is a colossal pain in the ass. It requires tools I don’t usually carry, and time I don’t want to spend. So, I don’t want a flat rear tire, ever. I need to get the most bulletproofest tire imaginable for back there. My thinking is that the Schwalbe Marathon Plus is about the most bulletproofest tire in the world.

I also wanted a big fat beefy tire for soaking up bumps, preventing pinch-flats, and general aesthetics. So, I was going to order a 47mm Marathon Plus. But those are expensive, and what if it didn’t fit?

So, I went ahead and got a regular Marathon (without the Plus) in the 47mm size, to save a few bucks, and make sure that size would work. I was sure the 47 would fit up front in any event, and front flats are easy to fix, so I don’t need the extra super-duper bulletproofness.

Well, the Marathon arrived in the mail yesterday, and I spent a good part of the morning wrestling it onto the rim.

And… It fits!! Hoorah!

Now I can order the Marathon Plus for the rear, move the Marathon to the front, and cycle over hill and dale without worrying about having the rear tire go flat.

I think it fills out the fender nicely. Much better than the 630 x 32 I have mounted in the front – currently on loan from the girlfriend’s bike.

The downside of all this is that the Roadster project was supposed to be cheap way to get a bike comparable to the Pashley Roadster Sovereign. I suspect that by the time I have it all set up the way I want it, I’ll have spent just as much money as if I’d just bought the Pashley in the first place. 🙁