Schwalbe Marathon Plus vs Continental Gator Hardshell Schwalbe Marathon Plus and Continental Gatorskin are two of the most established and most-discussed lines of tyres on this site (171 results and 90 results respectively if you search &quot;Marathon Plus&quot; and &quot;Gatorskin&quot; on the site). Continental Gator Hardshell is a puncture-resistant version which competes directly with Marathon Plus.
I have been comparing the characteristics of both tires and am not sure which I would prefer for commuting. For the sake of putting numbers on each tire, Marathon Plus could have something like on the order of 1.1x more rolling resistance and 350g extra weight per tyre, but 1.3x more puncture resistance (according to one site's imperfect measurements).
If you had to choose one over the other for a five-mile urban commute (trying to avoid a couple of smashed bottles each way) and could buy them at the same price, which would you choose (taking into account rolling resistance, weight, puncture resistance, and other relevant factors)?
There are reviews of both tires on bicyclerollingresistance.com: https://www.bicyclerollingresistance.com/tour-reviews/schwalbe-marathon-plus-2015 and https://www.bicyclerollingresistance.com/road-bike-reviews/continental-gator-hardshell
The Continental Gator Hardshell is considered a road bike tire, albeit a very puncture resistant one. The Schwalbe Marathon Plus is a touring tire. It’s heavier, available in wider versions, more puncture resistant and has a bit of tread.
If you need/want more than 32mm width you are out of luck with the Hardshell.
Otherwise it pretty much boils down to personal preference. Both are high quality tires with their own strengths and weaknesses. Personally I can live with patching a tube every month or so. At the same time I like to go fast/far and light. The Gator Hardshell is pretty much the heaviest, slowest tire I would even consider using. The Schwalbe Marathon plus is way too heavy and slow for me.
I’m currently using Continental GP 4 Seasons on my travel cyclocross. In the city I have about 2 or 3 punctures per year (2*6km commute). I can live with that.
If you need/want all the puncture resistance you can get there is no way around the Marathon Plus.