We just finished a 3000 km tour in the US (Iowa>Minnesota>Wisconsin>UP Michigan>Michigan) using 26x2 Schwalbe Duremes on a mix of roads and trails. This is now my favorite touring tire. Relatively light and can handle most any surface. These tires are no longer in production, but a while back SJS did a special large production run of these tires.  I was hoping to buy more after the covid-induced high shipping costs are lowered, but SJS has now sold out. I contacted SJS, they replied that they may do another production of Duremes in a year. 

If interested, I would encourage people to contact SJS in support of another production run.

Mike Hendrich

Mike do you mean SJSC ie St John St Cycles? If so it is interesting they can do a production run. Do they do that directly via Schwalbe? 

Schwalbe are made in Indonesia and as you probably know Indonesia is now in the grip of a crippling Covid outbreak. I have friends there who have been restricted to home for months and others who have lost several family members in quick succession. 

I’m wondering if Indonesian manufacturing and shipping is also being negatively affected, as it was and is from/to China and Taiwan. 

Graham, yes, SJSC/Thorn. In a Thorn brochure regarding the Duremes, "We’ve had another batch made especially for us of these, the finest multi-purpose 26" tyre ever produced."

Perhaps, the year wait (John of SJSC replied back) is due to covid affecting manufacturing as you mention. However, I presume SJSC will want to have some idea of demand before paying for another batch. I have also posted on Thorn forum to encourage more people to let SJSC know these tires are in demand.

Odd, the Ultegra brifter on my Co-Motion Pangea shifts the 105 triple FD beautifully and always has.  It's the rear shifting that can be iffy, but that's because it's an Ultegra brifter paired with a Deore XT 10-speed rear derailleur.  Apparently this could be done in 2014 but current road and mountain systems don't talk to each other.  My newest bike has GRX Di2 components and I love it!  The gearing doesn't go quite as low as on my Pangea but the bike is much lighter and not designed for heavy loads.

I'm another who uses 26" x 1.6" Marathon Supremes--excellent tires on asphalt and hard unpaved surfaces.  Terrible on loose surfaces (sand, for example) and mud.  I encountered some of the latter in France on my last real tour, but that was only a small portion of the total distance.