Discussion
I'm after some 700x 40c tyres for mixed use. Currently have a few pairs - G Ones at 30c which are very soft, Clement xplor ush at 35c and Some Conti Cyclo X kings at 35c.
The Clements are prob the best all rounders but they've had me off a few times on wet grass and there's little feel on gravel. The Contis are great off road but draggy on tarmac.
Any recommendations for an all-rounder? Looking at tubeless setup. First thought are the Donnelly MSO xplor but theyre pretty unavailable or £70 a piece.
Anyone else like to mix it and find a Goldilocks tyre? 40c I think is the max my Croix de fer
The Clements are prob the best all rounders but they've had me off a few times on wet grass and there's little feel on gravel. The Contis are great off road but draggy on tarmac.
Any recommendations for an all-rounder? Looking at tubeless setup. First thought are the Donnelly MSO xplor but theyre pretty unavailable or £70 a piece.
Anyone else like to mix it and find a Goldilocks tyre? 40c I think is the max my Croix de fer
Specialized Pathfinder Pro 2Bliss. Available in 38 or 42 width.
They've got a raised narrow smooth centre section and a grip that gets progressively coarser towards the rim. I find them a great mix of light offroad comfort and onroad speed. They cope pretty well with occassional heavy mud too for what they are.
They've got a raised narrow smooth centre section and a grip that gets progressively coarser towards the rim. I find them a great mix of light offroad comfort and onroad speed. They cope pretty well with occassional heavy mud too for what they are.
Panaracer GravelKing SKs seem to be the default all-round choice.
I’ve found them good in nearly all conditions except heavy mud when the tread clogs. Not too draggy on road either.
I run a set on my Grade which is used as ‘winter / gravel bike lite’.
I also have a Cannondale Slate running WTB Resolutes, pretty similar performance as the SKs but slightly better mud performance albeit more draggy on road.
I’ve found them good in nearly all conditions except heavy mud when the tread clogs. Not too draggy on road either.
I run a set on my Grade which is used as ‘winter / gravel bike lite’.
I also have a Cannondale Slate running WTB Resolutes, pretty similar performance as the SKs but slightly better mud performance albeit more draggy on road.
wobert said:
Panaracer GravelKing SKs seem to be the default all-round choice.
I’ve found them good in nearly all conditions except heavy mud when the tread clogs. Not too draggy on road either.
I run a set on my Grade which is used as ‘winter / gravel bike lite’.
I also have a Cannondale Slate running WTB Resolutes, pretty similar performance as the SKs but slightly better mud performance albeit more draggy on road.
I use Gravelking SKs - I find them great off-road but a bit draggy on the road. I’ve found them good in nearly all conditions except heavy mud when the tread clogs. Not too draggy on road either.
I run a set on my Grade which is used as ‘winter / gravel bike lite’.
I also have a Cannondale Slate running WTB Resolutes, pretty similar performance as the SKs but slightly better mud performance albeit more draggy on road.
I have a spare set of wheels with the standard Pancracer Gravelking - they are a great winter road tyre but not suitable for off-road.
I've been using Conti Terra Speed 700x40 all summer and they have been superb. Easy to mount tubeless, light, fast rolling and reasonably tough. They are not going to save you when it gets wet and slippy but I've had tyres at the extreme end (Maxxis Ravager) and whilst a little better in the slop and wet they are nowhere near as fast rolling. The new Conti Terra trail look like a nice option for wetter months but not available yet.
I've fitted WTB Byways in 40mm width size on my Bokeh. I've been running some loaded panniers and going over reasonably rough tracks and muddy slippy tracks too. I've been impressed how well they've done. I do notice the difference in traction with the loaded panniers, much better grip on muddy slopes.
If it's a one tyre for all, then the Byways get my vote.
I have the Panaracer GravelKing SK but I found them a bit heavier going on the roads but slightly better off road.
If it's a one tyre for all, then the Byways get my vote.
I have the Panaracer GravelKing SK but I found them a bit heavier going on the roads but slightly better off road.
Massively depends on your definition of goldilocks/just right / where you ride. Surrey lanes mean a lot of mud, which influences me..
What I've ridden in the space (some borrowed/trying others wheels)
Pathfinder pros - great on road and dry hardpack, utterly lethal at the first hint of mud. very road oriented.
g one allrounds - ok, decent on road, but pretty useless in mud - bit better than the pathfinders, but not a step change.
wtb resolutes - pretty good in mud, chonky tread, draggy on road (but nowhere near as bad as I expected tbh) - can't buy for love nor money.
rene hearse steilacoom. Roll amazingly well, good in the crap, but cost absurd money. too rich for me.
wtb riddlers. meh.. don't feel much faster than the resolute, but nowhere near as good in mud. average allround and I'll wear them out as I've got a pair. Don't massively like the squared shoulders. I'm blaming that for me sliding down the tarmac at high speed on an otherwise benign corner..
- dunno about raddlers - supposed to be as fast as the riddler, but with more grip. very similar looking. supposedly obsolete the nano, but I don't like the square shouldered riddler, so went nano anyway (for the mrs bike).
wtb nano - look pretty good. Yet to actually ride, mounted up yesterday. They're a step more aggressively treaded than the riddlers, only a little down on the resolute. seem to have a more or less continuous centre tread, so I'm somewhat hopefull they'll roll OK on tarmac.
There's really no one-solution, you need to match to what you need / where your limitations are. E.g. I'm happy to ride something a bit faster and slide around a bit in the slippy stuff; my bike handling is decent and I need help to make progress. Mrs has power to burn and lacks confidence when it gets slippy, so have put her on something more aggressive (nanos)
What I've ridden in the space (some borrowed/trying others wheels)
Pathfinder pros - great on road and dry hardpack, utterly lethal at the first hint of mud. very road oriented.
g one allrounds - ok, decent on road, but pretty useless in mud - bit better than the pathfinders, but not a step change.
wtb resolutes - pretty good in mud, chonky tread, draggy on road (but nowhere near as bad as I expected tbh) - can't buy for love nor money.
rene hearse steilacoom. Roll amazingly well, good in the crap, but cost absurd money. too rich for me.
wtb riddlers. meh.. don't feel much faster than the resolute, but nowhere near as good in mud. average allround and I'll wear them out as I've got a pair. Don't massively like the squared shoulders. I'm blaming that for me sliding down the tarmac at high speed on an otherwise benign corner..
- dunno about raddlers - supposed to be as fast as the riddler, but with more grip. very similar looking. supposedly obsolete the nano, but I don't like the square shouldered riddler, so went nano anyway (for the mrs bike).
wtb nano - look pretty good. Yet to actually ride, mounted up yesterday. They're a step more aggressively treaded than the riddlers, only a little down on the resolute. seem to have a more or less continuous centre tread, so I'm somewhat hopefull they'll roll OK on tarmac.
There's really no one-solution, you need to match to what you need / where your limitations are. E.g. I'm happy to ride something a bit faster and slide around a bit in the slippy stuff; my bike handling is decent and I need help to make progress. Mrs has power to burn and lacks confidence when it gets slippy, so have put her on something more aggressive (nanos)
Some great replies there thanks, I guess if it's not tarmac I'm usually on gravel or more likely mud. If I get up on the top of the NYM it's a bit loamy in places but a lot of the time just mud. I want them a bit wider for any dales or lakes venturing, as I usually take the bike camping and it can team up as a trailer bike for the smallest Chicken. I'll look at the options given and see what the patterns are like.
upsidedownmark said:
For what it's worth, that would sway me to a more capable tyre (resolute, nano/similar), and put up with a bit more drag on road - how much of a hurry are you in...
I'm always in a hurry. Draggy tyres do take the fun out of the roads, but then usually allow a bit more off road. My bike came with Clement X’Plor USH fitted and they were generally really good all-rounders, except when scooting along on twisty tarmac.
Previous posts are correct in that you pick the tyres that match your usual riding trails and ability.
I ride mostly tarmac and rocky/rooty hardpack and am fine with a bit of slip as a compromise for a bit more speed, so I’ve got a Schwalbe Marathon 35c on the back and a Maxxis Overdrive 38c on the front. Both are pretty good at resisting punctures and roll predictably both on road and off.
They’re crap in mud, and the occasional time I find the stuff, I just pick a lower gear and keep the pedals moving!
Previous posts are correct in that you pick the tyres that match your usual riding trails and ability.
I ride mostly tarmac and rocky/rooty hardpack and am fine with a bit of slip as a compromise for a bit more speed, so I’ve got a Schwalbe Marathon 35c on the back and a Maxxis Overdrive 38c on the front. Both are pretty good at resisting punctures and roll predictably both on road and off.
They’re crap in mud, and the occasional time I find the stuff, I just pick a lower gear and keep the pedals moving!
I had WTB Riddlers 45C set up tubeless. They felt great on gravel byways, useless in mud. But I swapped them because of the amount of punctures I had. So I now have Panaracer GK 43C. They are bedding in nicely. Speed wise about the same as the Riddlers but the GK's have a bit more grip.
I use my GB mainly for commuting and frequent countryside trips. I prefer it over a roadie because road buzz it eliminated. I also have a fat bike if I want to get really mucky.
I use my GB mainly for commuting and frequent countryside trips. I prefer it over a roadie because road buzz it eliminated. I also have a fat bike if I want to get really mucky.
We do actually have a few flat gravel/dirt tracks and canal paths locally and my bike gets used on all surfaces (including carrying a load in panniers)
Left-field (and possibly a bit old-school looking) but I recently took a punt on a Schwalbe Range Cruiser 700x38 (measures at 39mm width) on the rear
and a Road Cruiser 700x35 (only due to v-brake/hugger clearance) on the front.
The ride on bumpy tracks is great, they seem quite resilient and they roll well and quietly on the road.
The tread is similar to that which "bikes" used everywhere had for decades, until they disappeared into sub-genres of racer/road, mtb & hybrid before the "bike" was re-invented as the "gravel bike" a few years ago
My experience of previous Schwalbe tyres has been very good, and there's no need for the heavy "plus" variants.
Left-field (and possibly a bit old-school looking) but I recently took a punt on a Schwalbe Range Cruiser 700x38 (measures at 39mm width) on the rear
and a Road Cruiser 700x35 (only due to v-brake/hugger clearance) on the front.
The ride on bumpy tracks is great, they seem quite resilient and they roll well and quietly on the road.
The tread is similar to that which "bikes" used everywhere had for decades, until they disappeared into sub-genres of racer/road, mtb & hybrid before the "bike" was re-invented as the "gravel bike" a few years ago
My experience of previous Schwalbe tyres has been very good, and there's no need for the heavy "plus" variants.
Edited by MC Bodge on Friday 12th March 12:22
I've tried a few over the years and predominantly settled on the Vittoria Terreno Mix in 38s for my Canyon Inflite, used these for CX as well as riding mostly on the South Downs year round, give good mix of grip and pace, although find that they are a little prone to the slate and rock of the SDW. I recently changed over to WTB Nano with some Vittoria Gravel Air Liners and they've been great so far, lacking the same level of grip in the slippery/muddy conditions we've had of late, but they make up for it with their on tarmac/hardpack pace.
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