I’m currently riding 2″ semi-slicks on my 26er hardtail on and off road as a sort of gravel bike but am moving on to a grown up 29er (Swift) and need some suitable tyres.
My current tyres are surprisingly tall for 2″ with quite a high volume so are nice and comfy but a bit portly at 650g each. I’m hoping that the increase roll over of 29er will allow me to lose a bit of weight and still have a comfortable ride; I was thinking that something in the 1.7″-2″ would be a good starting point.
Most ‘proper’ gravel tyres seem to come no bigger that 700×40 so I’m wondering about a 29er semi-slick.
I want something comfy and, most importantly, something that safe on the road (I ride a lot in heavy traffic in all sorts of weather) and it would need to be up to some stoney off-road.
I thought that I’d found the perfect tyre in WTB’s Riddler 45c but I just can’t get hold of a pair (importing them from Europe will cost about £90 a pair which is a big punt for a try out).
I did wonder about WTB Nanos but I’ve heard that they’re not that great on tarmac and I’ve also considered Schwalbe Marathon Supremes (essentially slicks).
On-One have some Schwalbe G-Ones in 2.35 but they may be a tad too wide (I’ll be fitting mudguards) and are the Speed (rather than Allround) version which I think might have a durability issue.
What else should I be considering?
