Got a 'gravel' sportive at the weekend, it's 50% road; I'll be on my rigid 29er. I've long considered some large gravel type tyres, so maybe this weekend would be a good time to buy.
I currently have 2.3 Racing Ralphs which are quick, not sure if it's worth getting something like a WTB Raddler or Venture, they are cheap on Wiggle. Is it going to make a difference?
If if really is gravel then a nice pair of near slicks are a good idea and nice on the road. If it is stones, half brick, maybe the same. Puddles? Yeah fine. Mud, hmm. Go for something with a good centre lines and pea sized nobbles
Terreno XC if you want the absolute fastest and 'fun' cornering (you need to lean waaaaay over to find the tread).
Otherwise probably Mezcals if you can find them, the Barzos on my 29er are surprisingly not terrible on tarmac and the Mezcals have a more continuous centre tread so should be great 😎
If I remember correctly WTB Venture aren't as fast rolling as they look according to ridinggravel and granfondo
The Raddler's don't look particularly fast rolling, but then the Resolute's are meant to be very fast and they don't really look so
If there's no mud, you can't beat G-One Speeds in 29 x 2.0 or 29 x 2.35. Not cheap though... except may be from r2bike
Oh I forgot about Maxxis Pace -- I absolutely loved those on my monstercross
schwabe big apple 2.35 or big ben's 2.0
i use both most of the year. on and offroad.
I've got a pair of terrenos in 2.25 I think that I'm going to shift if you're interested?
Scwalbe G Ones are available in 29x2.25(ish).
A bit faster than a Ralph but slower than a true slick? Well I'm guessing. Not used mine yet.
I've got older Big Ben's on my 26 inch wheeled hack bike. Look cool in all over brown colour. They're faster than Marathon plus yours but way slower than a 25 mm Durano on the other bike. Not sure that helps though as plus tours are notoriously slow.
29x2.35 G1 Speeds from ~6 years ago were surprisingly fast on my fatbike's 29er wheels, but they were next to useless in the wet offroad and wear the tiny dimples pretty quick on tarmac. Bit risky as a summer commuting tyre!
I kept looking at https://www.merlincycles.com/panaracer-gravel-king-sk-tlc-folding-tyre-700c-90671.html , which are available in sizes 32-50mm, but never got around to buying a pair because the 38mm Marathon Crosses lasted years and since then I've been happy with the bargain Marathon Supremes.
I think I would be going 2.0 or less tbh, not really worth it otherwise.
I’m running 50mm Pirelli Cinturato Ms on my Scale. Bloodily awesome. They come up a little bit wider than advertised, which is no bad thing.
I’ve got 42mm Sk gravel kings on my Genesis fortitude, their grip really surprises me in a good way. I’ve now put some bar ends inside of the brakes so I can get down a bit lower, it works well
I think I would be going 2.0 or less tbh, not really worth it otherwise.
If you have a smooth centre tread and a relatively light casing (Terreno XC for ex) I'm not convinced you gain anything more than a bit of aero on tarmac by going 2.0 over 2.25 / 2.3 yet you do lose out off-road. For an MTB on mixed terrain I'd fit MTB-compatible XC tyres and accept it's less racy on tarmac but it can still feel quick/efficient. On road the upright MTB position on smooth-rolling tyres is nice. Cruise along and enjoy it.
Schwalbe Thunder Burt. They're very fast and was what I used on the rear when I did the Badger Divide the other week. They have minimal central tread but decent tread on the edges. Not cheap though.
I went from a Racing Ralph and really noticed the speed difference.
Schwalbe Thunder Burt.
That and the Race King are the lowest rolling resistance listed on https://www.bicyclerollingresistance.com/mtb-reviews
~16W which is the same as the faster 'gravel' tyres they list - 32-35mm road tyres at lower pressure and CX treads. As soon as you go off-road the larger tyre will be ahead.
Terreno XCs come out a bit higher resistance in the 2.0, to me they feel faster than the Race King but it may be the smooth centre that creates that impression.
If you have a smooth centre tread and a relatively light casing (Terreno XC for ex) I’m not convinced you gain anything more than a bit of aero on tarmac by going 2.0 over 2.25 / 2.3 yet you do lose out off-road
My experience is confusingly different! Specifically on the Terreno XC which I almost find less confident on loose corners than a 40mm Terreno Dry! My theory is that by going wider they've increased the area of slick centre tread and it takes longer and more lean to get over to the edges. I think something like a Pirelli Cinturato RC looks awesome as it has more transition tread. One of those in a 50mm would be ideal 👍
^ maybe rim width is influencing that? I have the Terreno XC 2.25 on a 30mm rim and the corner edge is where it should be, it's just a very lightly treaded tyre overall. I was thinking more about how overall a 2.3 should be able to roll more efficiently off-road than a 2.0.
I use Raddler 44mm on a mix of roads and XC/gravel. As long as conditions are reasonably dry, it's a great choice.
In the past I've had skinnier G ones (Great on road, not great off road as expected) and WTB Ranger 2.25 (Great off road, not so great on road, as expected)
I bought some Schwalbe Marathon Almotion for my MTB on gravel/road, excellent puncture resistance and fast rolling.
maybe rim width is influencing that? I have the Terreno XC 2.25 on a 30mm rim and the corner edge is where it should be, it’s just a very lightly treaded tyre overall
Quite possibly, I'm on relatively old school rims, I think they're only 19mm internal!
If you can find them and they're not too pricy, Goodyear Connectors in a 50mm would be good. I've got the 40s on my gravel bike and they've been ace.
My experience is confusingly different! Specifically on the Terreno XC which I almost find less confident on loose corners than a 40mm Terreno Dry!
I think the saying goes that gravel races aren't won in the corners
My 50mm G-One Speeds were useless in any mud, but on loose chunky gravel they were much comfier than more conventional gravel tyres, and my Dales riding is generally untwisty
I think the saying goes that gravel races aren’t won in the corners
Ha, yeah, I'm quite happy with occasional loss of traction, makes me feel much rowdier than I'm actually riding! It's the guys behind me that I feel for as I understeer across the entire width of a logging track on any fast downhill corner 😂
I think I may have forgotten the second half of that saying actually...
Something like 'but they can be lost there' 🙂
I think the saying goes that gravel races aren’t won in the corners
In my case, gravel races aren't won. Or even entered.
How's the wear on Thunder Burts? I do a lot of road in my 'gravel' rides.
Gravel Sportive? As you are then. RRs will be fine, unless you are at the pointy end and need to get to the feed station baked goods first? Then thunder burts are hard to beat, but they will wear fast fwiw.
Maybe just get one thunder burt for the rear?
It wasn't specifically for this event - just for general rides that include lots of road. I wondered if it would help me cover ground quicker - sounds like it would but even then I'm not sure if I can be bothered to faff with tyre changes for when I do need more rubber.
Thunder Burt......
I've noticed a few of the small centre treads looking a but ragged but then they have had to slow me and my loaded mountain bike on very fast gravel descents. They've probably done about 500km.
I'd move your Ralph to the front and fit a Speed Grip Thunder Burt to the back. 👌
