Originally Posted by
SethAZ
Yeah, it's why I carefully couched my 32mm tire talk with the qualifier that it would depend on what specific 32mm tire was being used. I've ridden some Panaracers on my old hardtail mountain bike when I was much heavier than I am now and needed a slick tire for the MTB for laying down long miles, but they weren't the RibMos, so I had to look them up. The Ribmo 32mm weighs nominally 410 grams, while a 28mm GP4K weighs 267 grams, so not only is it heavier to spin up and whatnot, that weight implies a lot more material in the tire being deformed and adding its own rolling resistance and whatnot, so it serves IMHO as a useful proxy for what kind of road feel it will have. I'd definitely assume going from a 410g tire to a 267g tire would be an improvement. By way of comparison, the 32mm Compass Stampede Pass tire with the extralight casing weighs 254 grams (lighter even than the 28mm GP4K). I've loved the GP4K tires (haven't tried GP5K yet but I will), but when I put the Compass tires on my new bike it was a move from GP4Ks specifically, and it was an upgrade. I'm really loving the tires, and have had good luck with them as far as punctures go so far (knock on wood).
For years, I was a believer in the Ribmos because of my size, my desire to minimize the risk of flats and the desire for durability. And I still like them but think they might be better suited to someone who uses their bike as a commuter. My wife has Panaracer Gravel King (smooth version) on her bike which she seems to like (though to be fair, she doesn't really care so long as the tires hold air) . I ride a fair bit, but not every day and not often in bad weather. The Continentals were very good tires and now because I got a deal on a Bontrager from a Trek dealer who went out of business, I will see how that tire performs. So far, so good.