RH Clark

I know lots of you still use 26" wheels and tires so just wanted to give a quick report here. I've had the 26" x 2.3" Rat Trap Pass standard casing tires about 2 years. I first had them on my all-aluminum fitness bike. They replaced some 1.5" minimal tread street tires. They were an improvement but nothing world changing.

Fast forward to yesterday. I put the Rene Herse tires on my 2012 Surly Long Haul Trucker, replacing some 1.75" Continental Tour Ride. I rode my normal in town route and the difference was phenomenal. I can't stress enough what a difference they made. I thought the Surly was a slow hog. It is now a nimble steed. I didn't time my ride, but it felt to me as if I was either twice as fast or was just a lot faster with about half the effort. I was so fast I realized I need some brake adjustments.

I may never ride different tires again. I'm buying another couple sets just in case they quit making them.

jadmt

I have been switching back and forth between RTP and Naches pass tires on my Handsome XOXO and I like the naches better. I have each mounted on a separate set of identical wheels so easy swap. both in standard casing.

Classtime 

They are really neat. Somebody on here built a frame specifically to go with his RTP and maybe somebody can find the thread.

USAZorro

I did something that sounds like what you described.

https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...ppie-bike.html

I also have to note as a former owner of a LHT, that I had nice tires on mine (I went to 56cm frame so it wouldn't be tied to 26" wheels), that perceptions of speed and nimbleness are relative. I actually decided to pass mine along because I wasn't content with it being a suitable Randoneuse (too heavy and slow). Of course I was comparing it to a '72 Fuji Finest and other road bikes. I did find the RTP tires a revelation though on the converted Giant Iguana. Definitely a faster and cushier ride than it had on MTB tires that had relatively little tread.

Polaris OBark

No such thread is complete without at least a link to this: https://www.bikeforums.net/singlespe...e-warning.html

Polaris OBark

We have RTP on my wife's 26er 2008 mountain bike. They have given it a whole new lease on life.

Polaris OBark

I'm not convinced of their immortality in the bag. At the very least, that aroma you get upon opening the bag gradually disappears. I got some new old-stock Barlows that say "Compass" on them, and put them on a bike. They definitely had aged in the bag a bit. One of the sidewalls doesn't look great. I wound up ordering new ones to replace these with, which are currently sitting in my kitchen. I should do this.

nlerner

A local friend had a very similar experience putting RTPs on his LHT. I haven't had a bike in the stable that would fit them, unfortunately!

RH Clark

Thanks for the link. I was just very surprised they made such a difference on my Trucker. I wouldn't say it was as nimble as my 18 lb Steel Lemond, but the difference with just a tire change floored me. I have had several sets of tires on my Trucker all the way from 1.25" road tires, to 2.2 MTB tires. I wouldn't ride these RTP's on as rough ground as some MTB tires, but man they are fast on pavement and wide and supple enough to make bad pavement safer and more comfortable.

USAZorro

No doubt. It is quite an experience to feel like you're riding on marshmallows that aren't slowing you down.

jlaw

I've used the RTPs intermittently on my Spec. AWOL for 3 seasons - maybe 2000 miles. They are way more fun than the bullet-proof 700x37 OEM tires. Big, bouncy, comfortable - 1 flat so far. They make me feel much safer going fast on dirt roads than the 700x37s.

Classtime 

HERE IT IS
https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...pass-tire.html

gugie 

Maybe you were referring to this?



Awhile back I started a thread about building a bike around a tire. Nowadays we have such a great range of high quality tires in differing diameters and widths that it's one knob we can easily tune to our riding style.

Here's a story about a guy that did the entire southern US transcon route in 28 days on RTP's. That's over a century a day. He liked the super cushy ride, and didn't feel they slowed him down any, for those wondering about road performance. One interesting thing is that about halfway he rotated his tires front to back (which is normal), but also flipped them around as one side was wearing faster than the other. I think there's a higher preponderance of crowned roads through the south for drainage purposes than other parts of the country, so you're mostly riding on a slightly slanted surface.

FastJake

Sorry for bumping this slightly old thread, but after wearing out my first Rat Trap Pass Extralight I wanted to add my thoughts. It's the best tire I've ever used. The tire below with cords showing is from 2016 and has approximately 9500 miles. This is 3-4x longer than the narrow racing tires I used to use. Ride quality is amazing, performance is unmatched, and I've had surprisingly few flats. Maybe a silk tubular is just as fast, I don't know. I got sick of gluing and replacing tubulars years ago and no longer use them.

I have two custom bikes built around this tire. The Blue Steel Bike is my "road" bike (I need to sell my road racing bikes because I no longer touch them, they are inferior to the blue bike) and the gray titanium fixed gear bike is my year-round commuter.

People complain about setting up Rene Herse tires tubeless. I have never setup a tire tubeless and never had a reason to, so this is not a concern for me.

I've used the following other Rene Herse tires: 700x32 EL, 700x38 standard, 26" x 42mm EL. They are also excellent, but the extra width of the Rap Trap Pass makes it that much better on rough pavement and gravel. I have no reason to use any other tire on the road, except on one bike with sentimental value that takes a 700x38.

esasjl

RTPs were a revelation for me but the snow above reminds me that they lack traction in certain circumstances including wet snow, grass slopes and mud. I've switched to Humptys (and TPU tubes), which are just as good as RTPs but have excellent soft surface traction as well.