thehammerdog

I enjoy the 47mm tires but debating more volume saw 650 x 50 look amazing but will a huge tire ruin the pavement experience....I do 30 % road to gravel on most rides...

Fentuz

it s all about rolling resistance. I rode GOne Ultrabite 42-622 and they are much slower than Race king 50-584 or Mezcal 52-584.
have a look on Rolling resistance website.

mattcalifornia

I can't imagine the difference between 47mm and 50mm is that great, all else being equal. The tread pattern and rubber compound, of course, will make a massive difference.

Elvo

Yeah it will suck on pavement. If you really need fast pavement, go with something like WTB Byway 650x47

mattcalifornia

Suck is too strong. I've got 650x47 WTB Ventures, which are knobbier than the Byways, and they roll surprisingly well on pavement. I can hit some pretty high speeds on pavement.

Polaris OBark

I have a 650b X 48mm Rene Herse treaded EL on the front of my gravel wheelset (and 42mm on the back, as that is all that will fit). It slows me down about 1mph overall, mostly when hill climbing on road. (I use these tires primarily on rough off-pavement where other people ride full suspension mountain bikes.)

I just took off 700C x 55mm RH Endurance + slicks from my touring bike, because they were really sluggish, even at low speed. I am not sure if it was the tire size/weight, or the Endurance Plus compound.

My personal sweet-spot for on/off road mixed riding is 38mm 700C slick tires (RH Barlow Pass EL).

If the 47mm tires are working for you, I would suggest quitting while you are ahead, and stick with them. The main idea behind 650b is to run that size tire because the outer diameter matches a 700C x 28mm tire, so the bike handles as designed.

Fentuz

My "fastest" gravel tyre setup is Vittoria Mezcal 52-584 Front and Vittoria Terreno dry 47-584 rear similar to Dry Set some XC rider use.
in dry mixed conditions, I run the mezcal on the rear and equivalent size barzo on the front.
in Wet muddy condition, Barzo all around

In dry or winter road setup, I also run cheaper Conti Race King 50-584.

thehammerdog

bike came with cheapo tires not sure of brand vee?
Nice nobbys roll ok but never used a good rolling tire.

thehammerdog

so u run a 52?
How large can u go. My bike seems to have good space for big rubber.

Fentuz

My frame is specced 47-622 or 52-584 by manufacturer. I used to run Conti Cross king and Race king in 50-584 which were excellent but as they were not available in the UK last summer, I moved to Vittoria barzo 52-584 and totally loved them so I've stuck with them despite the premium price compared to Conti.

chaadster

If the wider 50s are going to improve 70% of your riding, that seems like good pay-off to me…unless that 30% pavement is where the sorting is made and missing out on the break leaves you out of the A group (or whichever group you want to be in). Gravel races and fast rides don’t seem to be make-or-break on the pavement sections in my experience around here, so I’d take the gain for the 70%.

t2p

agree

50’s would not be ideal for 70% road - but could pay nice dividends if 70% gravel ... especially if significant amount of loose gravel and compromised surfaces

for nasty gravel and dirt roads we often ride old rigid MTBs with 26 x 2.15’s ... they work relatively well on that stuff ...

mattcalifornia

Just went for a ride on my 47mm Ventures. Strava says my top speed was 34.4 mph on pavement at about 32 psi. Here's the tread pattern:

tofudog415

I'm rolling on 650B x 47mm Maxxis Rambler EXOs that measure out to 49.5mm on 22 mm internal rims, so going to a tire with a stated actual 50mm width might not make that much of a difference. I have a set of Soma Cazaderos in 650B x 50mm that I'm getting ready to mount, but most reviews lead me to think they'll actually measure out to something more like 48mm, so I'd be losing width despite the differences in manufacturer specs. I'd say that tread pattern, compound, puncture protection, weight, and actual measured width would probably make a bigger difference than the manufacturer stated width. Going from a knobby, puncture protected 47mm to a light 50mm file tread would probably produce a better pavement experience.