Barrettscv 

I added a Raleigh Roker earlier this year. Mine is the carbon fiber model with 11-speed Shimano 105 with hydraulic brakes. The bike came equipped with 700x40 Clement tires. I upgraded to tubeless 700x36 Clement MSOs.

I expected the bike to be faster on gravel and as fast on pavement as my 5-year-old home-brew carbon fiber Cyclocross bike. While speed and comfort are improved with the contemporary gravel bike when on soft gravel, the new gravel bike was slower than the Cyclocross bike on any route with long stretches of pavement or firm gravel.

The gravel bike with tightly packed small knobs type gravel tires was no match for the slick 700x37 Vittoria Voyager Hyper tires that I have on the old Cyclocross bike. The lightweight and supple Hyper was about 2 mph faster on pavement and that can add up on longer rides. However, the Hyper is not tubeless. While I never had a flat of any kind with the Hyper, the risk of pinch flats kept me looking for an ideal tubeless gravel tire that wasn't slow on pavement.

Wanting a tire that was light and supple but that was also large volume and tubeless, I came across two models with a nearly slick tread design: the 700x35 Schwalbe G One, and the 700x38 Hutchinson Override.

Hutchinson Override 700x38

Size: 700x38, about 39mm wide, about 400 grams each.
Tread pattern: minimal file tread pattern in the center, progressively larger file tread on the shoulders.
Construction: 127 tpi, flat protection included, tubeless
Performance on pavement is excellent, like most road bike tires
Performance on firm gravel is excellent with very good cornering grip on a hardpacked fine gravel
Performance on deep or soft gravel is acceptable, float and traction is sufficient due to the wide footprint and supple construction.
Durability: good so far
Ride: super smooth and plush

The tire was eventually easy to install tubeless with a standard floor pump. I did pre-fit the tire using a tube and let it take shape at 80psi for 48 hours. This allowed the tire to seat quickly and hold air with 30 ml of sealant.

The Hutchinson Override is lightweight and very fast rolling. The Override helped me nearly produce the same kind of speeds I experience on my road bike on pavement with 700x25 Rubino Pro tires. At 60 psi rear, 45 front the tire is smooth and fast on pavement while offering good traction and a smooth ride on the gravel that is common in my area. I'm sure it becomes super plush at 30% lower air pressures, I'll experiment with the air pressure in future.

The textured tread and soft rubber compound provides super high levels of traction on pavement and dry gravel. The tire is wide enough for all the firm gravel near my home in Illinois. It will also work well as a 50/50 pavement/gravel tire in Missouri when the gravel is mostly firm.


.

mstateglfr 

You have become quite the tire guru.

Marcus_Ti

How big did it measure IRL on what rims?

Just looked....Eeek. $70USD.

Lazyass

The only thing about tires with small knobs is that on pavement the tires end up being slicks in short order. It's unavoidable.

Barrettscv 

The tire measures 39mm wide on a Weinmann U28TL, 28mm Wide, 22.4 interior width rim.

Barrettscv 

True, I would not recommend this tire for damp, slick conditions. Wet earth or wet clay will be nearly impossible to travel across. Travel on wet gravel and pavement should be possible if wet silt is not a hazard.

It's not the ideal tire for soft, round, river bottom gravel, but the tire is fat enough to cross this type of gravel with reasonable performance if sufficient care is taken.

Most of my rides are a combination of pavement, firm gravel and soft gravel. I'm willing to give up some performance on soft gravel if my pavement stretches are fast and fun.

If I find that the Override on the front lacks sufficient and reliable steering and braking, I'll put the tubeless Clement MSO back on the front. Most of the rolling resistance is created at the rear tire since it carries more weight and transmits torque. The Override is the perfect rear tire but might be less than ideal on the front once the tread is worn.

curttard

There is no way to mount rear panniers on the Roker, right?

Barrettscv 

...going off subject...

There are eyelets. You should also consider bike-packing solutions. I'd give it a try.

shoota 

Interesting tire, thanks for the review.

vinuneuro

Thanks for the great review. How is the cornering on tarmac compared to road tires?

Barrettscv 

I'm generally happy with cornering on pavement with the Overide, however I don't expect the same levels of cornering power that a 700x28 Continental 4000 S II or Vittoria Corsa G will provide. I trust the tire to corner like a Gatorskin or any other more ordinary road bike tire. I'm an aggressive bike handler after years of alpine skiing and certainly trust the Overide more than any other gravel tire.

The tire has a textured shoulder that grips pavement well. It will provide an audible warning, like a zipper closing, when aggressively cornering. It doesn't lose traction but I'm aware of a potential limit and avoid over extending the tire with the kind of cornering that might cause problems with a ordinary road bike tire.

vinuneuro

Thanks. Tarmac cornering is my only grievance with the G-One All-around. But they grip pretty well off the tarmac. It's perhaps the one area where it's a zero sum situation, moving that balance will result in a trade off in performance on one of those surfaces.

The Override's are about 50g lighter than the G-One's per tire.

Metieval

Unless you are dealing with loose stuff offroad, 700x38 Panaracer Gravel king (non SK version), or a Compass tire will be in your interest.

vinuneuro

The non-SK Gravel King looks like a great tire. A friend who previously had the Compass is now on the GK. His feedback is that it rides as supple without the fragility of the Compass. My ideal tire size is around 35mm and unfortunately the only 700c size the tubeless version comes in is 38mm.

scottmcd

I have been running these Panaracer Regacross TLR. So far so good on pavement and gravel loose and compact.