Compass Babyshoe Pass 650B x 42 mm
 

I am having a 650B wheel set built for my Litespeed Cherohala. Does anyone have experience with the Compass Babyshoe Pass in the Endurance version? I am looking for a reliable rando tire and have an aversion to punctures. I currently ride on the Continental Gran Prix 4-season tires in the 700C x 32 mm size and love them on pavement. They are a bit too narrow for gravel grinding.

There is something to be said for a little tread on gravel.

I have essentially the same tire, but 38mm 700C (Barlow Pass). These do very well on gravel and are superb on pavement. They are the extra light/most fragile version, but I have not had any problems with flats. I also have 55mm 700C Antelope Pass tires, which are the endurance plus version. I've only put a few miles on these on a touring bike, but they seem to be no worse on road than the Barlow Pass tires, and the transition to off-road (course, irregular gravel) is almost unnoticeable.

My 38mm slicks do slide around a bit on steep climbs, but not enough to be concerned with them. Having said that, for really demanding rides, I use the treaded version (Steilacoom), and they handle almost everything, with only a minimal on-road penalty (they are more sluggish hill-climbing on paved roads vs. the Barlow Pass tires).

I've been using the extra light version tubeless for awhile now. Used on a paved 300k brevet and on a bunch of mixed road/off -road rides. Nothing too gnarly. Zero flats and I'm very happy with the ride and performance.

David

I’ve been commuting on the 650x48 Endurance casing. No flats so far and I don’t anticipate any- they seem very sturdy. I run them tubeless.
I had all sorts of trouble getting the Extralight casing to work tubeless but ymmv

If you go wide enough you just kinda roll over everything, even with slicks. Pretty fun

I am currently on the regular Babyshoe Pass but have also used the EL before. I ride predominantly on roads, with only a small percentage on gravel but most of my rides include small forest roads in the mountains that get a lot of debris after rock slides. I am amazed how long I can go without punctures. My longest stretch lasted 22 months but well over a year is not unusual (that's at 6,000-8,000 km/year).

Experience with Rene Herse 38's.
 

7 years ago I rode the Louploup Pass tires 2600 miles, and had the same number of flats as my partner, who was riding on Gatorskins. Of course, the tires were pretty worn by the end of the ride. I rode 75 - 100 miles a week, and switched to the EL version (because my lbs had them in stock) a couple of months ago, and have gone through a fair amount of glass with no punctures.

Have just setup tubeless the black EL 44cm filetread. Noticed/felt straightaway the narrower 2mm tread height in the center over their other options which have 3mm. I think this is the reason they are faster than the 38mm/3mm.

650B x 42 mm Babyshoe Pass Tires
 

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The 700C PDW fenders look a bit wonky, but they will do. Have Kenda tubes with the endurance tire. The tubes are so heavy that I may need to consider tubeless setup.

I'd be interested in a comparison of the RH endurance casing to gravelkings if anyone has run both. RH-EL vs. gravelkings is a noticeable difference, but I've never bought anything but the EL's from Compass/RH.

I've never run gravel-kings (RH tires are special runs from Panaracer), so I cannot compare to them, but the Endurance + version now on both slick and treaded versions of their 55mm 700C tires. Both are superb. My kid, who races XC in non-pandemic times, has taken over the treaded ones (Fleecer Ridge) for his XC bike, and likes them better in many respects when compared to true mountain bike tires. (As a bonus, the price tag of a fleecer ridge is in-line with what people pay for good mountain bike tires, so you don't feel like you are getting fleeced so much.) He set them up tubeless with their Panaracer sealant. They were fiddly to seat, he said. The XC bike has rather narrow carbon rims.

I have both. RH endurance casing seems significantly more robust to me. I’m pretty sure the sealant in them has dried out but I haven’t refilled them bc I’m honestly not worried about flatting (I do carry a tube).

Excellent tire for road and gravel. Not super flat resistant but good. Not a good tire for extensive mud, grass, sand, or roads where there are a lot if thorns or glass. Wonderful ride, reminds me of riding tubulars way back when... I have been riding them on at least one bike for more than 7 years... On most gravel roads low pressure is much more important than tread for traction so slicks do work well.

Getting Fatter
 

I put over 500 miles on the Babyshoe Pass 650B x 42 mm tires. No punctures, but the rear tire had two holes that penetrated through to the inner casing. The heavyweight Kenda tube saved me from at least one flat. The tube actually had a sizeable cut in it from the larger tire hole, but it did not make it all the way through. I liked the ride of the 42 mm tires and thought I would give the 48 mm version a try.
Whereas the 42 mm tires had a significantly smaller diameter than my 700C x 32 mm wheel, the 650B x 48 mm tires come pretty close to the same diameter.
I usually put 85-95 psi in the 700C x 32 mm tires, 50-55 psi in the 650B x 42 mm tires, and will try 40-45 psi in the 650B x 48 mm tires.
I am looking forward to trying these out on a 100K tomorrow.
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Compass Switchback Hill tires mounted on the Cherohala
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48 mm tire on the rear. 42 mm tire on the front in the foreground
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Going fatter

Hi everyone !
I would like to change my Kona Rove ST tires, and I'm considering the Rene Herse Babyshoe Pass in the endurance version.
The tires provided with the bike were WTB By Way in 47mm and I currently run Vittoria Terreno Dry 47mm.
Both tires have performed moderatly, especially the WTB which were not so grippy on wet surface (the Vittoria are much better).
I've experienced damaged tire walls on both models, apparently linked to the fact that I inflate them around 2,5 bar (35 psi). See photos.
The rubber starts to wear and crack, and eventyally teards opens on the sidewall.

I'd like to try a wee bit narrower tires (40-42mm) and which could 1/last longer 2/robust to puncture as I comute in Paris, with a lot of glass in the streets.
I do daily comuting (just a few km) + bikepacking on weekend or several days on good & crappy paved roads + dirt/gravel roads.

Do you think the Babyshoe in the Endurance version would meet my expectations ?
How did you like them on the "puncture" side ? Do they compare to tires like Schwalbe Marathon for example ?

Thanks very much for your help :)

I had the endurance casing for the Rene Herse Switchback Hill and they were very robust. Sidewalls were much stronger and less likely to leak.

The only flat I ever got was a giant nail that would have flatted a car tire.

Thanks !

What I cannot figure out is if the Endurance casing is "just" reinforced sidewalls or also the rolling belt as well ?

Seems like both. From the website:
“Endurance casing

• The same ultra-fine threads as our Extralight casing, but in a denser, stronger weave
• Protective belt under sidewalls and tread
• Ideal for rough gravel and tough conditions
• Dark tan sidewalls”

I saw that, you're right.
I was just surprised the standard and endurance casing have the same weight. So I was wondering if the protective belt was extensive or just on the sidewalls ;)