Badger6

No...but, at 15mm internal width, less than a decade ago, most tire companies advised against going any wider than 32mm. Depending on how low he runs the tire pressure, he could run into potential for significant sidewall deformation when turning, which would in turn lead to a some squirrely handling.

Badger6

I rode the Dirty Boar, 173km through the Ardennes in Belgium and the Eifel and Hurtgen Forest Germany, on Saturday on Pathfinder 700x38s. I think 42s would have definitely been more comfortable, but the 38s I was on performed quite well, with the only exception being the excessively muddy places. But, wet crossings (with rocky bottoms) and rocky and gravel trails were great, and on pavement the slick center section rolls fast and effortless, with a couple of asphalt descents that got above 60km/h. They're my all around general tire, and at $40 a piece, I find it hard to spend $90+ on Rene Hearse, or even a $20 more for some of the other options, to get no measurable (real world) gain. The Pathfinders seem to provide the grip to life balance everyone seeks- long wearing and super grippy. For the record, I only started using tread on gravel 2 years ago, for years I solely used slicks, in 32mm width.

AdkMtnMonster

I love the Donnelly Strada USH in the 32 size. Great on hardpack, loose whether wet or dry, and fast. Great all around tire in my opinion. There are lots of great options in fast gravel tires.

pbass

I concur. The center tread ridge on the Nano 40s makes them feel pretty "fast" on pavement IMHO. I have them on my 700c bike and ride plenty of dirt and I'm impressed with how well they hook up (in my case, mostly dry, loose over hardpack, rocky--not too much mud here).

Lady82

thank you. I decided to just sell them. And already did. I was not sure if I would end up using them. Reading all of you, it seems like if I ever upgrade, it will be to Pathfinder Pros. For now, Pathfinder Sports are perfect for the job. My riding is 50/50 city/gravel and dirt paths.

Badger6

The Sport is a fine tire, same tread pattern as the Pro. The difference is that it isn’t tubeless ready and is 60 tip rather than 120. I also misquoted the price for the Pro, it’s $50. Still a bargain for a tire that works so well on virtually anything that isn’t mud.

Kanon25

You cannot optimise for smooth tarmac and mud and dry loose gravel. You need to decide what’s most important and them what’s secondary. That will then allow you to choose a compromise tire. None do it all.

Well yes and no, Knobbly tires on smooth wet asphalt are not just sluggish - can get you wiped out while cornering at speed.

Rolla

Sure, but to be fair, any tire cornering at speed on wet asphalt can get you wiped out.

Kapusta

I ride roughly the same ratio of gravel/pavement as you, and really like the Rene Herse Barlow Pass. This is on the one bike that I do all of my paved and unpaved road riding on. Yes, it does struggle in mud, but in the grand scheme of things, that is a tiny fraction of the miles I put in, and I just go slower there, or just go around it. I guess it comes down to how much of the time you are actually needing to ride in mud.

I have considered one of the RH knobbies for a more gravel/light trail use.

revcp 

I've read good things about and have on order the 650b x 45 Challenge Gravel Grinder. I'll report back after some use.

redlude97

The Pathfinder looks pretty similar to the clement ush/mso hybrid. Anyone compare the directly? I've had good experience with msos and even raced dry cross courses on them

veloz

I’ve been riding 38mm Graveling SS (non-plus) for a few weeks including backcountry & gravel touring. They’re quick on pavement and were fine even on stuff like this and a dozen rocky water crossings. On 25mm interior rims they measure 41mm. I was concerned about durability on the rocks but they were fine. I’ve used several tires mentioned above and these are my new favorites.