ACHiPo 

Thanks. I'd seen the Schwalbe several months ago, but forgotten about it. And I thought the Contis were expensive!

No single track for me, just hard pack and gravel trails, with maybe 1/3 paved roads/trails. I don't need extreme traction, but sure-footedness on crushed and river gravel would be good.

Eric F 

In those conditions, I expect there are a lot of tires that will suit your needs very well. If you're not racing, the difference of a couple of watts per tire is pretty much irrelevant.

I regularly ride my gravel bike on some of the same dirt roads and singletrack that I ride my MTB. Having a front tire that gives me confident and predictable traction is important to the way I ride. For you, sharp front-end bite is probably not nearly as critical.

Enjoy the journey of finding the right tires for you.

KJ43

Aside from the Schwalbe G-One RS mentioned there is also the Specialized Pathfinder Pro which comes in 38mm and 42mm widths, has a smooth center ridge and side knobs. It's a tire you will see on some of the winning bikes at the bigger gravel races as it rolls well and has great puncture protection though it is not the lightest tire.

I've been riding the 38mm width for a while now at about 40psi rear 36 psi front. I don't feel like I give up anything on smooth road surfaces - it's fast and provides good traction on the dirt as well. I ride everything from road to semi-technical singletrack and even some light rock gardens and these have held up really well.

I'm going to throw on some Pathfinder Pro 42's that I just got for a bit more volume, but I have been wanting to try the Schwalbe tire in the 40mm width too next year sometime just to check them out.

Russ Roth

I've used the Donnelly X'plore USH, which has been great for loaded touring of the Erie Canal and similar hardpack dirt/gravel trails, strong enough to ride around NYC without puncture issues but quick enough to be an enjoyable all around tire. It looks like they're replacing it with the Strada USH which has more of a herringbone wide tread, I'll have to check it out when my current pair wears out.

t2p

agree - appears to be a great tire and one of the fastest

on my ‘list’ - but a challenge to find at a good (cheap) price (new or used)

some of the tires we have I’ve purchased used - and some with sealant residue (from being mounted tubeless - although every time I remove the residue I say it’s the last time lol) … have not found a deal on G-One RS (yet)

zandoval 

Remember what ever tire you get to inspect it inside and out. Especially the bead thickness. I would suggest the Continental Ride tour...


Amazon

t2p

S Works Pathfinder weight is not bad / actually relatively good - the pair we have weigh around 430g or so (approx - one weighs 425g and other weighs 440g)

S Works version can be pricey - but got a used pair with sealant residue ( light brown / orange in color - might have been orange seal - much more difficult to remove than the thinner white stuff I’ve removed )

( in this case the effort was justified - paid a whopping .99 cents for the pair plus shipping .. was the only bidder )

Clipped_in

I'm glad so many of you are happy with the Conti Terra Speeds. They are a nice riding and fast rolling tire, but no durability for me. I can wear out a rear tire in under 700 miles. Granted, I'm a bigger cyclist that climbs a lot.

I've been very happy with the Pirelli Cinturato Gravel H. Fast rolling tire with much better durability for me than the Conti option. Not good for mud however. Great on hardpack, gravel, and pavement.

ACHiPo 

Picked up my wheels today: 700c Velocity Cliffhangers with 36h Shimano hubs and DT spokes. A bit heavier and wider (24mm) than I would prefer, but the price was right and they seem to be sturdy wheels and set up for tubeless.

My best estimate is that there is a max of 42 mm where the max tire width will be between the chain stays. I'm guessing that means I should be looking for 35 - 38 mm tires instead of 40s, narrower if I want fenders? What impact will the wider rim ID have on max tire width?


The rim outside width is a bit over 30 mm and the inside width is 25 mm to give some sense of scale. The inside width of the chain stays is 41 mm where I estimate the max tire width will be.

SoSmellyAir

A wheel having an inner width of 25 mm is fairly wide and a tire mounted thereon may have an actual width that > its nominal width.

ACHiPo 

Thanks. After I posted here I found a couple articles talking about rim width and its effect on tire width. It seems I should probably go for a 35 mm tire as the tire will be 1-2 mm wider on the 24 mm rim than on an 18 mm rim.

SoSmellyAir

And you may be limited by the pictured calipers and also have to account for knobs.

Craptacular8

If you'd be looking for something a little more on the reasonable side, I'd suggest the American Classic Aggregate. Similar tread to the Schwalbe G Ones, without the price. Decent reviews of this particular tire. American Classic Aggregate

Eric F 

With that frame color, a tan wall tire would look sharp!

ACHiPo 

Hmmm I'm planning on black wall, but will definitely noodle on tan (or maybe transparent) sidewalls. I have a tan/honey saddle and am planning on tan bar wraps. My original plan was to strip the paint and wrap the head tube in pearl white and DT, ST, TT in blue or maroon leaving the lugs, BB, and rear triangle chrome. The scratched up paint and chrome have grown on me since getting the bike in person.

ACHiPo 

Interesting. Never heard of American Classic before. Tread pattern kinda looks like the Continental Terra Speed, which I've found for not-crazy-money (and even cheaper if I go tan/transparent sidewalls). Thanks.

ACHiPo 

I think the calipers should be ok with up to 40s with quick release on the levers.

mstateglfr 

Terra Speed over American Classic options every singe time. Even at $15 more per tire.
I have used 2 different AC tires and my current main road bike has AC tires. They are fine, but their appeal 2 years ago always the super low cost. At this point, the value just isn't there since costs have jumped up to a level where many other options sit.

ACHiPo 

Ding ding ding we have a winner! A pair of new cream sidewall Continental Terra Speed ProTection 35s for $70.

Thank you everyone for your advice.

Now, to find a compact crankset…

Eric F 

As much as I like my current Pirelli H/M combination, I'm always curious to try other things. I have pulled the trigger on 40mm Tufo Thundero and Swampero, sticking with my pattern of using different tread patterns for front and rear. BRR tests show a bit better numbers compared with the Pirellis, with similar durability scores. It also looks like it will drop 50g+ per tire. I'll post a new thread about them after I get to ride them.

KJ43

Ben Delaney talks about tires often on his YouTube channel and has a couple of videos dedicated to specifically to gravel tires including a video which has a gravel pro give his feedback on the tires. Besides being a long time product tester and bike journalist Ben races as well. Both the Pathfinder Pro and the Schwalbe G-One RS are on his list:

zandoval 

Seeing a bike in this state, with future parts laid out, and scratching my head to figure out how its going ta get done...

Gets Me Excited... Enjoy!

ACHiPo 

Thanks for these! I subscribed to the channel.

SoSmellyAir

For me, this is when procrastination kicks in.

ACHiPo 

Well, I’m traveling visiting family so have plenty of downtime to search for parts. Procrastination will be a challenge if I don’t make progress before I start traveling internationally for work again in Jan or get stuck finding the right components to complete the build.

I was stoked this morning when I found a site with all kinds of well-priced cranksets and parts, only to find the site to be a notorious scammer site.