Parkyy16

I had a set of Teravail Ramparts(slick) in 700x38mm that had some manufacturing defects. I was able to get a set of Teravail Washburns(center slick) in 700x42mm from warranty(they didn't have the ramparts in stock, so they sent me a full set of a different model), but they're the tightest tires I've ever had to put on. Had to buy the Koolstop tire bead jack to put these on. I have no idea how I would put these tires back on after a flat on the road. I'm running them with tubes because of my latex allergy.

Looking for 700x38-42mm tires for 95% road riding, but the quality of pavement is subpar. A lot of potholes, and some are unavoidable since they often span the whole width of the road. I don't mind the tire being a bit heavy, but I'd prefer it to be below 600g, if possible. Does not need to be Tubeless compatible since I'm running tubes anyways.

Due to budgetary reasons, I'm looking for some temporary tires in the $30 range.

Found a few promising tires, but reviews are hard to come by for the lower end tires, so I was wondering if anyone here had any experience or other recommendations.

Specialized Sawtooth 700x42mm $26.99(On sale, $55)
Continental SpeedRide 700x42mm $23.98
American Classic Kimberlite 700x40mm $35

chaadster

Looking at the specs, I’d prefer a more supple, 120tpi+ casing for good feel and efficiency, so that takes the 85tpi Conti SpeedRide out of serious consideration, IMO. Both Sawtooth and Kimberlite use 120tpi casings, but the Sawtooth is quite heavy at 615g in the 42mm, so that leaves the 50g lighter-per-tire Kimberlite 40mm as the best choice of the three by my reckoning.

I don’t know much of the $30 tire market so I’ve got no other reccos, unfortunately, but ProBikeKit has the 32mm Panaracer GravelKing slicks on sale for $35.50 right now, so while it’s a bit above your target price, it is a really nice, durable road tire. They’re very popular, and I’ve been using them for many years myself, in a variety of sizes. At 290g and with a 126tpi casing, they’ll really change the feel of the bike, making it feel more sporty and responsive, compared to the Washburn you have on there now.

Parkyy16

Thank you for reminding me about ProBikeKit, haven't been on that site in a while. I've got 30mm on my Ritchey Road Logic, so I think getting 32mm would be too much of an overlap. The Washburns feel alright even with their durable 60tpi casing, although they are the heaviest tires I've ever ridden at 610g. I was willing to go for the Sawtooth even at 615g if the tire was going to be easier to mount and dismount, but I guess I wouldn't know until I actually try to mount it on my rims.

I might just save up for one more month to get some slightly nicer tires in wider widths. In the meantime, I might just need to go for short rides around town where I could just walk back home or call a friend.

chaadster

At the $50 pricepoint, the options expand quite a bit, like the Maxxis Velocita 40mm, which throws a dual compound tread into the mix. Be aware to look for the 120tpi casing Velocita, though, as they have lower line, 60tpi casings as well in the same model.

mstateglfr 

Sale on Panaracer GravelKing SK 700x38c TLC Tubeless Ready Gravel Road Bike Tires

These are $33. Not the most road oriented, but the GK Slick and SS models cost more.
They are quality and well reviewed.

MinnMan

An attractive deal. I decided to jump on it. But when I tried to check out, I got a "Sold Out" message. Oh well.

mstateglfr 

yeah that's pretty worthless. Typical from BD.

wolfchild

I've been using 700 x 45 WTB Riddler and I like them a lot.

Koyote

I've run the Sawtooth 38mm; the 42mm is wider but otherwise the same. They are surprisingly good tires: roll well, feel smooth, mounted up easily, and great tread life. At the price you found, they're a killer bargain.

beaumontjl

American Classic Kimberlite or Aggregate. $35.

chas58

Click bait so it comes up in a google search, I mean, they have advertised this out of stock item for years now.

chas58

Well the specialized and conti are great tires for that price point. But at that price point, they tend not to be tubeless - which doesn't matter to you. Either one of those would be fine. Good news is that they mount up very easily in my experience (being tubed only).

Yeah, get used to it. Most modern tires are tubeless compatible, meaning they are going to have a tight bead. That and there were no standards (before now), so you have some tires that are undersized and some wheels that are oversized, because no one wants to get sued because of a blowout and wreck.

The industry has Finally come up with standards for tires/wheels (as of Jan 2022), but good luck knowing if your tires/wheels meet that as its not something labeled on the product. I've gotten some tires that were literally impossible for me to mount by my self (LBS took 2 guys over 30 minutes to mount one). The good news is that when I took them off a year later, they came off pretty easy. Must have stretched a bit over time.

Parkyy16

Yeah, this transition period between clinchers to tubeless is a bit frustrating. Trying to find good quality tires that are clincher only for gravel is going to be difficult going forward. I guess I can wait for the non-latex sealant market to grow, but until then, I probably won't be going tubeless.

I ordered the set of Conti SpeedRide to see how they perform. The Continental SpeedRide are surprisingly light since they're not rated for tubeless; 420-440g for the 700x42mm which is pretty good in my books since my current tires weight 610g. Hopefully being clincher only, the fit isn't as tight as the tubeless tires.

Might give the Panaracer GravelKing SS a try after the SpeedRides. I've read the puncture resistance is better on the SS over the regular GK and quieter than the GK SKs.

I'll report back on the SpeedRides.

Koyote

Huh?

I can't speak to the others, but the Specialized Sawtooth tires are tubeless. Though like all tubeless tires, they work fine with tubes, too.

chas58

Sounds good!
FYI, with Panaracer, I think you are looking for the + models. All of the GravelKings have a + variant (e.g. SS+) that adds extra protection (presumably without much drawback). I agree, the SS (or SS+) is a good choice tubeless. I haven't mounted mine yet. I never ride behind anyone with GKSK as they throw up an impressive amount of gravel (sounds interesting when it hits a carbon frame's downtube though).

chas58

My bad, I was thinking of the Trigger, which is a good road/hardpack dry weather tire (short knobs on the edges). Easy to mount with tubes.

KJ43

If you are 95% road I highly recommend the Specialized Pathfinder Pro's. I ride 38mm, but they do have a 42mm version of the tire. Great tire for the road and good on the dirt too. I ride them tubeless and over 2 years I have never had a puncture issue. I did slice a sidewall open once but it was my fault for being too lazy to correct my line and going over a metal drain grate at about 40mph.

Unfortunately the Pro's are in the $50+ range. There is a Pathfinder Sport that is very similar (slick center ridge) and cheaper than the Pro - I've seen it for about $35 online and it comes in a 42mm version. It has 60tpi instead of 120.

gorillimo

I’m riding the Conti Speedrides on my Cross Check. Like them a lot!
Roll well on pavement. Do e
ok on trails . Recommend them.

Parkyy16

I did mean the regular SS model. According to Bicycle Rolling Resistance the regular Gravelking SS were pretty good with puncture resistance(at least according to the way they do their tests). Trying to avoid the SS+ since the extra material probably means it's more difficult to put on the rim. Trying to balance the puncture resistance and ease of mounting.

I'd rather have a tire that's easier to puncture over a tire that's difficult to mount on the road. I can carry 20+ patches on every ride, but I can't carry a bead jack on every ride.

Parkyy16

They were delivered today, so I'll try to mount them up later today and go for a ride this weekend. Fingers crossed on ease of mounting!

rumrunn6

getting my money's worth out of WTB Nanos but lots of newer, more modern, options out there

sjfoote081

Continental SPEEDRide 42 - my go to tire for gravel and pavement.....easy mounting on WTB i23 rims too :-)

Parkyy16

I actually found the Specialized Sawtooth tires because I was hoping that the Pathfinders would be on sale on Specialized's website. These Continental SpeedRides will be temporary(although, I guess all tires are temporary), so I'll definitely consider the Pathfinder Pros when it's time to replace these.

billridesbikes

The level of snarkiness on Bicycle Rolling Resistance is off the charts.
I'm surprised they don't have a column of 'snark level'. Does anyone pay real money to be a member of that site?
Anyway, the way they test tires the stiffer sidewall tires are probably going look better than they'll feel on the road.

79pmooney

I run Panaracer Paselas on two bikes. 38 in front, 35 in back. (Old school steel. 38s don't fit between the chainstays.) Ride up to 35 miles on pavement at 70 psi, drop the pressure to suit, ride the gravel, pump up and ride home. For this, those tires are near perfect. For city riding - also excellent. Not flat proof, but I see very few. The gravel doesn't have to be mild either. @gugie and about half a dozen other forumites will testify that combination did very, very well crossing the Oregon coast range on gnarly logging roads.