32c tubeless tires for road use... no gravel!

ljsmith wrote:I second the GP5000.  I bought mine from germany because even with shipping and foreign exchange fees they are still way cheaper than you can get them in the US.  The US price is over double what it is in Germany.
The Schwalbe g one speed in 30 or 35mm is also a very fast tire that can also handle light gravel.  It’s not in the same league as the gp5000 (what tire is?) but it is more versatile.
Personally I am not a fan of Panaracer.  The tires may look fast, but their compound is much slower than high end tires.

https://www.bike-discount.de/en/buy/continental-grand-prix-5000-tl-folding-tyre-806820

holmeslovesguinness wrote:FYI - I am running the Soma Supple Vitesse 33's on my 'road' bike. Mounted on H Plus Son TB14 rims at 65-70 PSI they have run around 31mm. IMHO they are outstanding tires - very light (mine are well under claimed weight for both standard and EX tread) comfortable and fast. The are high enough volume to be handle the occasional stretch of dirt farm roads but still feel properly fast on pavement. Great road tire for the non-racer.  

OffB10Path wrote:If you're only going to ride them for one trip and want an alternative to the Conti 5000 that's cheaper, I've had really good experience with Schwalbe Pro One tubeless tires.  They set up easily and roll nicely, as well.  I have a 28mm pair on 19mm internal rims and width at 75psi is nearly 31mm.  They come in 30mm, too, which must plump out to something wider than 32mm.  Rolling resistance tests put them behind the Contis, but still near the top.  Price-wise I suspect you can save ~$40/pair vs. the Conti 5000.  Merlin has them for $43 each, so a pair would also get you free shipping.

LewisQC wrote: 
Do you have 28 or 32c on your bike? I was wondering if they run big. Don't want to sacrifice too much on ride quality but still get more performance compared to my GK38c...

I run 28, 32, 38-40, and 50mm tires.

The 28s are GP4000 (measuring 31mm), and the 32s are Conti 4 season.  Not much of a difference between the two for most riding, but the GP4000 (or 5000) doesn’t offer much sidewall protection, and don’t really like my 22mm ID rims.  At 50psi, I’m on the sidewall in hard cornering. 

I’m not sure a tire in that size is going to be much faster than a 38mm slick.   The biggest benefit is going to be in weight – impacting acceleration and climbing.  Feels faster though.  Lord knows, those Schwalbe and Conti tires are light and have very little rolling resistance. 

There is something sublime about the ride quality in a 32mm Conti 4000/5000.   They have a very nice feel.

I do wonder what the rolling resistance is of those GK’s though (SK and slick).  Someone should send sample tire in to that guy…

LewisQC wrote: 
Do you have 28 or 32c on your bike? I was wondering if they run big. Don't want to sacrifice too much on ride quality but still get more performance compared to my GK38c...

Not sure if you guys seen this, width on 17mm ID rims:

https://www.bicyclerollingresistance.com/specials/grand-prix-5000-comparison

I'm interested how you will find the 32 GP5000s. They're pretty hefty at 380g, but the rolling resistance is super low. The 38mm GravelKing slicks are actually lighter at 320g.

I have the SKs in 32mm, 40mm, and 43mm and even though I love them i'm considering a more road oriented tyre. All I know is when I switch to the 32s the difference is night and day, the bike feels so much more nimble and faster. But I don't know if the difference is because of lower weight or rolling resistance. 

Volsung wrote:

Not that I care enough to give up my 38 slicks, but they're probably at at least 18w per tire vs the 8ish for the Contis.

HollyBoni wrote:

I'm interested how you will find the 32 GP5000s. They're pretty hefty at 380g, but the rolling resistance is super low. The 38mm GravelKing slicks are actually lighter at 320g.

I have the SKs in 32mm, 40mm, and 43mm and even though I love them i'm considering a more road oriented tyre. All I know is when I switch to the 32s the difference is night and day, the bike feels so much more nimble and faster. But I don't know if the difference is because of lower weight or rolling resistance. 

 

I'm not an engineer so this is just a guess, but maybe it has something to do with the max PSI? My thought is that maybe if you want to run higher pressures in a tubeless tyre it has to be a bit burlier. The GP5000 is a road tyre after all, and I imagine some roadies will want to punish themselves with sky high pressures.
The max pressure for the GP5000 in 32 is 87psi, while for the GravelKing line it's 60, even for a 32.

The tubed version is much lighter, 295g for the 32mm. 

Volsung wrote:

Continental GP 5000 in 32mm, hands down. 

https://www.bicyclerollingresistance.com/road-bike-reviews/continental-grand-prix-5000-tl-2018

 

BRR hasn't done any GK rolling resistance tests, but all the other Panaracer tires (even Compasses) have tested pretty poorly.  Not that I care enough to give up my 38 slicks, but they're probably at at least 18w per tire vs the 8ish for the Contis.

jockstick wrote:The only Compass test was favorable