Grand Fondo Gravel tire test

While I love this type of test and the insight it gives me, one thing that stands out is that testing a tire for an afternoon is a lot different than living with it.  Hats of to Guitar Ted for his reviews where he spends a fair amount of time with the tires.

My counterpoint:

According to Tour magazine (and my butt) most all good gravel tires use about 25watts/tire in rolling resistance.  Most of them are pretty similar.  Its good to know if you are getting a draggy tire for aggressive off road use, but other than that – I don’t feel much of a difference in speed in good tires (at 25mph, and that is kind of extreme).

The Maxis Rambler tests have me confused, and don’t match my experience.

In 2019 they said: “… the tread pattern in the centre of the tire is tightly spaced. Our first impressions were confirmed in the lab, with the MAXXIS Rambler scoring well in the rolling resistance test.”

“The tire’s damping properties are mediocre… it wasn’t particularly comfortable.”

In 2020, they say “it’s quickly clear that the Rambler isn’t a tire for anyone who’s in a hurry or wants to commute to work quickly with their gravel bike. The rolling resistance is relatively high…”  “…our rolling resistance test verified this feeling.”

"…In contrast, its good damping makes a positive impression."

Excuse me, but is this the same tire???  In 2019 it was fast but not comfortable, and in 2020 it is slow but comfortable?  Are we blaming the tan sidewall for the differences?

My experience:  Very fast and capable tire.  I love it for CX racing, as it has good traction, good volume, great acceleration, and is lighter than most 33mm CX tires.  Same on gravel.  And yes, I literally do use it to "commute to work quickly with my gravel bike".  

Over time: The center lugs are tightly spaced and give a pretty smooth ride, but after a couple hundred miles the rear gets nicely rounded giving a very smooth ride.  The tire did tend to get pinholes in the tread more and more as it aged, but other than the tell tail wet spots, it did not cause any issues.    One of my tires started blistering after 2 years, and at that point I retired it from tubeless duty.  Tire will not hold air without sealant.

Schwalbe G-One.  This tire, in its discontinued original version, was one of my favorite all round tires.  Its not great in slippery mud or single track antics, but it is great on gravel, pavement, and snow (of all things).    It rides and handles great.  No complaints over the years, although the new carcass construction seems to have changed the tires personality significantly (for the worst). Tire will hold air without sealant.

Conti TerraSpeed.  There are some huge long term issues that aren’t found in this test.   Realistically, there is not much difference between this and the G-One as far as riding on the bike goes (although the write up between the two is different).   What doesn’t show up in the test is familiar with anyone who has seen the thread here.   Over time it wears much, much faster than the tires above, and gets a lot of small punctures that get sealed by sealant.    And yes, it is maybe 5 watts “faster” than the average here, but that isn’t something you’ll really notice.  Its pretty subtle, even at a race pace.   Tire will hold air without sealant.