Background: I love me the Terra Speeds. They've been fast, reliable, and grippy for what I ride. I wish that one or more of three things could be improved--durability, price, or volume. I might stick with the Terra Speed this season. But the grass is always greener, you know? So I've gone down the horrible rabbit hole of thinking about other tires.
As a total plush tyre convert, I don't think you could regret wider tyres. My only advice is: If the Continental isn't available in the width you want, go ahead and try something else. Otherwise, close Google Chrome and go ride your bike :-)
They aren't really comparable tires. The GK SS is a semi slick while the TS is a low knob tire. If you ride where knobs aren't needed then a semi-slick can work well. Those knobs on the TS aren't very big, but they do make a difference in wet/muddy conditions. I have found them to have much better traction through light mud than a Schwalbe G-One Speed, which is almost a slick tire. The one thing I have read over and over is that the GK is very puncture prone. But if you ride in an area where you don't get many flats then that may not be a problem.
ljsmith wrote:They aren't really comparable tires. The GK SS is a semi slick while the TS is a low knob tire. If you ride where knobs aren't needed then a semi-slick can work well. Those knobs on the TS aren't very big, but they do make a difference in wet/muddy conditions. I have found them to have much better traction through light mud than a Schwalbe G-One Speed, which is almost a slick tire. The one thing I have read over and over is that the GK is very puncture prone. But if you ride in an area where you don't get many flats then that may not be a problem.
Ah, hadn't heard that about the punctures. I've had great luck with the Terra Speed on that score, so I might steer clear.
Now going back and forth on the Donnelly Xplor MSO. But I really should just stick with what works.
Gravelkings also come in a Plus model which has some (unspecified) puncture protection added. I have a pair of the slick version in 38-622. They ride nicely and puncture less than really supple tires (Rene Herse) but more than never. I prefer the Soma Shikoro, which feels about the same but has a tougher casing and is available in larger sizes. The Shikoros are fine on pavement, hard dirt, and decent gravel but unsurprisingly not so fine when the dirt gets muddy.
BTW I think it's hard to find out much about puncture protection since every rider and every road are different. I've tried quite a few tires on the same roads and of course with the same rider so I have a pretty good idea what works for me. Almost all of my punctures come in the tread area from glass on pavement. I've never had one from a sharp rock or thorn or on the sidewall. I've had a lot of punctures with Rene Herse and Soma Supple Vitesse, fewer with Gravelking+ and G-One Alround (original V-Guard), none with Continental GP 4-Season, Continental Taraxagum, or Soma Shikoro.
If you have space, you can just try the Conti RaceKing Protection. They are equally fast (according to BRR) as the Terra Speed and run about 53-54 mm on my 26 mm internal rim. I love the volume and on the previous model I ground off the center knobs so it would roll smoothly on pavement. Black Chili takes so long to wear that even with taking off most of the knob height, the rest of the tire wore out before the tread.
ccand51997 wrote:If you have space, you can just try the Conti RaceKing Protection. They are equally fast (according to BRR) as the Terra Speed and run about 53-54 mm on my 26 mm internal rim. I love the volume and on the previous model I ground off the center knobs so it would roll smoothly on pavement. Black Chili takes so long to wear that even with taking off most of the knob height, the rest of the tire wore out before the tread.
I love those tires! I ran them on my monstercross, which could clear them. Sadly, the current bike only goes up to 44mm.
I love those tires! I ran them on my monstercross, which could clear them. Sadly, the current bike only goes up to 44mm.
I really don't understand why Conti developed an entirely new tire for gravel when a 40mm version of the RaceKing with lower or no center knobs would have been perfect. Frankly, if you took the casing of the 5000TL and made it in 40mm and 50mm with some small side knobs for corners I'll bet they would sell them in bunches.
The GK SS is my go to these days. I use them on my 700 and 650 wheels. Traction is good for me in soft and loose dry conditions. I have not had any puncture issues at all. I do live and ride in dry conditions. No mud. Sharp rocks, thorns and cactus though.
ccand51997 wrote:Frankly, if you took the casing of the 5000TL and made it in 40mm and 50mm with some small side knobs for corners I'll bet they would sell them in bunches.
I'd like to see the Conti GP 4-Season in 40 and 45 mm. Same with the Pirelli Cinturato Velo.
stu wrote: I'd like to see the Conti GP 4-Season in 40 and 45 mm. Same with the Pirelli Cinturato Velo.
That was my first gravel tire. I spent years searching for the 32mm version of it, finally found it, then bought a bike to fit it.
Ultimately it wasn't any faster or better than a good 40mm gravel tire though (I also had Schwalbe G-one and Maxxis Rambler). Great commuter tire though. Took me a couple of years to wear it out. I was running tubeless, and only saw evidence of a cut in the last month of its usage.
FYI - the terraspeed or gravel king have a lot lower rolling resistance.
Jumbo wrote:Background: I love me the Terra Speeds. They've been fast, reliable, and grippy for what I ride. I wish that one or more of three things could be improved--durability, price, or volume. I might stick with the Terra Speed this season. But the grass is always greener, you know? So I've gone down the horrible rabbit hole of thinking about other tires.
They don't have the SS posted yet but they have the SK and Slick... So comparing the Slick to the Terra Speed seems like a good start. Both the Terra and Pana Slick are nearly identical in power, the Terra is just a couple of tenths better in puncture resistance. However the SS will be slightly lighter tire.
Im a Panaracer fanboy and use SKs for Gravel and Slicks for road and all road days. I have never punctured any of the Panaracer tires before, but I think this is situational.. Where you ride and luck of the draw.. What is most interesting though is how fast the Terra speeds are as a knobby tire compared to slicker tires.
I just bought and received a pair of Gravel King SS 43's - the regular ones, NOT the "+" tougher casing versions. The casings feel pretty stiff and thick and comparable to the Rene Herse Endurance casing - in my hands and by the way they look (and Panaracer makes the RH tires, too). On the sidewalls, there's a label that says, "Anti-flat casing" and the website describes it as a "nylon puncture resistant belt."
Therefore, I suspect that Panaracer changed the new tires and that they won't be nearly as fast or as supple-riding as the previous versions of the GK and the slicks. Winter here, so I won't be able to try these out for a couple more months.
I'm using GK SS 700 x 43s now. They definitely softened up after 200 miles or so. I suspect based on past use of Gravel King slicks (38s) that the SS are beefy enough to maintain the same supple ride over a majority of the tires's lifespan, which should get to around 4000 miles. I would run GK 43 slicks if they made them, even if I would slide around on them (or maybe because I would). Rene Herse Snoqualmie Pass 43s were great for a very short tubeless lifespan of 1500 miles before some strange slippage on stock Giant rims resulted in a maddening chirping that did not respond to increased sealant, so I had to put tubes in, and rode them another 1000 miles with tubes. I certainly enjoy the luxurious ride on the Rene Herse but for me it's not enough to justify the added expense and frequency of turnover. Whereas with the GK SS 43s, I suspect that the outer ridges help stabilize the tire along the rolling plane/direction while still allowing a supple ride over a longer lifespan. The SS have not slipped at all on surfaces the slicks would spin out or slide laterally on, and they track very well on off-camber. Changing pressure between 30-ish and 40-ish is the difference between prioritizing traction or speed respectively.
Yeah, personally I would put the slick on the back, and something like the SS or SK on the front. Something like 75% of the rolling resistance comes from the rear tire, while in my case, most of the traction comes from the front tire.
I decided to go bigger for the Day Across Minnesota last year and purchased the 700X43mm GK SS as soon as they came available last year. I ended up running 32 PSI and love how they roll at that pressure. Cornering on fast descents is fine as the transition tread, and “SK Lugs” work as advertised. After hitting some rocks on an ATV trail in the Black Hills I did experience sealant seepage on the rear tire in several locations on the central tread. I expect there are some small tears in the casing where I hit hard. I’ve put lots of miles on the tire since and it’s holding up fine. I’d eat the extra weight and go with the “+” if you are planning on hitting some rocky roads or trails. Overall, I’m happy with the tire and really like the extra volume.
