On my drop bar MTB I have 2 wheelsets - a 25mm set with 700x50 Gravelking SKs for road/gravel, and a 29mm set with 29x2.3 Maxxis Minions. As I'm done with the MTB tires for this season, I'm pretty much gonna be stuck to the road for the winter.
In my past experience, the Gravelking SKs didn't fair well in snow, so I'm considering going with the knobby Rene Herse Tires. It's between the 48 Oracle Ridge and the 55 Fleecer Ridge.
I want the tire that would be closest to my Gravelkings in terms of size. They measure ~54mm on my 25mm rims at ~40PSI. From what I saw the Oracle Ridge seems to be a true 48mm tire, while the Fleecer Ridge Stretches out to around 57mm. I'd like these for the winter, but would also consider them as replacing the SKs. I'm wondering if the 48mm Oracle Ridge would be enough grip, or if I should sacrifice on weight and rolling resistance and go with the wider Fleecer Ridge.
There is way too much variation in snow for one tire to be “best”. I haven’t least five sets of tires mounted and ready to use for winter conditions. This includes the GK SK which I find to work well in fresh, not too deep snow. I also have RH knobbies, but they are not better than the SK. Deeper, more open tread helps. Narrower for slush. Studded knobbies when it freezes,
The main thing that gives me pause about the SKs is the lack of lateral grip. Any time I lean these over in anything slightly loose or uneven they want to slide out. Wet slushy conditions means these get knocked off course in any way they are going down.
Do the RH knobbies not have better grip in that scenario?
I have both of those tires but not much winter experience like some others. Small sipes work well for a non-studded winter tire. A MSO (Clement/Donneley) has worked really well over tires without the sipes. That's been a non-studded good sized favorite for me. Some riders in my area like the Conti dedicated snow/winter tire that's not studded as an alternative to studs.
Overall the two tires are similar. The 48 mm can feel a little quicker. The 55 has bad conditions predictability and more pinch flat protection if you ride a drop bar or gravel style on single track. Also better in sand.
DarKris wrote:The main thing that gives me pause about the SKs is the lack of lateral grip. Any time I lean these over in anything slightly loose or uneven they want to slide out. Wet slushy conditions means these get knocked off course in any way they are going down.
Do the RH knobbies not have better grip in that scenario?
I’m honestly thinking since I can’t decide between the two that I’ll just get both and have the Oracle Ridge as a faster accelerating rear tire and the Fleecer as a larger volume front tire.
Update: Got both Fleecer Ridges in standard casing. Will see how these work for me, but I do like what I see so far. And they aren't as big as I thought they would be, which for me is actually a plus.
705g and wait til you add some inserts! The bg is fantastic. I have inserts run 20/23 psi. Epic traction. Cool factor.
I have another set of wheels with the Oracle ridge. They are good tire. But it’s a roadie tire for all road or whatever.
If you use the BG then you should not worried about weight. You should be worried about the people behind you getting roosted. Not sure if you’d be liable for their injury caused by your roost. Go bg if You’re looking to get radical Go fast downhill and uphill.
DarKris wrote:
Had no idea they even made one in that size. But 705g for that size....
Well if those were going on my gravel bike that would be something. Since these are on my drop bar MTB if I needed to run pressures that low, or needed that much traction in general, I could just swap to my 2.3 Minions
Darkis - that’s fair. I think I forgot the context by the time I posted my reply. I don’t think you can go wrong with fleecer or oracle
DarKris wrote:Well if those were going on my gravel bike that would be something. Since these are on my drop bar MTB if I needed to run pressures that low, or needed that much traction in general, I could just swap to my 2.3 Minions
DarKris wrote:Update: Got both Fleecer Ridges in standard casing. Will see how these work for me, but I do like what I see so far. And they aren't as big as I thought they would be, which for me is actually a plus.
Any updates on ride impressions or pics you can share?
dvdslw45 wrote:Any updates on ride impressions or pics you can share?
I have a lot of miles on both sizes and use with different wheels and different bikes. They remain fantastic. For covering a whole lot of stuff, fast MTB tires are stupid by comparison - I've tried some and have worn out Race Kings as gravel tires. They're one of those premium priced products where I'll buy again. They are predictable when racy MTB tires go stupid on you. They don't feel like you're pushing something at terminal velocity like some other bigger tires on drop bar bikes.
In a winter context, the RH knobby tires don't have the sipes or tiny bits that can help traction. They're not studded.
Tan sidewalls are the biggest RH tire problem. I had enough of the 1970s in the 1970s.
