Schwalbe G-One RS semi-slick

25 replies · 5,004 views

ccand51997
265 posts
#21Jul 6, 2022, 10:09 PMedited
barrows wrote:Guys, how many of you have actually ridden a G One R on gravel? As far as I am concerned, the G One R is one of the best tires for fast gravel riding/racing here in CO on our hard packed and loose over hard conditions. The tire is fast, very smooth rolling, and has a lot of grip considering how fast it is. I pay little to no attention to rolling resistance tests, as I never ride on a round steel drum myself. In real world testing, for me, the G One R (40 mm) is at least as fast as the Terra Speed (40 mm) and has more grip and a smoother ride. I find the G One R faster and smoother riding than the Terreno Zero and Terreno Dry. Considering the new RS is the same casing, I suspect it will be a bit faster (given the semi slick center section) and not have quite the climbing and braking grip of the R.
If we all chose tires based on bicycle rolling resistance testing, hey we would all be riding a 28 mm road slick, but that would not be fast or functional at all for gravel riding.

Steel drums really don't care what anyone thinks of them and they are not run by a marketing department. They just give information and the information they give tells us that you are giving up 14 watts to a Terra Speed (for two tires). Is it possible that the other characteristics of the tire could make it faster than a Terra Speed when rolling on the right kind of dirt? Of course. Tells us about your testing procedures and the watt vs. watt power meter comparison that you did to determine it is a fast tire. Unfortunately for me, my Stages PM is not consistent as I would like to do that kind of testing. I could do it with my Powertap wheel, but it is not a disc and has a 14mm internal rim so it won't take properly large tires.
For me, there is no way a tire that is 14 watts (plus or minus) slower could make that up with other characteristics. After years of riding in the desert, I stopped caring about grip, because nothing grips here. Try and corner hard and you end up sliding on your side. Mostly slick tires, fast tires with minimal side knobs is as good as it gets. Plus, I connect a lot of dirt with pavement so I need a tire that rolls fast on tarmac.
The irony of all this, is that Schwalbe used to make tires that were as fast as they come (during the Pacestar/Onestar days) and still do (see the new Thunder Burt) but they are stuck with making their gravel tires with Speedgrip so that they last longer. The G-One Speed with Speedgrip was 10! watts slower than the old Pacestar compound. Ugh. I suspect more people want their tires to last longer than be faster. Not one of the gravel tires is offered in Speed, only Speedgrip and Addix/Race and that is why their gravel tires are slow rollers. In fact, I looked out of curiosity and the Thunder Burt and Rocket Ron are the only two tires for offroad use that Schwalbe offers in Speed. And not coincidently, the two fastest off-road tires from Schwalbe to be tested.
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barrows
29 posts
#22Jul 7, 2022, 9:56 AMedited
"Steel drums really don't care what anyone thinks of them and they are not run by a marketing department"

If the above was actually true, then everyone would choose a 28 mm road slick for riding gravel (lowest wattage on the drum, right...). I think we can both agree that a 28 mm road slick would not be faster. The fact is surface conditions matter, and a steel drum test may not be analogous to riding on gravel. I have actually ridden the tires I commented on, on known routes, so I am not relying on marketing departments for my findings and have the actual data/experience to show how fast the tires are in real world conditions. Additionally, VeloNews tested gravel tires on a "rougher" drum, and got very different results from BRR for the G One R. See results here:

http://http:/ https://www.velonews.com/gear/gravel-gear/24-gravel-tires-lab-tested-for-speed/

While I do not believe much in the above test either, as I do not ride my bike on steel drums of any surface variety, the fact that the above test differs from BRR at least points out that there are some problems with this testing methodology for tires ridden on uneven surfaces. A steel drum is also round, which gives a totally different result for tire hysteresis that riding on a flat surface as the tire has to deform in a different manner.

All I am saying is that BRR rolling resistance tests are not the be all and end of of tire performance metrics, and when one definitvely states that a given tire is "slow" based on those results alone, one may be in error. These tests show only the wattage required to ride the tire on a round steel drum, and this may, or may not, be analogous to riding on a flat dirt road.

I am choosing the G One R for racing at SBT GRVL, over the Terra Speed, because the G One R is at least as fast in those conditions as the Terra Speed, and the G one R is more comfortable, and has more grip, especially straight line braking traction. My test roads here in the CO are very similar conditions to the roads in Steamboat: relatively smooth graded gravel, hard packed, with some loose over. It may be that "Speedgrip" compound is slower in and of itself, but it is also clear to me that the casing of the "R" series tires is fast and supple with excellent ride quality. It would be interesting to see what happens if Conti would make a gravel tire with their top level road tubeless casing-which is one the very best road tires available.

Additionally, G One RS won at Unbound in the men's 200, and the women's 350-while I get that this is sponsor related, at least it shows the tires are pretty good when it comes to flat prevention, and are not so slow as to be a huge disadvantage.
ccand51997
265 posts
#23Jul 7, 2022, 11:56 AM
barrows wrote:"Steel drums really don't care what anyone thinks of them and they are not run by a marketing department"

If the above was actually true, then everyone would choose a 28 mm road slick for riding gravel (lowest wattage on the drum, right...). I think we can both agree that a 28 mm road slick would not be faster.
Of course it would not be. That's why he has a GRAVEL section. Please explain why someone reading that site would pick a 28mm tire. Because of the absolute lowest rr value? That is a foolish oversimplification of the data and you know it. I would look at what 40-50 mm tires will roll the fastest and decide if those tires would have the required puncture resistance and traction for what I need. In my case, I choose speed first, because traction and grip are nearly irrelevant for my conditions. If Schwalbe still made the Onestar version of the G -One Speed, that would be my tire. Or I would keep using my Speedking which I've used in three races so far. The fact is surface conditions matter, and a steel drum test may not be analogous to riding on gravel.
Reading the rest of your response, it is clear you have made up your mind about the relevance of drum testing. That's fine.
However, for others who may not have made up their mind, I would encourage them to do the research, dive into the methodology and apply the logic to their tire decisions. There are plenty of people, myself included, who are going to strongly disagree with your conclusions based off the data and their own riding of the tires in question. Plenty of people believe drum testing is very relevant.
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barrows
29 posts
#24Sep 5, 2022, 11:10 AM
OK, let's update the info on the Schwalbe G one RS tire! First, for those who actually believe RR on a smooth steel drum matters, BRR now has numbers up for the G One RS, and guess what, even on the steel drum it is fast.
Now for real world review. I picked up a 40 mm set of these to ride at SBT GRVL (blue course, 100 miles). The majority of the course at SBT is smooth, graded, gravel roads, with some asphalt, and quite a bit of loose over hard conditions. While the majority of the course is smooth, there are some sections of silty loose 2 track jeep road with ruts, some rough potholed gravel (Cow Creek descent) and a little bit of primitive double track, grass, and single track (Fetcher Ranch). So the best tire here is always going to involve some tradeoffs. Anyway, I found the G One RS to be perfect for me. I had no flats. I ran about 36 psi R and 34 psi F, and I weighed about 162 lbs on race day. The tire rolled fast, but had enough traction through sweeping, loose over hard corners, that I was confident on descents and was able to pass a lot of riders while descending. The fast roll was especially appreciated on the fast flat/downhill asphalt road sections in the middle of the course, where we were riding in fast groups and drafting: at no point did I feel that those riders on full slicks had any advantage, even on pavement, and again I had enough grip to be blowing by a lot of folks on descents.
Bottom line, I will ride these tires for racing here in our Colorado conditions, as they offer the best combination of fast rolling, and confidence inspiring grip through our typical hard packed and loose over hard (mostly dry) conditions.
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chas
1,305 posts
#25Sep 6, 2022, 7:09 AM
you don't like steel drum testing? They have shown to correlate directly to on the bike riding. Wonder what about it you are skeptical of?
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intheways
5 posts
#26Sep 26, 2022, 9:46 PM
I just picked up a pair of RSs. As someone who is challenged with the fitness side of things, these are appealing to me. I never get passed going down, just up and on the flats. Based on BRR tests, these are faster than my "road tires".
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