When I upgraded to a modern Gravel bike earlier this year, I expected an increase in speed on soft gravel with minimal loss of speed on rail-to-trail gravel paths and on pavement. Previously, I have been using a Carbon Cyclocross bike with 700x37 Vittoria Hyper tires, these are lightweight slick touring tires that roll exceptionally well.
The gravel bike with tightly packed small knobs type gravel tires (Clement MSO) was simply no match for the slick 700x37 Vittoria Voyager Hyper tires on firmer gravel and pavement. The lightweight and supple Hyper was about 1 or 2 mph faster on pavement and that can add up on longer rides. However, the Hyper is not tubeless and the Cyclocross bike lacked disc brakes. These are two key improvements available with the new gravel bike. While I never had a flat of any kind with the Hyper, the risk of pinch flats kept me looking for an ideal tubeless gravel tire that wasn't slow on pavement.
Wanting a tire that was light and supple but that was also large volume and tubeless, I came across two models with a nearly slick tread design: the 700x35 Schwalbe G One, and the 700x38 Hutchinson Override.
Hutchinson Override 700x38
Size: 700x38, about 39mm wide, about 400 grams each. Tread pattern: minimal file tread pattern in the center, progressively larger file tread on the shoulder. Construction: 127 tpi, flat protection included, tubeless Performance on pavement is excellent, like most road bike tires Performance on firm gravel is excellent with very good cornering grip on a hardpacked fine gravel Performance on deep or soft gravel is acceptable, float and traction is sufficient due to the wide footprint and supple construction. Durability: good so far Ride: super smooth and plush
The tire was eventually easy to install tubeless with a standard floor pump. I did pre-fit the tire using a tube and let it take shape at 80psi for 48 hours. This allowed the tire to seat quickly and hold air with 30 ml of sealant.
The Hutchinson Override is lightweight and very fast rolling. The Override helped me nearly produce the same kind of speeds I experience on my road bike on pavement with 700x25 Rubino Pro tires. At 60 psi rear, 45 front the tire is smooth and fast on pavement while offering good traction and a smooth ride on the gravel that is common in my area. I'm sure it becomes super plush at 30% lower air pressures, I'll experiment with the air pressure in future.
The textured tread and soft rubber compound provides super high levels of traction on pavement and on most types of gravel.
interested in an update if possible (or any other experiences)
especiallyu interested in puncture resistance. seems like a pretty darn good "road" tire for a gravel bike, no?
tubeless install easy?
\n\nI've covered about 400 more miles and completed the 50 miles Cuba Gravel Crisis with the Override. I continue to be highly impressed with the tire. Traction, durability, reliability all continue to remain at a high level. I'm unable to break the rear tire loose on soft sandy trails, unless it's a very steep climb and I stand while mashing the pedals. Simply sitting on the saddle re-establishes traction. The front tire also maintains traction well on flatter routes. However, I've installed a knobby tire, the WTB Riddler, on the front when I expect faster downhill sections that require urgent braking and cornering. No need to remove the Override from the rear. It rolls fast with a surplus of traction.
Thanks for the report. My gravel tire requirements echo yours. I've been running 35mm Compass Bon Jon extra light casing tubeless. Like you, I've found that a softer more supple tire works quite well on pavement and unpaved hard pack. But like you the BJ's made me nervous hooking up on fluffy soft fresh re-graded dirt, as well as chunky gravel in washed out sections. I debated both the 38 mm Schwalbe G-One's and the 38mm Compass Barlow Pass. The Barlow Pass is just a big brother to the BJ with a slick tread and supple casing, while the G-One has a tight file pattern and a true tubeless air tight liner. I decided to go with the G-One's because I've found that the Compass tubeless "compatible" tires are difficult to mount tubeless, and because I felt that the tight knobby pattern would give me a bit more bite in soft stuff. I haven't had a chance to mount the G-One's and test them yet; and probably wont until next Spring. But it is good to know that there are more good alternatives out there. I'm sure that there are some others on this forum that share my concern with Compass tubeless installation and will find your report very helpful.
I've enjoyed the Override that I've been running as a rear tire (tubeless 700x36, running 45 PSI for pretty much everything), though the file tread wore down almost immediately. It grips well on hardpack and shallow dirt but sand stymies it. Fast on pavement, though the paved cornering suffers a bit. Measures true to size on a 21 mm internal width rim. I had a few cuts in the cap but the tire's still going several hundred miles later.
