I commute about 26 miles round trip into Washington DC and do long gravel rides on the C&O canal tow path on the weekends. I have been running the clement explor 35 (60 tpi) tires with tubes that came on my bike. I am looking for something fast for my urban commute but a bit wider to give more cushioning on my long weekend off pavement riding. Anyone know if the schwable marathon Supreme would be a good canidate. I don't need something with super off road grip (the C&O canal is a straight shot).
I have a set of these tires in 700 x 35 microskin tubless. They are pretty fast despite how heavy they are. The only thing I would say about using them on gravel is that the casing is very thick and stiff, so even at 40c I suspect they will ride pretty harsh. I think the G One allround would be a better tire. Yes they have small knobs, but they are very fast on pavement.
Good suggestion on the g one. I am also considering the challenge gravel grinder race tire, which is 700x38 like the g one. Having trouble finding a tire that will also be a good everyday commuter (fast on pavement) that is between 700x40 and 700x45. I don't need tubeless since I don't have tubeless rims and don't want to mess around trying to set it up.
I'll second the Maxxis Re-Fuse suggestion. For a tire to be able to pull dual duty commute/gravel they are hard to beat. Not sure you need to look at knobbies since you say your gravel is pretty much all a straight shot, and most of your miles are commuting. I had a look at that canal trail and that surface is smoother and in better condition than most of the paved roads around me. Pretty luxurious. Actually there's some really fast gravel racers out there who use slick or semi-slick tires pretty successfully, so there's that. If you mentioned anything about technical double or single track thrown in to your weekly schedule then more aggressive tread might be a consideration.
Since you don't plan on going tubeless I would also suggest Panaracer Pasela PT 38c. Super durable commute tire that are nice and light with a famously supple ride on or off road. More excellent Panaracer made tires to consider are Soma Supple Vitesse EX in 38c and 42c, and the 38c Shikoro.
I thought of another option, the Specialized Sawtooth in 700 x 42. A little more tread than the Refuse, modern construction (tubeless ready if you should need it), seems to be a good balance between fast rolling and touring durability. MSRP is $40.
If you want cheap, fat, and fast, the Resist Nomad 700 x 45 (really more like 40mm) is usually sub-$25. I loved these tires until I switched over to tubeless.
I have a 18-22 mile (each way) commute that I ride almost every day, with weekend gravel rides. I have run the Gravel King's and G-One's , the Gravel Kings got me 1,336 miles, I rotated front to rear at about 650 miles in, then I ran the G-One's, which I got about 1,674 miles, I rotated these at about 750 miles. After riding those, I went to the Sawtooth tires, which I'm currently riding. A local shop had them for $29/each, which is really hard to beat. I will say they are closer to 45mm wide, so if you have restrictions on your frame, be aware of that. All of that said, I think the Sawtooth tires will last 2,000+ miles due to the composition of rubber and the tread pattern, but I'll report back when I rotate.
I have a specialized dealer close by so I will take a look at the sawtooth, after checking to make sure I have the clearance. One other tire I came across is the Soma Shikoro 42c, which may be closer to 40c when mounted.
mr_slow wrote:I have a 18-22 mile (each way) commute that I ride almost every day, with weekend gravel rides. I have run the Gravel King's and G-One's , the Gravel Kings got me 1,336 miles, I rotated front to rear at about 650 miles in, then I ran the G-One's, which I got about 1,674 miles, I rotated these at about 750 miles. After riding those, I went to the Sawtooth tires, which I'm currently riding. A local shop had them for $29/each, which is really hard to beat. I will say they are closer to 45mm wide, so if you have restrictions on your frame, be aware of that. All of that said, I think the Sawtooth tires will last 2,000+ miles due to the composition of rubber and the tread pattern, but I'll report back when I rotate.
Wow, I'm impressed. I've done that, but it takes a lot of time! Still, for my commute tire I use Conti Gatorskin or 4-season. Gravel tires tend to wear out too quickly when riding several hundred miles a week.
Apologies for the slow response here, I have the 700×40C Marathon Plus Tour on my hybrid and while they are fast, ljsmith is correct: they are very harsh on uneven surfaces. Perfectly fine grip in the woods or on the gravel but the protection layer makes them extremely rigid and at recommended pressure they feel like solid stone.
Don't know if this would apply to you or not, but you might find that the 120 TPI version of xplor makes all the difference in the world (i.e., it's not the width that's the problem, it's the 60 TPI casing). I would also think the Challenge Gravel Grinder sounds perfect for what you described, very fast on pavement, supple casing, and great for the tow path.
I have the 700x50 Schwalbe Supreme and find them to be moderately stiff riding and moderately heavy. I don't recommend these unless the user is seeking a tire for cross-county touring and want an especially durable and flat resistant tire. \n\n\n\n\n
I ended up buying the Soma Shikoro 42c tires. After the arrive and I have a few miles on them I'll provide an update for those who may be interested. Thanks for all the comments and thoughts.
