We had an event here, last weekend, called the Hero Gravel Classic. Having rode quite a bit of the course a few weeks prior, on my road bike, with 25c (27mm actual) tires, I gave some consideration to what tires (or bike) I should bring. There would be some fast moving groups of folks I hoped to keep up with, and I didn't want my tire choice to handicap me in any way.
I had a spare wheel set for the gravel bike already set up with 28c tires, but these actually measure 28mm, so hardly a difference from the road bike. Having just got some birthday money, I decided to spring for a new pair of tires.
And what did I get? - Continental GP 4 seasons 32mm.
This turned out to be a really good choice for something that bridges the gap between true road tires and true gravel tires, and makes the most sense to me for the spare gravel wheelset. There are a lot of places in this corner of MN where the gravel roads can be very hard packed and quite smooth and a bigger tire just isn't necessary.
As is the case with other Conti tires, after mounting and riding some, the tire stretched out to 34mm (on 19.5mm internal rims). The 4 season is built heavier than a GP 4000, but lighter than a Gatorskin, and I felt it would hold up to gravel riding just fine. And it did, and does (so far).
And for the icing on the cake, I successfully ran these tubeless. (please don't lecture or ridicule or call me mean names, I know they aren't tubeless tires and I'll probably die) They seemed to fit the rim well, tight enough, but not overly - and they aired up and popped into place instantly, and held air for a fair amount of time, without sealant. I added sealant, aired these up to sit overnight, and ran them the next day.
So there was a problem, but this occurred and the very end of 56 miles. The front tire became low, and I noticed I had struck the rim a couple times on some rocks. I didn't know what had happened, thought it was a puncture, or maybe a burp. I couldn't find any evidence of either, so I popped on the CO2 for some more air and finished the course. Comically, it was only a 1/2 mile, if even that to the actual finish line. Next day I figured out the problem. In my haste the day before, I didn't get the valve seated properly, and that is where the slow leak was happening.
Now the tires are holding air perfectly.
I had a good day on these wheels/tires, and I think I'm going to like these tires. I may run these again on another 50 mile race coming up. I've tried some of the other light tires out there, but they seem too delicate at times, especially tubeless. I feel like these strike a good balance, and am optimistic they will continue to work well, even tubeless.
