Tire suggestion for gravel racing Fargo

I have Supple Vitesse SLs on my Otso and they're great for road or mellow gravel.  The wider the tire the less tread you need.

However, if your gravel is chunky or sharp it'll eat up the tires pretty quick as they are thin.  The EX model might be better, but Cazaderos would be better still.  

Thanks, I'm thinking Thunder Burts or G One Allround in the 2.25" size, tubeless.  Maybe a bit overkill but I don't think they will be that much slower than a 40mm in the big picture.

stud.beefpile wrote:I'm rolling a 2016 X9 Fargo (red).

I live in northeast Kansas, and have tried all sorts of "gravel" tires, from Panaracer Gravel Kings (40's) to Clement MSO's (40's) to Maxxis Ikons to Marathon Mondials to WTB Riddlers (45). . .

For what it's worth, check out bicyclerollingresistance.com if you're considering mountain bike tires.

I would second the Schwalbe Thunder Burt as a racing option.  I ran the Snakeskin version for the DK 200 in 2017, and was very pleasantly surprised with their speed, weight, volume, and traction. 

I'd been training on Maxxis Ikon EXO TR (2.35 front and 2.2 in back), and I switched over to a new set of Thunder Burts (2.25 front and 2.1 back) for the DK.  I finished and had no issues with them whatsoever.  They're still mounted up holding air in our (very chilly) detached garage with no sealant top-ups or punctures since I mounted them the night before DK.  They are competitive weight-wise with Specialized Trigger Pro's and Gravel Kings, and give you a nice boost with contact patch over those tires, while being VERY fast rolling.

I commuted on a (different) used set of Thunder Burts I'd purchased off of eBay for a month and a half in Albuquerque this past summer (August and September), and didn't run into any issues with their durability in that time.  I've read lots of folks being concerned with rapid wear and light weight, and I understand and share those reservations, but they've treated me well.  I didn't notice particularly quick wear for mostly asphalt commuting.  They aren't Marathon Mondials durability-wise, but they sealed up easily with Orange Seal, and rolled fast and reliably for me.

stud.beefpile wrote:Zman, I'd say you're just as experienced as I am. Experiences with tires (for me) are subjective, as all I've got to go off of is my experience and what little quantitative and qualitative data I can glean from a handful of websites and anecdotal user experiences. . . I've ridden several tires, but not enough to wear them out - just enough to get a feel for what I like (or don't like) and what holds up for my style of riding. The G-Ones (in my mind) have been positioned as more of a gravel tire in the ~38mm width, but here's a link: https://www.schwalbetires.com/bike_tires/racing_tires/G-ONE_Speed It appears that there are a range of options from 30-60mm currently. . . The Thunder Burts have been positioned as a XC mountain bike tire: https://www.schwalbetires.com/bike_tires/off-road_tires/thunder_burt But given the crossovers between XC, "adventure", beach racing (in the case of the G-One), and gravel applications, some tires are getting second looks for different genres of bicycling. I'm a fan of the Thunder Burts for the qualities I previously described, as well as their tread pattern. The side knobs (in my experience) help in digging in in (and across) transitions from loose gravel to buffed down double- and triple-tracks here in the Midwest. The small-knobbed center treads are fast-rolling when you're riding in one of the buffed-down double- or triple-tracks (in gravel roads) or on pavement. I can rumble from one side of a gravel road to the other with Thunder Burts with solid confidence in their line-holding abilities, as well as bomb a loose gravel downhill without fear of a lone piece of gravel pinging out from under one of my tires, and sending me into the ditch or a barbed wire fence row. I love the speed of the Gravel Kings, but their rounded profile (which appears similar to the G-One) doesn't provide me with the same confidence in cornering and transitional crossing capabilities that the Thunder Burts offer. When I look at the rounded casing of the G-Ones, I have similar reservations about their capabilities regarding cornering and transitioning between buff double- or triple-track lines and the loose gravel in between (e.g Dirty Kanza 200 or Pony Express 120 roads), and taking loose gravel downhills at speed. I'm inclined to encourage anyone with adequate clearance to run Thunder Burts to do so, while any number of other folks might encourage someone to use a different tire based on their experiences.

stud.beefpile wrote:Zman, I'm a regular reader of Riding Gravel and Gravel Cyclist. It's always interesting to read other folks' perspectives on the gravel phenomenon here in the Midwest! I've wanted to do the Pony Express, but it's always been when I'm working post-wildfire monsoon (flood) season in the Southwest in August-September. As Guitar Ted has said, we have an abundance of capable gravel tires these days, and I don't think you'd go wrong with any of those tires in a tubeless format. I know multiple folks (including my wife) running Trigger Pros that are very happy with them, and I'd personally recommend the Gravel Kings. One thing that is a factor for me that doesn't appear to be as much of an issue for most of my gravel-riding compatriots is that I weigh in the neighborhood of 200-210ish lbs. before I add in my liquids and calories and tools on my bicycle. Loaded up to cover 50 miles (at around 10-12 mph), me and my bike probably weigh in around 250-260 lbs. with liquids and calories and supplies. For the loose gravel we have in Northeast Kansas, that kind of weight on skinny 700x40's cuts through the gravel, and seems to result in a comparative loss of momentum and power-to-ground transfer for me. I'm a lateral gravel launcher when I ride 40's, whereas when I run tires in the 29x2.1-ish neighborhood, I float on top, similar to the other riders who run in the 150-170 lbs. range on 700x35-40's. The Thunder Burts aid in me having closer to a similar level of exertion for my size as lighter riders on skinnier tires.