Tire loan library

[anomad]

Continental tires for me all the way. The good handmade German ones.

[hozn]

So, yeah, I’m happy to loan out tires for testing. I posted this on the other thread, but will repost my current inventory here. (I may switch back to using one of these sets, but right now these are available)

What I have to loan:
– Panaracer GravelKing SK 43mm
– Panaracer GravelKing Mud 35mm
– Schwalbe G-One Allround 40mm (aka “38c” for some reason)
– WTB Nano 40mm

– Right now, Compass Barlow Pass 38mm tires. (Eventually I will put these on my bike, but am happy to loan them in the meantime.)
– At some point, I’ll have Schwalbe G-One Speed 30mm tires, when I swap to the Compass (maybe)

What I’d like to try/borrow:
– WTB Riddler
– WTB Resolute
– Anything in 700x48mm size just to see if that’ll clear my frame.

I’m also intrigued by the WTB Exposure 30c or 32c. Probably I’ll get a set of those to compare to my G-One Speed tires once those wear out.

Also, I’ve got lots of yellow tape and am happy to tape up anyone’s rims, should you wish to convert to tubeless. You would just need valve stems (or just cut the stems out of some old inner tubes) and sealant.

[hozn]

@anomad 165203 wrote:

Continental tires for me all the way. The good handmade German ones.

I can’t believe Conti still doesn’t have a road tubeless offering. (Rumor has it that this may finally change next year.) I love their GP4000SII tires, but I like tubeless more. (I’d definitely buy a set of tubeless GP4000SII tires, though, if they were to make them.)

[hozn]

Quick review of the 700x38c Compass Barlow Pass:
– measure 37.5mm on 19mm internal-width rims (Kinlin XR31)
– very easy to mount and seat tubeless. One tire did lose its air overnight, but I also didn’t shake things around much and it was fine riding in to work. The bead is very stretchy, which seems wrong for tubeless (but probably fine at these low pressures?).
– smooth ride. I haven’t played with pressure but started with 35/40 (f/r), which seems fine.
– not faster than a road tire, but feels faster than the G-One tires I was using before (makes sense).
– can’t comment on durability yet.

[ian74]

@hozn 166531 wrote:

Quick review of the 700x38c Compass Barlow Pass:
– measure 37.5mm on 19mm internal-width rims (Kinlin XR31)
– very easy to mount and seat tubeless. One tire did lose its air overnight, but I also didn’t shake things around much and it was fine riding in to work. The bead is very stretchy, which seems wrong for tubeless (but probably fine at these low pressures?).
– smooth ride. I haven’t played with pressure but started with 35/40 (f/r), which seems fine.
– not faster than a road tire, but feels faster than the G-One tires I was using before (makes sense).
– can’t comment on durability yet.

Hey! What does it say on your downtube? It looks like the writing they found on that old viking sword that I saw a NOVA special on. Ulfberht.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulfberht_swords

[hozn]

@ian74 166537 wrote:

Hey! What does it say on your downtube? It looks like the writing they found on that old viking sword that I saw a NOVA special on. Ulfberht.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulfberht_swords

Good eye; that’s exactly what it is!

[peterw_diy]

Thanks for the review.

I’m trying to imagine how you could possibly feel the difference between 9mm QR and through axle setups when you’re running a 1.5″ 700c tire at 35psi…

[hozn]

@peterw_diy 166552 wrote:

Thanks for the review.

I’m trying to imagine how you could possibly feel the difference between 9mm QR and through axle setups when you’re running a 1.5″ 700c tire at 35psi…

Oh, that’s easy; I just stand up and rock the bars a bit and then listen for the rotor rubbing

But, yes, I decided on the way home that these supple tires need a bit more air to not just feel sloshy.

I should have mentioned in my brief review that these are the “standard” casing (not extra light). I figured these Compass tires have enough of a reputation for no-flat-protection that I didn’t need to go even thinner/lighter.

I swear it feels like these new wheels are slow to turn, but haven’t actually tracked down whether there is possibly some drag somewhere. They freewheel without any extra drag, though, so this must be my legs that are tired.

[hozn]

@hozn 166554 wrote:

But, yes, I decided on the way home that these supple tires need a bit more air to not just feel sloshy.

They felt much better at the recommended-for-me 45/50psi this AM — and felt quicker too, whatever they may claim about lower pressure being just as fast on supple tires.

[hozn]

@hozn 166531 wrote:

Quick review of the 700x38c Compass Barlow Pass:
– measure 37.5mm on 19mm internal-width rims (Kinlin XR31)
– very easy to mount and seat tubeless. One tire did lose its air overnight, but I also didn’t shake things around much and it was fine riding in to work. The bead is very stretchy, which seems wrong for tubeless (but probably fine at these low pressures?).
– smooth ride. I haven’t played with pressure but started with 35/40 (f/r), which seems fine.
– not faster than a road tire, but feels faster than the G-One tires I was using before (makes sense).
– can’t comment on durability yet.

To follow up, I’ve put around 800 miles on these tires.

Quick notes:
– Haven’t gotten any flats. Have not tried riding on Lake Fairfax singletrack, but after riding a fair bit of gravel this morning, I’m not actually afraid to do that.
– They do, however, tend to leak a bit of air when the bike sits for a long time. I suspect at some point I punctured my rear tire and it is being sealed with Stans; during work day pressure would drop to around 30psi (instead of 50psi) — so, rideable, but a little sloshy. I added more sealant and past couple days it hasn’t dropped significantly. But in general these feel like they need more frequent top ups.
– Wear seems very minimal at this stage, which is good. A lot less wear than I see on my G-One tires after riding them this long on pavement.

I’m embarrassed to admit how eye-opening these tires have been. There are some nuanced differences between different treads and widths and tube material on road bike tires, but comparing these tires to something similar in size and fast-ish like a G-One Allround is an apples to oranges comparison. These feel like big, soft road race tires. So far the data says this setup is not quite as fast as my road bike wheels/tires (28mm Schwalbe Pro One on 50mm rims), but they feel very fast. I haven’t taken them to Hains Point Hammerfest to see if I could hang onto the A group, but I suspect I could (especially in the off season). So they really are close enough in speed to a road tire, that I think these are my standard tires now for this bike. They certainly feel a whole lot nicer than the 30mm G-One Speed tires I had been using.

[EasyRider]

@hozn 168277 wrote:

I’m embarrassed to admit how eye-opening these tires have been.

And these are the standard casing, not the black extra-light? I think I’ll have to ask Santa for some!

[hozn]

@EasyRider 168361 wrote:

And these are the standard casing, not the black extra-light? I think I’ll have to ask Santa for some!

That’s right. I am sure the extralite are even softer, but these are an entirely different planet from anything else I have tried. (Even the big 47mm WTB Horizon tires didn’t feel this plush.)

I did some riding on the Towpath (Chain Bridge to Great Falls) on Sunday, as I feel increasingly braver to ride them off-road.

[EasyRider]

I like the Horizons a lot for the towpath between Georgetown and Great Falls. They really eat up the bumps. I recently got some 700×42 Soma Cazaderos that I think should also do nicely there, and perhaps in light snow.

[hozn]

Would love to hear more feedback on Soma tires. These — esp the supple vitesse — sound like they are probably pretty similar to Compass (also Panaracer-made, I believe?). Of course, those at least aren’t any cheaper …

[EasyRider]

@hozn 168457 wrote:

Would love to hear more feedback on Soma tires.

Maiden voyage is tomorrow’s commute, so will have first impressions soon. I got the Cazaderos mainly to max out my frame’s tire clearance, for the slippery-er parts of the Fairfax CCT, and to see if a kinda-knobby 700×42 tire would feel too stable or unsporty on pavement. I’ve been running 700×38 Panaracer Paselas (cheap, wire bead, no flat protection) and am satisfied with them. I think they are a fine tire for the price, and the sidewalls are surprisingly flexible. If the Cazaderos don’t feel noticeably slower than the Paselas and offer some grip, I will be pleased.

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