Originally Posted by
Unsled
Thanks for the answer! I've been very happy with the G-One AAs that I've been using, although they're a size up, for similar riding. Although I've thought it would be better to size down. My main worry is just that the latest edition of the tyres, which apparently use a heavier casing, is that they are much stiffer and roll less well. But if the new tyres work more or less as well as the old ones, I'm happy to stick with them. I also found that the durability was so-so with 38c AAs, but on the other hand I've been impressed that I haven't seen any punctures despite a lot of riding in bad conditions.
Remember there are two quality tiers for the G1 AA: Evolution and Performance, with the Evolution being the top performer. I cannot imagine that Schwalbe would be going backwards on their tire development, especially in the hot gravel segment, so probably whomever was feeding you that information about the latest gen being heavier was confused by the quality tier designations. I would certainly be very suspcious of such claims given Schwalbe's recent range developments; they're even saying their new tires and new Aerothan tubes perform as well as tubeless, a segment which they were pioneers in for road and in which they excute at the top of the pile. You should have no concerns with the newest models aside from selecting the proper tire line, but in any case, if you're worried about watts on the road, probably the G-One Speed (Evolution Line) is worth looking at in the 35c size. I've not used it myself, but the tread pattern, which was launched as the S-One several years ago and which I used, I found it to be a pretty decent tarmac roller and perfect for hardpack gravel. Tread wear was low, but that was pre-Addix, so I cannot comment on whether that has improved with the G-One Speed, but Schwalbe has definitely improved the casing tech since the first S-One; I've also been using several iterations of S-One since that tire was launched, and it remains my favorite road tire in terms of overall performance.