Originally Posted by
bigevil
there's been so much helpful data and opinion here, but I think like many eluded to it's really so much about personal preference and experience. For now I'm going to stick to these tires cause I freaking LOVE em.
Yeah, there are many factors that can matter. I wore out a pair of Compass (pre-RH) Rat Trap Pass 26er tires. They are the fastest rolling 26ers I’ve ridden and probably the fastest around. I’ve since replaced them with Continental Contact Speed 26x2.0 for my smooth tires (and also use 26x2.2 Race King Protection in mud, where the RTP is worthless.)
The choice to use the Contact Speed is based on their advantages: 1) about 1000x easier to get on and off the rim and seated properly, 2) flat protection layer, 3) less than half the price, 4) seem to handle better on pavement, 5) reflective stripe. There isn’t a large difference in rolling resistance. Really not obvious so not enough to outweigh the advantages of the Contact Speed.
So I would still say the RTP is an amazing tire but it happens not to be the best choice for my rides.
Otto