Noonievut

I only have one set of wheels for my gravel bike and I'm not looking to add another. I have 700x40 Touareg set up tubeless and so far I've really liked how they perform on the gravel trails and roads that I ride, and on pavement. After 1,500+ KM on mixed surface I'm starting to notice the rear tire wearing very slightly (the centre tread pattern), when compared to the front. The tire still does great on gravel so no complaints there...so far! However, I have this nagging thing where every time I ride this bike on pavement, and in particular a ride where it's mainly pavement and there is some reason I'm not opting for the road bike, that I'm just wearing the tread away and thus ending its effective life on gravel sooner...and its overall life.

One option is I just keep riding them and when they're no longer performing well on gravel, I replace them. They're not expensive and I already have a second set. Maybe I get a full season out of one set? I do ride this bike in winter (paved roads) and if they go a full 12 months that's only like $120 Canadian.

I'm also curious how a slick would perform on the gravel I ride. Assuming it would be far better / longer lasting on pavement, the only deal-breaker is how it performs on some very specific gravel I ride frequently...where I have steep climbs/descents (some of them twisty) on loose gravel. The Touareg have performed fine but even on some climbs I have to stay seated otherwise back tire wants to lose traction (I would assume a slick would be even worse?).

I see/hear experiences where people get 10,000km out of a gravel tire, though I'm not sure where they ride/conditions, etc. I love the idea of set it and forget it!

What have been your experiences in relation to above?