Aaah, makes sense it was on the Compass site.

I know! It's so tempting! I think the last time I looked they were only $60 per at my local bike shop, but it might have been because they were Compass branded tires.

Well, here is my $0.02. Or in this case $140.00. I put the RTP on my Alpina Team and they are pretty great. They are quiet, comfortable and feel much easier to get up to and maintain speed than my Continental Cross Kings. On the road, they are very nice. On the crushed granite paths, they are also nice, with adequate grip. I am a fan. My LBS guy has been on the RTP for 1000s of miles and his side walls have held up to plenty of gravel. I'm not sure yet if I want to take it on the local single track. There are a few sharp rocks and 70 bucks a pop is scary.

I'm confused when people talk about Rene Herse slicks being "quiet." One of the things I like about them is their loud road hum, much like how the womp womp of a disc wheel can be pleasing. My RTP ELs roar on most types of pavement, and even hum a little on some fine gravel.

I am comparing the RTP to nobbies. But yes, there is a loud hum compared to my 23mm GP4000s on my road bike with alloy rims. I have no experience with deep rims (CXP 33 are my deep aero rims;)).

I rather like the hum of my Kenda Small Block 8s.

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/06...g?v=1524145819

I bought a bike for my girlfriend that came with 26x1.4 Michelin Protek tires ... does anyone have experience with these? They look OK but don't seem 100% round, it takes some work (and high inflation) to get the reflective strip to stay outside the rim. They look like they'll be good if a little slow on the road ...

How do these compare to Schwalbe CX Pro 26x1.35"? The CX Pros seem knobbier but thinner, and are apparently lighter than the Proteks. Would the CX Pros be slower on the road vs the Proteks? The CX Pro rubber feels somewhat suppler.

We'll be doing roads and trails about equally. I wonder if 26" folding Paselas might be better, the Compass Naches Pass also look pretty nice.

Another good tire, is Serfa Drifters (road slicks). I got a pair of 26” x 1.5s quite awhile ago now, on a bike I bought cheap for parts. I put one on the front, as a “temporary” thing, and it’s still in great shape, after crossing Arizona, and coming up most of California. 👍 I’m on my 3rd new tire on the rear since then, maybe I should’ve kept both. 🤔

I'm guessing a huge percentage of the bikes we are recovering never saw dirt. Their trail tires functioned for the owner essentially as playing cards in the spokes, a sound on pavement that made them happy. If slicks keep them out of landfills, well and good.

specialmonkey , what bike does she have? Can it take a wider tire? What kind of trails are you looking at riding? My Maxxis DTH's are in the mail, hopefully here soon; they might suit her riding if the bike can fit them.

I have these too, they work great. Also come in 2.0's or at least it did 5 years ago when I purchased them. My wife's have the smaller size.

I like the michelin protek rolls really good and grips well too, no flats while I was using them.

Thanks for the info Korina , it's a '93 Bridgestone XO-3, we're doing roads and trails, some hairier than others. I'm thinking anything will be a compromise. The trails are likely not to be very bumpy/loose/hairy because we don't prefer those. She has noticed the 26x1.4 Michelin Proteks are slower on the road compared to her 27x1 1/8" Panaracer Urban Max tires. The Maxxis DTH tread looks to have a similarly assertive tread as the Michelin Proteks.

Oneder Thanks for the info!

I really like the Swift Ripp Johnson JR. Made by Panaracer, rolls quiet on pavement, great in gravel and dirt. Currently $20. I wish they still carried them in gum wall, but for $20... https://www.swifttire.com/product/sw...folding-black/
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...23aed661aa.jpg


https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...e8a7208b94.jpg

I like the Kenda Small Block 8's on my off-pavement bike; they roll well on the road and are nice and grippy without being super aggressive. Pic in post #30 .

Whichever tire you choose, may I suggest you try a 2"+? Wide tires give a faster, cushier, and more stable ride. And please, let us know what you get!

I have Continental Town & Country's on my commuter. Seem to wear pretty well, good traction, smooth riding, decent price. The tread looks kind of weird, but it's not a problem for me.

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...170a9560c2.jpg

What kind of pavement do you ride on?

I really like the concept of the Surly Extra Terrestrial, but they are useless for heavily loaded touring because they wear out too quick and there are some QC with the moulding processes in that soft casing rubber sometimes fills the tread blocks..
I'm currently trialing Schwalbe Moto-X, but in a twist and a first for me with Schwalbe, one of them has a moulding issue too, with a deformed casing, so I'm waiting on that to be resolved.
My 26" dream tyre would be something like a 2.5 x 26" with a large volume casing, tubeless, a Kevlar protection belt to stop cuts propagating, no thick puncture guard to decrease weight and rolling resistance (relying on the tubeless to fix thorn and nail punctures) and a tread in between the ET and the Moto-X, maybe a closer spaced centre tread from the Moto-X with open side blocks from the ET.

Pretty much everything, really, except for rocky dirt trails, though I think they'd do passably well there, too. They even do reasonably well in snow. They're thick enough that goatheads usually can't pierce all the way through, which is a big help on my commute.

IIRC, these tires are standard issue for a lot of bicycle cops.

Eh, I agree with you if the bike has a suspension fork. Vintage MTBs are basically flat bar touring bikes. Even if it's a newer bike you can add a rigid fork and give it a new life. I have a buddy that converted a Schwinn Homegrown to a bikepacking bike with a Troll fork and that thing was awesome.

Have you seen the Serfas Drifter City? The tread is close enough that I thought they licensed it from Continental, but looks like maybe it's just a copy cat. They are about the same price and nearly the same weight. The Serfas is 20 grams lighter in wire bead in a 26". Looks like you can get it with a reflective stripe and in 27.5 and 700c. Might be irrelevant to you but I thought they looked interesting when I stumbled across them. https://www.serfas.com/shop/products...fter-city-ctr/

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...4727ceb41e.png

This looks cool. Nice smooth center stripe. Are they any slower on the road than slicks?

Gotta put a word in for the Schwalbe Fat Frank 2.35s. I’ve got them mounted to Sun RhynoLites, and they are muy bueno. I’ve found myself commuting on them with around 25 psi. Nice on pavement, not too bad offroad, haven’t had any flats, and they were really cheap. I think they’re almost as tall as a road tire, but I haven’t measured.
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...9ba6cae53.jpeg

Interesting tread pattern. And it's hard to argue with the price at around$17.

https://www.bikeinn.com/f/13684/1368...-guard-sbc.jpg

Those Fat Franks do look nice & fat, alright. 😁👍 I wouldn’t mind trying those, if I could find a bike shop that’s open and sells them. 🤔