Metieval

who has compared these tires.....

Is it worth paying more for Compass?

what if we throw extralight into the discussion

$80 vs $40

I am also looking for opinions on either tire even if someone has never ridden both. Thanks

MPE

I have a set of the Compass extra-light Barlow Pass, 700x38. I used tubes at the time. They are really nice, smooth and fast. I did a charity century road ride and then a few weeks later a 35 mile gravel ride. All I did was let some air out for the gravel. I have a set of the Panaracer 700x38 (file tread) hanging in the garage. I have not used them yet, but they were such a good buy, I had to get them. I plan on mounting them tubeless either when the Compass tires wear out. Right now I am running GKSK 700x38 tubeless and I really like them on the gravel and not bad on the road. Overall the Compass Barlow Pass are nice tires, but they are pricey. I am sorry I have not mounted up the GK yet to give you a better report.

redlude97

In the other thread on the topic, it seemed like there was maybe a bad/slow batch of the barlow pass, but at least on paper they should be faster and more supple. I'm very happy with my GKs FWIW set up tubeless, I'd only run the compass tires tubeless because of how fragile and thin the tread is.

rgconner

Split the difference: SOMA Fabrications, made by Panaracer, but more supple and checkerboard pattern:

Tires | SOMA Fabrications

kingston 

I have ridden both tires. Gravel Kings are nice tires, Compass tires are nicer and the ELs are even nicer. You get what you pay for. My randonneuring bikes have Compass ELs so I think it's worth it, and I'm pretty cheap, but I'm also riding hundreds of miles a day for several days in a row. I supported a 1200k last weekend and the ride mechanic brought a big box of gravel kings which he called acceptable ride quality at a reasonable price.

Spoonrobot 

700c GK slicks are fine. They're a little more true to width than Compass but are a little shorter. They also don't seem to suffer the same issues once they get high mileage. My Compass tires running tubeless get more supple and start leaking minute amounts of sealant from the sidewall after about 1500 miles - about half their life. They also required more PSI to maintain the same sag/performance during cornering. When the tires were newer they were good at 32-35psi, now that they're older and more worn they need 38-40psi. This is a problem as it's getting right on the border of max tubeless pressure for my rims.

GK slicks did not have any issues with sealant leakage, nor did they get appreciably more supple over their life. They're also much cheaper and do not roll or ride as well. Compass tires were more comfortable on gravel and faster overall. No traction difference was noted.

Both set up tubeless dry with a regular floor pump.

I've mentioned this elsewhere but also note the 650b GK slicks are a vastly worse tire than the 700c GK slicks. I would avoid all 650b versions for now. They are extremely stiff and ride very poorly.

From what I've seen the Soma tires are essentially the GKs but with a tougher sidewall - weight and handfeel seems to confirm. The 700cx38 model is 430+ grams. So almost as expensive as Compass, much more than the GKs and probably worse rolling but maybe tougher? I wouldn't bother with them unless bicycle rolling resistance does a test and they show something good.

Cyclist0108

I've never tried the Panaracer, but I have the 38mm Compass extra-lights on my bike (both versions -- slicks on one wheelset, and knobbies on the other) and they are both exceptional tires, by far the best I have owned. I also put a set of the 38mm slicks on my wife's bike, and it was a real improvement for her.

Another plus is that they really improve how the bike looks.




vs.

Metieval

I probably should have bookmarked that single post. I am having a hard time finding it.

vitaly66

I have a couple sets of the compass tires, in 32s and 38s, standards not extra lights.

They are fair enough -- on those occasions when they actually hold air.

Extremely delicate though, I have had miserable experiences with punctures. I stopped riding them because -- after one ride with 3 flats in 40 miles -- going out with them felt too much like russian roulette.

So far much better luck with the panaracer gk, smooth treads in 32 (and they are a true 32, unlike the 30mm of the compass 32s). I rode them with full confidence on a century just a couple weeks ago.

In wider tires, I still love love love the continental speed ride in 42mm.