Soundtallica

I ride my CX bike everywhere. I love not being confined to asphalt and being able to go down an unknown dirt track if I want. As a result, I now ride my cyclocross bike everywhere and hardly touch my road bike anymore (except for when I have a road race). However, one thing has eluded me: a perfect tire that would enhance my experience even more.

Since I live in Boulder, CO where the dirt is very dry and very well maintained, I've found a large volume tire with little to no tread is enough to handle it while still being fast on the road (hate the feeling of CX knobbies on pavement). I've been riding Forte Metro K's that are supposed to be 35c but measure more at 32-33c. They are great: they grip well, roll well, and are hard wearing. However, they are a bit heavy at 390 grams. Also, they are wire beaded, so I can't set them up tubeless.

Any recommendations for 30c and fatter road tires would be great! I'm specifically looking for something that's a bit lighter than the Metro K's without sacrificing too much durability. Tubeless compatibility would be nice although not totally necessary. If it helps, I'll also include the type of rider I am: I am a Cat 3 road racer, so I love speed above everything else, but I also have an adventurous streak and love riding dirt roads or singletrack on either my CX or road bike during training rides. I train with a power meter and have a full racing schedule every spring/summer.

ddeand 

This type of tire has been discussed quite a bit in the Cyclocross and Gravel Forum - maybe check there for some extended recommendations. For me, I've found that Clement X'Plor USH (120tpi) tires work really well and are pretty fast.

Soundtallica

Ah, but it hasn't. The tires discussed in the CX/gravel forum tend toward mixed terrain tires skewed toward the off-road side of gravel riding. I'm looking for a tire skewed towards the pavement (a really fat road tire with little to no tread) that is durable enough to venture offroad, since I value speed highly. Thanks for the USH suggestion, I hear those are great tires but those still have too much tread for my liking.

ThermionicScott 

More and more people are singing the praises of Grand Bois/Compass tires in the bigger sizes, ridden off-road. I haven't tried 'em yet, but they sound like the ticket -- fast on the road, but just enough tread to help in the dirt (provided it hasn't turned into mud!) The tread patterns are very reminiscent of classic tubular tires.

I used to have a lowly set of 700x30 Kenda Kwicks that turned into a nearly-perfect combo tire as they wore out. The center of the tread wore smooth, and I clipped the side knobs shorter so the tires would roll a little smoother in corners, but still grab a little off-road:

ddeand 

OK - how about something like the Continental Sport Contact II. I used a set of these on pavement, gravel, river bottoms, and single track (although, the tires and bike held up better than me on the rough stuff). I had the 700c x 37 size and ran them at about 80psi. The earlier iteration (Sport Contact I?) was totally treadless.

continental bicycle Sport CONTACT II

TGUTTY

Possibly a Schwalbe Sammy Slick?

ddeand 

My present CX bike came with Sammy Slicks, and they were much smoother riding than I thought they'd be. But I still changed them out for the USHs which roll more smoothly and are faster. The Sammys get used on gravel events.

fietsbob

jack brown 33.3 wide , here ... light supple, for nice paved rides..

Have WTB Allterrainasaurus 32 , good for gravel , long wearing , low cost, a bit slower on pavement (tread blocks move a bit)

hig4s

Have you looked at Maxxis Overdrive.

SkyDog75

I've been using my cyclocross bike on pavement, with occasional rides on packed dirt or gravel. I've been really happy with Panaracer T-Serv tires on that bike. I'm running 28's, but they also come in 32 & 35.

wvridgerider

I have Gatorskins,32c, for the road and gravel. Work great

Soundtallica

Thanks everyone. Thus far the Jack Browns look best suited for my needs, but they're a bit expensive... The T-servs look good too. I'll try both.

badger1

32, 35, 38 ... your choice. Probably the quickest you can get in those sizes. Expensive, but you get what you pay for.

https://www.compasscycle.com/product...ts/tires/700c/

pacificaslim

Challenge Strada Bianca, 30mm.