Broadly somewhat higher-end construction: the Rene Herse tires have a thinner casing fabric made from finer threads, a higher-tier tread rubber compund (I think), and a bead designed to be tubeless-ready. They're also a fairly low-volume product, and they're sold through a Seattle-based brand rather than coming direct from Panaracer. Panaracer manufactures a lot of non-Panaracer-branded tires, including Rene Herse. If you're comparing the Pasela to the Rat Trap Pass, the Rat Trap Pass is also bigger, which sometimes adds a little cost due to the sheer increase in materials.

nice one thanks all

i was wondering would the panaracer look silly small on a mtb ? its not a biggie but was just wondering. hoping not as there soooo light
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so of these 3 which would you choose and why ?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Kenda-K84...MAAOSwxspeV1Wf

https://www.maxxis.com/catalog/tire-490-143-tread-lite

https://www.tredz.co.uk/.Panaracer-P...Tyre_15896.htm

Neither of them is light. They were just examples of maximum armor options.
There's less of it. Bike stuff is usually priced this way. For the hard parts it makes sense, you have to make something A LOT better to get it half the weight. But for the soft parts it just seems kind of malicious sometimes.

Soft parts aren't really any different. If you want to make a tire lighter without functional compromise, you're going to need higher-quality stuff. Like a finer casing fabric, or tread rubber compounds that roll and grip just as well but are longer-wearing so that you can use less of it.

It's not like all expensive lightweight tires are just skimping on tread rubber depth. And Rene Herse isn't really in that boat: for a performance-oriented slick, the centerline tread rubber is isn't unusually thin (casing plus tread at centerline is about 3mm when new, and that's with a very thin casing and no puncture-protection layer). And wide tires are longer-wearing just by being wide; my Rat Trap Pass ELs are the most expensive tire in my stable per tire, but because I get around 5000 miles of tread life out of one, some of the skinny road tires that I use are more expensive per mile. That's... part of how I stomach the cost, I guess. But admittedly, I might be going Standard casing instead of EL if black sidewalls were offered in Standard.

I've been through all these freakin messed up 26" x 2" tires. Some of them are like riding through a glue trap. Slow as hell. Especially with the special "edge tread" or wtf they call it. I discovered these cheap K841A tires years ago. If you pump them up to about 60psi they roll along very nicely. It's all I use on my mountain bikes anymore. They've been making them for years. So, there must be a reason. (They're damn good tires). Sometimes you can find them on sale for around $15 - $20 each.

Riding on Compass/Rene Herse EL tires is best described as being carried by angels on pillows of air.

Angels don’t come cheap these days.

The fastest tire is the one that gets you there without a flat

Only 15 bucks? No one will take that advice that will not make them feel nearly special enough lol

I was going to say option #1 due to Ramzilla's endorsement, plus 2" wide tires would look more at home on a mountain bike with a suspension fork, IMO.

But option #3 looks good as well, as tires of that width can still do some decent off roading if you need to.

I definitely don't like option #2 as I personally like to lean fairly hard in the turns on pavement. Those side knobs wouldn't inspire confidence with me on the bike. I do consider bicycles as all surface vehicles, so I pick tires accordingly, but with a tread design biased towards the street as my current favorite will show.

I guess it comes down to how much you really want to try light weight tires. It's not like a mountain bike with a suspension fork is exactly light weight in itself, though.

UK agent for Rene Herse tires is Sven Cycles, Weymouth, Dorset. If you were able to get a test ride you would never look back.

Are you referring to all the other tires mentioned in this thread?

Because I am highly dubious that anyone who has tried a Rat Trap Pass (or any Compass/RH EL tires) would find them "messed up" and go on to recommend the tire you did as "fast rolling".

Hi Fifty

i am not crazy about the side nobs on option 2 either tbh i was just thinking there lighter than option 1. i would go for option 3 in a heart beat but id im worried there look crazy on a mtb. but ye perfect world id have a hybrid bike as well just atm i cant justify 2 bikes and dont have the space.

Rick after this upgrade i defiantly will be taking a look at your tyres. again will they look silly on a suspension fork?

a part of me is debating the Race King 26" x 2.2 Race Sport. are these tubeless readdy?

long term id like to go for tubeless but if the tyre is as light as say the panaracer i may not bother

i may come see you later this year as im curious rick

Not the lightest but good flat protection. Light tires good for climbing but they are slower on the downhill.
https://www.vittoria.com/us/mezcal-cross-country.html

Man, if looks and a limited budget are so important, you should have led with that. The rest of us had the impression you wanted fast tires.