Breadfan

If I go with RH it will be the standard casing. I don’t want to push my luck, Good call.

chaadster

What is “sidewall wear-out?” That’s not a thing I’ve ever heard of, so what are the symptoms and issues to do with sidewalls “wearing out?”

Kapusta

I believe he said they were starting to split. I would guess along the cross hatching lines. I did not ask for details.

I imagine this is a rather unusual occurrence, but RH EL sidewalls are unusually thin. Like tissue paper thin.

Polaris OBark

If you ride with under-inflated RH tires, the sidewalls can collapse a bit when cornering, giving the tire a squirming sensation. It also damages the side-walls. This is visible, especially on the inside of the tire, and may make it more permeable to some sealants.

chaadster

Ah…underinflation damage. I was thinking that I’ve been riding Extralights the past couple-or-three seasons and haven’t seen any sidewall wear-out, but I definitely don’t ride them under-inflated, so maybe that’s it. I’ve been riding standard casing RH longer, and my 650b are kind of chronically underinflated since they’re tubeless and just don’t seal up all that great. They’ve got the heavier coated sidewalls, of course, but they look fine, although I’ve not pulled them to inspect inside,

tFUnK

Conti Terra and Soma Supple Vitesse are the two fastest gavel tires I've ridden.

Polaris OBark

I've got some wider 650b 48mm and 44mm (treaded) EL on my off-road wheel-set, which I keep quite under-inflated and squishy, and they have been absolutely fine.

Breadfan

Terra Speed? I’m riding Terra Trail 40mm at present.

t2p

Terra Speed roll surprisingly well on pavement and will be faster than your Terra Trail - knobs are smaller

Terra Speed will also weigh less - although difference might actually be minimal ... Terra Speed weights can vary in 40mm size especially - I have 40’s that weigh around 410g and other 40’s that weigh between 450-460g (black wall and cream wall) ... 40mm Terra Trails weighed around 470g

Terra Speed can run small - the 40’s measure around 38mm installed on my bikes ... the 35’s measure around 33mm ...

Terra Speed 35mm is lighter and might roll better than Terra Speed 40 - but the actual width might not be meet your requirements ... they are also not the most puncture resistant tire - but still a good notch above a GK slick (for example)

Wildwood 

I bought some 33mm back a couple weeks ago - and still on sale @ Somafab.

Breadfan

The 700x38 Panaracer Gravel King Slick+ looks interesting also.

tyrion

If speed is important to you, don't get the + version. I had the Semi-slick+ and it was kind of dead feeling.

HTupolev

When there's a "plus" in the name of a tire to indicate extra protection, it's a strong indicator that the tire is sacrificing a large amount of suppleness and performance for the extra durability.

stevel610 

Yes, though $103/108 on BTD right now and 445grams.. And I love my 28 & 32c GP5000'S.

Would probably try the $48 35c Grand Prix Urban which are said to be the GP5000 in a 35c, and 335grams.

t2p

GP Urban runs really small - I mounted one and pulled it off immediately after measuring it @ approx 31 mm

on a wider rim might be around 32-33 mm ?


unfortunate if the 35mm GP5K AS weighs 445 g - the GP4S weight penalty is not as significant (but 32mm is the max)

elcruxio

I too run Conti Terra Speeds. According to testing they're not the fastest tire in that category (still pretty high up there regardless) but I chose them because of the flawless tubeless implementation continental has. That in and on itself for me is worth the few extra watts.

When I use tubeless I use schwalbe or continental simply because they seem to have that stuff figured way better than anyone else.

Breadfan

You know, I thought I was just lucky at my first very successful attempt going tubeless, even with just a hand pump and without sealant, but it seems the Conti tires had everything to do with it. I feel very confident on those tires.

chaadster

Well, Hutchinson certainly deserve to be considered among the very best in that regard, and they were the pioneers, but there are many others who've provided me excellent tubeless experiences, including Michelin, IRC, and-- unsurprisingly, because they're made by Hutchinson-- Mavic.

I too am a Schwalbe fan, and although I probably won't bother to try Conti for a variety of reasons, I'm glad to hear that they've come from way behind and are finally doing tubeless at a high level.

rm -rf

I thought the Compass (now RH) Barlow Pass 38 ultralight were great. Fast on paved roads, plush on rough pavement. Perfect for crushed stone rail trails, where it efficiently floats on the surface of the trail. (There's very few gravel roads nearby to ride, so no review of that.)
But one tire developed a bulge. I don't think I ever hit anything with it to cause the failure.

prj71

Yup. Conti Terra speed is what I put on my Domane when I want to ride gravel. 700 x 40. Would take them over the RH any day.

tFUnK

Adding Schwalbe G-One to the mix. They came on a used bike that I purchased and fell pretty fast in a 35mm. I don't ride them because they're too narrow for me but there's no denying they're quick and grippy tires. For comparison, a new 35mm G-One felt faster and grippier than a worn 40mm Terra Speed (and you know how much I love the Terras).

Breadfan

I should have bough the Terra Speed to begin with and not the Terra Trails.

tFUnK

If you ride the Trails for a few months it will wear into the Speeds 😁

mattcalifornia

This topic is relevant to me. I'm looking to put some faster, plusher, 36-38mm tubeless slicks on my commuter bike. I have some Rene Herse Snoqualmie Pass 44mm on my alternate gravel bike wheels. They are definitely nice tires, but they are pretty porous and seem to lose pressure all the time. Also (and this may seem dumb), but my commuter bike is "murdered out" in all black, as the kids say, so I don't want tan sidewalls. RH seems to only make blacks in the Extra Light casing, which seems like a bad choice for this application.

Any thoughts on the WTB Exposure 36mm? I have WTB Ventures on my gravel bike, and they have been great. But I've read some mixed reviews on the Exposures as tubeless. I also have Conti GP5000 TL on my road bike, and those have been great. Looking for good recs. Thanks.

Germany_chris

I commute on RH extralights in 38