while we’re talking tires…good compromise between gravel and slick?

[Tania]

Got a super fun new bike and it came with Schwalbe Sammy Slicks 35s. No issues with them really although I put my Michelin Pro 4’s on there the other day because I had planned to get up stupidly early and ride some hills with the Bikenetic crew. I slept in instead.

Anyway, the Pro4’s are still on there (23’s) and coming in this am I was hesitant to hop off the W&OD and onto the gravel side track (sad face). It’s a beautiful afternoon and I’d like to go up the C&O to Chain Bridge and then suffer up 41st but…skinny Pro 4’s and I only have one tube with me.

Again, no issues with the Schwalbes, just wondering if there’s a better middle ground tire that lets me take some super fun detours on my super fun new bike during my daily commute.

[83b]

I tried 30+mm Challenge Strada Bianca’s, but had sidewall tears with three of them over as many months.

But then I switched to 33mm Compass Stampede Pass Extralites this season and have been very pleased. They were fast enough for sporty road rides but still had enough loft to get out on the C&O Canal. If I had a schmancy new Warbird I’d put on a set of those or the 35mm or 38mm variants (they also have 26mm and 28mm versions, but I’m a bigger dude and didn’t really consider those).

[jabberwocky]

I’ve ridden the C&O many times on the road bike with 23mm slicks. Its fine. I probably wouldn’t want to ride for hours like that, but georgetown to 41st is no problem whatsoever.

[Tania]

@jabberwocky 126146 wrote:

I’ve ridden the C&O many times on the road bike with 23mm slicks. Its fine. I probably wouldn’t want to ride for hours like that, but georgetown to 41st is no problem whatsoever.

If I get a flat tonight on my ride home we’re gonna have words. Especially if I’m late for chili.

[ShawnoftheDread]

@jabberwocky 126146 wrote:

I’ve ridden the C&O many times on the road bike with 23mm slicks. Its fine. I probably wouldn’t want to ride for hours like that, but georgetown to 41st is no problem whatsoever.

Yes, I ride the C&O to Chain Bridge on slicks too. Not a problem.

[hozn]

I’ve ridden a fair bit of gravel on slicks (GP4000S mainly) and it’s fine. You’ll slice up your sidewalls and eventually probably flat, but it’s not something to be terrified about. Emboldened by jabberwocky’s advice, I’ve started taking my slicks on mtb trails too, but just briefly. I haven’t done the whole LakeFairfax route yet; mostly I’m afraid of being late to pick up my son from preschool if I have multiple flats.

I’m still enjoying my Schwalbe One tubeless tires. They’re fast. And yet they do seem very durable. (Duranos are also very durable & grippy, but noticeably slower rolling.) I would not be scared of riding gravel (esp. light gravel like the C&O) on these.

[Crickey7]

I ride the C&O for about 20-30 miles every other weekend. I run 700x32c small block knobbies, cyclocross tires. Good balance of the various trade-offs.

[Subby]

That’s one of my regular commuting routes and I run 700×32 continental gatorskin slicks. Zero flats, lots of rides.

[TwoWheelsDC]

Thanks to Dickie I can confirm how well 23s actually hold up on gravel much more gnarly than the towpath….IME, the issue with the towpath and skinny tires is comfort and potentially sinking in wet dirt, but there really isn’t anything there that makes me worry about punctures.

[sethpo]

@hozn 126151 wrote:

I’m still enjoying my Schwalbe One tubeless tires. They’re fast. And yet they do seem very durable. (Duranos are also very durable & grippy, but noticeably slower rolling.) I would not be scared of riding gravel (esp. light gravel like the C&O) on these.

You mentioned these before and I was very intrigued so I did some research. It seems that they are coming out with a One Pro tubeless in 2016 but as far as I can tell it’s not available yet. I was planning on waiting for them. Have you heard/seen anything on those?

[KLizotte]

I have ridden from Georgetown to Great Falls Park and back on the C&O many times without any problems on 25s slicks (Armadillo Elites which are reinforced with Kevlar and kinda bomb proof). I’ve never worried about flatting or damage to the tires; biggest drawback is the bumpiness of the ride but I doubt there is that much difference between 25s and 35s. That said, I’ve only ridden the trail when it was dry. Overall, I find the trail to be quite smooth once you get about three miles outside Georgetown.

[hozn]

@sethpo 126163 wrote:

You mentioned these before and I was very intrigued so I did some research. It seems that they are coming out with a One Pro tubeless in 2016 but as far as I can tell it’s not available yet. I was planning on waiting for them. Have you heard/seen anything on those?

Yeah, I saw that these were coming out, but have not seen them yet anywhere. I plan to swap my road bike to those (or maybe a 25mm set of the regular ones) once I wear through my current set of GP4000s.

Edit: I just ordered a set of these in 23mm for the road bike — in addition to an extra 28mm for the commuter. 2k miles now and the rear still looks decent, so longevity seems good [for a performance tire].

[Tania]

I just don’t like the feel of 23’s on the new bike. The new bike is supposed to be plush and comfy, making me feel like I can roll over and through anything. And the 23’s make it too rough for my taste.

I also realized I had two flats with two different sets of Sammy Slicks – one was a pinch flat (pot hole) but the other was a puncture from piece of glass; this was on my current folding set which are soft and pliant. Great ride feel but potentially bad for commuting.

So I’ll probably initially go with fatter gators for every day rides. Or always carry a few tubes and stick with the Sammy Slicks. I do like how they ride.

[Powerful Pete]

Don’t go with the Gators. Cycling is meant to be fun. Honestly, a less enjoyable riding tire is yet to be invented.

Another vote for fatty Schwalbes. I am impressed with the regular 32 Duranos. Not great, but not half bad either.

I would put in a vote for the tubeless set that hozn mentioned, if your wheels are tubeless ready.

[notlost]

My “compromise” tires right now are a pair of Conti Tour Rides or something like that. They claim to be 37c, but my caliper tells me they’re really 33c at 60 psi. It’s a fairly heavy tire that hasn’t ever flatted on me, and have had no issue riding roads, the GAP/canal down from Pitt, and some singletrack.

Once these wear out (which will likely be a while) I’m looking at Schwalbe Marathon Racers (28c).

[Author]

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