Where I live a lot of my rides are 60/40 paved/trail. Not necessarily full MTB trail, but a lot of rocks/roots, moderately technical stuff
I’m currently running Dub Race 2.2 on my lauf Seigla and the tires are fantastic across most of the terrain I do. However I’ve found
A. They are probably 2mph slower on pavement
B. The center knobs on the back tire wear out hella quick
Any recommendations for alternate tires to try out? I’m considering keeping a pair of dubs around for race days but having something a little more durable/faster for day to day. However not sure at all that something like a pathfinder pro with a center slick is going to hold up on more trail-like stuff
I mean, you’re trading off two things there. There’s nothing perfect. I used Happy Mediums for quite a while as my general on/off tire and just ate the shortcomings. There wasn’t much off road that I couldn’t defeat, but yeah it wasn’t a technical xc tire.
I’m limited to a 45 front, 40 rear. I noticed the same difference in front/rear wear rates, and ended up with a Terra Speed front and Pathfinder rear. The Pathfinder has been fine on most things dry at my pressures(low 30s) but isn’t happy once the dirt starts turning to mud. There are probably faster combinations now.
I’m on a specialized diverge and use this for everything: from 100% paved (sometimes) to mostly 60/40 (paved/gravel) to 30/70 (sometimes). Higher gravel-proportions are near impossible where I live.
I started out on the pathfinder 38mm (stock;low end version) and now I am on schwalbe G1RS 40mm for 2 seasons. My gravel is smooth to rough but I avoid single trail and if stuff gets rough I just go very slowly and carefully.
One thought, as I too have a front suspension (future shock): I think that front suspension removes much strain/vibration and maybe compensates a bit for my rather narrow tire.
As I am only doing about 1000 km a year, I don’t get to change tires frequently and try out a lot. Currently my impression is that I’m having more flats on the Schwalbe G1RS (3 flats/1500 km) than previously on the stock pathfinder (0 flats on 4000 km). And I think I’d rather have less flats than lower rolling resistance. So next time I probably consider going back to pathfinder. (But of course I know that this is not a statistic to rely on…)
p.s. my buddy used to drop me on rough descents, claiming his mtb-background helped him navigate smoothly. Ever since we switched tires (he: from 38 to 35; me: from 38 to 40) he can’t keep up with me on those same descents anymore
Perhaps it’s worth noting that the two most common tyres for GDMBR are Vittoria Mezcal (by a large margin), then the Rene Herse Fleecer Ridge. Both of these have been proven to be able to survive the entire distance without problems.
Lots of MTB tyres use relatively soft rubber to improve grip and these will inevitably wear faster and roll slower; taller knobs aren’t going to help on tarmac either(!).
What tyre will work very much depends on your terrain, riding style, and what sort of dirt you have locally, so will vary if these differ.
I also ride a 60/40 mix of pavement and mixed offroad (mostly rocky doubletrack), so much so that I built a drop bar mountain bike for these loops. My favorite tire so far is the Vittoria Terreno XC Race 2.25. It’s remarkably fast and quiet on the pavement and surprisingly sturdy enough offroad. I was worried it wouldn’t have enough traction but so far so good. The Peyote Race 2.4 is my favorite for true XC flat bar mtb use and I think it would also make a good mixed surface tire in a narrower size. I have a set of Schwalbe Ricks on backorder to try as they also test really fast on pavement so they might be worth a try if you can get them.
I’m afraid I couldn’t say, don’t have any sand on my dropbar loops, I have predominantly hardpack dirt, a little bit of gravel, and chunk. However, I have ridden through sandy trails on my mtb on 2.4 Peyotes and they’ve done great.
I also have the Lauf Seigla. I ran 2.2 race kings last year. I ride gravel/road mix (no trails except the very occasional diversion on purpose) - prob 50/50 local, usually higher gravel if I travel a bit. I think I found the same as you - the 2.2 just eliminated so many of the white knuckle moments on gravel - esp at speed (flats and descents). And… yes - slow on the pavement (slower than I would have guessed) - such that the one gravel race I did - I told myself no attempts to go solo until the longer pavement sections were done. I then rode terra speed 45 over the winter as the seigla was my road and gravel bike. The terra speed was addictively fast on the road and no problems on the gravel when it wasnt bone dry, dusty, and the washboard wasn’t rock hard. By late spring gravel in central VA is too hard to be fun on the terra speeds. The 2.2 race kings are also so slow on pavement that I can more easily ride at the right pace with the nieces for a little drafting. I think I’m finding there are better seasons for one set up over the other. FWIW - though I have no doubt the terra speed is faster on pavement (by a good bit - 1.0-1.5 mph at 17 to 18 mph), I also believe the 2.2 is faster down to maybe a tie (with champagne conditions) on gravel.
Lately we’ve been having a good time with the Pirelli Cinturato Gravel H and Gravel M tires at my shop. I can’t yet speak to treadwear but the Gravel M might work well for you. It looks aggressive and has good traction for the sketchy bits but that center tread rolls well and the large tread blocks keep it stable in paved corners.
I switched to Schwalbe G-ONE RX PRO tires a couple years back. As a gravel tire (40c) they seem best for dry conditions. Not great for heavy stuff (think babyheads, etc) but fast and predicable, including in sand. I’ve since run them in mixed just as you describe. Not only are these tires great offroad they are also very fast on. Are they as quick as 30c Vittoria Corsa Pro’s? Nope. But dang near!
Simple, Terra Speed in a 45. I’ve been running the same pair on and off road for the last year and a half . CX courses, mtb trails, rocky double track, road century rides , they can handle it all. And I’ve Never had a flat.
>You could definitely consider 45 or 50mm Schwalbe G One R Pro front and rear OR an RX on the front
I plan to try that. I tried full F&R RS Pro and F&R RX Pro. This weekend I am going to try F = RX and R = RS. Have an R on order to see it is a good middle ground. But from what I understand the rolling resistance difference between R and RX may be minor, in which case I may go for more tread in the front.
I have a Lauf and run 50 mm Schwalbe G-One RS PRO in the front and 55mm in the back. Very versatile, able to hang with road group rides. They descend amazingly on road or gravel.
