Choosing tires might seem daunting, but it's not actually that hard. Check out the four criteria I pay attention to in order to make the right tire choice for every training ride or race.
Love Rene Herse tires! I tend to run nobbies in front and slicks in the back. So, in turns down a hill, the front tends to stay in track better and if the rear breaks out earlier, no biggie. Although the Hurricane Ridge is 42 and the Barlow is 38, both share the same casing and the Barlow blows up to the same size as the Hurricane.
Ted...or editor....background track level is way too high relative to the mic audio throughout this video...totally unlistenable as is. The fade was late coming out of the intro as well.
I'm 53 and only road mtb over the past 30 years...until last year when I got into road & group riding. The switch from big cushy mtb tires to thin road tires was a bit jarring. So I was stoked when i came across an article by rh about going big on road tires, that they're just as fast if not faster than thinner tires etc. Within a week, I had switched out the stock vittoria zero pros on my new synapse for the much wider rh bon jons. Couldn't be happier or more comfortable. Made a great ride even better.
Wider is not faster, it's another lie of the industry to make people buy new tyres, new bikes because older frames and brakes won't accept wider sizes. Wider would only be faster at the same pressure, but you can NOT inflate a 45mm at 100psi.
The music is unnecessary and distracting. And too loud relative to the voice. Not interested in the repetitive music. Interested in what Ted King is saying. Keep it simple.
Not trying to be (particularly) contentious here. But you should try a race pace/fast road ride at 650c x 25, 28, 30, etc; simply I think you will be surprised at effort differences. Also, this is a channel built off of being a former pro and insights that the layman may not have....do some leg work out side of "studies Ive read".
Curious about what you have found with narrow 650b tires on the road. I run both 700c and 650b tires quite a bit. Smaller wheels (same brand rims and spoke counts) are always more responsive and lighter in weight. That being said, I have never used a 650b with smaller than a 40 mm tire on it, I don't think many folks use narrow tires on 650b wheelsets. My local road club is always surprised by how I stay in the middle of the pack riding 650b x 48 mm extralight slicks.....
I am a big fan of Panaracer Gravel Kings on the road bike in 650x38 or 42. Compared to a 700x19/23 on a 20 year old race bike four times the volume and half the pressure. They make a bit of noise but nice combination of comfort and performance on paved or some mixed surface rides. Panaracer makes tires for many others so good quality.
Gravel Kings are great tires for the money and Panaracer makes Rene Herse tires. But the Gravel Kings use a different casing and are not as fast, supple or comfy in my experience compared to the Rene Herse offerings,
@@eddevlincycling6322 No doubt the RH tires are better but you do pay more for it. I am a heavy rider (110kg +) so durability is a consideration. That is why I am a fan of 650 for a road bike.
Thanks for the breakdown Ted. I'll be joining you on the flint hills in June for the XL so I wanted to see what you would recommend or plan to ride for something of that caliber? Any feedback is greatly appreciated; good luck out there mate🍻
Wow. Great video, I am 64 wish we had these type of wheels and tires when I was in my teens and 20s touring the world with panniers and 700x23. 120psi.
I hear that about tire width and pressure. I am in my 70's and have done several cross country road tours, first tour on 28 mm, second on 32 mm, third tour on 35 mm, now on 42 mm tires, ha
I can fit either the Hurricane Ridges or Snoqualmies on my Aspero-5. Have the HRs in the endurance casing for softer stuff and the Snoqualmies in the extra light for harder pack/road. Running with Silca sealant. Ted - in general - what’s the minimum clearance you are looking for if it’s not exceptionally muddy?
I use snowquilme extra light since two years. I run them tubeless and I like the ride and the comfort but they still leaking sealnt ( panaracer, ,orange, Stan's...) From the sidewalls.
I'm curious what slicks you'd ride on a road bike that had the ability to run say 700x60. I see Rene Herse has a 700x55 slick now, but for 100% road riding and trying to KOM a rolling segment is that going to be faster than a 32 or 38c?
Been using RH tires for many years now. going with the 44 Snoqualmie on my recumbent. so nice to have the extra squish since I can't stand up for the bumps; and I'm certainly not losing any speed. Just got the new custom gravel bike a month ago, 650b wheels currently running knobbies 55/48 f/r just because. working great. spent a few years on the 42 Hurricanes on my CX bike in all kinds of roads. heck, I'm even using the 26x2.3 Humptulips on my old Santa Cruz Heckler mtbike, and those have been great! The consistent cornering is wonderful.
Hey Ted. Great info. Thanks for making the video. I'm doing unbound XL on some 650b. Curious what you would recommend for minimal flat, minimal energy usage for the race. I'm unfamiliar with the terrain in Kansas. Thanks!! I live in Colorado and ride a lot of gnarly singletrack and chunky rocky gravel here
"Doing some work here in Healdsburg." Moi, en Californie: "Drinking lots of good wine." lol. I am going to start with 42mm ultralight slicks. If I get flats, I'll move to standard. If I get still flats, I'll go to endurance. But if Monsieur Heine can ride that bloody Kansas race on ultralights...
Just did my first ride on my Rene Herse Bon Jon Standard 35mm and just mounted them tubeless. Wasn't easy but got it done with a few tricks!. 40 miles in. So far so good!
Choosing a road tire is simple, there's only one... Continental GP5000. What more could you possibly want?? The fastest tire (least rolling resistance). The most puncture proof. The grippiest in all weather. Competitive weight. Competitive wear rate. You are wasting your time and money on other tires.
Rene Hearse tires may be good however, based on reviews, they are finicky and even Jan says they were require "special" handling when mounting. Last thing I want to mess with when out riding and having tire issues is something that requires "special" handling. I want a tire that is set-and-forget.
there is nothing harder in cycling than choosing your tires and most youtubers just review expensive brands that aren't even available in most places, so you are pretty much on your own
A big slick is probably what I’d choose specifically for Unbound. But unlike a sponsored athlete, I probably won’t have tires just for that race. So I’ll probably put on a pair of Oracle Ridge for versatility
Good choice if you have the clearance, my Salsa Warbird only has a couple mm clearance with the Oracle Ridges in the rear and as Ted says, if your wheel goes out of true, you are toast. I have had good luck with an Oracle Ridge up front where I need the extra cushioning and have plenty of clearance and a Manastash Ridge in the rear, sweet setup,
Hi Ted , i ride a flat bar urban bike (Merida speeda 200) that I use to ride on gravel and road. I want a type of tyre that will do both gravel and road what do you think will suit me? Regards Grahame from Australia
Slight nitpick -- if you have tires with stiff sidewalls and lossy rubber, then wider will be slower (than otherwise equivalent narrow tires) because either there is more lossy flexing at low pressure; or at high pressure, more bouncing and dissipation in your body itself. The super supple casing is what allows wider tires to still perform very well compared to narrow.
It has to do with suspension losses balanced against hysteric losses in the tire and the aerodynamic penalty of the wider tire. Marginal gains fans will never come around on the topic, because aero, but it’s been shown time and again that suspension losses are very important, and can dominate in many cases. But even Jan admits that above certain speeds the aerodynamics take over. It’s just that us mere humans can’t ride that fast.
I just picked up an addict gravel Tunes and I put 38mm pathfinder pros . My average speed today was the same as my ride from 3 days ago on my also new Supersix evo with 32 slicks . I think I’m going to need to get a set of endurance plus Barlow passes 38mm to try out a full thick slick! Thought about the 44but that seems huge! Out here in NYC and a guy from a bike shop told me months ago that I should go thick slick and that it’s so comfortable plus you still go fast. I didn’t believe it but now that I’ve tested it I’m a changed man !!
Interesting about the thick slicks. I mostly ride extralight casings, but have several of the same slick tires in thicker endurance casings. The thicker casings seem to roll well, but are not as fun or as comfy for the riding I do
Do people actually have the time and effort to have a quiver of tires they change out for different events? Sounds horrible to deal with reseating/sealant/etc that often haha!!
@@royman0 I hear that, I am retired teacher and drive a 10 year old car, but ride almost daily and have extra bike tires and wheels to play with. One must have their priorities straight, ha,
Ted!!! I am coming for Big Sugar for the first time and I am doing the 50. I have a 2022 Kona Libre that I ride for gravel and it should be able to accommodate a 48 like you said. In your big sug video it kind of muffles what tire you used. Can you please specify if you would use the new Manastache or another? I am Also wondering if I can get away with a 44 for the 50. Thank you in advance for the help! Love your videos!
If you can cram a 48 Oracle Ridge, that’ll be your friend. Manastash are a great choice too. Your BEST bet is going Endurance or Endurance Plus casing. It’s a very sharp course.
I use Rene Herse UMTANUM RIDGE (650x55) Endurance (nobbs) and Rene Herse BARLOW PASS (700x38) Extra Light (slick) and I love them both! Best tires on gravel bikes i ever tested. I use PIRELLI P-ZERO (30mm) with the new SpeedCore (2023) tech on my road bikes.
any mud pointers after UnboundXL'23? i.e. clearance and slicks ... hold less mud (so smaller tires w massive distance between fork/stays and tread), You think 650b w 40c tire slicks would have worked better than 50c knobbies?
Legit question: I understand that wider tires are supposed to not be slower, but my mind still can't come to terms with that. I ride gravel tires, MTB tires, and fat-bike tires. One my big fattie, I feel a difference between 4" and 4.5" on flat hard-pack where the terrian is out of the question. Same for my MTB: I feel way faster on 29x2.2 than I do on 29x3.0. Is it just in my imagination?
Hello, after watching your video I have a question. I know that studies have suggested that 40mm tyres and 50mm tyres are very similar, but I would like to know if I went for say a 40 mile ride with both tyres, would I have to put more effort into keeping the 50mm tyres going? Thank you
I’m not doing any races but I do ride in groups on hilly socal so would 38 gravel king ss be too wide for the road? I know you mentioned go as wide as your bike allows but I didn’t hear mention of 38c. For reference I currently have cheap 32c on and I’m already the slowest lol. I know with my size and fitness I’m splitting hairs here but any suggestions would be appreciated.
OMG get rid of the music . What is wrong with your generation ? Can't you people just talk without feeling the need to add music and make it harder to understand what you are saying ?
Hi @Ted King, thanks for your explanations ! For my touring bike, even if i'm rather a road biker, there are path with no pavement so what would you advice me ? Thanks
I've been running Rene Herse tires since 2016ish, always buy the extralights but I seem to always have the casing wear out before the tread... is this to be expected?
wondering how the manastash work on loose uphill gravel? like the Last Best Ride in Montana. Fairly new to gravel and looking for a tire with better grip on the loose up/down hill gravel of a race like this. Live in Colorado. Thanks
I put the RH Hurrican Ridge 42s on my Diverge for The Last Best Ride and have kept them on since. (Nice to see you there!) I mostly ride Midwest gravel - Minnesota / Iowa. There is a lot of big chunk farm gravel, but really there is always a wide variety in every ride out here. I do hit stretches of road/pavement in many of my rides. Usually, about 1-4 mile stretches on average. *Two questions: 1. Should I just keep these on or switch them up? (I guess I should ask what would be the best tire for all this midwest variable gravel, with some road) 2. I will be riding in Vermont in June, in the Middlebury / Cornwall area. What's the recommendation for that area? Or is there a tire that will work for home and Vermont? (I don't have spare wheels to easily switch.)
I'll be running Naches Pass (Endurance) on a 3,750 km tour of Europe this Spring and it will be the first time that I'm not using Schwalbe while on tour. I'm a bit nervous about that but the Naches Pass (26X1.8) is the most comfortable tire I have ever had the pleasure of riding on. Fast too! Here's hoping they last the distance with few to no flats!
