Gravel tire rolling resistance tested

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QUATITE
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by QUATITE

That's good to know, thanks. Have you ridden any of their regular or ultralight tires to compare?

CustomMetal
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by CustomMetal

QUATITE wrote:
Fri Nov 04, 2022 8:04 pm
That's good to know, thanks. Have you ridden any of their regular or ultralight tires to compare?
I've ridden regular and this had a more supple feel. I know others who tried extra light and they never went back after one set as too delicate
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QUATITE
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by QUATITE

So endurance not as supple as regular, but still pretty supple. Have you ridden other similar tires that were much less supple to compare?

justaute
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by justaute

QUATITE wrote:
Fri Nov 04, 2022 8:52 pm
So endurance not as supple as regular, but still pretty supple. Have you ridden other similar tires that were much less supple to compare?
FWIW, after having ridden several regular/endurance RH tires, I recently mounted a set of Challenge Getaway Pro 40 tires. My initial impression is that the Getaways are just as supple, if not more so, as those of RH tires; however, the treads are very different and IMO, more suitable for Cat 2, fast-rolling gravel conditions. The knobbed RH tires I have ridden are Bon Jon Pass, Barlow Pass (current), Steilacoom, and Juniper Ridge (current). Here in Utah (western US), Juniper/Steilacoom/Hurricane Ridge tires offer more versatility because of the knobs. I'm using the Barlow Pass as my road/light-gravel tires.

emotive
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by emotive

QUATITE wrote:
Thu Nov 03, 2022 9:45 pm
I am on my first 650B x 48 Switchback Hill TC Tire, extralight. They are by far the most comfortable tire I've ever run, but they seem so delicate I am sure I will shred them before long.

What is the most supple/light tire that is also durable? Does anybody have any experience with the "endurance" versions of the rene herse tires?
I had standard casing for my first RH set, I was worried the EL would be too fragile/. I tried EL for my second set, and they held perfectly for Melbourne Gravel. The next 3 sets have all been Extra Light, 700x32, 700x38 and 650bx48. On the 38's I have some sidewall cuts from rock strikes on a gnarly ride with fist-sized sharp rocks. I also have a chunk of carbon fibre missing from the side of my wheel from the same ride! If I was riding through chunky rocks regularly, I'd use Standard or Endurance casings, but even with occasional sidewall impact from sharp rocks, I think I will wear the tread out before I experience enough sidewall damage to be an issue for my riding areas.

RDY
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by RDY

I've got a pair of Tufo 40mm Thunderos set up tubeless with insert on clincher Nextie 49ARX rear and 45AGX front.

I note that the psi guide printed on the tirewall says 30-70psi. 30 seems awfully high as a lower limit. The front still seems plenty solid at 30psi.

Ideally I'd reduce this to around 25psi, and probably run the rear at 30psi, for offroad use.

Is this safe / advisable? I can't exactly see it blowing off the rim, being clincher, and there's no chance of pinching due to the insert. Are the tire deformation characteristics really likely to fall apart at 25psi?
Last edited by RDY on Fri Dec 09, 2022 12:26 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Nohands83
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Location: Leeds, UK

by Nohands83

Quite a lot of variables there, are they the 44 or 40? How heavy are you? Are you using foam inserts?
FYI I'm 80kg ran a set of the 44mm last summer with inserts, at 30 psi on trails and tracks (not much gravel around here) and they performed really well.

RDY
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by RDY

Updated post to reflect that they're 40s. As per original post, they have inserts. I'm ~80kg too. 30psi is the stated minimum and it just seems ridiculously high - it would be way too high for lighter riders, and it seems too high for me at 80kg.

DouglasDDX
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by DouglasDDX

I have used the 44s tubeless this summer and tried a lot of different pressures. The best for me was 32-34psi on the fronts, 36-38 on the rear. 68kg and 70mm setback with 270 saddle. Down to 28psi on the fronts were ok, below that to the lower limit of 25psi (44mm) was terrible for me. The front end would be too slow and delayed.

However on the rear I once punctured in a race, after plugging the tire I finished with 20psi after 2.5h. The feeling was bit slow and heavy under acceleration but handling was still quite ok.

Otherwise my favorite gravel tyre so far.

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Nohands83
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Location: Leeds, UK

by Nohands83

You're right it does seem high, tbh I don't pay much attention to the recommended pressures.
With inserts, you should be able to run them lower if you want but like the other commenter, I tried them at a lower pressure and found I preferred how they felt above 30psi as well.

RDY
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Joined: Thu Jul 30, 2020 10:31 pm

by RDY

Guess I'll have to mess around. Thanks for the feedback guys. Maybe they deform more at the point of contact, but just pinching them, they're WAY more solid than the GravelKing SS 38s they replaced - and GravelKing series tires in general tend to do well at low pressures.

Though just running around town a bit today, getting a few things ironed out at the LBS, they felt fine 35psi rear and 30 front. And in fact I could still barely see any mushrooming of the tire at contact point on the rear, and absolutely zero on the front. So I'd be a bit surprised if they suddenly felt slow below 30psi.

RDY
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by RDY

Had my first semi-serious ride with the 40 Thunderos. They appear to be significantly faster rolling on tarmac, and at minimum much grippier on either loose or hardpack gravel. Tread at the extremity doesn't bite quite as much as the 38 GK SS they replaced, but overall grip is way better, and there's much less drifting in loose stuff, or soft pedaling / getting off the power entirely when changing lines. Per my previous post, they don't seem to mushroom or deform much at the point of contact, relative to the GK SS, and seem to provide similar if not better levels of comfort at 5psi higher. I ran them 34psi rear, 30psi front. Probably not necessary to drop them further unless doing very loose steep climbs (and descents). The combination of low inherent RR, being able to run higher PSI, and the lack of deformation at point of contact for a heavier (80kg plus) rider probably adds up to a much bigger gain than BRR's test suggested.

They seem like a have your cake and eat it tire. Very good grip in dry conditions. Extremely low RR. No visible cuts or damage on the tread, and no punctures - it's rare to go a ride on the GK SS (or worse the slicks) without new visible damage to the tire. Also a great price.

Still want to try the Challenge Getaway, and possibly Gravel Grinder ... but these are frankly so good and so cheap that it seems silly to change. They're by far the most noticeable tire upgrade I've ever had for reputable tire to reputable tire swap.

mathias720
Posts: 242
Joined: Tue Oct 19, 2021 8:14 am

by mathias720

RDY wrote:
Mon Dec 12, 2022 6:54 pm
Had my first semi-serious ride with the 40 Thunderos. They appear to be significantly faster rolling on tarmac, and at minimum much grippier on either loose or hardpack gravel. Tread at the extremity doesn't bite quite as much as the 38 GK SS they replaced, but overall grip is way better, and there's much less drifting in loose stuff, or soft pedaling / getting off the power entirely when changing lines. Per my previous post, they don't seem to mushroom or deform much at the point of contact, relative to the GK SS, and seem to provide similar if not better levels of comfort at 5psi higher. I ran them 34psi rear, 30psi front. Probably not necessary to drop them further unless doing very loose steep climbs (and descents). The combination of low inherent RR, being able to run higher PSI, and the lack of deformation at point of contact for a heavier (80kg plus) rider probably adds up to a much bigger gain than BRR's test suggested.

They seem like a have your cake and eat it tire. Very good grip in dry conditions. Extremely low RR. No visible cuts or damage on the tread, and no punctures - it's rare to go a ride on the GK SS (or worse the slicks) without new visible damage to the tire. Also a great price.

Still want to try the Challenge Getaway, and possibly Gravel Grinder ... but these are frankly so good and so cheap that it seems silly to change. They're by far the most noticeable tire upgrade I've ever had for reputable tire to reputable tire swap.
i have the same observations as you, but disagree on the comfort point, i like the softer part of the GK better for comfort, for info i am 72kg, so that might be subject to the difference.

i have tried the challenge getaway, i liked them, but had 3 sets that was all wobly due to production errors. Dont know if i was unlucky, but gave up on trying more sets.

DouglasDDX
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Joined: Tue May 24, 2022 10:08 am

by DouglasDDX

My first feelings with Pirelli M (45mm) now is that I have to drop the pressure quite a bit to get better comfort. However imo my thunderos (44mm) are still more comfortable even at 5-7psi higher pressure.

hendemic
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Joined: Tue Oct 05, 2021 3:52 pm

by hendemic

How is the grip on the Thunderos compared to a Rambler 40c?

What is the measured width (on what rim ID) are the 40c? I've got an older CX frame and 40mm is MAX TIGHT in the rear. The rims I'll be mounting them to are 22.5ID or I can set them up on 19mm ID rims to pull them in a mm.

Last summer I replaced Ramblers with Gravel Grinders and really dislike the file-tread center section. It feels sketchy until the side knobs hook up.

I miss the grip of the Ramblers but want something faster rolling.

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