Specialized Pathfinder Pro, the sleeper hit of gravel tires

[spoonrobot]

Seems odd they bothered to shave the knobs and centerline to half height but then the casing is reportedly just as thick?





They obviously found 135g somewhere, which is impressive.

Anybody paying for BRR premium? What's the sidewall thickness?

They had some room to spare, 2mm spoke for thickness comp.



I think the "knobs" - which seem more like feathers or fingers - are underrated. I've found the tires provide very good to excellent traction on everything except wet mud. Even when it's wet, they don't really get slippery like some other tires. Big part is the rubber but I think the design tends to create more friction between the tire and surface than some other knob designs.

[vespasianus]

Originally Posted by Epicus07

I think they’re actually less of a sleeper than you think. They’re one of the highest recommended gravel tires and get mentioned any time someone asks for recs. I think the bigger sleeper is probably the Tufo Thundero from what I’ve read but can’t speak from personal experience. Perhaps due to limited availability in the US?

Bingo.

[skouri1]

Rode 38s at Starrucca gravel (highly recommended!). Even tubed, they did a great job on a rainy, muddy day. Can only imagine how good they will be once I get them set up tubeless. Much preferred to Gravel Kings.

[kppolich]

Rode 38mms (tubeless, Enve G23 which made them somewhere around 40mm) this weekend on gravel, single track, b-roads. No issues, handled good enough for the A group.

155lb rider, 34psi rear, 32 psi front.

[John H.]

When you hold both tires in your hands you will see that the casings and treads are very different.

Originally Posted by Sarhog

Per Bicycle Rolling Resistance, they both have the same case thickness.

[weisan]

Like everything else, there's a compromise.

Not as fast as slicks, not as plumb as the fat tires but just perfect for those days or occasions when you are out riding in a new place and might wonder off the beaten path into uncharted territories, mixed surfaces whatever, these tires can handle and won't complain.

[Sarhog]

Originally Posted by spoonrobot

It's a different casing, despite the BRR same width reported:

Anecdotally, seems to be not as cut resistant as the Endurant Casing. This is the regular Pathfinder Pro, anyone have the S-Works box to compare?

Just picked them up from my LBS

[spoonrobot]

Thanks for taking the time. Product graphics might not be the best way to determine the construction of a tire, but it looks like they eliminated quite a bit of the puncture belt using the Grid style sidewall belt. I wonder if this was a data-driven design choice.

[rothwem]

Threads like this make me doubt my sanity. As I mentioned in my previous post, I had a set that I thought was completely awful but everyone seems to love these tires so much. Like, *** am I doing wrong? I'm like almost tempted to go get another set to try again. Almost.

Do you guys not feel that bump as you lean over off the center stripe?

[spoonrobot]

Originally Posted by rothwem

Threads like this make me doubt my sanity. As I mentioned in my previous post, I had a set that I thought was completely awful but everyone seems to love these tires so much. Like, *** am I doing wrong? I'm like almost tempted to go get another set to try again. Almost.

Do you guys not feel that bump as you lean over off the center stripe?

Only when the pressure is too high. Otherwise the contact patch (at the psi I'm running) includes the center strip as well as the first few/several mms of the knob pattern.

I'm around 200lbs total system weight and run my front 42s at 23-25 psi, and they feel nice and neutral. Experimenting a while ago - at around 33ish psi I can feel the center strip. I don't think I can feel it at all in the back.

You're not crazy, it's a common complaint.

[mtb_frk]

I’m intrigued to try them also. Been running gravel kings for idk how long. My rides are like 99.9% gravel, so any pavement advantages would not be applicable for me. Are there better choices for all gravel? Generally the roads here are pretty much hard packed unless the grader has gone by recently.

[fa63]

Nope. I went down Mt. Lemmon the other day on 47mm Pathfinder Pros; got top 10s on Strava for the day on a few of the segments on a busy Saturday and I wasn't pushing super hard (but I enjoy going downhill fast and my MTB skills seem to come in handy when doing so).

Originally Posted by rothwem

Threads like this make me doubt my sanity. As I mentioned in my previous post, I had a set that I thought was completely awful but everyone seems to love these tires so much. Like, *** am I doing wrong? I'm like almost tempted to go get another set to try again. Almost.

Do you guys not feel that bump as you lean over off the center stripe?

[CNY rider]

Originally Posted by mtb_frk

I’m intrigued to try them also. Been running gravel kings for idk how long. My rides are like 99.9% gravel, so any pavement advantages would not be applicable for me. Are there better choices for all gravel? Generally the roads here are pretty much hard packed unless the grader has gone by recently.

Last year I acquired a bike that came with these tires on it and I have been very happy with them.
It was not a tire I had previously considered buying.
Our rides are a 70/30 ratio unpaved/dirt road to pavement and what isn't paved is almost all hard clay with some shale and occasional loose small gravel areas.
These tires perform extremely well in those conditions.

When it's going to get more adventurous than that I reach for the No. 22 with RH knobby 650X42 tires.

[thekenoshakid]

Know that bump feeling too well and similarly questioned my sanity reading reviews elsewhere.

Durability and straight line speed on pavement are fantastic but cornering on anything loose has had me checking my health insurance premiums more than once. Admittedly not Pidcock descending or anything, so could be some user error here. Will give the lower pressure thing a try.

[gravelreformist]

If you have to lower the pressure in these to avoid the center lump, that kind of defeats the purpose of the tire. At 25psi a pair of these are going to have an extra 10-15w or so of rolling resistance vs. running them at 40psi. And on firm surfaces, 25psi is awfully squirmy.