Best 30(+) section tire for road???????????

[Charles M]

That's the question...

What is the best 30+ section (before mounting) tire for weight and ride quality for road now?

Anyone??

[palincss]

https://www.compasscycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/tires_comp_650_42_br.jpg

https://www.compasscycle.com/shop/650b/compass-650bx42-babyshoe-pass/

[Cicli]

I am running 28mm Continental GP4000sII on a 23mm rim. They measure 31mm and ride great.

[happycampyer]

Seconded for Compass if you are looking for a high-quality, (relatively) light weight, supple 30+ tire. Assume you are referring to clincher.

[merckx]

I have the Compass 28c extra light that measure 29mm on a 23mm rim. I highly recommend them. They do not roll like a typical fat tire. They are lively and connected with a sublime damping quality.

[Lovetoclimb]

Is durability and flat resistance not being considered? I know it can be relative to location and road quality.

[palincss]

These Compass tires are plenty durable. Unlike many other light, fast tires, these are not "event tires" with a paper-thin tread that will wear out in a thousand miles or less.

Many have found that truly wide tires (I love the Compass 28s too, but I wouldn't call them a "wide" tire at all) such as the Grand Bois Hetre and the Compass Babyshoe Pass get far fewer flats than narrow tires. Wider tire == less pressure == foreign objects don't get driven into the tread the same way they do with narrow tires and so fewer flats. (YMMV)

As for "flat resistance" per se, pretty much anything you do to a tire to make it more flat resistant will also make it slower and make it ride more harshly.

[etu]

compass/gran bois are great tires. recently replaced the 28's with vittoria corsa 25's and was surprised by how much lighter the compass sidewalls were compared to the vittorias which are known for being supple themselves.
durability has been fine, although you do want to pay attention to any cuts on the sidewall since it's pretty thin. plenty of rubber tread though.

[jmoore]

My Panaracer Gravelkings in 28 were nice last week on the road. No experience with other tires that size.

[Charles M]

wow.

I wouldn't have guessed that I wouldn't know about a tire when I started this. Had no idea about the Compass folks having these.

The Grand Bois Cypres 700 are what I think I want but they're out!

Still a good find.

[palincss]

Then try the Stampede Pass 32mm.

[Charles M]

Yep. Looks like the same tire with a bit different casing and tread. I'll likely go for the Ultralight with black tread.

Funny. I've met Jan Heine a couple times and I've just never gone to the compass site.


Keep the ideas rolling though... this is good stuff.

[roydyates]

The Compass Barlow Pass 700Cx38 and the Loup-Loup Pass 650Bx38 are both very nice. Reasonably light and fast and very cushy.

[Climb01742]

What sets the Compass tires apart from the Grand Bois? Are they basically the same or have different traits/ride? Thanks for the knowledge.

[goonster]

The Grand Bois Cypres 700 are what I think I want but they're out!

Why not get the Stampede Pass in extralight? I'll bet that is the more "performance-oriented" tire, and probably more to your liking anyway.

What sets the Compass tires apart from the Grand Bois?

They are both private labels from the same manufacturer, afaik.

The Compass tires are spec'ed for Jan, and I think he wanted a slightly different/thinner tread.

There does not seem to be a lot of overlap in the lineup offered by Compass, in terms of size.

What is the difference between the Cypres/Stampede, Hetre/Babyshoe, besides the obviously different tread pattern and the availability of extralight casing?

(From extended use on my tandem, and because Peter Weigle shaves it for customers, I know the Hetre tread is quite substantial . . . )

[palincss]

What sets the Compass tires apart from the Grand Bois? Are they basically the same or have different traits/ride? Thanks for the knowledge.

Jan's written a few blog entries about them.
https://janheine.wordpress.com/2014/02/22/introducing-the-full-line-of-compass-tires/
https://janheine.wordpress.com/2015/03/12/compass-tires-standard-vs-extralight/
https://janheine.wordpress.com/2015/04/22/reviews-of-compass-tires/

The tread is different between the Compass and the Grand Bois: thinner at the shoulders, where they don't wear so much, and a different tread pattern. There's a HUGE difference between the 28mm Compass EL and the 28mm Grand Bois EL: although the EL casing is the same, the Compass tread is the normal 3mm thickness, but the 28mm Grand Bois tire is an event tire with about a 1mm tread.

[charliedid]

Any word on the current Challenge Strada Bianca 30?

I've ridden 28's for over 20 years and I am curious about a 30 for at least my BMC.

I like that GP400II S comes in a 28 now and have been riding 4Seasons and Clement Strada LGG 160 tpi. Both good but ultimately prefer the 4Seasons.

Thoughts?

[GRAVELBIKE]

Compass tires are sublime.

Panaracer's Gravelking is good, too, and will measure nearly 30mm when mounted on a 25mm rim.

[bmeryman]

Any word on the current Challenge Strada Bianca 30?


I use them as 'slicks' for my cross bike during the summer months. First mounting can be a pain, but after that it's more reasonable. A friend was running them at too high a pressure and noticed that they got cut fairly easily. When he lowered the pressure they rode better and got cut less often.

Great on patchy tarmac and dirt roads up here in VT.

[gavingould]

I use them as 'slicks' for my cross bike during the summer months. First mounting can be a pain, but after that it's more reasonable. A friend was running them at too high a pressure and noticed that they got cut fairly easily. When he lowered the pressure they rode better and got cut less often.

Great on patchy tarmac and dirt roads up here in VT.
^ ^ ^ this has been my experience with the Strada Bianca 30s. extremely difficult first mount. a few hundred miles on them with no issues, mostly gravel/dirt.

[happycampyer]

Not long ago, tires in this range we basically city/touring tires, where durability and flat protection were prized above ride quality. Panaracer has been one of the longtime leaders in the space, with the Paselas under their own name, and making Jack Browns for Rivendell to their (Grant P's) specs. They also make Compass tires (Grand Bois, Compass, etc.) to Compass' (Jan Heine's) specs. Vittoria's best tire in the category used to be called the Randonneur Hyper, but now I think it's called the Voyager Hyper. Continental and Schwalbe also have tires in this category.

Out of the packaging, the Compass tires feel more like a nice 23-25mm road tire than a city/touring tire, and the ride confirms this. I haven't seen the Challenge tires, so I can't comment on them.

[palincss]

^ ^ ^ this has been my experience with the Strada Bianca 30s. extremely difficult first mount.

This is true for the Parigi-Roubaix as well. Initial versions of the SB were very similar in consteruction to the P-R, so it's not too surprising.

[Climb01742]

Jan's written a few blog entries about them.
https://janheine.wordpress.com/2014/02/22/introducing-the-full-line-of-compass-tires/
https://janheine.wordpress.com/2015/03/12/compass-tires-standard-vs-extralight/
https://janheine.wordpress.com/2015/04/22/reviews-of-compass-tires/

The tread is different between the Compass and the Grand Bois: thinner at the shoulders, where they don't wear so much, and a different tread pattern. There's a HUGE difference between the 28mm Compass EL and the 28mm Grand Bois EL: although the EL casing is the same, the Compass tread is the normal 3mm thickness, but the 28mm Grand Bois tire is an event tire with about a 1mm tread.

Thanks a lot for digging up the links. Really helpful and informative. Always good to learn stuff.:D

[charliedid]

I use them as 'slicks' for my cross bike during the summer months. First mounting can be a pain, but after that it's more reasonable. A friend was running them at too high a pressure and noticed that they got cut fairly easily. When he lowered the pressure they rode better and got cut less often.

Great on patchy tarmac and dirt roads up here in VT.

^ ^ ^ this has been my experience with the Strada Bianca 30s. extremely difficult first mount. a few hundred miles on them with no issues, mostly gravel/dirt.

Thanks, I think I'll give a pair a try. I've been thinking about stocking them as well.

[Charles M]

I started ringing around a little... Turns out the ride quality on the Compass and Grand Bois are pretty widely considered darn good relative to lots of other things...

My issue was once you get above 30 (and again, I'm not interested in what the measure is after mounting a tire that isn't a 30+ call out before mounting to wide rims), the selection is pretty poor given the movement to larger tires...

26 just dont cut it for me now that I've had good 27's in the form of Vittoria Pave...

30-32 should let me run PSI in the 50-60 range and when you add a good casing, the ride quality should be VERY smooth but not overly wishy-washy...

[happycampyer]

You should try 650B with 42's--Hetres or Baby Shoe Pass. The ride quality is sublime, and it doesn't feel like you're riding a 29er.

[mbrtool]

I bought the Compass 700 x 32 Stampede Pass. At 140 miles, front tire flatted at 770 miles, the back tire flatted. Both flats were caused by very, very tiny limestone rocks. Vittoria Hyper Voyager has 4K miles and going strong.

[JAGI410]

Harris Cyclery carries the Compass tires too, and sometimes they have sales. Always a good place to check!

[acorn_user]

I've been riding the Challenge Strada Bianca for a couple of hundred miles as slicks for my cross bike. They ride very nicely. I've not had any flats, but the rear tyre is wearing fairly quickly. I might get 1000 miles out the rear tyre. I also found them hard to fit, but I think this was compounded by the rim (Rigida Chrina at the front is really too narrow, and the Fir at the back is often hard to get tyres on).

[mvrider]

Any thoughts on some alternatives to the Compass Stampede Pass, also made by Panaracer:

Soma Supple Vitesse SL (http://www.somafab.com/archives/product/supple-vitesse-sl-700c-clincher-tire) 700 x 33 (250g)

Jack Brown GREEN 700c x 33.333 Light (http://www.rivbike.com/product-p/t100-g.htm)

Any experiences with regard to ride quality, durability, and wet road traction would be most appreciated. Thanks!

[Tony]

Just installed these, Schwalbe Kojak raceguard on my cross bike. They are just under 35mm, weigh 318 grams and cost much less than the Compass tires.
So far I have 290 miles on them, very happy with this purchase.

http://www.pricepoint.com/Brand/Schwalbe/Schwalbe-Kojak-RaceGuard-700x35-Folding-Tire.axd

[oldpotatoe]

That's the question...

What is the best 30+ section (before mounting) tire for weight and ride quality for road now?

Anyone??

Just road riding? Not road/dirt? Honest question, on a 700c wheel, advantage of a 30+mm tire vs a 25/28mm tire on the road?

Plus the 'issue' of clearance, clarence. ??

I've used some pretty supple 28s, and at low pressure..like 50-60, they feel pretty squishy...(?) but is the advantage low pressure, with more volume?

[saab2000]

I have my Indy Fab gravel bike currently set up with road tires because there are no gravel roads near Virginia Beach. There are few roads of any sort that are appropriate for cycling in Virginia Beach, but that's another can of worms we won't go into here.....

This is not totally relevant to the conversation because it's not a 30+ tire but the rims are the story here. I had wheels built up with the new Pacenti SL25 rims. They have a larger internal width than many other 'wide' rims and this seems to be the key. The tire is spread out and has a vertical(ish) sidewall rather than a light bulb shape. I run these Vittoria Open CX 25s at about 75-80 PSI and they're fantastic. I'd like to get some larger ones and run them even lower.

These come in at wider than 28mm on these clincher rims and I have some nominally 28mm tubulars that come in less than this. So there is that too.

Challenge makes some wider clinchers with their Strade Bianchi and Parisi-Roubaix clinchers and I'm tempted to try a pair. The Compass tires are obviously well liked too.

The point I'm making here is that the rim seems to matter too with these big tires. I really like the wider internal width of the Pacenti. People should at least consider this when making a decision on tire size. IMHO.

These tires are labeled as 25s.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/341/20457100732_d1344b42d6_b.jpg

[echelon_john]

I really like the Challenge Eroica. Yes, they're a bitch to mount the first time, but they ride really well.

I've found the Compass tires to ride very well but they've been much more susceptible to cuts in my experience. I know folks love them, and they are really supple.

[Davist]

What Saab said, above..

I have some Schwalbe Ultremo ZX in 28 that measure right over 30 on archetypes, and still fit in the CAAD10 frame. I went from them "back" to 25s (currently GP4k) and find them too squishy now.

what OP said about clearance and squishiness, too. Won't fit on my evo frame.

[rkhatibi]

I'd been thinking about going larger that the 28c Conti CP 4season I normally use in the city. Based on this thread and a few recommendations I installed a set of Compass (https://www.compasscycle.com/shop/700c/compass-700cx35-bon-jon-pass/) tires this morning.

Mini review:

2014 Trek Crockett w/ Compass JonBon 35c extralight

35c at 60PSI still feels a bit high, may try closer to 50 the next time out. Absorbs a lot of road imperfections and definitely feel the difference. Crossing light rail tracks, minor pot holes, etc all feels less intrusive even at 60PSI.

Braking power is massive due to more rubber on the road. Completely changes feel, plus the abrupt vbrakes aren't helping. This is probably the biggest win for me, bicycles feel under braked in the city particularly when compared to motorcycles.

I opted for the ultralights. Weight is pretty close to previous tires. Acceleration feels good, but not used to the initial squishiness when I get on the pedals hard quickly. Doesn't step out, just less immediate application of force.

Cornering feels solid and stable, but I'll need some faster corners to really tell for sure. Curious how lower PSI will change the feel.

Overall I'm happy with them at the moment, but only time will tell if they were worth the prices.

[commonguy001]

I have the BonJons (not extra lights) set up tubeless and run them around 50 psi and the ride is really outstanding. Still don't have enough time on them to give a true durability or mileage review but so far they've held up great on mixed surface rides on MN gravel that isn't always tire friendly.

Did pick up something riding through some construction and had three rotations before the Stans sealed it up without any pressure loss. Good stuff so far after 400 or so miles.

Regarding width - I'm running these on fairly wide rims (Reynolds ATR) and these measure out at a full 38mm.

[93legendti]

Any thoughts on some alternatives to the Compass Stampede Pass, also made by Panaracer:

Soma Supple Vitesse SL (http://www.somafab.com/archives/product/supple-vitesse-sl-700c-clincher-tire) 700 x 33 (250g)

Jack Brown GREEN 700c x 33.333 Light (http://www.rivbike.com/product-p/t100-g.htm)

Any experiences with regard to ride quality, durability, and wet road traction would be most appreciated. Thanks!
It's hard to comprehend a 700x33c tire that only weights 250g. I am going to have to try them.

[bicycletricycle]

i am running 28mm continental gp4000sii on a 23mm rim. They measure 31mm and ride great.

+1

[Lewis Moon]

As a training tire, the Zaffiro Pro is amazingly good. For $15 a tire on sale, it's hard to beat. YMMVAYCGASWACIS.