Tire question and weight.

[Cicli]

So,
I am hauling a touring rig on Ragbrai this year. The bike is awesome and fits really well but rides and pedals like a truck. I dont think punctures are a huge issue for me. So...... I started looking for places to shave weight and the wheels and tires came to mind. I am not looki g to weight weenie a touring bike but the tires alone weigh in at 1100 grams. Holy smokes. I am thinking of going with something from Compass like the Barlow Pass. Will this be a huge difference? They weigh in at 360 grams vs 1100+. I am sure the ride will improve some as well.

Thoughts?

[Tony]

Huge difference!!

[ColonelJLloyd]

huge difference!!
+1

[Black Dog]

The real improvement you will notice is not going to be in terms of the mass change but will be in terms of the improved ride quality!!!

[Cicli]

The old tires are ebike rated too. I dont know what the hell that means but it sounds stiff.

[Peter P.]

Like others have said; 1100 - 360 grams is a HUGE difference. Actually, Donald Trump said "HUGE"!

I can't imagine you'd need more than a 26 or 28mm tire so go for it. For even more weight savings, get a tire with a folding bead.

[HillDancer]

If the intent is to carry touring type loads on that "touring rig", higher pressures are required, which negate most comfort benefits from thin wall tires (or any tire).

Because of its unique construction and materials, Schwalbe Marthon Almotion (http://www.schwalbe.com/en/tour-reader/marathon-almotion.html) rolls very well, provides very good puncture resistance, and can be run at lower pressure than thin wall/tread tires. Install tubeless for the best of everything.

Almotions are very long lived. They maintain crown profile far beyond mileage that would square-off a high rubber content tire. In the image below, the tire on the right has 2700 miles of use, the left is new. The used tire has only .1mm of tread height worn from center tread blocks, plus has maintained much of its original parabolic shaped crown.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-qGOKoNRQhSA/VrWaHqTawQI/AAAAAAAACPA/Gkmo9sgAwaQgqO4BkViLIA2RDVsVnmntACCo/s800-Ic42/P1030469.JPG
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-o25jwQB7bl4/VrWaQkhahqI/AAAAAAAACPA/JT1twMFjQcc3uKSXOkryKFCY19MXnM1IQCCo/s400-Ic42/P1030472.JPGhttps://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-fRYpjSWMdWg/VrWaQmuDQCI/AAAAAAAACPA/XFhXJqp6wh0bduoQ4Uv-G_5SBxx9_946gCCo/s400-Ic42/P1030471.JPG

Note the rough texture of the side tread blocks, this texture along with high synthetic content compound provides very good cornering traction on wet roads.

[R3awak3n]

switch em, not only because of weight but because the compasses will ride MUCH nicer.

I toured with compass switchback hills and I did have to have a higher pressure on them but they still rode very well. Also, I did have a flat but it was my fault where I rolled the bike into camp and there was a rose bush full of thorns on the floor, can't fault the tires for that