Is There a Quiver-Killer Tire?

[Cornfed]

I know the do-it-all, do-everything, "quiver-killer" bike debate has raged forever, but what's the best tire for a bike that will be ridden 50-50, road and dirt, for long distances? I'll make the question a little easier and say packed dirt to small gravel; nothing too big or too loose. Think rural roads, fire roads, etc. Thanks in advance for any guidance.

[p nut]

For 50/50 road/dirt, my pick would be Terrene Elwood in 700x38. File tread with just enough bite for the hardpack.

[weisan]

The Gravelking Royal Family rules the kingdom currently.

[Mzilliox]

32mm gravel king or compass tires.
not the best at either, but you'll keep up on the road if you could with 25s, and they tackle most gravel situations without much issue.

:bike:

[bicycletricycle]

If you want to ride fast in a super roadie group than not really.

If you ride on the road but aren't trying to keep up with the super fasts than a 650 x 42 or 700 x 35/38 seem to do the job. I get compass when i have the cash or gravel kind when I'm feeling poor.

When I get back on the skinny tires they do feel fast but I never mind switching back to the wider tires, especially because I have integrated a little bit of dirt into all of my road rides.

[Hilltopperny]

Gravel Kings if budget conscious or Compass/Rene Herse regular casings if you have the $$$$


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[Lovetoclimb]

Specialized Pathfinder ticks all the right boxes for me.

[twors]

Vittoria Terreno Zero gets my vote

[AngryScientist]

bon jovis

[avalonracing]

I don't know why they don't get much love or attention but so far I kinda dig the Kenda Flintridge that I have on my all-rounder.

[R3awak3n]

Gravel Kings if budget conscious or Compass/Rene Herse regular casings if you have the $$$$


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My thoughts exactly.

Gks are great and not expensivd but if you want the best, compass/rene herse. The new knobbies are fantastic even on pavement

[dem]

Anything over 32 is too squishy for serious road work, so you want something that rolls fast but can handle a bit of gravel.. the Pirelli Cinturato looks like an interesting option - https://www.bicyclerollingresistance.com/road-bike-reviews/pirelli-cinturato-velo-2018

[Spaghetti Legs]

If you can find it, the Panaracer Evo Race A Gravel is a great tire. Good supple road handling and I’ve ridden it on some pretty rough gravel without problems.

[weaponsgrade]

I'll second the Compass/RH tires. Right now I'm on a set of the 38mm Barlow Passes. The size and volume gives a decent amount of grip on dry dirt and the file tread isn't too bad on the road. They don't do very well in mud as might be expected. I'm going to try the knobbie version (Steilacoom) tire on the front. I think that'd be the killer combo for dirt/road.

The other tire I spend a lot of dirt/road time on is the Thunder Burt that I have on my rigid 29er. I've ridden the same route with both bikes. If I want to rip down the dirt descents I'll take the 29er and the Thunder Burts. If I want speed on the road, I'll take the gravel bike with the BPs.

[weisan]

what's the best tire for a bike that will be ridden 50-50, road and dirt, for long distances?

I know I have already offered up my response earlier...but I been thinking...if this question was posed to me say a couple of years ago before the explosion of gravelmania, certainly before Panaracer came up with the GravelKings, I would have answered the question slightly differently.

The tire of choice would still be made by Panaracer but it would be called "Pa-se-las". In fact, Panaracer still make them today and I bet, before they "invented" gravelkings, they gleaned a lot of the lessons learned from the Paselas.

https://berthoudcycles.fr/1382-home_default/tire-panaracer-pasela-pt-700c-x-35.jpg

[AngryScientist]

I know I have already offered up my response earlier...but I been thinking...if this question was posed to me say a couple of years ago before the explosion of gravelmania, certainly before Panaracer came up with the GravelKings, I would have answered the question slightly differently.

The tire of choice would still be made by Panaracer but it would be called "Pa-se-las". In fact, Panaracer still make them today and I bet, before they "invented" gravelkings, they gleaned a lot of the lessons learned from the Paselas.

https://berthoudcycles.fr/1382-home_default/tire-panaracer-pasela-pt-700c-x-35.jpg

oh yes, many a gravel mile has been rolled by Angry on the mighty pasela. they are still really good tires.

[fiamme red]

If you can find it, the Panaracer Evo Race A Gravel is a great tire. Good supple road handling and I’ve ridden it on some pretty rough gravel without problems.Excel has the Race A EVO3 tires on sale for $24, the EVO4 for $34.

https://www.excelsports.com/main.asp?page=7&major=1&minor=27#.filter-PANARACE

Edit: Sorry, these are not the gravel version.

[unterhausen]

I got some 40mm Maxxis Velocitas when I found out I was going to be riding a long stretch on a cinder rail trail. Not sure I would use them on our gravel around here, seems like they might be a little on the lightweight side for that. I have always thought the Gravel King SK ride pretty nicely on the road. I have a 200km ride that is about 1/3 gravel, and the SK have worked well on it.

[DRZRM]

Rene Herse Steliacoom (38) or Hurricane Ridge (42) are awesome, and are remarkably fast on the road for knobbies. I think standard casing is the best bang for your buck.

[Kirk007]

Compass Bon Jon's and Stampede Pass are greater for tamer stuff. An outlier that I'm liking with a larger footprint and more aggressive tread but short of knobbies:

Specialized Pathfinder Pro in 650b x 47, set up tubeless. Fast on the road, my average speed is about the same as on my road bikes with 25-28mm tires. The tread is deeper than the WTB varieties.. Surprisingly nice for a $40 tire.

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[weisan]

Specialized Pathfinder Pro in 650b x 47


https://cyclingtips.com/2019/08/specialized-pathfinder-pro-gravel-tyre-review/

[Heisenberg]

depends on your locale really.

norcal, especially in winter, the rene herse 38mm knobby steilacoom in a standard or EL casing (if you're gentle) is lovely for everything. rolls fast/corners well on pavement, hooks up in mud/wetness.

switch to 38mm slick barlow pass in the summer.

profit.

tl;dr, little knobs on pavement suck

[marciero]

For 27.5 wheels, gotta be 42 compass EL. Pro tip: for less squishy ride on pavement add a few lb of air (who knew??)

Edit: And plus one on the Paselas, which punch way above their weight, with a surprisingly good ride. All the Panaracers are probably excellent.

[Jad]

I know the do-it-all, do-everything, "quiver-killer" bike debate has raged forever, but what's the best tire for a bike that will be ridden 50-50, road and dirt, for long distances? I'll make the question a little easier and say packed dirt to small gravel; nothing too big or too loose. Think rural roads, fire roads, etc. Thanks in advance for any guidance.

Like others, I've used the R. Herse Barlow Passes (700x38, reg. casing @ ~40psi for my 165lbs) for just that mix of roads every time I've ridden for the last couple of seasons. They have been fantastic and work very well for 90% of everything I find myself on. The only drawback, as mentioned is on mud and slush, when I could def. use some lugs. I'd like to try the R. Herse Steilacooms or maybe Donnelly X'plor MSO 36mm and compare.

[Gummee]

I'm partial to the Schwalbe G-Ones.

Roll surprisingly well on the pavement and do pretty good on the gravel we have here around the swamp that is DC

M

[Mzilliox]

a quiver killer would mean it has to keep up on group rides, just keep that in mind when you cats are on about 40mm tires. thats not a quiver killer, thats a gravel tire. plus most bikes cant fit a 40, where all road bikes can fit up to 35s.

this is not a favorite tire discussion, its "quiver killer" so it has to do both well.
:fight:

[seanile]

I'm partial to the Schwalbe G-Ones.

Roll surprisingly well on the pavement and do pretty good on the gravel we have here around the swamp that is DC

M

agreed, their 35mm is choice, but i wish the tread didn't wear down as fast as it does.

[Jad]

a quiver killer would mean it has to keep up on group rides, just keep that in mind when you cats are on about 40mm tires. thats not a quiver killer, thats a gravel tire. plus most bikes cant fit a 40, where all road bikes can fit up to 35s.

this is not a favorite tire discussion, its "quiver killer" so it has to do both well.
:fight:

Well, to be fair, the OP does set parameters and then narrows further, "I'll make the question a little easier..." That's prob why we're hearing about 38-40mm tires.

[XXtwindad]

depends on your locale really.

norcal, especially in winter, the rene herse 38mm knobby steilacoom in a standard or EL casing (if you're gentle) is lovely for everything. rolls fast/corners well on pavement, hooks up in mud/wetness.

switch to 38mm slick barlow pass in the summer.

profit.

tl;dr, little knobs on pavement suck

Not sure what this means. Does that mean that a tire like the Hurricane Ridge or the WTB Resolute won't fare well on pavement? Those were my second two candidates for a "quiver killer."

My first is the Gravel King SK. But all this is based on feedback from this site as I haven't tried any of them yet.

[rowebr]

a quiver killer would mean it has to keep up on group rides, just keep that in mind when you cats are on about 40mm tires. thats not a quiver killer, thats a gravel tire.

I've kept up in a fast group ride on 38mm Gravelking SKs...and I've also been dropped from the same ride on those tires. I think the SKs roll and and corner well enough on pavement that they do not detract at all from the fun of trying to hang with the roadies on my cross bike.

[spoonrobot]

i've been living this life for a couple years now. I do crits, A/B group rides and mixed terrain centuries on WTB Horizons, Baby Shoe Passes and the 700cx38 GK slick. They're all pretty good, the wider tires are a little slower but within the error range of general day-to-day fitness.

Modern wide slicks are so good you don't leave much on the table riding pavement or gravel. They suck on loose/slick over hard but that's really the only weakness I've found. Riding with others who are on racing bikes and there's an obvious mismatch climbing/descending but in the draft I honestly couldn't tell the speed difference between 38/40/47 and the 25s I rode the week before.

https://drandalls.files.wordpress.com/2019/09/img_9181.jpg?resize=607%2C607
https://drandalls.files.wordpress.com/2019/12/tsp_11889384-14.png

If you want to ride with other riders in a competitive way on pavement, and you're not at pro power levels, you can't really consider knobbies. In my experience. Maybe something like the WTB Byway but even then they're obviously slower than a true slick. I tried the WTB Resolute and the power required to ride with others on racing slicks was way higher than demi and balloon slicks. FWIW the Resolute performed almost the same as the Compass Steilacoom in the rolldown testing I did.

The flipside is that slicks aren't really any slower on gravel and make up enough on pavement for 50-50 style rides.

[John H.]

Tire choice is highly reliant on split of road vs. dirt, and type of dirt.
Also depedent on fitness of rider if you want to do group rides on pavement on this tire.
A rider with an FTP of 4 watts/kg can push a bigger and slower tire than a rider with an FTP of 2.5 watt/kg.

For around here (SF Bay area) Would choose a Vittoria Terenno Dry 33, Schwable G1 35 or 38, Or maybe a Maxxis Rambler.
But they all have their plusses and minuses.

[fignon's barber]

Tire choice is highly reliant on split of road vs. dirt, and type of dirt.
Also depedent on fitness of rider if you want to do group rides on pavement on this tire.
A rider with an FTP of 4 watts/kg can push a bigger and slower tire than a rider with an FTP of 2.5 watt/kg.

For around here (SF Bay area) Would choose a Vittoria Terenno Dry 33, Schwable G1 35 or 38, Or maybe a Maxxis Rambler.
But they all have their plusses and minuses.


This. A "quiver killer" means something different to everyone, there are so many variables and also what you're trying to accomplish on the bike. Personally, the majority of my miles are on pavement. If I was forced to pick just one pair of tires, I would go with Vittoria Corsa Control 2.0, size 700 x 30.

[rkhatibi]

Swapped to the Hutchinson Overdrive 35 last week for the Planet of the Apes ride. Thought they were reasonably fast on pavement, good in potholes while commuting, and solid in a bit of gravel. https://www.cxmagazine.com/hutchinson-overide-tubeless-gravel-tire-review-35-38