ENVE’s new gravel bike. The MOG

Yeah maybe, but if you’re doing that kinda thing you really should have frame protection in place either way, and still none of these tires are worth a damn compared to a MTB tire especially in the mud so meh.

I envision using this bike, or whichever I end up getting with 3 wheelsets:

  1. Racing - Pathfinder 42’s or Knobby RHerse 42
  2. Road - 32-34mm PRO One
  3. For Gnarly Adventure Knobby RHerse 48

All I have to say about that is the bigger RH tires seem to frequently have bead issues so bring plenty of tubes if you hope to rely on them on a real “adventure” In fact I have a pair of the 48c tires you describe in my garage not being used because the bead is so loose they won’t mount up, and I had to put 50c pirelli cinturato M’s on said trek checkpoint (which I also wouldn’t recommend because their grip is crap).

So again, it’s an odd size and you might be surprised with the fact that there aren’t many/any viable tires and sadly (unsurprisingly?) if one can just use 27.5" tires there are quite a few nice MTB tires that are reliable, fast rolling (see bicyclerollingresistance and compare the XC tires to the gravel tires), and have great traction.

YMMV, good luck, etc…

I’ve done it. They are great. You can corner fast with confidence. I challenge anybody to name a tire that’s better compromise between speed, durability and grip than RH Knoby Tires.

I believe is just a move forward, just like electronic shifting and disc brakes.

This is not terrible similar to Checkpoint SLR9 and Scott Addict Gravel Tuned.

Perhaps with some Roval Terra wheels one can shave a bit more.

Agree. I was just making the observation that low weight was probably not a leading factor when Enve was developing the MOG, and that’s ok.

I think most of us now understand that bike weight alone does not make it fast or slow once a human is pedaling it. Other factors, like rider fitness, comfort, and position, actually affect our speed. None of these bike weights are holding us back from our full potential.

Vittoria mezcal /game

Anyway you sure sound like you have it all figure out so enjoy your enve lol.

Anyway I hate RH tires and have had multiple first hand bad experiences with them so yeah.

Also I want to mention if those RH tires were that fast or had that much grip then someone might use them in an XC race but…

Are 50 mm wide 700c tires really that important, though? You can easily get bikes that take much wider 650b tires. And the price is getting a bit ridiculous. For $5,500 I can get a 3T Exploro with eTap AXS Rival 1x or 2x or with Campag Ekar 1x13. That’s a complete bike with a renowned and versatile carbon frame. If you are ok spending $300–$500 more, you can upgrade to Force eTap AXS 1x or 2x. (Of course, they also have a GRX build, but that is much cheaper.)

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The 50mm tire option is definitely a positive. The jury is still out regarding tire size and gravel, but the trend seems to be heading towards bigger. Dylan Johnson has been advocating for this and it will be interesting to see how his testing with Silca pans out. The introduction of the 47mm Pathfinder Pro is going to allow for comparison against the 42mm. The MOG is going to be able to accommodate the 47, but bikes like the Checkpoint (which I own) won’t, unless you drop to 650b (and that requires another wheelset and may be less efficient than a 700c setup).

If the larger tires start to catch on, suspect more next-gen bikes will be built with the increased clearance.

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My knock on this bike is that I would prefer a 1 piece aero Stem + Handlebar cockpit. Like the Scott Gravel Addict or Factor Gravel Ostro.

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Really? There’s a checkpoint in my house with 50mm tires on it right now.

Once gravel bikes all move to 50mm tyres you really have to question whether you’re better on a mountain bike.

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Unfortunately, right now the mountain bikes best suited for gravel are limited by chainring size. 36t is not big enough, even with a 10t cog in back (I use my HT for gravel).

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I agree, the only reason to use a gravel bike is high speeds.

If you’re choosing 50mm tyres though then you’re spending less time at those high speeds.

I watched the MOG intro video thing and it looked ridiculous. They just look like they’re riding more tentatively than needed on the tricky bits (except the one guy with the wip/swipe) and then labouring on the pedally bits.

(Or, maybe this should be in the other hot thread, but if bikes are going to be designed around 50mm tyres to ride more technical terrain, they should be designed around dropper posts and slacker HTA)

Maybe Nate was way ahead of the game with the Hagar plays riff on guitar

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There is a difference in what a company lists in the specs and what users are willing to use. Sticking to manufacturer specs, that are derived from associated standards (6mm clearance IIRC in most cases), is at least consistent. Let’s try not make the same sideways move we saw in a parallel thread that got derailed into “look what I put in there” and subsequently lead outside the forum guidelines.

In that light, the Checkpoint clearly states the following on all their specs pages:

  • 700x45c / 650x2.1" Bontrager tires
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Maybe. The gravel bike is still going to be a lot more aero so that is an important factor.

While the larger tires will provide more traction, the question is whether they are simply faster. By going from a 42 to a 47, you likely could drop roughly 10 psi, so that’s a pretty significant drop.

I really don’t think this is the case in many scenarios. Many of my rides involve 15miles x 2 of fast false flats in route to smooth and rough gravel.

In the general case, when you do long distance off-road like bike-packing, you want the fastest bike on average.

Think BWR style routes. When you have that amount of pavement, gravel relative to sketchy descends or single track. The gravel bike ALWAYS wins.

In the situation you describe it doesn’t sound like you need 50mm tyres though. If your ride is mostly road to a little bit of chunk, the “fastest” option would be to go with the narrower tyre and just be a touch more cautious.

Of course some organisers are specifically trying to make it so no bike is the right bike.

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Aero is definitely a big point. I won’t be surprised to see some aero concessions in MTB soon.

I’m almost surprised the new (possible) Epic doesn’t have aero profiled tubing.