Is a MTB tire the fastest and best tire for Gravel racing?

Just wrapped up off road Chung Method testing on the infamous Maxxlite 29…. Definitely NOT in the BRR database.

Test Results.

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Finished up testing on the new Pathfinder TLR Fast Gravel 700 x 45 for anyone interested!

Updated Results on IG

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Do you have plans to test the Schwalbe tyre line up? they are very popular in european races - not sure about US. R Pro, RX Pro, RS Pro would be great. I feel they may be as quick as the caracel, but available in 50.

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funny how 700 x 50 seems some kind of tipping point in tyre designation. Maxxis calls their maxxlite 29x2.0" instead of 700x50. MTB tires are traditionally in inches wheras roadtires are traditionally in cm. Gravel converges between the two. When can the world agree that the metric system is superiour to the imperial system :face_with_peeking_eye: :smiley:

thanks @jkarrasch for all your free data and testing!

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Hear hear!

On that note - do you have a donations link for us to support this work? I feel like you might have mentioned something further up the thread but that was before I really started to understand what exactly it is you’re doing and, if that’s the case, I’m probably not alone.

I know you’re taking primarily donations and loans of tires, but if we can all fling you some pennies to help cover your (presumably high) sealant usage, other consumables, and a bit of consideration for your time, then I’m sure there are a growing number of us who would love to help as much as we can. (Particularly those of us outside the US who aren’t really in a position to send you any tires.)

My requests list would also include one or more of those Schwalbe Pro 50s fairly near the top.

Tufo Gravel Thundero 48 is the other one I’m really curious about - prior to the 2025 releases this seemed like the go-to for most likeminded riders who are still limited by frame clearance. That includes me for another season so I’d love to know how it stacks up against the Tracer 50 and the G-One R(S)(X) Pro 50 in particular. I’d loan you my set but I’m in Scotland so that’s probably cost prohibitive!

Also want to see that new Caracal Race 45 lined up as soon as it becomes available this Summer!

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Yep. Setup a Patreon HERE

I’m definitely planning on doing Thundero 48 and one of the Schwalbe 50s.

Terreno XC race 2.1 next.

What I REALLY need is someone to send in a set of the new 2.2 Contis… I might have something really spicy to compare them to.

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Oh it’s a tipping point for sure. You can even see it in bead to bead tire width measurements. On that note I am likely saving cat 3 tests for tires 29 x 2.00 and larger. Too much puncture risk smaller than that.

You can kinda see manufacturer resistance to 29 x 2.10 but if a good one came out it would be a killer.

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There are two kinds of countries in the world…those that use the metric system and those that put a man on the moon.

:zany_face:

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I haven’t used Patreon before and couldn’t find where I can go to make a 1 time donation. Is this an option, and if so, could you steer in the right direction?

Alternatively, if you have PayPal, would be happy to send some $ through there as well.

I believe that they’ve been using 170 TPI casings like these, which are now available to us all. :smiling_face_with_horns:

To get a proper grasp why the US uses such an odd mix of units and measure, look no further -

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I busted out laughing at this.

At the same time I have to add that “those that put a man on the moon” did it in spite of our convoluted measurement systems, not necessarily because of them:wink:

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If you want to get really pedantic, they used the metric system to put the men on the moon…

But sometimes it is OK just to laugh at the joke simply because it is funny. :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

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Seeing the 3 new Schwalbe 50’s compared side by side on BRR, I think the g-one r-pro looks to be the best middle ground for weight, rolling resistance, and puncture resistance. Pure rolling resistance and weight, the rs-pro appears to be the top dog. Granted, these are all in the 40mm width.

I have a customer with a set of 303s with I the new RS Pro 45 I could borrow.

As of today, just finished terreno dry 2.1 from the recent CN article… Corsa Pro Controls in a 34 mounted for easy gravel track testing next.

EDIT: Also soon.. 29 x 2.2 test round. Need some tires if anyone can help.

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Specialized Epic:

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Wrong thread… see here:
https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/drop-bar-mtb-geo/87495/234

I am aware of that thread too. My point was that Specialized has a new fully built gravel bike coming that can take mtb tyres.

No… Specialized sells a hard tail mountain bike, which many of us have put a rigid fork and drop bars on…

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We don’t know yet that it is a dedicated gravel bike, though, do we? You could interpret “Frankie” to mean it is a “Frankenstein” bike…i.e. a drop-bar epic hardtail.

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