Is there any conclusion on the difference between transparent / tan wall tyres and all black for gravel?
I am using a 50 G-One R pro on the front at the moment (and the old G-One RS in 45mm in the rear) and have found it to be a very fast and predictable tire especially on loose over hard and on the pavement. So far so good in terms of durability but I donāt have a lot of issues with tires (touch wood). I am using a 25id rim and it inflates true to size (unlike the old RS which is about 47mm on the same rim) The G One R has that souplesse feeling that I have come to love about these Schwalbe tires.
Last year I ran the 50 G One R in the rear and a TB up front for a race (the max I can fit into my 2022 Checkpoint) and I think Iāll run the G One R up front this year and possible go with a 45 in the rear, I find the G One R up front to have a tonne of traction compared to the TB and very predictable handling. (I find the G One RS can really bite when you lean in, especially on pavement, itās all right once you know it happens but the first time is an eye opener)
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Here ya go. 55 mm RS PRO test results. Nice tires.
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Great stuff, thanks.
It seems that the RS is really close to the thunder burt, just a tick slower across all surfaces (so close that Iād say itās within the margin of error). Which begs the question - why would someone pick the RS over a TB unless itās pure pavement riding? Seems like the TB would provide better grip/traction in loose conditions. Not sure about puncture protection, but Iād be surprised if the RS has an advantage there. As part of your Chung testing, are you seeing any measurable difference in aero between these?
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The new Schwalbeās all run the same casing I believe and theyāve all had a pretty good reputation for puncture protection, winning a lot of races. Iād feel completely comfortable running them on most courses, which is vastly different than how most feel about the TB.
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My only exposure to the G One RSs is through Ben Delaneyās Youtube channel, and he seems to puncture all the damn time. 
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Iāve still got the Tb as my daily use tire on some Hunt 40sā¦. The RS is rated a bit higher for flat protection by Schwalbe so thatās likely its best appeal.
Aero wise, nah. Very similar. Most tires of similar sizes are very close in aero.
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FYI, RS Pro is on sale at biketiresdirect today for 20% off. And also the G-one speed.
I was debating between the RS pro 45 and the G-one speed 2.35 and decided to try the G-one speed. I was originally leaning toward the RS pro 45, but figured the only races Iād use a tire that small are a couple early season local races with really tame gravel. One of those races has a very selective long sandy section near the start and has a good bit of pavement also, so I decided to try the G-one speed 2.35 (which is basically a beach racing tire, but also seems to roll well on pavement). All the tests Iāve seen on that tire is that itās crazy fast on pavement all the way up to chunky gravel, but it doesnāt have the flat protection youād want for chunky/sharp gravel. We shall see, I hope they fit in my Seigla (with wide Xplr wheels). Iāve tested with 2.4 dubs and they fit OK, but Iāve read that those G-ones blow out pretty wide. Fingers crossed, otherwise they will be used for MTB road training.
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Iāve ridden the g-one speed on my Seigla and they fit with tons of space on 26 internal rims. I know of two local fast guys who have also ridden it on the XPLR wheels and Seiglas, so youāll be good there.
With my rims, I found the tire had a higher than ideal minimum pressure to avoid some nasty counter steer. One of the local guys I talked to said he found 22 psi to be the lower limit to avoid that phenomenon, so Iāll be curious to hear your experience.
Besides the counter steer, I found them to be super smooth and feeling fast. The lack of tread is noticeable, though. I was on a fast ride and when it got spicy going up hill, it was pretty easy to lose traction just by going too hard too quickly. A wider rim and different pressure could maybe help, I was running high teens (per the Silca calculator).
If I run them again, Iāll be getting some wider rims first (at least 30mm).
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Did I see you say somewhere that you fit a 50 rear and 2.2 front on your old checkpoint? I assume that was for a dry course.
On 25 internal rims, 2.2/50 combo should work on a gen2 checkpoint in dry conditions. I never mounted up a 50 in the rear, but ran a 47 all the time with plenty of clearance. I did mount up a 2.2 RK in the rear once and it barely squeezed (like by a single MM), but would rub when pedaling with the frame flexing.
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Almost identical size to 2.4 dubs for me on 29 mm internal width rims.
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An observation I had this summer: I commute with my gravel bike and had to put an old tire (Schwalbe G-One Bite) on my gravel bike instead of the usual tire (Specialized Pathfinder Pro). Rolling resistance says Pathfinder has 20.3W while the Schwalbe is around 25W. Still I was faster on the Schwalbe G-One Bite.
The reason is that it grips much better and Iām able to take curves faster - for every curve I save several seconds. Itās āslipperyā gravel where going straight feels save, but taking turns one is never sure if a tire starts losing grip. There is a 5-min-segment where Iām up to 25s faster with slower, but better gripping tires. Iām sure I could learn to take faster curves with other tires too. 
Back to topic: I would love to have a table with a standardized number for āgripā of gravel und MTB tires.
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Come on, dont let the secret outā¦gravel races arent won by straight line speed.
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I tried an RS Pro in 50mm variety. I really didnt like it - it was fast in a straight line but felt very sketchy leaning on to the knobs. Never felt confident at all with them which made me very slow in corners. Even on tarmac they felt bad.
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I recently switched from Pathfinders to G-One RS Pro 50ās on my Crux front and back. These are the largest I can run. I really like the RS Proās over the Pathfinders and was surprised as I thought it might not feel as stable but I can feel the side lugs dig in when leaning in corners. They are much more squared compared to the pathfinders which allows you to dig into the lugs.
I also took advantage of the Biketires Direct sale for my kids and got them 50ās but opted for RS Pro Rear and RX Pro front to give them a little more stability. We might do Wildhorse Gravel race next spring again and there are some chunky sections that these would be great for.
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I mean people racing have probably much better skills and handle the bike better than me at 6pm riding home. If I lean the bike etc. it may also work with the other tires.
The reason I put the old (better gripping) tires on: I went to the mountains for a weekend where there is a route quite steep, full of gravel. It was actually much easier to climb it with the better gripping tires, this means I was also faster.
So faster is relative 
I still love a good rolling tire (usually because they also feel nice).
Maybe on average, but I see some impressively bad bike handling at the pointy end of many gravel races. All fitness, no understanding of how to handle a bike in loose conditions. I donāt consider myself to be a great bike handler, but are people doing these events who must never ride off road besides the races they do. The key is to identify these people early and keep your distance.
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Hahaā¦I noticed this after I posted my comments. Funny as we are the exact opposite. I feel much more confident on the RS Proās compared to my Pathfinders which I have washed out on corners a couple times. Moral of the story is that it takes testing and not every tire is the same for everyone.
Totally course dependent, but I find that straight line speed/power is usually the difference maker for long gravel events where it often turns into a race of attrition. You can lose a race (ie - end up on the ground or get dropped) with poor cornering, but all the cornering skills in the world arenāt going to put you on the podium of most gravel races unless you have big power/speed. And Iām not saying a grippy tire doesnāt make it easier to stay with a group when people are smashing it through the corners, but itās not how races are won in my experience. Plenty of crappy bike handlers end up on the podium at gravel races, it doesnāt matter if you have the engine to push big watts all day (ie - straight line speed)
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