Which Tyres?

Think I’d try the Terra Speeds or Pirelli’s if cheap enough

Sorry for the spam but I'm selling some never-ridden WTB Exposure 36 for cheap here
https://www.lfgss.com/conversations/363912/#comment16014733

What’s good in 700 x 45mm-47mm gravel tyres?

Tubeless desirable rather than essential. Will be for the rear, paired with a 29x2.0 front tire so want to keep it quite wide but a 2.0 won’t fit through the frame. Currently got a 700 x 47mm Schwalbe Energiser thing on but it’s over a kilo and feels like dragging a corpse.

Pirelli

What's the consensus on Voyager Hypers at the moment? I've found two shops in Germany that sell the 40c version for around 35 Euros. I know they were a lot cheaper a couple of years ago but have since been discontinued. Would you say they are worth the asking price or are there better alternatives (apart from Marathon Supremes, etc.)?

Schwalbe City Jets appear to be discontinued. What's the current forum recommendation for a reasonably priced 26" slick commuter tyre? Aside from the obvious choice (Marathons).

Preferably with tan sidewalls and/or reflective piping.

City Jets burned too bright for this world. RIP sweet prince

(There seems to be loads available still?)

WTB Venture or Sendero, Pirelli Cinturato M or H, Maxxis Wrangler or Rambler or whatever it's called, Cannonball from those new guys that I can't remember the name of right now.

For speed, I like the Kojaks (there's 2 widths and the wire ones are cheap).
For fatness I like the Big Apple or Fat Frank but these are both 800g+ each.

Oh, only black as far as I know. I dislike tan walls.

They were out of stock in most of the online bike shops when I checked, but looks like eBay still has plenty. Good to know

Thanks. I convinced myself that the colour/reflectivity would be as much for side visibility as for any perceived style points. Fat Frank has both, but the coloured versions are even heavier. Probably not worth it. I'll look at a set of Big Apples (or grab some City Jets before they disappear).

Purely anecdotal, but i'm massively impressed with Pirelli P zero's (25mm). Used them for LEJOG, of which there was constant rain for 5 of the 8 days, didn't have a single puncture. That's with latex tubes as well.

8 days

Nice!

The new "Race" version or the older generation?

I really liked the older generation but found it cut up quite easily. Like, catch the edge of a metal grate and it'll leave a two inch slice in the tyre without actually puncturing. Apparently the new version is more durable but I'm keen to hear real world feedback not marketing hype.

I love my hyper voyagers. Unsure if I got good ones or bad ones from planet X. But I've got them in 38c on the mum bike, had them on the arkose for commuting/winter, and I've got a pair for the cross bike for lanes. Incredibly, I've got a pair in the shed doing nothing. They have been used tubeless. Where are you based, I could post them on?

I believe the older generation? There's no mention of 'race' in title, though they are the folding version.

They went through c.30km of offroad sections on the ride? That's cycling over sharp rocks/gravel/mud/grit etc. Lots of very sharp stones and bits sticking out the ground. I didn't have a chance to properly visually inspect them after the ride as we had to palm the bikes off to the courier, but they did look to be in very good condition from the brief inspection i had. There were only very small cuts, no more than 3/4mm.

Continental contact urban are the only things I could find that don't weigh a tonne but aren't unabashedly Fragile and come in a decent width.

Good to know. Thanks for the offer. I'm based in Germany so posting is probably not a viable option. I may just buy them from the German online shop or wait until I actually need a new pair of tires. :-)

Picked up a pair of 38c G-One Speed MicroSkins, probably old stock as I think they're discontinued. Noticed when mounting them that the sidewall on one has a bit of a tear... Is this cosmetic or should I ask for refund/replacement?

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Personally, I'd return that, looks like a lack of rubber on the sidewall.

Ta, what I thought but always helpful to have it confirmed. Guess popping my tubeless cherry will have to wait a bit...

Just going to leave this here... https://cyclingtips.com/2021/06/nerd-alert-podcast-tubulars-arent-dead-yet/

@apc

late to the party, but how about Sawtooths? I had a set of them and found them to be excellent on and off road (no mud obvs). Better than the pathfinders.

@M_V +1 for Pirelli, thanks @Saffronspokes for tipping me in that direction. I used the Gravel M (45c front and 40c rear) for a week of offroad/road bikepacking in Scotland, did not disappoint. I went for the M as I was expecting wet conditions. That said, I am impressed with how much grip these tyres have, even at high pressures (50/60psi). Once the pressure drops they handle well for a tyre of that size, with a good and predictable sidewall behaviour. They roll nicely on tarmac too (if pumped up) thanks to the semi-continuous central knob. Very easy to setup TL and did not skip a beat despite the rather challenging conditions I put them through, except for a 5mm sidewall cut that sealed rather quickly with minimum nursing.

I've had no issues with my 50mm front Gravel M version. I've probably said this already but it'll go ont the back and a Rambler 47mm will replace it just for clearance reasons. Then I'll stick to 47mm tyres for more gravel/road rather than gravel/mtb.

Where's your Scotland pics?