Hey all, I’m currently riding 32mm Continental Grand Prix tires (tubeless) on my road bike (Giant Defy). Most of my rides are on tarmac, but I also cut through forest roads, so I often deal with wet leaves and branches now the Autumn is coming again.
I’m looking for something that gives me more confidence in wet/autumn conditions (slippery leaves and wet corners). Decent puncture protection and comfort on rough surfaces.
I’ve been looking at the Schwalbe G-One RS Pro (35mm), they look good. kind of gravel-ish but not too aggressive. Do they roll well enough on road or am I better off with something like the Conti GP 4-Season or another all-weather option?
Any recommendations or experiences would be helpful!
by gewoon_doen
6 Comments
I’ve been using Conti 4-Season (32mm) for autumn and winter, and I’m very happy with them in wet conditions. It rarely freezes where I live but it’s constantly wet around 5°C. Leaves can be tricky in any case if they are in multiple layers, take care around those corners.
I’m using the 45mm RS Pro on my Gravel with 99% road usage and I couldn’t complain. However, I don’t think that I’ll use them once the snow starts to stick. The pattern in the center is really shallow and I simply don’t see it doing much for grip.
I swap back and forth between those Schwalbes in 40and GP5k ASTR in 35. Mostly tarmac but some gravel — I’ve done unbound on the Schwalbes for example.
The GP are quicker. The Schwalbes are plusher (obv I’m running 5mm bigger in those) but they tend to wear pretty quick for me. I’ve not had any real traction “events” where I’d say “damn I wish I was on that other tire” but I’m not sending it into corners in the fall/winter, either. The Schwalbes obv have more grip on the shoulders than the slicks.
But both are perfectly acceptable. I’d got with whichever has the size and color and price you want.
Big fan of the Specialized Pathfinder Pro 2Bliss for this specific use case. Smooth center strip makes road fast while the tread nubs on the edges give confidence on rough stuff.
I suppose I could take off my GP5000s for some gaterskins…
I use GP5K on my winter bike. They’ve got the smoothest transition from gripping to sliding on ice & hardpact.