After sliding out and banging my knee up bad last year, I've had a hard time getting the confidence all the way back to corner as fast as I used to. So I decided to just get something grippier. And, hopefully faster.
Going from the 40mm Terra Speed to the 45mm G-One RX Pro was a drastic change. With the new tires weighing in at 591g and 595g, it added 300g in total weight to my extremely lightweight Crux build. This was immediately noticeable when braking and cornering, but the difference hasn't been so much that I can't adjust (I did have that problem before though with heavy aluminum wheels).
However, the increase in comfort is just as noticeable. The previous tires I was running at 30/32psi for Cat 1 gravel (32/34psi for gravel/road mix) with my 185lb system weight. With the new tires I am running 25/26psi for gravel and 27/28psi for road/gravel mix. All of the harshness from any random bumps is now gone.
The increase in speed when on Cat 2 gravel, washboard, and deep gravel sections is so enormous, you can not only feel it, but you can see it when riding next to someone or in a group. Instead of your momentum screeching to a halt, it's more of a minor slowdown.
Overall, when riding on the very smooth, twisty Cat 1 gravel paths I normally ride, I am enjoying the extra grip and ability to sometimes ride deeper gravel lines when necessary. On this smoother terrain, they do not yet seem to be any faster or slower (though I still need more data). Which I think means it's likely they are a little faster most of the time and slower when facing a strong headwind or crosswind.
by OUEngineer17
2 Comments
I know that spot well. I ran the Terra Speeds for awhile on my Crux and while I found them fast, I also wore them out quickly.
The G-one R is high on my list of potential next tires to try out. Currently running the Tufo Swampero on the front with a Tufo Thundero on the rear. May go full Swampero for the winter months. I’ll be interested to hear your long term opinion on these and what kind of mileage you get out of them. I’ve had great success with some Schwalbe tires and big misses with others. The new Pro versions look promising from a speed standpoint though.
I’m loving my upgrade from the Schwalbe G-One AllRound (45-622). I had them last season and put over 1500 miles on them in a year. But I did a few rides at the end of this season (MMR, dual track, rustic back roads trails — 105 miles in one go) and I opted for the 50-622 Schwalbe G-One RX Pro.
I can “under bike” and take it on some single tracks and it’s been fun. If I had smoother tires I would have wiped out more.
The Unbound 200 and overall Lifetime grand prix winner this year was rocking the exact same RX Pro (50-622).
I can’t say enough good about it and I’m glad I opted for it.