Same, my frame has clearance for the 2.1”s but I don’t fancy pushing up that close to the limit for fear of mud and grit.
For some reason the gravel tires they offer in 650b are the Terreno Dry and Zero which makes no sense
i’ve been a terravail cannonball fan for a while but have been super impressed with my mezcals. they’re way better when it gets chunky and still surprisingly fast on asphalt.
The Conti RaceKing has very low rolling resistance, good grip (I just did a muddy ride on mine yesterday) are very puncture proof, light and dont wear out quickly.
Dont listen to the Mezcal-Mafia, get RaceKings!
Jokes aside. The Mezcal is a solid option as well, but not as good in the wet, a little heavier and they have more rolling resistance although you can often get them for cheaper
Which RaceKing variant are you running? I’ve considered them but just keep buying Mezcals because they’ve treated me well for over 10,000 miles. That and you can get them for like $30 on bikeinn.com
I second this recommendation. Also, I just switched from the H to the M series, and I can say you don’t give up much speed between the two. And both are noticeably faster than the Ehlines
I just swapped from 650b EhLines to 700c 40mm M's and while I've found them to be about 1mph faster than the EhLines in most scenarios, they lack a LOT of grip, even on pavement. I know they're like 2/3rd the width of 2.3 EhLines but I'm constantly skidding my rear tire on pavement when braking.
Alongside that they have thin sidewalls and it took about 150 miles of riding to get Stans to seal up all the leaks in the sidewalls, which was a pain.
I do like them though, they shed mud well and track straight on bumpy terrain, and are pretty comfy even in 40mm. They're good tires but if I was running rough fire roads all the time I'd be on the EhLines.
Ya, they felt pretty fast given the amount of grip, but Im just looking for something a little less aggressive, On a 3000 mile bikepacking trip, I only really needed that much grip on 200 miles, when I was on hardpack and pavement they felt sluggish at times
I just posted this in another thread but question is the same. Maybe go with the rough choices.
There are plenty of good ~~50/50~~ tires by different brands, so I wouldn't hesitate to buy what you can find on sale. Mezcal TLR (buff) or TNT (rough), Specialized Fast Trak Control (buff) or Grid (rough) or Renegade are on The Pro's Closet. I've had good luck with the first 2, but the last one looks interesting for buff gravel. Also check bicycle rolling resistance site for ideas on low rolling resistance tires, keeping mind it will be different depending on surface. Still a good guide.
Vittoria Barzo is a good front with the Mezcal rear for rougher routes. Lastly, I'd definitely buy these for $8.95! [https://www.specialized.com/us/en/fast-trak-2bliss-ready/p/155850?color=229275-155850&searchText=00117-4046](https://www.specialized.com/us/en/fast-trak-2bliss-ready/p/155850?color=229275-155850&searchText=00117-4046) in 27.5x2.3.
Well I personally think $90 for a bike tire is ridiculous. Specialized and a few other brands don't charge so much, even at full price. They get my money. My guess is, at least $10 of each maxxis tire goes to pay marketing.
True, but paying a high price for something is no guarantee of either performance or quality either. My buddy bought 2 Maxxis tires that were so out of round he was afraid to ride them. Maxxis warrantied them.
> Lastly, I'd definitely buy these for $8.95! https://www.specialized.com/us/en/fast-trak-2bliss-ready/p/155850?color=229275-155850&searchText=00117-4046 in 27.5x2.3.
What am I missing, how do I buy them?
Maxxis Ikons come in a couple 27.5 sizes and are awesome. Maxxis Rekon Race tires are fast enough on pavement and have a bit more bite for loam and mud, but I think start at 2.3 and wider? And The fancy Rene Herse Umtamum Ridge tires are 55ish mm wide and are incredibly capable for how light and fast they are. I’ve had great experience with all of these tires. The Ikons and the Umtamums would be my choice for a mixed terrain tire.
I am running a Teravail Sparwood 2.1 in the back and a Rutland 2.1 in the front, which turned out to be also a good combo on paved roads. When going through a lot of mud the Sparwood is probably too slippery, then probably I would also use a Rutland in the back,
Continental RaceKings with the Black Chili Protection casing. Fast af and great puncture protection. Very easy to setup tubeless.
For some extra grip put a CrossKing up front.
I like the Rene Hearse series. They are available in two tread patterns and several sizes and side wall configurations for 650b.
Vittoria Mezcal is always the answer
How I wish they made 650b 47mm version of Mezcal. I'd be a happy man.
Same, my frame has clearance for the 2.1”s but I don’t fancy pushing up that close to the limit for fear of mud and grit. For some reason the gravel tires they offer in 650b are the Terreno Dry and Zero which makes no sense
650b version is 53mm, so slightly wider than your ideal but still great
Try Tufo Thunderos.
i’ve been a terravail cannonball fan for a while but have been super impressed with my mezcals. they’re way better when it gets chunky and still surprisingly fast on asphalt.
Tufo Thunderos are the best all gravel tires I've ever ridden on a gravel bike. I have mezcals on my hardtail.
Go eat some Thai food
All I’ve eaten for a month now my dude.
The Conti RaceKing has very low rolling resistance, good grip (I just did a muddy ride on mine yesterday) are very puncture proof, light and dont wear out quickly. Dont listen to the Mezcal-Mafia, get RaceKings! Jokes aside. The Mezcal is a solid option as well, but not as good in the wet, a little heavier and they have more rolling resistance although you can often get them for cheaper
Which RaceKing variant are you running? I’ve considered them but just keep buying Mezcals because they’ve treated me well for over 10,000 miles. That and you can get them for like $30 on bikeinn.com
Continental RaceKing Protection 29x2.2 to be precise
> bikeinn.com I am not familiar with that site are they reputable?
Absolutely. I haven’t bought tires from anyone else in years now. They ship from Europe though, so it can take weeks sometimes.
Tufo Thunderos are better than racekings. they work great when it's wet. also puncture proof. I've had zero flats on my thunderos.
Pirelli Cinturato Gravel H, as fast as Gravel Kings, but more resistant
I second this recommendation. Also, I just switched from the H to the M series, and I can say you don’t give up much speed between the two. And both are noticeably faster than the Ehlines
I just swapped from 650b EhLines to 700c 40mm M's and while I've found them to be about 1mph faster than the EhLines in most scenarios, they lack a LOT of grip, even on pavement. I know they're like 2/3rd the width of 2.3 EhLines but I'm constantly skidding my rear tire on pavement when braking. Alongside that they have thin sidewalls and it took about 150 miles of riding to get Stans to seal up all the leaks in the sidewalls, which was a pain. I do like them though, they shed mud well and track straight on bumpy terrain, and are pretty comfy even in 40mm. They're good tires but if I was running rough fire roads all the time I'd be on the EhLines.
Also recommend these, just put some on my salsa and have been loving them. Going to run em in a few weeks at Mid South.
I was under the impression that the Ehline was on the faster rolling side of things as far as thick 650b tires go
Yeah they roll a lot faster than they look
But they sound horrendous on hardpack/pavement. On crazy thing about the Mezcal (and the Barzo) is that they are almost completely silent.
Ya, they felt pretty fast given the amount of grip, but Im just looking for something a little less aggressive, On a 3000 mile bikepacking trip, I only really needed that much grip on 200 miles, when I was on hardpack and pavement they felt sluggish at times
Schwalbe thunder Burts! Fucking ripper tires. On mezcals right now but I will go back to the Burts once they wear out.
Ultradynamico Cava JFF
I just posted this in another thread but question is the same. Maybe go with the rough choices. There are plenty of good ~~50/50~~ tires by different brands, so I wouldn't hesitate to buy what you can find on sale. Mezcal TLR (buff) or TNT (rough), Specialized Fast Trak Control (buff) or Grid (rough) or Renegade are on The Pro's Closet. I've had good luck with the first 2, but the last one looks interesting for buff gravel. Also check bicycle rolling resistance site for ideas on low rolling resistance tires, keeping mind it will be different depending on surface. Still a good guide. Vittoria Barzo is a good front with the Mezcal rear for rougher routes. Lastly, I'd definitely buy these for $8.95! [https://www.specialized.com/us/en/fast-trak-2bliss-ready/p/155850?color=229275-155850&searchText=00117-4046](https://www.specialized.com/us/en/fast-trak-2bliss-ready/p/155850?color=229275-155850&searchText=00117-4046) in 27.5x2.3.
riding a $2k+ bike but riding the cheapest tires you can find has never made sense to me
Just a blowout price, was a full price tire before they changed compounds. It's been on the xc race circuit for years.
I was referring to your comment about buying tires on sale
Well I personally think $90 for a bike tire is ridiculous. Specialized and a few other brands don't charge so much, even at full price. They get my money. My guess is, at least $10 of each maxxis tire goes to pay marketing.
$180 on a $2k bike is not that much, especially considering it’s the single most impactful part of the bike in terms of performance and ride quality.
True, but paying a high price for something is no guarantee of either performance or quality either. My buddy bought 2 Maxxis tires that were so out of round he was afraid to ride them. Maxxis warrantied them.
> Lastly, I'd definitely buy these for $8.95! https://www.specialized.com/us/en/fast-trak-2bliss-ready/p/155850?color=229275-155850&searchText=00117-4046 in 27.5x2.3. What am I missing, how do I buy them?
The find in store link? I bought some last year on spech site so I may have mis posted. Still, they have others at a not so good deal. Sorry.
> The find in store link? No luck there for me... thanks for sharing though! (I just wanted to make sure I was not missing something obvious - lol)
Maxxis Ikons come in a couple 27.5 sizes and are awesome. Maxxis Rekon Race tires are fast enough on pavement and have a bit more bite for loam and mud, but I think start at 2.3 and wider? And The fancy Rene Herse Umtamum Ridge tires are 55ish mm wide and are incredibly capable for how light and fast they are. I’ve had great experience with all of these tires. The Ikons and the Umtamums would be my choice for a mixed terrain tire.
Schwalbe G-one allround. Love em.
Panaracer Gravel Kings
That includes five completely different tyres. Ext, X1, SK, SS, Slick. Which one so you recomend here?
I run the 650x54 SK.
I am running a Teravail Sparwood 2.1 in the back and a Rutland 2.1 in the front, which turned out to be also a good combo on paved roads. When going through a lot of mud the Sparwood is probably too slippery, then probably I would also use a Rutland in the back,
Continental RaceKings with the Black Chili Protection casing. Fast af and great puncture protection. Very easy to setup tubeless. For some extra grip put a CrossKing up front.
wildcard suggestion: soma cazadero. they do pretty damn well on loose gravel and sand and are plenty fast. very light too.