# Help with all rounder 700c tire



## werkinit (Dec 1, 2016)

Hello.

I am in the process of building up a 700c all terrain commuter/bike packing rig and would love any information on a tire that would work well for an 36km (both ways) road commute on the one end of the spectrum and gravel,dirt trail, road mix bikepacking trips on the other.

I have my eye on these but question the cornering ability on road with the spikey side knobs. X'PLOR USH | Clement Cycling, Cyclocross Tires, Adventure Tires, Mountain Bike Tires, Road Bike Tires

Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks.


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## Smithhammer (Jul 18, 2015)

Bruce Gordon Rock n' Road 43c

Surly Knard 41c

WTB Riddler 45c

WTB Nano 40c

Terrene Elwood 40c

Just a few off the top of my head. All above are reasonably smooth/fast rolling on the hard stuff but with significantly more traction than you'll find on a skinner road-specific tire. I would consider all of them good all-arounders for a multi-surface 700c rig.


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## Biggus Duckus (Apr 5, 2016)

All the above plus Soma Cazadero (42mm). I would mostly recommend it or the Bruce Gordons.


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## Harryman (Jun 14, 2011)

The X'plor USH is a far more capable tire than it appears, it rolls well and the little diamonds help with flotation in the loose stuff. They are pretty small for anything truely offroad, consider them and anything else in the 35mm range a grippy road tire.

As they others have suggested, you need to be up into the 40-50mm range if you want to ride singletrack.

I really like Conti speed rides, it runs a little small, it's just under 40mm, rolls fast and is cheap. It's grippy in all conditions except mud where it instantly turns into a slick.

continental bicycle Speed RIDE


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## cyclingdutchman (Mar 18, 2015)

+1 on the speedride, but I dont know the other tires. I am unsure if the side knobbies are of any help, maybe the conti sport contact is an alternative. When side knobs are a requirement, the travelcontacts are very capable but noticeably slower and they run very narrow,.the 42mm version was 37mm only on my bike, rim inner width is 19mm. On thr same rim, my speedrides are just over 41mm so that is acceptable for me.

When you are not taking a tire with the thick heavy plus version, I would also recommend the proline anti-flat. I have had some flats because of bad mounted rim tape, but in 10 years zero puncture flats and when I change winter/summer tires, there is always enough stuff in there of which I think it could uave caused a flat sooner or later.


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## SlowPokePete (Mar 27, 2006)

I like the Riddlers in 45mm...currently running them tubeless on my Ahearne. 

SPP


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## mikesee (Aug 25, 2003)

I'd recommend going with the Nano 2.1, as they are no longer a true 2.1, more like a 44 or 45mm casing. Good if that's what you're after, bummer if you liked the original Nano.


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## alias (May 9, 2005)

Although many seem to choose tires based upon how obscure they are or which gravel-bro has them on his Instagram feed I would like to humbly suggest two absolute stalwarts that have seen me through thousands of KM's both commuting and touring.
First: Schwalbe Marathon Mondial in 42, 47 or 50c. Nuke proof Mile muncher, rolls well, grips loose corners well, etc...
Second: A true sleeper that many seem to overlook is the Continental Contact II in 42 or 47c, this tire rolls amazing with superb wet weather grip and cornering on pavement. solid gravel performance and is light and durable as well.

In any case, both Conti and Schwalbe have their rubber compounds and flat protection systems dialled. Also neither of these tires is made by a sub-contractor which to me means better value for the money as there is one less middle man in the mix.

good luck.


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## ACosta (Mar 6, 2016)

Another vote for the WTB Nano 40c. I put it on a my city bike for this winter and I'm probably going to leave it on for the winter. It's not really a winter tire but good enough.


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## schnee (Oct 15, 2005)

Clement X'PLOR MSO 40c is good too - did a bike tour with a lot of dirt and gravel and that tire served me well.


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## bikeny (Feb 26, 2004)

I wouldn't be my first choice for what you are describing, but I have a new set of Continental Town Ride tires that are listed as 42mm or 1.6". They are wire bead and have a reflective sidewall. They are yours for the price of shipping if you are interested. Just PM me.

That said, the best solution (And most expensive!) would be 2 wheelsets. One with a more road & commute oriented tire, and the other with wider offroad oriented tires. Since that's probably not in the cards, I think something on the wider end of the spectrum would work well. From my experience, the tread pattern has more to do with the rolling resistance and traction than the width does. How wide of a tire can you fit in the frame and fork? I would try to max out the tire width and see what kind of tread patterns are available in that size. I really think wider tires have many benefits with barely any drawbacks, even for commuting. For your use I would rather have a wide tire that performs well off road at lower pressure. Then for the commute, up the PSI a little and it will only be a couple of minutes slower that a slick commuter tire.

If I was in your shoes, I would pick something wider than 2.0". Then again, my road bike has 42mm tires, my commuter has 2.35" tires, and my mountain bike has 3.25" tires!


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## senor_mikey (Apr 25, 2009)

mikesee said:


> I'd recommend going with the Nano 2.1, as they are no longer a true 2.1, more like a 44 or 45mm casing. Good if that's what you're after, bummer if you liked the original Nano.


when did this happen? last set I meaured was about 52mm wide

mike


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## mikesee (Aug 25, 2003)

senor_mikey said:


> when did this happen? last set I meaured was about 52mm wide
> 
> mike


WTB changed suppliers a few years ago, and the tires have been underwhelming in size ever since.

If you can find a set that measures 52mm, buy 'em, and then drop me a line and I'll buy 'em from you.


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## richwolf (Dec 8, 2004)

I have been running the 44 c Compass tire on my all road converted 29er bike. My Stache takes care of my trail duties.
I have always hated road bikes but this seems to be the sweet spot for me. It handles dirt roads admirably and rolls just as well as a high end 25 c road tire. 
The key to a good rolling tire is supple sidewalls. A wide tire actually has less rolling resistance than a narrow tire. Lower pressures give you more comfort and on most surfaces can roll better.
More info hear: https://www.compasscycle.com/product-category/components/tires/
If you want more info go to Jan's blog.


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## senor_mikey (Apr 25, 2009)

mikesee said:


> WTB changed suppliers a few years ago, and the tires have been underwhelming in size ever since.
> 
> If you can find a set that measures 52mm, buy 'em, and then drop me a line and I'll buy 'em from you.


I hope you are right Mike, I just ordered the TCS version for my monstercross bike and I only have room for a 48 mm wide tire in the back. I'm using DT Swiss R460 rims tubeless

mike s.


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## EBG 18T (Dec 31, 2005)

Another option to look at is the Vee Rubber Rail in a 40c, 120tpi. I've been running them on my gravel bike on hard pack gravel roads and on single track. They've held up quite well. I set them up tubeless with some Orange Seal endurance. I'm currently running them between 28-30psi.

https://www.veetireco.com/listings/cyclocross-gravel-rail/


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## werkinit (Dec 1, 2016)

Those Vee tires look pretty cool.

Thes Clement Xplor MSO
700x40c tires have proven themselves to be just fine as long as I stay out of the goopy mud.








That being said, those Vee tires look awesome and I will be investigating.


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## bakerjw (Oct 8, 2014)

I love my WTB Nano's. They're 2.1" though.


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## jbass (Oct 29, 2014)

I'm a bit of a noob, but after riding only a rigid 29r MTB for several years with 2.4 Ardents, I set up a Cross Check with Knard 41s intended for gravel, urban, whatever riding, and I soon found myself using it with no problem on many of my regular trails. They hook up really good!


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