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Review: Fast rolling, tubeless-ready Schwalbe G-One gravel road bike tires

Schwalbe G-One gravel tire review and actual weights
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Schwalbe G-One gravel tire review and actual weights

There’s the dream of gravel riding, and then there’s the reality of heading out your door on paved roads to string together snippets of dirt trail, backroads and the occasional gravel access road. Or, at least for us urbanites, that’s more often the case than not. And for those situations, a tire like the Schwalbe G-One makes a lot of sense.

It rolls fast, rides smooth and quiet on the tarmac, and has enough traction to tackle some pebble infused routes sans drama. It also makes for a great race tire if your course is hardpacked and dry. We threw a set on the scale, measured ’em, then hit the (off) road…

Schwalbe G-One gravel tire review and actual weights

Our 700×35 tires weighed in at 415g and 419g.

Schwalbe G-One gravel tire review with measured width

On Mavic’s Ksyrium Pro Disc Allroad wheels, they measured just a bit wider than 35mm. Those rims claim a 19mm inside width (24mm external) and are tubeless ready out of the box thanks to Mavic’s FORE rim drilling and spoke system that leaves the rim bed fully closed. Add in UST certification and setup (with sealant) is quick and easy. I’ve found Schwalbe’s mountain bike tires to be among the easiest to set up tubeless, and these were no exception.

Schwalbe G-One gravel tire review and actual weights

It’s worth pointing out that Mavic’s Allroad wheels were designed with their own brand tires in 28mm to 30mm widths. Here, the wider 35mm Schwalbe is a little wider than Mavic’s intentions and ends up very well rounded…borderline a little tall. There’s a growing notion that rim widths need to be more carefully matched to tire widths for optimum safety and performance (something Mavic’s been a vocal proponent of for years, actually), so just something to keep in mind as you’re setting up your own gravel monster.

Even with Schwalbes measuring out slightly wider than their specs suggest and the rims were designed for, they cornered predictably. They’re rated for 45-70psi, and I started out at 55psi. That was great on the pavement, but once I hit the dirt, it was a little rough. Adjusting down to about 42 felt better, and I experimented as low as ~38 without issues. I stopped there, so I can’t comment on lower pressures. At 6’2″ and ~195 when fully dressed and kitted up with phone, tool, etc. in the jersey pocket, ~42psi felt about right on most surfaces and definitely right off road. Obviously, going outside of a manufacturer’s recommendations means taking your safety into your own hands, so I’m not recommending you drop below 45psi, but it worked for me.

Schwalbe G-One gravel tire review and actual weights

The G-One uses a small circular nub tread profile that’s tightly spaced. There’s no center line per se, but it rolls very well on the road and doesn’t make much noise (in contrast to knobbier tires with larger gaps that can be noisy on pavement). The nubs get progressively, slightly taller as they reach the edges to enhance cornering grip off road.

The G-One uses a 127tpi casing with single durometer rubber and their MicroSkin layered into it during construction. The MicroSkin pulls double duty as and air-impermeable barrier to ease tubeless setup and a medium-security puncture protection shield. It’s lighter than the SnakeSkin used in their mountain bike tires, but makes for a more supple tire. More on the tubeless tech and construction in this post. It’s available in 700 x 35, 700 x 40, and 650b x 40. Retail price sits around $67 USD.

Schwalbe G-One gravel tire review and actual weights

I was able to stand and pedal up steep pitches with loose rocks just fine once I adjusted the pressure down to that ~42psi mark. Heading back down the same trail required a little caution, but they hooked up better then I thought considering the tread height and density.

Schwalbe G-One gravel tire review and actual weights

Long, smooth gravel roads are where the G-One shines, though. Here, I could comfortably carve back and forth at 20mph. The braking bumps on some descents rattled me, but the tires kept their composure. They even floated through sandy patches in a predictable manner. Well, as predictable as deep soft sand can be, anyway.

The G-One’s micro dot tread pattern is somewhat unique in the segment. It provides reasonable grip on and off road, making it a perfect option if your rides are typically mixed surface, dry, and you like to go fast.

Schwalbe.com

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46 Comments
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Scott Beam
Scott Beam
8 years ago

I really wanted to like these. Mounted a set in April with intentions of doing crusher in the tushar on them. Sliced the rear pretty early on. Too big for stans to seal. Put a patch on the inside and remounted. The day before tushar, sliced that same rear again on pavement on a morning spin. Tiny piece of gravel I didn’t even see. Tossed the tire and was lucky to find a suitable replacement 18 hrs before the event. Can’t trust these anymore even though they ride great.

Martin
7 years ago
Reply to  Scott Beam

Never trust a first review.

Henry Effin North
Henry Effin North
7 years ago
Reply to  Martin

Agreed

Dirk Bergstrom
8 years ago

I’ll probably slap a pair of these on my Slate once I wear out the Cazaderos I have on there now (though given my current injured status that may take a long time). They look like a good choice for mixed dirt & road.

Brad Goodson
Brad Goodson
7 years ago
Reply to  Dirk Bergstrom

Hey Dirk! Did you end up trying these G-ones? How did you like them? I am receiving my gravel bike tomorrow (niner rlt 9 steel) and had them put the g-one 38s on them (set up as tubeless). i’m hoping it works out well for road + dirt, as i’m planning to use them on my bike commute to work, which is mostly paved.

thesteve4761
8 years ago

“There’s a growing notion that rim widths need to be more carefully matched to tire widths for optimum safety” Um, isn’t in fact quite the opposite? Brands are pushing widths of rims and tires that bear no resemblance to ETRTO standards at all.

Ryan
Ryan
8 years ago

This is looking promising. I like the 40mm width and I like how far the tread wraps down the sidewalls. If tread life and on-pavement braking are good this might be one hell of a tire. Might have to try a set of these when the tires I’m on now are worn out.

Jake
Jake
8 years ago

I wish someone made a gravel 700×28 tubeless I could put on my road bike.

dave
dave
8 years ago
Reply to  Tyler Benedict

Panaracer Gravel King comes in a 28, I’m running the 32s tubeless, they are great.

Jake
Jake
8 years ago
Reply to  dave

Panaracer claims you can go tubeless on Gravel King. At 70# the tire blue off the rim with such noise my wife came running to the garage thinking I was playing with my gun again. True Story.

lop
lop
8 years ago
Reply to  Jake

Accidental discharges are that common in your house?

Also, your wife runs towards gunfire?

CL
CL
8 years ago
Reply to  Jake

@Iop LOL

Phil Jones
Phil Jones
8 years ago
Reply to  Jake

The Schwalbe S-One is a 30c version of the G-One with slightly lower tread height. In my experience it works amazingly on gravel!

Jake
Jake
8 years ago
Reply to  Phil Jones

I can fit 28s on my bike with some clearance, are the Schwalbe 30s a wide or narrow 30

TomM
TomM
8 years ago
Reply to  Jake

I have the S-One on 25 mm wide rims that are 21 mm wide internally, and the tires measure 31.1 mm wide at 70 PSI.

Lori
Lori
7 years ago
Reply to  Phil Jones

Love my S Ones!

Dinger
Dinger
7 years ago
Reply to  Jake

Jake, have a look at Schwalbe’s G-One Speed (formerly S-One). It’s a 30, but it may fit.

Pvdm
Pvdm
8 years ago

I’m 150 lb and i ride G-one since 4 month at 30 psi without any flat tires on road, Gravel, loamy forest….

paul miles
paul miles
8 years ago

I have have been running these on my Cannonade Slate since April and they are a great gravel tire.

mark studnicki
8 years ago

Definitely a great tire. Been using them for about 4 months.

Industronerd
Industronerd
8 years ago

After acquiring a Scott Addict Gravel, that specced this tires in 35mm, I must say this are some of the best all-round rubber I’ve ever used. They have grip, speed, comfort and the tubeless setup is fast and simple. After some urban, off-road and on-road incursions, I could easily roll up to 35km/h on any type of road and the grip on gravel roads is very predictable. The only niggle: they last about 500kms. The back tire was dead by the 3rd month of usage, after a couple of emergency brakes on tarmac.

Kernel Flickitov
Kernel Flickitov
8 years ago
Reply to  Industronerd

How much do you weigh?

typevertigo
typevertigo
8 years ago
Reply to  Industronerd

Yeah, that wear rate seems to be common with Schwalbe’s other tubeless-ready One series tires. BikeRadar had the Pro One tubeless slick road bike tire for testing, and while it was great all around, they got roughly 400 km out of it.

Mathias Dalgas
Mathias Dalgas
8 years ago
Reply to  typevertigo

Weird, i just seen Transcontinental riders finish the 4000 km route without a single puncture…. They used pro-one 28c

Zach
Zach
7 years ago
Reply to  Industronerd

I’ve ridden mine about 2000km and have only had a single puncture. Maybe 50/50 road and fire roads, some light singletrack as well.

Mike Perez
Mike Perez
8 years ago

Love the ride quality of wider tires. Would this be a good all round tire to keep on for road group rides as well?

Boose
Boose
8 years ago

I was looking at these exact tires (and the maxxis re-fuse 40C). Not many tires of this type yet but I’m glad that’s coming!

These seems a tad expensive though also definitely on the top of my list. 35USD tires would be nicer.. hopefully michelin gets on that bandwagon 😉

Ryan
Ryan
8 years ago

I have been running these all summer on my cross bike. I love them. I ride road uphill, then I hit gravel and single track and they work great at all.

AK Ben
AK Ben
8 years ago

My 2016 Niner RLT Alu came with the Schwalbe G-One tires, and I absolutely love them. I’m running them tubeless on the Stan’s Grail rims, and the all-around performance is outstanding. I run them at the low end of the spectrum, no higher than 55psi, and they provide great grip and excellent road feel. My riding consists of probably 75% pavement (which is on the rough side here in Alaska)and the rest on dirt roads. When these G-Ones wear out I will definitely be replacing them with another set.

Steve
Steve
8 years ago

Well written article and spot on about the usage. I hit a patch of sand with them today and was surprised how well they zipped thru. Mounting them has it’s quirks though and I am not the only one who had issues.

Jeb
Jeb
8 years ago

Man that’s a lot of cheddar for a tire considering you can get some really nice tubeless gravel tires in the $40.00 range. I blame Schwalbe for the stupid pricing on MTB tires, now this.

Steve
Steve
8 years ago

I paid $100 for 2 on sale, where are these $40 tubeless gravel tires?

Tom
Tom
8 years ago

Your point about these tires being almost too wide for the Allroads worried me because I’ve been thinking of getting those wheels. So I checked the Mavic site. They say the wheels are suitable for 28-42mm tires.

andrewgowans
8 years ago

“I paid $100 for 2 on sale”

Link?

I’m having trouble finding these anywhere online.

MBR
MBR
8 years ago

I don’t know what it is, but all the Schwalbe’s I’ve run [mtn only] seem vulnerable to cuts in the tread. My comment are from the SnakeSkin versions of their tires, like the RaRa and N-Nic, which I’ll now only run on the front. I will no longer run any Schwalbe tire on the rear of my mountain bike. The sidewalls of the SS versions seem to offer good protection, but not the tread area. I’ve seen DD versions of their tires on web sites and perhaps that is what’s needed with this tire. I love the tractions of their tires, but lifetime seems short. The second half of their life is either cut short by knobs tearing off or cuts in the tread…

Steve
Steve
8 years ago

Ebay, I got lucky catching them on sale. Bought mine a couple months ago and now it seems prices are up a little but I did see an offer there for 53.77 a piece.

Allan
Allan
8 years ago

Stock tires on my gravel bike. Don’t like em. Flat way too easily. East Bay Norcal hills are famous for the Goat Head thorn plant, and these tires bow down to these plants. Flatted both tires on my last ride, what a headache!

Joey B
Joey B
8 years ago

While I like Schwalbe Pro One TLR road tires, I prefer the new Clement LGG USH 700×32 and the 700×36 MSO.

Andrew Donnan
7 years ago

I have the 700×38 or 700×40 version of these mounted on the Mavic rims and they work great. They don’t roll as fast as Mavic’s All Road tire on pavement, but the extra cushion is nice when you go off-road. Seating / unseating the bead is way harder with the Schwalbe’s vs the Mavic tire set. 200 lbs and I’ve ran them at 40psi or under by mistake. That bead is tight.

Gudmund Snilstveit
7 years ago
Reply to  Andrew Donnan

How wide are the 38 or 40. And on what rim internal mm?

theadonnan
7 years ago

I just saw your reply. The rim width is 19mm. Ksyrium Pro allroad wheels with the 38c tires. I dont’ know if they were ever made in a 40c or not, just going off of DBack’s spec sheet. Put around 2000 miles on them with lots of abuse. A cut in the sidewall has me tire shopping again. May go with the same setup again, or size down to 650b. Gravel/singletrack in the south east can be pretty rough.

Don McKee
Don McKee
7 years ago

Compass also makes some great gravel tires that are light, durable, tubeless and very very fast. Available in 26 mm up to 42 mm as well. They use a tubular casing and are manufactured in a Panaracer facility in Japan. I routinely get about 2000 – 2500 miles out of a set of 700x35s. On my last set I had just a single front flat (piece of glass) before I wore the set out.

SuperX
SuperX
7 years ago
Reply to  Don McKee

I probably missed it, but since when are Compass tires smaller than 35c tubeless ready?

Richard
Richard
6 years ago

I acquire a pair of these (40mm) when I bought my Diamondback Haanjo Carbon trail bike. I set them up right away tubeless and have not had a flat in 2,300 miles of road and gravel riding. I find I can keep up,just fine with the B+ crowd on road rides and have done several mountain 50-mile gravel rides, finding good traction and comfort. I usually run them around 60psi on he road but drop that to 35 on single-track and have not had an issue (super-comfy on both surfaces). I’ll buy the same if/when these tires wear out.

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