I'm a casual rider, age 60+, riding a mix of roads and packed trails, 50-75 miles per week. These tires work well on both surfaces, rolling well on roads but having enough grip on trails. There's just enough bounce to soften short patches of large gravel or other bumpy terrain, although I wouldn't recommend them for longer stretches of that. Based on past experience, I fully expect the rear to wear out pretty quickly, but that's a tradeoff I can accept. They were a bit of a struggle to put on; although I managed without it, soapy water would probably help; also give them time to fully unfold, you may end up having to reseat one or both to get all the kinks out of the bead. My only wish is that they were about 2/3s the current price.
These Archetypes weigh in at 271g per tire, while a regular GP5000 S TR 30mm weighs in at 308g, thus you save 74g over the already light S TR version. The rolling resistance is great and the tire has this nice supple feel which is probably due to the tire not including a dedicated puncture protection layer like the S TR, which would explain why these are not only lighter but also pretty delicate when it comes to punctures. I found that the tire felt like riding on latex tubes even when setup tubeless. The tire uses the Black Chili compound but to me the tire felt a tad tackier to the touch. These are basically are maybe a slightly revised Grand Prix 5000 TT TR but with Tour de France branding. Speaking of the branding, looks wise the faded yellow/gold Archetype logos are not going to be everyone's taste nor look good on every bike. At $115 per tire I would save these for race days or special events because I don't have a lot of faith these will last all season.
After using these tires on my gravel bike for several months now, I'm updating my initial review. They have worn well for me and the traction has been fine on gravel. Rolling resistance is minimal on pavement. But...in combination with DT Swiss or Easton rims the bead is just about impossible to get off the tire. You would not want to have to change these out on a ride. Even in my garage, using the block of wood technique, these tires take 20 minutes to get off a rim because the bead is seated so tight. I'm using them with tubes. Even if you can get one side unseated, getting the other one off takes just as much time. Maybe it's just the combination of my rim with this tire's bead, but I have never, ever struggled with another tire like this.
Great rolling resistance. Bicycle rolling resistance tests this tire as one of the best, but unlike the competition at the top of the chart, it still has great grip and puncture protection.
I ride 28mm size on my road bike and 32mm (Now running the 35mm AS version) on my commuter for faster commutes. My commute goes through an industrial area and the debris on the road is insane. I had some Vittoria tires puncture multiple times before going back to my trusty Conti GP5000 tires.
