I just used these for a 240 mile gravel race with all the types of (dry) gravel. I had to slow down a lot to safely take turns, but it was worth it for the low rolling resistance on the straightaways. They're also nice and fast on the road, though slippery on wet pavement. I will be keeping them around for long rides in dry weather. I would not recommend them for races that require fast turns. If I could have these tires with side knobs for turning, they would be perfect.
Installation was difficult the first time due to the wire bead, but it was reasonable with two people and two tire levers. Subsequent removal and remounting was very easy.
Yes, they are hard to mount, but not as hard as some here say. Took me 15 minutes to figure it out, and I am not very smart. The tire is supple, fast, and comfy. I used to ride Rene Herse tires (there is no comparable ride feel IMO...the extralights are simply amazing feelwise), but they were a pain to mount and always lost air over a day or two. I finally gave up on them. The Strada Bianca has most of the plusses and not nearly as many minuses. I think I have found my new favorite tire.
I am currently using this set of tires for road riding with my new Fezzari Shafer gravel bike. I have them mounted on a set of Campy Shamal C21's and they are a set of 38s. I have over 1200 miles on them so far in the past 7 weeks or so. They are set up as tubeless. They absolutely rock! No issues with flats and no signs of wear that are noticeable. I have ridden on asphalt, cement with excellent grip and have total confidence on any high-speed sections whether a downhill area or simply high speed (>24 mph for me) on the flats. What is so impressive is the acceleration quality! Just can't say enough. Whether from a stop start or accelerating while on the go the tires not holding back. With these wider tires I am finding excellent shock absorption as I typically ride at the recommended high pressure of 60 psi. I have tried pressures going down to 30 psi at 5 psi intervals and find 60 psi to be most responsive. I have not gone onto gravel as of yet which I will be doing in the very near future. With a full race kit set up of bike bags and content I have full confidence in the traction and control both dry and wet so far. And did I mention the amazing acceleration?! When you mount these, I highly recommend a little soapy water along the bead, and they pop into place nicely. I used a typical flat tire CO2 cartridge and also a hand pump to set the bead without any trouble. Extremely pleased with the tires and love my PRs happening in recent events which I also was first rider in. Cheers!
Crazy speed always comes with trade-offs. This tire is no different. This is not a tire for damp/wet turf, loose over hard or mixed surfaces that include any mud. Great everywhere else. They roll like crazy, are surprisingly durable, accelerate instantly, and offer a ton of dampening. HIGHLY recommend for the correct use case.
I have been using Rene Herse Barlow Pass and Panaracer Gravel King slicks in the past and thought of giving this a try after seeing it's review on the rolling resistance. The rolling resistance is very low as expected but what I am surprised is how comfortable it is too. The compound is grippy for mixed surfaces. I am not confident it will last very long though, but I choose ride quality over durability all the time.
My goal was a fast rolling mostly pavement tire that can easily survive my 800 ft gravel driveway and other short off pavement excursions without flats or drama.
More difficult to mount because of the shape, but when I followed the video instructions it went on the Stans Grail rims with some effort and a plastic lever.
Inflation was a no brainer because it fit so tight. Sealed with a loud pop and is loosing virtually zero air between rides and none during.
I've been running R50 F35, which is likely higher than needed. I ran R45 F30 on my first ride and they still seemed fast rolling.
Wear is TBD because I only have 85 miles on them.
These tires are simply a joy to ride. They are fast, supple, and confidence inspiring. Yes they are the hardest tires I have ever mounted to my carbon rims, but oh so worth it! After a few rides, I duplicated a 15 mile course over rough and smooth asphalt and 1200 feet of elevation. On the route I was 1.1mph faster with a normalized power 32 watts lower than I had been a week earlier on my old tires. As a heavier rider I ride the rear at 50psi and the front at 48 and they feel wonderful.
Yes they're difficult to mount (not as bad as some claim 10 minutes two tires mounted, these are FAST !!!!! In all conditions They are SMOOTH over the washboard and chunky gravel, seem to hold up very good set on my training wheels have 1300 miles 1 flat still going strong
I struggled for a few hours trying to mount these. After wondering if it was because they were the first tubeless tires I was mounting in road wheels I took it to a bike shop and they struggled just as I did. They finally got it but punctured the rim tape in a few places and never held air. So then I had to take them off, which was less difficult, but I refuse to use these even though they are the exact look and tread I'm looking for. Giving away a free set of these unused tires if anybody wants them.
I've had great luck with these tires - they are fast, fast, fast. However, they are very difficult to seat - I let my LBS do it!!
Incredible tires went up to 45s they are even better than the 40s supple FAST near slick that handles our Michigan gravel perfectly
A bit hard to mount but absolutely worth it
Supple, fast, and grippy, and that tan sidewall looks amazing. Overall very happy with this tire, both on pavement and on gravel. I have the 28s on some dtswiss arc1400s and they've done great on "maintained" gravel, haven't tried anything too gnarly though. Only complaint is that it bleeds air quicker than most other tubeless tires I've used. Never a problem on a long ride, but goes completely flat within a week. It's more annoying than anything - I always top up my tires before a ride anyways, these just require a few more pumps.
How do I use this product? Well, let me take a moment to describe my use experience...Two tire clamps extending over my workbench being held in place by my stomach while I strained with a koolstop tire lever, two punctured tubes,...I must say, it was fascinating to see a tire lever fly 20 feet across the workshop...twice.....Anyone with these tires on their bike better pray they never have to change an inner tube roadside with these tires....
How do I use his product? Well, let me take a moment to describe my use experience...Two tire clamps extending over my workbench being held in place by my stomach while I strained with a koolstop tire lever, two punctured tubes,...I must say, it was fascinating to see a tire lever fly 20 feet across the workshop...twice.....Anyone with these tires on their bike better pray they never have to change an inner tube roadside with these tires....
These are the hardest tires to mount I've ever experienced, I've been at it for 3 hours now and since I've broken two tire levers and my hands can barely work anymore I decided to take a break and write this review to warn others. DO NOT BUY THESE, they will not mount.....It's seriously ridiculous. Almost as if these tires are made as some sort of sick joke from lucifer himself. Absolutely F these tires 1000x
I mounted the tires on a pair of BLACK INC Thirty carbon wheels. It took me a few hours and I had some high tech tire levers and various mounting tools. Mounting these tires onto the rims was a complete struggle fest. Toughest tires I ever mounted and I almost thought they were too small with a defect...NOPE. They are just tough to mount period.
They're a little hard to mount, but on I9 rims it wasn't too bad. They roll extremely fast, and have fantastic grip on packed dirt and pavement. Perhaps they've changed some construction, because they took sealant well and sealed immediately.
I came from Rene Herse Bon Jon Pass 38s to these in 40mm, and they are tops in everything but suppleness.
Just replaced a pair of GP5000tl with these. They were awful. The hardest tire I've had to mount. Don't hold air. Spin slow. Don't know if I'm more irritated that I bought them, or that I wasted 4oz of sealant on/in them. Cut them off after first ride with them (34 miles). Absolute rubbish. Back to the tried and true GP5000.
Purchased these tires for a 200 mile mixed terrain cycling event. These tires rolled very fast on tarmac and did OK in the gravel, although once the grade got over 12% on gravel they did start to lose traction a bit. Since the race was 80% tarmac I didn't want something too aggressive. These have also become my go to winter tire, which I run at slightly lower pressure when it's raining and they work out well.
These are my go to race tires but I leave them on anyway - love them. Probably not the easiest to mount, had LBS do that.
