I have to laugh, not in scorn or derision, but in exhilaration. I've used the 559 X 32 (non-Tourguard) Paselas extensively, and while they are -- I'll go so far -- "acceptable" tires, ones I'd use in the absence of anything better -- they are in a wholly different universe from the Elk Pass. The Elk Pass "feels" so much easier to pedal, the metric or KPI being the perceived ease of maintaining a given cadence with a given crank in a given gear in similar conditions; they allow me to pedal a cog 1 tooth smaller with similar effort in similar conditions. (In fact, on my 1999 Riv Road custom gofast, the EP feels faster by this method of comparison than some top-of-line racing tires, notably the 650C (571 bsd) X 23 mm model of the Michelin Pro Race 4 -- at least, the one from some ~3 years ago when I made the switch.)
Here's an interesting metric. The Paselas have a very small "nice pressure" range of some 10 psi, IMO; higher and they are harsh, softer and they bounce. Anecdote: I was riding the 1999 gofast with Elk Passes in a group and a rider behind me said, "Don't you know that your rear tire is going flat?" She had noticed the shape of the tire flattening. But I had not noticed any change. Reason? Because the EPs are so supple that even severe underinflation doesn't cause a big increase in drag; I don't notice flats until the EPs are so low that they start to bounce. Try running Paselas at 20 psi! In short, there is no comparison, they are 2 different animals. The Elk Pass is fully worth the quantum difference in price. FWIW, I get ~1,500 miles out of a rear Elk Pass, often carrying heavy rear loads with a ~10% mix of dirt and smooth gravel, and a ~ 25% mix of rough pavement. The front of course would get close to double that, if I didn't rotate f to r when I replace the worn rear -- that is, when rear wears out, move original front to rear, and put new tire on front. Forgive my short-term memory loss, but is that your '92 XO-1? V nice! On Mon, Jun 29, 2020 at 11:52 AM Jason Fuller <jtf.ful...@gmail.com> wrote: > Patrick, how are you feeling those Elk Pass vs. say, a 1.25 Pasela? > Inquiring minds, etc etc :D > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/CALuTfgsq8OFxyt_P5gjiMA3BggT%2ByweV%3DOuE1XtiQBjWKOcQ3Q%40mail.gmail.com.
