Interesting data on tire wear, but a lot of info is missing. In you seen
to report the distance ridden or the time ridden. In no case have you
reported the tire pressures used. In other cases I found terms are poorly
defined limiting my understanding of your points.
A Compilation of Your Data
RH rec. psi Your
Tire Width Load Dist. Time Result
Soft Firm psi
Stampede Pass 32 270? n.s. 4 days Tread smooth
60 74 _____
Stampede Pass* 32 350 n.s. <1 day Worn out
88 110 _____
Bon Jon Pass 35 270 730 n.s. OK
69 85 _____
=============================================================
All tires: 700c Width: mm Load: lbs. Dist.: miles
n.s.: Not Stated
* Using the above smooth-treaded tires.
You don't mention any performance issues such as slippage. While the
center tread pattern of your Stampede Pass tires did wear smooth the tire
"kept going" meeting the marketing claim made by RH. On the follow-up ride
with three people on the Stampede Pass tires you mention they were "worn
out". Does that mean the center rubber was worn away down the the casing
threads, or something else?
For myself, running a total weight of about 175 lbs, I'm on my second set
of Loup Loup Pass tires (650b x 38). These are consistently run at the RH
recommended soft pressure of 40 psi front and rear. I haven't tracked my
mileage till last year (1,000 mi. in 7 months) but I estimate both sets
have gone over 2,000 miles. While the center of the tread has worn smooth
it looks like there's a lot more distance before they're "worn out"). And
what does that really matter?
But anyway, I'm converting my old Raleigh Competition from 27-inch wheels
to 650b (for a lower standover height). 42's will definitely fit while
48's would be an upper limit. In any case, as much as I love the RH tires,
I'll probably go with a pair of 650b x 42 Panaracer GravelKing Slicks
saving about $32 in cost and about 30g over the RH extralight Babyshoe Pass
tires as based on advertised weights.
GAJett
On Thu, Feb 12, 2026 at 10:01 AM Piaw Na <[email protected]> wrote:
> On Wednesday, January 14, 2026 at 9:39:47 AM UTC-8 [email protected]
> wrote:
>
> Of course, none of this means that they didn't do robust studies and
> publish their results in reputable, peer-reviewed journals. And it does not
> mean that their tires aren't faster, grippier and more comfortable than any
> other tires available. I was just making a wisecrack about the tendency to
> reference science that indicates you should buy their products if you like
> things like speed, comfort or traction without sharing the actual science
> (on the parts of the website I've been too, at least).
>
> EIther way, I definitely want to try their extralight tires at some point.
> I've just been intimidated about them being "fragile," especially because
> me plus my bike weigh about 270lbs.
>
>
> I don't trust anything Rene Herse says about their tires. (The tread
> pattern in particular is a bunch of hogwash, as I'll describe below) For
> instance, I think that at 32mm or less, there are plenty of other
> comparables from major manufacturers at 1/2 to 1/3 the price that will work
> well for most riders. I run Michelin Power Cup 28s on my single bikes ($35
> each) and are very happy with them.
>
> Having said that, for 35mm tires and up, there really aren't any
> comparables that are as light. And at the prices RH is charging there's no
> point (for my use cases) to using anything other than extralights, since if
> you're happy to carry extra weight there are plenty of large sized tires
> that are heavy.
>
> As for your weight and size, I use extralight Bon Jon Pass tires on my
> tandem/triplet. When we're unloaded as a 2-seat tandem the bike is 250
> pounds, when fully loaded we're 270 pounds. The bike survived last year's
> tour of the dolomites and alps (including off roading) for 730 miles and
> over 57000' of climbing and the tire still hasn't worn off the center tread
> pattern yet. The year. before that, we did 823 miles and over 73000' on a
> much tougher tour with 700x32 Stampede pass extralights. Within 4 days of
> that sort of treatment the center tread pattern disappeared (which is why I
> think the center tread is just marketing --- how could it make any
> difference if it wore out after 4 days into an 800+ mile tour), but the
> tire kept going. We got the bike home, put the bike into 3-seat
> configuration and it wore out when we rode it in Santa Cruz on a day ride.
> (In triplet we were 350 pounds) That was when I started shopping for the
> Bon Jon Pass 700x35 tires, which measure 38mm on our tandem. So if you want
> to try the extra-light Rene Herse tires I think we've tested that tire way
> beyond your weight class for you and you can buy with confidence. I'd wager
> that I'm also a much more aggressive rider off road than most folks. :-)
>
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