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Schwalbe G One Speed 29 x 2.35 Tires

I saw a picture of a Bearclaw Beaux Jaxon with a pair of plump Schwalbe G One Speed Tires a few years ago and they made quite an impression on me. They just looked fast to my inner ten-year-old. So when I went tire shopping for a fancy pair of carbon wheels, that I was dreaming about, I decided to purchase a pair. Those dreamy carbon wheels never materialized so after reviewing a set of 700×43 Teravail Washburns for most of the summer, I mounted a pair of 29×2.3 G One’s on my stock Salsa Cutthroat and I’ve been giving them hell.

The first thing that I noticed after I mounted the G-One tires was the taller stance that they provide compared to the Teravail 700×43 Washburns that they replaced. The Cutthroat rides slightly better with the taller profile tire in my opinion. I came to the same conclusion during the ride testing of the previously mentioned Beaux Jaxon.

Before this tire test, I hadn’t realized that the same held true for my hawt pank Salsa Cutthroat. The smaller tires make the bike feel more stable. The taller tires sort of gives the bike a tiger in the tank kind of energy that makes it more fun or maybe lively feeling to me.

The tires weighed in at 592g and 616g. With the tire laid out flat, the bead to bead measured 150mm and the tread to tread was 67mm. We mounted them tubeless without incident, with the shop compressor. They measured 58mm wide on the Cutthroat’s 23mm wide WTB rims. That’s probably well outside what’s recommended for that width rim but I’ve spent so much time over that boundary, I can hardly remember the last time that I thought about the relevance of those parameters. I’m sure that’ll come back to bite me one day, but until then, I’ll take my chances.

The tread on the G One’s is a series of small dots that are less than a millimeter tall. The tire is officially called the G One Speed for a reason. These tires roll fast. I’ve always been a fan of low rolling resistance tires and the G One’s take low rolling resistance to eleven with their minimalistic tread pattern. I adhere to the theory that you should run as little tire as you need but I also try to blend that with a little something called Fatties Fit Fine. Most of the milage that I ride on my Cutthroat is done on fine manicured crushed limestone gravel. The roads that I ride to get to that gravel are rougher than most of the gravel that I ride. The G One’s kill on my local South Central Sconny mixed surface riding.

Glacial Drumlin Trail – Manicured Gravel and a Snapping Turtle

As you can see, the gravel in this part of the country is pretty silky. I’ve been riding with tire pressures from 25-35 psi on the G One’s. They do a really nice job on our local gentlemen’s gravel and rural secondary roads made up of crumbling asphalt and chip-seal. In both wet and dry conditions they provide all of the acceleration and cornering traction that I’d expect from a gravel tire. However, under heavy braking, the tires break loose and skate forward in a predictable straight line.

I’ve got a couple of small pockets of local singletrack that I get to ride and as long as the trails are dry, the G One’s handle things alright. When you add a little morning dew or any substrate that could be considered muddy, the tread gets overwhelmed and traction control goes to hell. If your gravel riding includes greasy singletrack, I’d be looking for a much toothier tread pattern. With wet leaves and wetter conditions, I’ll be mounting a different set of low knobbed tires but for the last month of summer, these G One Speed tires have scored high marks and will get the nod as soon as fair-weather riding returns sometime next spring.

For more about Schwalbe Tires visit – Schwalbe.com

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5 Responses to Schwalbe G One Speed 29 x 2.35 Tires

  1. Ben November 2, 2021 at 12:31 am #

    What will you be replacing these with for the wetter months? Or will you hang the bike up until it’s dry again?

    • Gomez November 2, 2021 at 11:28 am #

      Teravail Sparwood 29×2.2

      • Frank Teneralli November 7, 2021 at 4:46 am #

        58mm on 23mm rims.. Mine spread out to 64mm on 50mm rims. I love their versatility – no buzz on pavement, just right on gravel, and more than capable on washed out or abandoned roads. Just don’t try to corner too fast when things are wet.

        • Tom p July 13, 2022 at 12:39 pm #

          You fit 2.35 on a 50mm rim?? I how did that affect handling etc? I assumed that would be too big a difference.

  2. JERRY DUFORD June 21, 2022 at 3:24 pm #

    How would you compare these to the washburn? I have 47 washburns on my Fargo right now on i29 and have been debating 2.35 g one speeds. I’m primarily interested to see your take on how they roll and grip by comparison. I already know they’re both bigger and lighter, so if they seem to roll faster / less resistance then I may pull the trigger for my summer/dry tire.

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