German tire manufacturer, Schwalbe, makes some excellent bike tires. The Pro One, G-one Bite, Marathon Plus, G-One RS, G-One Overland models were all reviewed favorably by our staff.
The tires are often praised for being supple, grippy and fast. The only downside, really, is how darn expensive they are. Typically upwards of $80 / £60 a pop for the higher-end models, they're quite the investment. I went in search of some Cyber Monday deals on Schwalbe tires and here's what I found.
The Schwalbe G-One RS has been my favorite all-round gravel tire for two seasons now. Premiered at the 2022 Unbound Gravel, the tire saw immediate success with Ivar Slik securing the win on them in the very muddy men's 200-mile race.
Billed as Schwalbe’s fastest gravel tire yet, the G-One RS has 20% less rolling resistance than the already quick G-One R and weighs 35g. The RS has a distinct pattern: a scale-like pattern in the center and zig-zagging herring-bone knobs on the shoulders.
It's a true "semi-slick" -- a design that's becoming an increasingly popular on the market. The outer knobs are meant to give riders cornering grip, while the slick center allows the tire to roll speedily. Similar approaches are evident in the Specialized Pathfinders, Panaracer Gravelking SS, Challenge Gravel Grinder and Cadex Knobby AR.
For those new to the semi-slick approach, Schwalbe warned that it may take a little time getting used to the ride feel, stating: "with two pronounced profile sections, transitioning from the semi-slick center tread to the grippy shoulder blocks will result in immediate feedback to the rider." But "once you begin to corner with increased speed, you will become addicted to it.”
Having ridden a variety of semi-slick tires before, the ‘addiction’ came almost immediately. The sheer speed of them! On pavement, they're pleasantly un-noticeable. They’re remarkably quiet and the knobs aren’t slowing you down by trying to bite into the surface. Then, when entering the gravel or dirt, the knobs are there to provide reliable grip around the bends, and traction on the up- and downhills.
I tend to ride my gravel bike on terrain well beyond your average finely crushed rock. And no matter what I threw at the RS’s —be it sharp lava rocks, rooty singletracks, cinder or rough urban streets — the tires handled the terrain capably. Bonus: they were also among the easiest tubeless tires to set up -- no compressor or special pump needed.
Now for the downsides: they come off in the fall and winter because they're too slick for the horrendously muddy conditions we get here in the Pacific Northwest. And, they don't come cheap. Full price, the G-One RS retails for $88 / £74.99 / €74.90 a pop, so get them on discounted Cyber Monday deals while you can!
