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review
Schwalbe G-One.jpg£49.99
VERDICT:
Fantastically capable all-rounder tyre for roads, ruts and rocks
Weight:
472g
Contact:
At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.
What the road.cc scores meanGood scores are more common than bad, because fortunately good products are more common than bad.
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If you can fit the Schwalbe G-One tyres in your frame, you should get some. As genuine all-rounders they're impossible to beat right now: fast rolling on tarmac and properly capable off-road. They're really, really good.
Schwalbe is a company that has fully embraced tubeless technology. "We at SCHWALBE believe that tubeless is the tire technology of the future!", it trumpets, and to prove what a great technology it is, it's knocking out super tyres like this. The G-One is a gravel tyre, according to Schwalbe. It's available in 35mm and 40mm widths and uses Schwalbe's Tubeless Easy construction, which the company claims makes them – you've guessed, right? – easy to set up. And they are. They went on first time every time with a Bontrager Flash Charger pump. And I even fitted them with a track pump, just so I could say I did. And that was fine too.
> Find your nearest dealer here
You really have to run them tubeless. Well you don't, clearly, but they're much better when you do. The carcass of the tyre is very supple and they have an excellent ride feel. The close-packed knobbly tread, round profile and sticky tread compound give them prodigious levels of grip on all sorts of surfaces. You can lean them right over into the the bends on the road, and they'll grab all sorts when climbing off-road.
The lack of a tube means no pinch punctures, which means you can drop the pressure for more grip and comfort. Schwalbe states a range of 45-70psi but for the most part I ran them at the bottom of that range, or below. On the road, 50psi was good for back lane riding and 60psi was the most I ever put in them. For off-road and mixed surface rides I ran them at 30psi with no problems at all.
And they're fast. I mean, really fast. Not just fast for a big tyre, fast full stop. If you're battering around on well-surfaced A and B roads then you'd expect them to be a fair bit slower. In reality, they're not: my best time on this 50km/h smashfest of a segment on a proper road bike on 25mm tyres is just under four and half minutes. My best time on the G-Ones was only 15 seconds off that. And that's on a gravel bike with a more upright position – you could argue that the extra drag from the rider is easily worth the difference.
Once you're off the good roads and onto the average ones – and we have plenty of them – any conceivable difference in rolling speed is easily outweighed by the comfort of the big air chamber, and the fact that you don't have to ease off and pick your line: just batter on through. I've not managed to put a hole in them that the sealant hasn't immediately coped with. And that's with some deliberately risky line choices through all kinds of back-road detritus.
I've taken them off road too, and they're great for unsurfaced fire roads and farm tracks, blasting along with aplomb. The more technical things get, the more you're thinking that a bigger air chamber might give you a bit more margin for error, but even crashing into rocks with enough force to ding a rim didn't manage to flat them, and on most off-road surfaces they still offer fantastic levels of grip. Once things start to get really claggy the tread fills up and you'd be better off with a proper off-road tyre, but you can get away with most conditions.
> What width tyres should you have?
The only downside, really, is the wear rate, but that's a double-edged sword: it's the soft tread compound that gives the excellent grip and it's not as hardy as some. Personally I'll take the longevity hit for the feel and grip while they last. And it's not like they'll be done in a couple of weeks, I'm six months into this test pair and they're still going strong.
I know plenty of people who've tried these tyres now, and I don't know anyone who doesn't love them. Try them. You'll love them.
Verdict
Fantastically capable all-rounder tyre for roads, ruts and rocks
road.cc test report
Make and model: Schwalbe G-One
Size tested: 700x38C
Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?
Schwalbe says: "The Schwalbe One family provides the perfect tire for the latest gravel bike trend. The smooth rolling G-One profile and Tubeless Easy technology make it a pleasure to ride over forest paths and rolling fields."
If your frame has enough space, select the 40mm version. Larger volume is always an advantage when riding off-road.
Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?
Tubeless Technology
We at SCHWALBE believe that tubeless is the tire technology of the future!
Tubeless Easy MicroSkin
Tubeless is the tire technology of the future. Tubeless tires bring clear advantages in speed, comfort, grip and puncture protection.
Triple Compound
Our best and most sophisticated compound.
Triple compound. Perfectly adapted to the specific purpose. MTB (PaceStar, TrailStar, VertStar), Roadrace (OneStar), Tour (RoadStar, TravelStar)
EVO Line
The very best possible.
Highest grade materials.
Latest technology.
Rate the product for quality of construction:
9/10
Rate the product for performance:
9/10
Rate the product for durability:
7/10
Rate the product for weight (if applicable)
7/10
Rate the product for comfort (if applicable)
10/10
Rate the product for value:
8/10
Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose
They're marvellous tyres, these. You can do just about anything on them.
Tell us what you particularly liked about the product
Comfort, grip, ease of tubeless setup.
Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product
Nothing apart from the wear rate and that's payback for the grip you get.
Did you enjoy using the product? Yes
Would you consider buying the product? Yes
Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes
Use this box to explain your score
These are exceptional tyres.
About the tester
Age: 43
I usually ride: whatever I'm testing... My best bike is: Kinesis Tripster ATR, Kinesis Aithein
I've been riding for: Over 20 years I ride: Every day I would class myself as: Experienced
I regularly do the following types of riding: road racing, time trialling, cyclo-cross, commuting, club rides, sportives, general fitness riding, fixed/singlespeed, mountain biking, Mountain Bike Bog Snorkelling, track
Dave is a founding father of road.cc, having previously worked on Cycling Plus and What Mountain Bike magazines back in the day. He also writes about e-bikes for our sister publication ebiketips. He's won three mountain bike bog snorkelling World Championships, and races at the back of the third cats.
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36 comments
How well would this tire hold up to loaded touring?
Hold your nerve, sometimes tubeless take a little while to settle down. If the pressure staying up, you're good.
just fitted these tubless, initiall air escaped via the wall of the tyres (not the rim) - they settled down as the sealant got in but it worried me - do you think they're OK or should I contact the merchant?
Managed to get the 35mm G-Ones set up tubeless yesterday on some Fulcrum (non-tubeless) rims with a layer of kapton tape, two layers of standard electrical tape, a broken tyre lever, some sore fingers and a fair bit of swearing. Totally worth it. Running at 50psi they have loads of grip and soaked up all the ruts, stones and potholes East Bristol had to offer. No noticeable reduction in rolling resistance from the 28c Continental Grand Sports they replaced either. Win-win.
I run Schwalbe Pro ones 28mm and have also 40mm G ones on another wheelset. Not tried them but next week I'll be doing a few rides with them
I have the Schwalbe tubeless One (28mm), S-One (30mm) and these G-One (40mm) spread across thre different wheelsets. They are all terrific tyres. Seriously good. They all ride on tarmac great, even the massive G-Ones I have and the grip is so good. The One's are very fast and I can simply pop these on when fitting, just like a standard tyre. I use Hunt wheels and they are a perfect match. Dealing with sealant becomes easy and I didn't have any particular trouble inflating them either. I just used a high quality track pump. I was expecting to run into all sorts of initial setup issues with tubeless but it really was straight-forward in my experience.
Pannaracer Garavelking SK's = leighweight, better grip, tougher and a lot more miles... Schwalbes premium Tax: not for me.
Is it wrong to want a new bike that can accommodate these even though I have no plans to ride on anything rougher than peeling surface dressing?
Does anyone know why they are sold out everywhere until mid June (4 weeks ish)? Are they just that popular?! Or is it a supply issue for Schwalbe?
I'm really, really, really getting tempted to get any of Schwalbe's modern tubeless road tires now. Such a shame I have to import the damn things as local bike shops don't offer them!
Many thanks for the review and comparisons Dave. Looks like the 30mm S-One is right up my alley for the kind of riding I use my TCX with.
The German shops don't take long. Get some ordered. The S G and X one range are just superb. Ditto the Pro One. Conti are in real danger of falling off the pace here.
Does anybody know what width the 38mm measure when fitted to 17mm internal rim. I can fit 40mm on my GT Grade (brilliant bike) but the clearance at the back is very tight. I was thinking if they come up at 40 ish then maybe 40 on the front and 35 on the back. Any advice gratefully received.
I finally remembered to measure mine. On a 622x19 rim they measure up at 39.2mm.
mine came up at 38mm exactly on an Alexrims ATD470 (622 x 17)
http://grit.cx/jonnyboi/2016/04/22/schwalbe-g-one-review/
Cheers
I've got the 30 S-Ones on my Diverge. They totally transformed the bike. I was getting one or 2 punctures a week, over about 200 miles a week over a lot of gravel and bridleways. I put them on in February, and then never got a puncture - I went from being nervous about puncturing, to having total confidence in the bike to go anyway
however, I have totally hammered the tyres. They are covered in cuts, and I finally got the most massive rip the other week in the back tyre that killed the tubeless aspect, so I've got a slime inner-tube there for now (all the S-One and G-One tyres are unavailable anywhere until at least next month)
However, the back tyre really has taken a beating. Because of the combination of hydraulic disk brakes and charging around like an idiot, I've locked the back brake into a skid on a couple of occasions, and the back tyre is really, really worn. All the tread has come off it, totally shredded
however, the tyre is so good I'll wait for another to come. The Diverge will run 35, but only 30 with my mudguards (I'm not a martyr, and I commute on it)
get them if you can find them, I found it worth the trade-off of the softness and wear
I have a GT Grade (awesome bike), and for commuting 28 miles per day on mixed surfaces (tarmac to gravel canal cycle path) I had been thinking s-one but now I don't know if that should be G-one. Can anyone advise pros/cons of one vs the other? Thanks !
I commute most days on a similar mix of terrain, albeit not as far, and have been running the 40mm G-One tyres for a while now. They don't really cost much in terms of speed on the road and make the towpath markedly more comfortable than road tyres - as Dave says, you can run them at pretty low pressures without them really feeling draggy.
If I was just doing tarmac and your average towpath, I'd probably think the 30mm S-Ones were enough tyre. Having the larger G-Ones enables me to venture further off road and I've ridden some quite technical bridleways without any issues - tracks that I'd only previously attempted on a mountain bike.
Incidentally, if you can't find these tyres to buy, I reckon that the Clément X'Plor USH isn't a bad alternative, albeit with the substantial proviso that it's not tubeless-compatible.
Seriously considering giving these a go on my Gt Grade. They sound perfect for the riding I do. Forgive my ignorance on the subject but can anyone advise me on exactly what I need to get up and running. Sealant and tubeless valves obviously, but do I also need to tape the rims? (Stan's Grail). Any advice greatly appreciated.
Taping the rims, probably not given the wheel, but check the state the factory fitted tape carefully to make sure it looks airtight.
You'll also find getting the tyres to seat a lot easier/possible if you've either got a pump that's specifically designed for it or a compressor.
Beyond that I really like the Milkit kit, as it makes adding the sealant and checking its state easier (once mastered (watch out for the pressure when checking to avoid a sealant fountain!)) http://road.cc/content/review/176166-milkit-tubeless-valve-and-refill-kit.
They're still on those pro-lite rims. I'm doing some weight training before i have a go at getting them off
I lost the skin on two thumbs. Just about grown back now. I swapped to the X-One. I love the Pro Lite but easy swapping between tyres just isn't on the cards.
Easy swapping between tyres that are full of sealant? Is that possible anyway?
Only downside I can see to these is if I fit them to my Grade there will not be room for mudguards
It's certainly wasteful but I've found Stan's doesn't congeal like others so a quick rinse gets rid of any left overs.
What internal rim width are we recommending for these?
according to the usual standards:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_5775
min 17mm for the 35, and 19 for the 40
Has anyone managed to run these on a Diverge?
Spesh say up to 35c. Reviews say bigger possible. 35's should be fine. They really are great.
Yep. Much depends on what rim. Those Pro Lite are evil. Popping ANY bead off just needs time and patience. Resorted to being very careful with a knife last time to break the seal. Much worse with tubeless but, once on, just sing.
I have a Grade with S-ones on. Amazing. Never flatted, weightless, sticky, fast and you can run the pressures stupid low. A sod to get off the rim though when they have been on a while but thats no big deal.
Interesting to see Dave has them on the Pro Lite as well. They do take a bit of getting on. The X-One are a bit easier. Indeed, with the G-One and X-One I have the ultimate combo for the road less travelled and CX season. I hope to be able to test the S-One as well in due course.
https://roubaixcycling.cc/2016/05/02/the-road-less-travelled-schwalbe-x-...
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