Schwalbe One tubeless tyre 30c

by Steve Smales

Schwalbe One tubeless tyre 30c

Over my time in cycling, various brands have been omnipresent. Campagnolo was the way to go for many years…. then Shimano seemed to take the baton. Tyre brands seem to very much have their moment, slip into the shadows, then re-emerge. Wolber, Clément, Michelin, Continental and Vittoria have all had their purple patch…. probably driven by sponsorship of world class professional teams – but we should always remember not to assume brand presence in professional cycling necessarily means these are the best products.

Schwalbe seem to sit in a select group of really sound tyre brands with consistently good products. Hutchinson and Panaracer occupy this space also. Well developed products that perform well.

My last experience of Schwalbe tyres was in around 2013 when the Ultremo ZX was a well liked option and recognised as being one of the fastest tyres around. This was at a point in time where the tubeless road thing hadn’t really happened yet. The fatter is faster thing was only just beginning to happen. Over the space of a year or two, I’d run 23’s, then 25’s and finally 28c widths of the ZX tyre with good success.

So why did I move to other brands? Because ten years ago, Schwalbes wider tyres had a very tall profile for the rim braked bikes of that time. Clearance was an issue that forced me onto rounder profile tyres, such as the much missed Vittoria Pave 27.

Wind the calendar forward to 2022 and here I am trying the 30c variant of the Schwalbe One tubeless on a pair of thoroughly modern 19mm internal width disc brakes wheels.

After a flawless mounting without the need for tyre levers these seated and inflated first time and without the initial need for sealant or profanity. 60ml of Stans sealant was then added. After an initial test ride to get the sealant distributed, I reduced the pressure to 70psi as a starting point and headed out onto the road.

After a careful first few minutes, I rapidly found these to be be a fast rolling, supple, tubeless tyre. Without doubt on a par with other offerings from Michelin, Continental and Vittoria. A particularly nice feature of these is the profile, which on the Syncros wheels gives a nice round profile. I appreciate that weird things happen to a tyre contact patch when a bike is leant over… but a nice round profile is good for all important confidence when leant over and committed. The sidewalls have just enough rubber coverage to protect the construction of the tyre, without degrading the suppleness of ride or giving that horrible dragging sensation that some armoured tyres give.

Conclusion

After around seven hundred and fifty miles of use, I’d normally start to see evidence of the rear tyre starting to develop a flat central section to the tread, but this doesn’t seem to be the case, hence early indications for longevity are good. The tyre rolls well as I’ve said and performs well too, retaining shape when required. In terms of a general tyre for training and leisure, that’s all that we want.