Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Garth Liebhaber on December 22, 2012 at 4:49pm

I envy the bike that fits them, go for it! Or better, spend more moolah on the "Legre" version. I'd be curious about the doubts, but really, I don't know what else compares...

Permalink Reply by Jason Marshall on December 23, 2012 at 12:15pm

I have been riding Hetres for about a month.  They are nice tires.  I like them but I think perhaps Mr. Heine exaggerates matters a bit.  I can clear them on my Kogswell so why not -- but it's not a dramatic difference over the 38mm tires I ride on my conversion.

Bottom line - if you can fit them go for it!

Permalink Reply by djm on December 27, 2012 at 8:24am

Jason:

How do they feel compared to typical 700C road tires?  Im sure they offer a smooth ride but are they really not slower?  My only reference point is my commuter on 559-42 Schwalbe Marathon Supremes — its much slower than my road bike although I realize its a very different tire.

Congrats on your Kogswell.  Im not yet 650B capable but trying to see whats fact and whats fiction.

Jason Marshall said:

I have been riding Hetres for about a month.  They are nice tires.  I like them but I think perhaps Mr. Heine exaggerates matters a bit.  I can clear them on my Kogswell so why not -- but it's not a dramatic difference over the 38mm tires I ride on my conversion.

Bottom line - if you can fit them go for it!

Permalink Reply by Jason Marshall on December 27, 2012 at 10:57am

Really not slower?  Hard to say. I guess to me it seems like a set of lightweight 700c wheels/tires at least feel "quicker".  It feels like the 700c/23mm wheels accelerate faster and probably climb better.  I wouldn't outfit a (smooth road) race bike with 650b/Hetres.

But...

I am not a bike racer.  I do like taking long trips and I know the best way to get there faster is to maximize the time on the bike and minimize the recovery time off the bike.  The Hetres are much more comfortable and therefore one can ride much further without the body breaking down.

Unscientific observation: Two years ago I completed PBP (750 miles) on a 700c bike and suffered greatly from all sorts of ailments.

Last summer I did a fast ride around Lake Michigan (1000 miles/5.5 days) on a 650b bike and didn't have a single soreness - I played 36 holes of golf the day after I got home.

.

In Summary:

The race wheels are a little faster at least in a sprint (Sorry Jan - I still love BQ and Hetres).

Once you get them up to speed the Hetres are fast and don't feel sluggish.

The extra comfort you get from Hetres more than make up for any (slight if any) loss of speed.

When I say comfort - I am not talking about "taking it easy not caring about speed" comfort but rather "I feel great after 200 miles, let's get another 50 in before stopping for the day" kind of comfort.

- I will buy another pair of Hetres and would recommend them without hesitation.  Like making the switch to 650b in general I would caution against expecting the trans-formative religious type experience you read about in BQ.  Let the tool you select be determined by the job that is to be done.

Permalink Reply by djm on December 30, 2012 at 6:33am

Thanks for the feedback.  M. Heine and his acolytes would have you believe that Hetres allow you to coast uphill and float across potholes (and perhaps small lakes).  Nonetheless, they do seem intriguing.

Permalink Reply by Jason Marshall on January 4, 2013 at 3:42am

Ha Ha yeah I know what you mean.  They are nice tires for the rare bike that can clear them.

Permalink Reply by Garth Liebhaber on January 4, 2013 at 7:54am

I've subscribed to Bicycle Quarterly for many years and greatly enjoy and learn from the information. 

I plan to purchase the 700x30 Cypres tires for my bicycle. I had previously used Vittoria Randonneur Pros with the Kevlar belt. I bought a pair of cream Schwalbe Deltas (same size) for the fun of it. I noticed an immediate comfort difference, I think because they didn't have the stiff belt.

Even before buying different tires, I think most people could benefit from lower air pressure in their tires. At 140 lbs, I run 50-55 in the front and 60-65 in the back.  I notice that I pedal through rough spots on the road that rides in front of me break their cadence in order to absorb road shocks.

I'll be happy to report back, definitely excited to try them.

Permalink Reply by Lanterne Rouge on January 6, 2013 at 12:55pm

^^ I'd be interested to try the cypres tire as well. I'm a bit fearful of running anything without kevlar reinforcement, and a little turned off by the $64/tire price.

Permalink Reply by terryg on January 7, 2013 at 6:06am

+1 for the Hetres; I've been riding them for maybe a couple years, no problems with the tires at all.  I recall having had some issues getting the bead seated well on my Synergy rims, but that was more nuisance than anything.  Next time I take the tires off I'll be adding a second strip of rim tape.  (I don't consider this a problem with the tire.)  I wouldn't want to be dealing with that at the side of the road, but ("touch wood") I've never flatted.

I don't know if I'm fast or not, but other people have said I am.  I appreciate the compliments, but I add salt with no disrespect.  Besides, it's not necessarily a goal for me, but an adjunct. Having said that, I'm quite comfortable and I ride them on any terrain typically encountered around here.  If I weren't in fear for the ongoing existence of my bike with these tires, I'd ride this every day - like on my commute (I can't get my head to allow me to lock up this bike all day).

BTW, I intend to build wheels around the Pacenti "PL23" rims this winter season, and I'll try the "extra léger" tires.  Saving up.

Oh, and hello everyone.  I'm Terry.  I lurk.

(pbp2015 is the plan!)

Permalink Reply by David Banzer on January 8, 2013 at 9:11am

I haven't run Hetres yet but I do have plans to pick up a pair before long. If you're considering a 650b project, I'd seriously consider the Soma B-Line (non-Hypertex) tires. They're a true 38mm wide and roll smooth, basically a 650b folding Pasela. I got mine from Boulder Bicycles on sale awhile back for $34 a tire - I think they're not too much more than that these days. You can pick up a pair of really nice tires for just a little more than a single Hetre.

Something to consider if you're 650b curious and have no qualms with Paselas.

Permalink Reply by David P. on March 25, 2013 at 4:04am

I love these tires. I've had a set on my Rawland for closing on a couple years now, replacing Cols. They see pavement (commuting, etc.) the large majority of the time, but I've ridden them on dirt and gravel, too. I did the Lowell 50 on them twice. Probably skittery on really loose stuff, I'd imagine. I weight about 140-145 and set pressures to ~45-50psi front and ~50-55psi read for pavement, a bit lower for off-pavement. I used to set them about 5psi higher until I realized I wasn't losing anything by dropping 5psi or so. Below maybe 40 or def. 35 they feel squirrelly and syrupy to me, though. They are comically easy to mount and dismount on my Synergies (both on older extrusions and a newer one) though, for me, not quite to the point of having difficulty getting them seated correctly.

I have 650b Cypres (32mm) on my fasty-fast* bike, which is a conversion that will fit up to about 38mm in 650b. These are really nice tires also. Aired them down from my usual 60-65psi and rode them on rough dirt the other weekend, happy times.

*I generally suck at going fast, but this is the bike that is my Mazda Miata-analog bike.

Permalink Reply by Duppie on March 26, 2013 at 5:02am

How many flats have you gotten on these, if any?

David P. said:

I love these tires. I've had a set on my Rawland for closing on a couple years now, replacing Cols. They see pavement (commuting, etc.) the large majority of the time, but I've ridden them on dirt and gravel, too. I did the Lowell 50 on them twice. Probably skittery on really loose stuff, I'd imagine. I weight about 140-145 and set pressures to ~45-50psi front and ~50-55psi read for pavement, a bit lower for off-pavement. I used to set them about 5psi higher until I realized I wasn't losing anything by dropping 5psi or so. Below maybe 40 or def. 35 they feel squirrelly and syrupy to me, though. They are comically easy to mount and dismount on my Synergies (both on older extrusions and a newer one) though, for me, not quite to the point of having difficulty getting them seated correctly.

I have 650b Cypres (32mm) on my fasty-fast* bike, which is a conversion that will fit up to about 38mm in 650b. These are really nice tires also. Aired them down from my usual 60-65psi and rode them on rough dirt the other weekend, happy times.

*I generally suck at going fast, but this is the bike that is my Mazda Miata-analog bike.

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