A New Tire!

If you’ve been at a big gravel race lately, you may have noticed some unfamiliar tires on the bikes of racers like Ted King, Brennan Wertz and Jenna Rinehart. Well, they are now official: The 700×48 Poteau Mountain uses the same patented technology as our revolutionary 44 mm Corkscrew Mountain semi-slick, but in a wider size perfect for many modern gravel and adventure bikes.

Jenna raced the new semi-slicks in the Gravel Earth Series Core 4 and at Gravel Worlds (above). Each time, she finished on the podium in races against top riders. Jenna reports: “The Poteau Mountain tires were great! They have the perfect combination of speed—like a slick tire—and cornering—like a knobby. The volume of the 48 is a great option for confidence and comfort on more rugged terrain.”

What makes Rene Herse semi-slicks different from other tires in this category? The biggest problem with conventional semi-slicks is the abrupt transition from the smooth center to the knobby edges. One moment, you’re riding on the slick tread. Then you lean the bike into a corner, and suddenly you’re on the knobs. That’s especially problematic when you’re on pavement.

To eliminate that problem, we’ve designed a seamless transition between slick and knobby tread. The first row of knobs is anchored on the center tread, which also makes them stiffer for better power transfer and less flex. After all, flexing of rubber costs energy—that’s the reason why (most) knobby tires are slower than slicks.

Since knob flex robs energy, it doesn’t make sense to use small knobs on a tire that’s supposed to roll fast. Bigger knobs flex less and thus are actually faster—as counterintuitive as that may seem. Bigger knobs also grip better. That’s why our semi-slicks feature those large knobs: more speed and better traction.

The big challenge was how to combine big knobs with a thin and fast smooth center tread without the abrupt transition you find on other semi-slicks. The solution was to make the radius of the tread significantly larger than that of the casing. The tread gets thicker from the center to the corner knobs, yet the tire retains the round profile that is the reason why all Rene Herse tires corner so well.

Those features are so innovative that we’ve protected them with three patents. You aren’t going to see them on other brand’s tires anytime soon!

Of course, bold marketing claims are nothing new in the bike industry. Rather than asking you to take our word for it, we’ll quote from Cycling Weekly’s review of the 44 mm Corkscrew Climb: “The René Herse Corkscrew Climb is an unusual, but thoughtfully executed, semi-slick that strikes a good balance between speed, grip and versatility. With confident traction in wet and technical terrain, a smooth tubeless setup, and the brand’s signature supple ride feel, it’s a compelling option for riders tackling varied conditions.”

Customers sometimes ask why we roll out new tire technology one size at a time. The answer is that we take the experience from one tire to improve the next. In the case of the 48 mm Poteau Mountain, there are some very small tweaks, but really there wasn’t much to improve on the 44 mm Corkscrew Climbs.

What about the name? Poteau Mountain is the roughest and most remote part of the Arkansas High Country Race. It’s a magical place, especially at night. The initial climb is ultra-steep and full of loose rocks. Then you ride on a plateau with many ups and downs. Rough boulder fields suddenly appear during the high-speed descents, adding to the challenge. Far from the next town or house, Poteau Mountain is teeming with wildlife. The new tire is perfect for adventures like the Arkansas High Country, which combine ultra-rough terrain with paved sections.

We’ve just received the first of the new tires, in very limited numbers. They are available now in the Endurance casing. To allow as many customers to get the new tires as possible, we’re limiting orders to 2 tires. More tires, also in the Extralight, Standard and Endurance Plus casings, are in production and will be available roughly a month from now.

More Information:

• 700C tires in the Rene Herse program

Photo credits: Clare Paniccia (Jenna at Gravel Worlds); Kai Kaddy (full moon over Poteau Mountain)