Opinions on Hetres

[Mark Anderson]

OK, I hope I'm not opening a can of worms with this topic but I'm wondering what the group's opinion/experience has been with 650b x 42 GB Hetres. I run a variety of Compass tires on most of my 700c bikes, from 32 to 38. My previous 650b tires were Pari-Moto 38's. I love the Compass tires without exception. I had no real reservations about the PM's, other than the pair I have are white and look a little funky with my Black Jeff Lyons frame, and I wanted to fit 42's instead of 38's.

I've been running Hetres for a few months now and I'm really trying to give them the benefit of the doubt, but boy do they seem like a dead, draggy ride to me. And now I notice they're not even listed on the Compass site any more. (I think I originally landed on Hetres because at the time Baby Shoe Pass was out of stock.) So what are your opinions, real world experiences with Hetres? I feel like I'm dragging around extra weight, especially uphill - just my imagination, or - ?

Curious in Kansas City,

Mark Alan Anderson

The Early Morning Cyclist

[Steve Palincsar]

Since the only source for new Hetre tires these days is from Japan, I think you should just forget about them and move on.

-- 
Steve Palincsar
Alexandria, Virginia 
USA

[Matthew J]

Compass sold Hetres but they are Grand Bois product.

Standard and tubeless 650b Bsbyshoe Pass are now available. 

[Igor Belopolsky]

Well that's a little harsh.

[Steve Palincsar]

I don't think so.  What's the point of belaboring the issue, when they're that difficult to obtain?  He didn't like them in the first place -- "dead, draggy ride" -- so moving on to the Compass tires is the obvious choice.  If he thought they were fine and liked the red color because it went with the color of the bike, it might be worth talking about ordering from Japan.  But as it is, I think forgetting about them and moving on is the way to go.

[Randall Daniels]

IMHO they were a better tire than the BSP. True-to-size and had a fairly thick tread without being slow pedaling or rolling. I have a rear that went 5000 miles that still has around 1.70mm of tread left - more than what the Pari-Moto comes from the factory and only slightly less than a new Compass tire. Once the siping wore off they were awful in the rain and always awful in mud. Tended to hold onto glass and let it work it's way into the tube over the course of a few days. When their distribution was discontinued last year and proved all but impossible for me to get from Japan I retired from riding 650b and went back to 700c.

[Mark Anderson]

Thanks for the thoughtful response. I didn't realize the distribution had been discontinued. I have a pair of Hetres with, I'd guess, less than 500 miles on them at the moment - so essentially new. My experience has not been favorable; my reason for posting was to see if that experience was shared by others or if it was just me.

Mark

[Philip Kim]

i can only speak to my personal experience. i've ridden hetres, pairmotos, and compass tires:

i agree that hetres seem a bit sluggish, which can especially felt on uphill climbs. thats most likely due to the fact that it has much more tread than compass tires. i like hetres for commuting as they are reliable and comfortable, without sacrificing too much. i have not had any flats on hetres in the 5 years i've ridden them. they a lot of miles to wear in to feel closer to compass tires.

compass tires OTOH ride great from the get go. They wear faster than hetres, but surprisingly held up longer than i thought. If I had another bike for pure enjoyment cycling, the compass would go on those.

[David Pertuz]

I rode them for years on my daily driver and still have a pair on hand as emergency backups. I replaced them with the similar Soma tires (no special reason other than that they were available when I needed, I guess) and have been using Cazaderos for the last year. I was quite happy with the Hetres for everyday use, and the flat rate was acceptable (the streets here are practically paved in glass shards and flats are inevitable.) They are terrible if there is any winter precipitation on the ground, which is why I switched to Cazaderos, which are also significantly less flat-prone due to the tread.

David

Chicago

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "650b" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to 650b+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
To post to this group, send email to 65...@googlegroups.com.
Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/650b.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

[Igor Belopolsky]

Steve,
They're as hard to obtain as an email to c...@cyclesgrandbois.com and paying a PayPal invoice.

[Igor Belopolsky]

I love supporting Grand Bois and will continue buying their tires. I wish they made a Hetre in a 38mm.

[John W]

It's probably not your imagination. I think the weight difference between a 38mm Pari-Moto and a 42mm Hetre would be noticeable on a Jeff Lyons frame. If you haven't dialed in your tire pressure on the new width maybe try experimenting a bit more?

I like my Hetres. I haven't flatted once on them in about the year I've had them (knock on wood), and I attribute that to their thick-ish casing. I bought a pair of Gravelkings for the winter but I'm going to try to make it through with the Hetres. That said, if I wanted to be on a faster tire at a higher PSI I'd probably use something other than the Hetres.

[rcnute]

Ask this cat: https://squareup.com/store/sd-bicycle-garage

Ryan

[Igor Belopolsky]

shameless plug - I have a pair of 650x42mm Hetres in Extra Leger for sale. Mounted once :)

[Ryan Watson]

Probably my all time favorite tire, at least in that size.

Most of my riding is big mountains and passes and they've never felt sluggish to me.

They're also one of the least flat prone tires I've ridden. 

Similar tires I've tried are the Mitsuboshi Trimline which feels slightly slower and less cushy. The Pari-Moto felt similar and was lighter, but was very flat prone for me. 

I have a pair of Baby shoe pass tires that I've only ridden once, they seem nearly identical to the Hetres to me. I think Compass only stopped selling the Hetres since they make their own version now. 

You might try the EL versions, they're magical :-)

Ryan in Albuquerque

--

You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "650b" group.

To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to 650b+uns...@googlegroups.com.

[Steve Palincsar]

I didn't think ordering my tail light from Cycles Grand Bois was all that challenging, but I'm sure some folks would be put off by having to run their web site through google translate and then guess at whether the translation was anything like accurate.  And the business about having to put the item in the shopping cart and waiting for a shipping quote could be a little unnerving, too - you feel like you're committed and who knows how bad the shipping hit will be.  The simple fact that you're looking at such large numbers for prices (i.e., in Yen) can be unnerving: after all, six hundred thousand units of anything sounds like a hell of a big number - over half a million whatsits.   Worth it if it's something you really want and can't get any other way, but if you didn't want it in the first place...?

--

You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "650b" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to 650b+uns...@googlegroups.com.
To post to this group, send email to 65...@googlegroups.com.
Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/650b.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

[Chris Cullum]

I like Hetres a lot. I've done 30k km of riding on Hetres, so I have a decent database. I think they actually *do* feel kinda slow/sluggish. I think however it's really just how they feel and they are not truly slow. They give kind of a muted road feel which I've gotten used to and like now. They produce a different type of hum while riding along as well. I've ridden them over a full series range of brevet distances, commuting, gravel, sporitives etc. The flat resistance has been great. I've gotten as much as 13,000km out of a set which exceeded much expectations significantly.

I say I don't think they're slow because I've been able to keep up with the lead pack on 100km sportif using them on my Rawland rSogn with big porteur rack, Dyno lights etc in a pack of cf race bikes using aero wheels and averaging 32kph over 100km. Also Jan Heine did a 53hr PBP on them in 2011 iirc. I do think the give up a bit the BSP overall, but it's not huge. That said if you don't like the muted road feel the BSP does feel more sprightly.

-

[blakcloud]

My experience with Hetre's changed how important the ride of bike was with the right tires. I never felt the tires were slow or sluggish. They are simply the best riding tire I have experienced. My problem was the constant flats. On average every two weeks so I stopped using them. Having to go back to the my original tires has been a let down.

Lucky for me, I go to Japan at least twice a year, my wife twice a month so I have access to more Hetre's when the time comes. They are cheaper when you buy them in person and going to I's Bike Shop (also called Grand Bois Cycles) in Kyoto is a quite a treat. It is the only bike store I have been to where I had to take off my shoes to enter.

[satanas]

I've had zero issues with Hetres. No flats, excellent wear and grip, roll well, not that hard to get hold of or expensive ex-Japan via GB's website. It might be nice if they were a bit lighter, but it's unreasonable to expect 25-622 weight from such a large tyre. The bottom line is that they work for me. I never ride over glass though; if I had to do that (why would I?) I'd be using Schwalbe Marathons or similar, or finding a better route.

For me here in Oz it's dramatically cheaper for both tyres and shipping to get GB ex-Japan than Compass ex-USA, and delivery is faster too; I rarely buy anything from the US any more as freight/postage is usually very expensive compared to most other sources.

Later,
Stephen

[Chris Cullum]

On Nov 27, 2017 13:15, "blakcloud" <blakc...@gmail.com> wrote:

My experience with Hetre's changed how important the ride of bike was with the right tires. I never felt the tires were slow or sluggish. They are simply the best riding tire I have experienced. My problem was the constant flats. On average every two weeks so I stopped using them. Having to go back to the my original tires has been a let down.

It's funny how people seem to have polar opposite experiences with Hetres. Some find them very flat resistant (me among them) and some find they get flats all the time. I've ridden over all manner of terrain, including gravel, sharp rocks, potholed glass strewn city streets and had very low incidence. When I do get a flat it's generally something major in the tire that would likely have flatted anything, even an armoured Marathon or kind.

Lucky for me, I go to Japan at least twice a year, my wife twice a month so I have access to more Hetre's when the time comes. They are cheaper when you buy them in person and going to I's Bike Shop (also called Grand Bois Cycles) in Kyoto is a quite a treat. It is the only bike store I have been to where I had to take off my shoes to enter.

-- 

[Randall Daniels]

I think there is (was?) a huge variation in the hardiness of the rubber used in the Hetres - both in the regular black and between black and the various colors. The first two (black) tires I ordered from Compass felt markedly different in the hand and seemed to be significantly different durometer at the tread. The first tire I rode in the rear for a little more than 5,000 miles and had 7 flats. Once it was done I moved the front to the rear and had 0 flats over the next 4,000 miles. Did the front tire age while riding? Or was it always harder and more durable from the factory? 

I don't know but I did think it was weird.

[Chris Cullum]

On Nov 27, 2017 19:05, "Randall Daniels" <randal...@gmail.com> wrote:

I think there is (was?) a huge variation in the hardiness of the rubber used in the Hetres - both in the regular black and between black and the various colors. The first two (black) tires I ordered from Compass felt markedly different in the hand and seemed to be significantly different durometer at the tread. The first tire I rode in the rear for a little more than 5,000 miles and had 7 flats. Once it was done I moved the front to the rear and had 0 flats over the next 4,000 miles. Did the front tire age while riding? Or was it always harder and more durable from the factory? 

My first set were red (or terracotta, whatever) and they seemed harder, less grippy but long wearing. The other sets I've had have been black (my wife hated the red for some reason) and the rubber is softer than the red but still lasts well. I've heard the white (or cream, whatever) are softest. I've never used those.

I don't know but I did think it was weird.

-- 

[rcnute]

My Cullum cast-off Hetre is still going strong!

Ryan

[Matthew J]

I've bought small stuff from Grand Bois.  The postage is not surprisingly higher than Compass.  At least in larger urban centers Compass tires are available at better LBSs. 

[Igor Belopolsky]

Postage is reasonable. Wish the postage for a frame was cheaper. I'd buy a Grand Bois frameset. 35000yen shipping

[Evan Estern]

To me Compass BSP Extra Lights felt like a huge step up in feel and performance over Hetres, but I did like the Hetres alot before BSP tires were available.  I did tend to pick up more road debris with the Hetres which translated into more frequent flats.  Another issue I had with them is that the front tire would tend to interlock with lines or grooves on the road surface that were parallel with the tire tread, for example, fog lines, tar snakes, ect. 

[Stephen Poole]

On 29 Nov 2017 10:13 am, "Evan Estern" <e.es...@me.com> wrote:

To me Compass BSP Extra Lights felt like a huge step up in feel and performance over Hetres, but I did like the Hetres alot before BSP tires were available.

Useful to know, thanks.

Another issue I had with them is that the front tire would tend to interlock with lines or grooves on the road surface that were parallel with the tire tread, for example, fog lines, tar snakes, ect.

I've never experienced this, but had a lot of handling grief with the mostly slick Soma GL tyres. For some reason they resisted climbing up parallel-ish painted lines or driveways, etc. Instead, they often "bounced off" sideways, something I've never experienced with any other tyre in any size or width. I crashed a couple of times because of this (fortunately at low speed), and had plenty of "moments" too; I recommend avoiding them.  :-(

Later,

Stephen

[John Roberts]

I too prefer Hetres to the Compass tires I've tried, which include BSPs and RTPs. All the wonderful things you hear people express about Compass tires were said in the same fashion, for many years, about Grand Bois tires. Once you get a glimpse into the supple life, your typical 700c tire just won't do.... "dead, draggy, and lifeless" describes the world of tires left behind by most of us here... check your tire pressure perhaps. I've never heard a customer on Hetres describe it as anything but light, cushy, and heavenly. Needless to say, without Hetres as an example, we'd be not only without Compass offerings, but without many of the great wide tires this market is now enjoying. 

[Ken Mattina]

When Hetres first came out, I thought that they were one of the best tires I had ever used. Now, I would say that they're "good enough". I have several pairs stashed in the basement for the 650b apocalypse. 

Speaking of "good enough", has anybody tried the 42mm 650b paselas?

--

You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "650b" group.

To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to 650b+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.

To post to this group, send email to 65...@googlegroups.com.
Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/650b.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

--

Where did the spring go?
Where did my hormones go?
Where did my energy go?
Where did my go go?
Where did the pleasure go?
Where did my hair go?

-- Ray Davies

[Greg Achtem]

I picked up the 42 Paselas since my shop doesn’t carry CdlV and while they will order them in, they charge me about 40 CAD each. 

Now I’ve forgotten what they charged me for the Paselas, but I really enjoy the extra volume. I have no idea if they’re faster or better that the CdlVs but I do need the tread for snowy commutes. In this they are the equal to the CdlVs and surpass them in the cush factor. 

If they fit your bike and your needs I recommend them. 

To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to 650b+uns...@googlegroups.com.

[Joseph Kopera]

When I rode red Hetres I found them extremely comfy and decently fast at higher pressures (60+ psi). Personally I like the handling and road feel better than my BSPs (regular casing) *but* every Hetre I’ve had has developed casing splits along the centerline of tread within a few hundred miles, causing the tread to deform and making for an uncomfortable thumpy ride. In talking with other taller + heavier riders + tandem riders I’ve found many to have the same issue— hence my going to BSPs, which are great but a little harsher than the Hetres for me (mind you, this is relative... the BSPs are amazing tires) and I am annoyed that they tend to run narrower than advertised. I want to try the BSP EL but I’m afraid of running into the same issue with casing splits on account of my linebacker weight and build— it would be an expensive experiment.

Joe
Western Mass

[Gary Jacobson]

I found Hetres to be just fantastic with regards to speed, wear, and comfort, but they were horrible when it came to riding on rocky surfaces that Gravelkings handle with no problem. The  Hetres casing would tear and puncture causing huge bulges after a ride or two. I wonder if regular BSP would be equal to or lesser that Gravelkings in their resistace to the horroers I experienced with Hetres.

Gary Jacobson

Rosendale, NY

[Evan Estern]

On Saturday, December 9, 2017 at 5:06:42 PM UTC-5, Gary Jacobson wrote:

I found Hetres to be just fantastic with regards to speed, wear, and comfort, but they were horrible when it came to riding on rocky surfaces that Gravelkings handle with no problem. The  Hetres casing would tear and puncture causing huge bulges after a ride or two. I wonder if regular BSP would be equal to or lesser that Gravelkings in their resistace to the horroers I experienced with Hetres.

Gary Jacobson

Rosendale, NY

I think BSPs would be close to Hetres in that regard.  But...  I only have experience with the BSP Extralights not the standard.  I've ridden them over dirt, gravel, rocks, etc. including 2 D2R2s.  So far, (I'm on my second set and about 7-8k miles) I wear out the tread before the casing goes. 

[Stephen Poole]

Huh, I've not had any problems whatsoever with normal black Hetres. The only incentives to use something else would be weight reduction, or a more supple ride (i.e., Compass), but they would be significantly more expensive, both to buy and to ship here to Oz.

It seems that YMMV definitely applies here...

Later,

Stephen