Compass 26" tire vs. Soma New Express 26" tire.

[clayton]

I just did a picture comparison between the two. They have exactly the same tread. Both are made in Japan. Both claim low rolling resistance. Soma's are cheaper by about ten to 20 bucks and come in terracotta and cream as well as black. I think Compass tires and the Somas are the same tire, made by Panaracer. Does anyone know for sure?

The terra cotta would look groovy on my olive green Atlantis.....;)

[Steve Palincsar]

On Wed, 2013-06-19 at 15:26 -0700, clayton wrote:
> I just did a picture comparison between the two. They have exactly the
> same tread. Both are made in Japan. Both claim low rolling resistance.
> Soma's are cheaper by about ten to 20 bucks and come in terracotta and
> cream as well as black. I think Compass tires and the Somas are the
> same tire, made by Panaracer. Does anyone know for sure?

"Both Compass 26″ tires are made by Panaracer using their Pasela molds.
However, what goes into the mold is very different from a Pasela: We use
a high-end casing and ultra-grippy tread rubber – in fact, the same
materials as for the Grand Bois tires. The result is a 26″ tire that
offers the ride and feel of a high-end tire, which is very different
from the common 26-inch “slick” tires that are made with sturdy casings
and mediocre rubber."
-- http://janheine.wordpress.com/2012/11/11/compass-26-x-1-5-tires/

So: I would expect the tread shape is the same, but the materials are
most likely different.

[Mike Schiller]

...the question was comparing the Soma New Express to the Compass tire. (not Paselas).  All  3 are made by Panaracer.

The New Express has an added Hypertex casing for flat resistance and so would be a little stiffer ride but not as bad as the Tour Guard Paselas is the rumor. 

So...not the same tire.

~mike

[clayton]

thanks Mike....

[Michael Hechmer]

We use Marathon Racers, 1.6x26 on the tandem. These tires are lighter than the compass, have less tread and sell for less than the Compass.   I have Cerfs on the Ram and love them, but doubt we would gain anything by switching.

Michael

[Matthew J]

I do not have a 26" but did have the Soma Xpress 650Bs and a lot of experience with various Grand Bois tires from Compass. The express were good rolling tires and fun to ride.  Grand Bois definitely a step up in ride quality. 

 

Never had a flat on the Soma.  In three years I have had only one flat on my Grand Bois.

[Michael Hechmer]

I wonder about road noise from the Compass 26" tire.  M Schwalbe Marathon Racers are quite noisy, especially considering that they don't come with a lot of tread and most of that has been worn off of my tires.  Tires on a tandem wear out fast and I'm extra cautious because I suspect my stoker is only good for one crash.

Michael

[clayton]

Thanks everyone for your feedback. Greatly appreciated. I went ahead and ordered a pair of Compasses....I had a set of Avocet's 26" 1.75" tires back in the day and loved them. I expect these should be even nicer. Again, Thanks.

[WETH]

Dear Clayton or others with experience with the Compass 26x1.75 tire,
I am about to purchase the Compass 26x1.75, but thought I would ask for any feedback on the tires from real world use.
Many thanks,

[Norman Bone]

I have less than 50 miles on mine so not much to report. They seem to ride fine. Not night and day from the Panaracer Hi-Road tires I had before. May be hairsplitting but I can tell you that the 1.75" measures 1.6" on a Velocity Aeroheat rim.

-Norman in PDX.

---

From: WETH <erlho...@gmail.com>
To: rbw-owne...@googlegroups.com
Sent: Tuesday, March 4, 2014 11:50 AM
Subject: [RBW] Re: Compass 26" tire vs. Soma New Express 26" tire.

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[Rod Holland]

I put 600 miles on a pair of the Compass 1.75" tires last season on a Surly Trucker DeLuxe, mixed-terrain riding that included some very stoney abandoned carriage roads. They roll well, and have held up to a fair bit of abuse. Go for it.

rod

[WETH]

Rod and Norman,
Many thanks for the feedback.  I appreciate it.
-Erl

[Clayton]

The Compasses give a very nice ride. I don't use them much. I run INTENSE micro Knobby tires now. Kevlar beads, high TPI,supple and fatter. I found them very cheap online (With high pressure they run great on the street). I usually run about 40 psi. I desire comfort and that "supple feel" that is so hard to find. Fatter is more comfy for me. Plus they are more off road capable, important to my manly monster truck ego ;), even though now days, they seldom see much off road use.

[Evan Baird]

The Soma has a hypertex layer. Perhaps that makes it less supple. I certainly have no idea.

http://www.panaracer.com/technologies.php

[Tim Gavin]

+1 on the ITS micro-knobby tires.  I use the Mk2 version 2.1" under SKS P65 fenders on my Schwinn KOM townie--when I'm not running studded W160's in the winter.  $16 from JensonUsa, I figured I'd give them a try.

I mounted the 2.1" ones under SKS P65 fenders.  Great ride for the street, enough tread for light dirt.  Light and easy rolling.  However, they're single ply tires with no additional puncture protection.  I've had no flats yet, but figure the day will come.  

I wish the Compass/Soma 26" tires came in 2"+ sizes; I really appreciate the cush of fatty tires and the easy rolling resistance of a smooth-ish tread.

[iamkeith]

I bought a pair of the 1.75" Compass tires last year when I built up my All Rounder, and have maybe 1000 miles on them at most.  My only other tire experience on this bike is with some to some continental tour-rides of the same size.  However, I do have regular 700c Paselas on my quickbeam and my wife has regular 26x1.25 Paselas on her Rambouillet.  It would be hard to give a fair apples-to-apples comparison to paselas of the same size without trying them but, extrapolating from those experiences, I think they are well worth the money and would/will buy them again.  Compared to any of the others mentioned, they are much faster, smoother and quieter.  In fact, I have noted before that this 26" road bike feels faster than my 700c bike, and I think that much of that can be attributed to these tires.

I have ridden them on rough roads for as much time as I have ridden them on asphalt, even if it's less total mileage, and have not had a tread durability or flatting problem whatsoever.  (And I'm a biggish guy at 6'2", 200 lbs.) 

If I have a disappointment, it is in the fact that the skinwall is already drying and cracking.   I don't know if this is because of my climate (high altitude/high UV exposure), or because of the thinner-than-pasela "race tire"  casing design.  I do have this problem with other skinwall tires, to be fair, though - just not quite as rapid.  I wish I didn't like the "look" so much...

On Tuesday, March 4, 2014 12:50:53 PM UTC-7, WETH wrote:

[johnb]

I have the 1.75" Compass tires on my Atlantis and the 1.5" Compass on the Rambouillet. I cannot say enough good things about the ride. Excellent! Durability seems pretty good. I have had one flat on the Atlantis and a highway with steel from a steel belt puncturing the rear tire (of course...). Other than that, no flats in 2+ years with the Atlantis (maybe 3500 miles).

[WETH]

Thanks to all for the helpful feedback. I placed an order today, and I will try to report back on my experiences with them on my Atlantis.