Professional riders have asked René Herse for a semi-slick tire – a tire that combines the speed of slicks with the grip that studs provide. They did not want a conventional semi-slick, but the same round profile as the other René Herse tires, for predictable grip in the bends at all times – whether in a muddy gravel race or on a paved downhill with ultra-fast hairpin turns.

René Herse has reinvented the semi-slick tire. It took three years of research and development and resulted in three new patents. The semi-slick tire Corkscrew Climb is named after the biggest climb in the SBT GRVL race in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Instead of distinct zones with different patterns, the slick pattern seamlessly transitions into the side knobs, providing better and more predictable grip when the bike leans into the bends. The first row of side knobs is anchored in the center pattern to stiffen the knobs and give superior grip under extreme force – important when sprinting or climbing out of the saddle and rocking the bike from side to side. The knobs are placed with our own developed noise-damping technique, making the tire almost eerily quiet for a gravel tire.

*The picture shows the Extralight casing