7.30 AM in Terrassa was not, at least at first, the optimal start point. Even less after a busy weekend in which all members of the team had accumulated a decent amount of kilometers. Belén had taken part in a sportive on Saturday, followed by another 160 km ride on Sunday. Toni had also done his longest ride in months, and as per usual, Javi hadn’t exactly taken it easy either.

A quick look at Strava made it clear that none of the three had fresh legs. “Let’s take it easy” was, on paper, the plan. After all, the goal for the day was to enjoy a day together riding gravel bikes, in such a privileged setting as Pedraforca, while putting a range of Schwalbe G-ONE PRO tires to the test.  

Into the mountains

The adventure started in Bagà, in the Catalan Pre-Pyrenees. We parked, unloaded the bikes and went through the usual ritual before any ride: getting everything set up, checking tire pressures and deciding what to carry with us and what could stay in the van.

Our first mission was to find coffee. No luck. At that time of the day, the village seemed to have other plans for us. We did manage to get our hands on some pastries to make sure we had something in our stomachs before setting off, and then we got moving.

The first few kilometers were on tarmac, our legs still somewhat asleep and with little awareness of what was ahead. Little by little, the road disappeared and we entered the forest. The tarmac gave way to a well-maintained gravel track that started to get steeper. And steeper.

The climb felt long, although the scenery helped take our minds off the elevation figure steadily accumulating on the bike computer (more than 1,200 m in barely 12 km). Gradually, the trees began to open up, and then it appeared.

The Pedraforca massif rose to our left, on the other side of the valley, becoming more imposing with every meter we gained. Some mountains impress you with their height, others with their shape. Pedraforca has a presence that is hard to ignore; it was difficult not to look up at every corner.

After a short, fast descent past Coll de Bauma that gave us a chance to loosen up our legs, we continued climbing towards Coll de les Bassotes, with the occasional patch of snow reminding us that winter hadn’t been gone for quite as long as it seemed.

Once at the top, and after deciding to cross a fence whose presence we would later understand, we reached what was probably one of the most fun sections of the route, as we skirted the slopes of Pedraforca itself. The terrain became rougher, with rocks, branches and other obstacles left behind by winter avalanches and rockfalls, forcing us to stay alert.

That was when Belen’s tires choice really started to make sense. She was testing the 50 mm Schwalbe G-ONE RX. Running tires this wide on a gravel bike always raises some questions until the moment you actually need them. On this terrain, the feeling was incredible. Huge amounts of confidence, especially through the rougher sections, and, above all, the freedom to let the bike run without constantly thinking about exactly where was the front wheel.

Toni, meanwhile, opted for the G-ONE RS in 45 mm, mounted on the Argon18 Anti Matter he was also testing. It’s a tire designed for high-speed riding. It might not seem like the obvious choice for an adventure like this, but with the right pressure, it can surprise you with how well it adapts to the terrain. It offers much more grip than it looks, even on descents and the rockiest sections. That said, playing with tire pressures throughout the ride was key, running slightly higher pressures on the climbs and lower ones on the descents.

Javi, on the other hand, has been running the G-ONE RX as his go-to tire since its launch in October 2024. For this ride, he also chose the 50 mm version at 1.5 bars, gaining even more confidence and comfort on the descents.

It’s a tire with impressive grip that clearly excels in muddy conditions, but its characteristics also make it well suited to dry terrain. On the rear, however, he opted for the G-ONE R, with the same width and slightly higher pressure, as the perfect complement. Fast rolling and with good overall performance, although, now several months on, he points to faster wear as its only drawback.

One last push

With hunger starting to take over, we planned to have lunch in Saldes, right at the end of the gravel descent, which was much smoother in its final part. Our first option didn’t work out. Neither did the second. The alternative was a gas station serving a set menu. And, at that point, after hours on the bike, it probably felt like the best restaurant in the whole of Berguedà. We ate, recovered some energy and got ready to tackle the final kilometers back to the car.

The sky was starting to darken, threatening some rain, along with a drop in temperature we wanted to avoid. So, after several hours on the saddle, that fast stretch of road towards Guardiola de Berguedà turned into something close to a short, improvised time trial.

From Guardiola, we left the main road once again and ventured onto a parallel trail that took us back towards Bagà. The terrain became more entertaining again and, by that point, our legs were starting to remind us that “we’ll take it easy” had been more of an intention than an actual plan.

Coffee and summary

We arrived back in Bagà with the feeling that we had made pretty good use of the day, riding through one of the most spectacular landscapes we have relatively close to home. We put the bikes away and, before heading home, finally sat down for that coffee while talking through the day.

Beyond the differences between the individual models, the ride showed that there is no single tire that is perfect for everything. Instead, it’s about finding the combination of characteristics that makes the most sense for the terrain, the pace and the type of adventure ahead. From the speed of the G-ONE RS to the grip and confidence offered by the G-ONE RX, with the G-ONE R being the intermediate choice for varied surfaces. The choice ultimately comes down to how much you want to prioritise each of these variables.

As became clear throughout the ride, tire pressure also plays a fundamental role across the range. In an environment as demanding and constantly changing as Cadí-Moixeró Natural Park, having the right tire can make the difference between simply following a track and genuinely enjoying every kilometer.