BRP chip seal
I was there last summer. They had just finished sections in the Richland Balsam - Pisgah Inn area. There were still temporary lighted signs telling cyclists and motorcycles to avoid the new chipseal. But it was actually completed, they hadn't removed the signs yet. The BRP web site showed general areas where chipseal was scheduled, but not the exact mile markers.
Compared to my local midwest chipseal, it's not nearly as bad. The gravel sizes are "moderate" instead of "thumb sized" like some local counties do. And the sealer tar coat avoids loose gravel, which takes months to go away on our local chipseal.
I found it "buzzy" when climbing. I have large volume tires, around 28-29mm, at lower air pressures, which help. I stopped noticing it after a while, but the difference when I got to an older, smooth section was surprising. Like DeceptivelySlow mentioned, it's noisier on car tires. I could hear them coming--good, I guess.
On downhills, the speed smooths it out, not bad at all. I slowed a bit in the turns, not completely sure of the traction yet.
I expect after a year it'll be smoother where the car tires wear it down, and two years later, even better, but still not like regular paving. That's what happens around here.
Last edited by rm -rf; 03-05-19 at 07:55 AM.