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Do the Gravel King SK's kick up a lot of rocks?

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Do the Gravel King SK's kick up a lot of rocks?

Old 09-02-19, 09:20 PM
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vinuneuro
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Do the Gravel King SK's kick up a lot of rocks?

By all accounts, Gravel King SK's are fantastic tires. The only thing holding me back is a few posts across various sites that said they kick up a lot of dirt/stones toward the down tube? Is this a common experience?
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Old 09-02-19, 10:42 PM
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I call mine "Gravelflings." Tiny little like 2-3mm pebbles-- it will throw them out hard enough to hit me in the face while riding.

A shorty front fender or at least some helicopter tape isn't a terrible idea.
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Old 09-03-19, 09:23 AM
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My experience is that they kick up lots of little pebbles and sand when new but that it calms down somewhat as they start to wear.

They will ocassionally kick up a larger stone and I've had stones shoot out toward the side.

I'm not sure if this behavior varies depending on geographic variations in ride surface.


-Tim-
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Old 09-03-19, 12:19 PM
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They're great for dissauding wheelsuckers!
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Old 09-03-19, 12:25 PM
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Given this characteristic would you all still recommend them? The areas I ride are mostly small and fine gravel, so this sounds like it could be quite annoying (and potentially expensive if the paint isn't adequately protected).

Last edited by vinuneuro; 09-03-19 at 12:57 PM.
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Old 09-03-19, 12:51 PM
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Even better if you ride carbon. Nothing like the sound of those little pebbles making that little "tink" sound against your carbon frame.
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Old 09-03-19, 01:52 PM
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Originally Posted by blazin
They're great for dissauding wheelsuckers!
Indeed, you will not making any friends riding GravelKing SKs. Moreover, even at speed you can tell who is using them.
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Old 09-03-19, 08:59 PM
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Yeah, they throw rocks, and yeah they have that Mickey Thompson sound on pavement, but they might be the best mixed-surface tire there is. They are equally adept at singletrack and washed out service roads as hardpack and asphalt.

Yhey do get smooth pretty quickly if too much pavement is involved.
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Old 09-03-19, 10:54 PM
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Originally Posted by Spoonrobot
Many better tires in all the sizes they're available in. If you think the GK SK is the best mixed terrain tire, your mind is going to be blown if you ever ride a WTB Resolute or the Compass Hurricane Ridge.
Strong words from Guitar Ted. How do the Resolute measure up? Is it a true 42? I'd like to try a pair but not sure they would fit on the back of my Niner.

How do the Compass ride on pavement? The Steilacoom look identical to the Hurricane Ridge except for width. I assume you run or ran the standard casing?


-Tim-

Last edited by TimothyH; 09-03-19 at 11:07 PM.
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Old 09-03-19, 11:18 PM
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I don't see how the Resolute or the Hurricane Ridge are comparable tires, as they come in exactly one 700 size: 42mm-- while the SK only comes in 32, 35, 38, 43, and 50.

My frame is limited to a 38 between the chainstays (unless sand and mud stop existing,) so neither the Compass nor the WTB would ever even be a consideration for me.

How well they perform in typical conditions in the Southeast is about as relevant to me as weather conditions in the Southeast. The SKs are superb here, where I ride.
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Old 09-03-19, 11:37 PM
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Originally Posted by DrIsotope
I don't see how the Resolute or the Hurricane Ridge are comparable tires, as they come in exactly one 700 size: 42mm-- while the SK only comes in 32, 35, 38, 43, and 50.
The Hurricane Ridge being available "only" in 42mm is a consequence of the weird Rene Herse naming scheme. In any other catalog, the 700x38 Steilacoom would be considered a narrower version of the same tire. The 650x42 Pumpkin Ridge and 650x48 Juniper Ridge are in the same boat.

The curious omission is that there's no 26er equivalent... I don't know whether any demand actually exists, but it seems like almost every single tire request that RH gets on social media is for a Rat Trap Pass-sized (i.e. 26x2.1) knobby.

I still haven't gotten around to trying any of the RH knobbies, although the people I know who've used them seem impressed. I might try the 650x48 once my new bike has fully oozed its way into existence.
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Old 09-04-19, 08:14 AM
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Originally Posted by TimothyH
Strong words from Guitar Ted. How do the Resolute measure up? Is it a true 42? I'd like to try a pair but not sure they would fit on the back of my Niner.

How do the Compass ride on pavement? The Steilacoom look identical to the Hurricane Ridge except for width. I assume you run or ran the standard casing?


-Tim-
easy solution.

just buy a new RDO frame! It's time you bought a new bike anyways.
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Old 09-04-19, 08:30 AM
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Originally Posted by TimothyH
Strong words from Guitar Ted. How do the Resolute measure up? Is it a true 42? I'd like to try a pair but not sure they would fit on the back of my Niner.

How do the Compass ride on pavement? The Steilacoom look identical to the Hurricane Ridge except for width. I assume you run or ran the standard casing?


-Tim-
I thought you dismiss GT?

Ribbing aside, I just mounted Resolute tires on my new wheelset.
On the old wheelset with 17.5inner and 23mm outer, the Resolute tire measured right at 42mm with tubes.
On the new wheelset with 19mm inner and 25mm outer, the Resolute tire measured just over 43mm tubeless.


I wasnt super impressed with the Resolute tires for much of my first ride, until I hit 1.5mi of pavement. They felt fast on pavement. I came to realize the gravel/unpaved roads I had been riding were much looser and deeper than the usual roads I ride(I was in a different area than normal and each county around here manages their own gravel). So while I felt slow on the gravel(and was, based on mph), it wasnt the 1 change on the bike, it was the 1 change in ground.
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Old 09-04-19, 10:06 AM
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Originally Posted by Spoonrobot
Resolute is a true 42 based on casing length and measures between 42-43.5 on my rims TL-23 @23/28 and Stans Crest @ 21/24.4 and Hed Tomcat @17.5/23. Height is closer to 40mm including knobs. Compass was a little louder on pavement but rolled down almost exactly the same - standard casing setup tubeless. The Steilacoom also rides very well, there are a couple people I ride with who ride those tires exclusively and they're obviously not being held back very much. I think much of the WTB line-up and all of the Compass lineup is on a different level than most any other manufacturer's offerings.
Thanks @Spoonrobot.

I appreciate your insights and to a certain extent, when the Schwalbe G-One's blew off my rims I just went with the herd. Gravelcyclist said the Gravelking SK were good so...

I've no complaints except that they could roll a little better on pavement but I'd like to try a nice, supple tire for a change and might ordeer a pair of Steilacoom just to check them out.

One last question if it isn't a bother? Have you tried the Riddler and how do they compare to the Resolute?


-Tim-
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Old 09-04-19, 12:31 PM
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DPRT? Yes the SK have the perfect knobs for the aggregate gravel.
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Old 09-04-19, 02:00 PM
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Originally Posted by DrIsotope
I don't see how the Resolute or the Hurricane Ridge are comparable tires, as they come in exactly one 700 size: 42mm-- while the SK only comes in 32, 35, 38, 43, and 50.

My frame is limited to a 38 between the chainstays (unless sand and mud stop existing,) so neither the Compass nor the WTB would ever even be a consideration for me.

How well they perform in typical conditions in the Southeast is about as relevant to me as weather conditions in the Southeast. The SKs are superb here, where I ride.
Maybe he meant Riddler, that comes in 37 or 45 and is more comparible to the GK-SK. The resolute is more of a small mountain bike tire.
But if you want variety, Schwalbe is the way to go (unless you are using Tim's wheels). They have an amazing variety of G-One tires sizes and tread options.
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Old 09-04-19, 02:15 PM
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Originally Posted by TimothyH

One last question if it isn't a bother? Have you tried the Riddler and how do they compare to the Resolute?

-Tim-
Have you read this https://granfondo-cycling.com/the-best-gravel-tire/

(Spoiler, Riddler got best in test)

I wonder about their rolling resistance tests. GK-SK doesn't strike me as the fastest tire in the world, but then again - most of the typical tires in the test are all around 90% - roughly the same given a little margin of error (with the Compass being noticeably faster, and the more knobby tires being notably slower). Not sure why the Schwalbe tires had a noticeable difference in rolling resistance.
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Old 09-04-19, 05:07 PM
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Well, going back to the original question: Yes they do kick up a bit of small stuff, but I would think that how much would depend on the surface. I ride 60% pavement and 40% packed rock screenings with just a small amount of rougher gravel. The amount kicked up by the GKs on screenings is not that much more than is kicked up by the treaded road tires on other bikes. I have a bit more than 1,000 miles on my set and I've come to like them very much.
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Old 09-05-19, 06:29 PM
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Ah..the ole GravelSlings. I'll never use them again. First ride ever on them my jersey pockets were so full of little pebbles I couldn't figure out what happened. Then my shoes filled up with pebbles. Then my wife hated riding with me because of the pebble barrage. So..nope, not using them anymore. Vittoria Terreno Drys are comparable in just about every way (and better in some) and don't sling pebbles.
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Old 09-05-19, 07:19 PM
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@Spoonrobot knows of what he speaks. If you're looking for one tire to rule them all, and you can fit it, the Resolute is it. If you can't fit it, you're not on a true gravel bike.
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Old 09-09-19, 11:44 AM
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After this past weekend, I can attest that on MI dirt roads, YES, GK's do kick up small rocks.
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Old 09-11-19, 08:22 AM
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Gosh, GK's suck on limestone paths. Did a fast group gravel ride last night. pulled in behind a red bike and new immediately he had GK-SK on. I was getting pelted with a constant stream of small gravel. Those tires throw up a lot of junk with that sized gravel. There is not other tire that pelts quite like that. Unfortunately there is a lot of crushed gravel and limestone the size of the tread on GK-SKs

Originally Posted by Caliper
After this past weekend, I can attest that on MI dirt roads, YES, GK's do kick up small rocks.
I hope that wasn't you I was riding behind last night! lol.
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Old 09-11-19, 08:59 AM
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knows of what he speaks. If you're looking for one tire to rule them all, and you can fit it, the Resolute is it. If you can't fit it, you're not on a true gravel bike.
Funny.
Guess I'm not on a true gravel bike. Resolute is a great tire, but its rather specific in its target, not a one tire for everything.
Personally, I don't need that much tread (even when I'm mountain bike racing). Yesterday my ride included pavement commuting , fun single track, then a high speed gravel loop . I ride one bike to do it all - I'm not going to pigon hole myself into a specific niche.

Last night:
Road average 18mph, fair amout of 32mph sprints in traffic (2hr),
Single track was naturally about 10mph (1.5hr)
The gravel was even faster - average 18 with peaks at 36 (2hr).

That isn't a good day for the Resolute - I have better gravel tires for my riding. Resolute are a bit heavy for speed work, a bit draggy for the fast parts, and a bit small for the single track. There are a lot of "one tire to rule them all" but ultimately it depends one where you live and what riding you are doing. There is more variety of riding in this subforum than just about anything else. In your case If you are on a "true gravel bike" you need a gravel tire, not one tire that does it all. But the tire that works for you may not work for someone else here.

Last edited by chas58; 09-11-19 at 01:17 PM.
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Old 09-11-19, 10:07 AM
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Originally Posted by chas58
I hope that wasn't you I was riding behind last night! lol.
No, I was the recipient of a gravel shower! My Ramblers haven't received any complaints, yet. TBH, my experience last weekend kinda is making me reconsider a GK purchase, despite their price and speed.
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Old 09-11-19, 11:06 AM
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No, I was the recipient of a gravel shower! My Ramblers haven't received any complaints, yet. TBH, my experience last weekend kinda is making me reconsider a GK purchase, despite their price and speed.
Well, specifically on Michigan Rail Trail (or any limestone trail in the state), GK-SK kinda suck.
Curious - why would you choose them over a rambler?

Last edited by chas58; 09-11-19 at 01:11 PM.
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