Initial impressions: American Classic Timekeeper tires
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I just want to chime in on this thread. I've been running the Timekeeper in 700x30c "armor edition" tubed type with lightweight 33g tubes. So far they've been running great. They're fast and I've PR'ed a bunch of sprint segments on Strava with this combo. The tubed version of the tire was easy to mount and I like the slightly wider width for the fire roads and poorly maintained streets I ride on. Only issue so far was that they smelled funny when they arrived and the side markings seem cheap, I had to really look hard for the directional arrows to make sure I was mounting the right direction. Tire wear seems decent, I haven't noticed any major wear and that's from doing quite a bit of climbing and fast descents.
BTW - I'm 150 lbs. and I'm running them at 65-70 psi.
BTW - I'm 150 lbs. and I'm running them at 65-70 psi.
Last edited by jonathanf2; 06-11-22 at 10:34 AM.
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jonathanf2 That’s an interesting and cool looking bike! Are you hitting gravel on the TKs, or just pavement?
Last edited by chaadster; 06-12-22 at 07:31 AM.
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jonathanf2 That’s an interesting and cool looking bike! Are you hitting gravel on the TKs, or just pavement?
Overall they seem like a decent mid-tier performance slick. Prices are reasonable and Amazon availability means I can get them next day in my area. I wouldn't hesitate to the buy them again.
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2mm ain’t much. Even when you consider it’s 2,000 microns, it still doesn’t sound like much! Trying to eyeball 2mm out of 30mm on a curving bike tire, where the maximal width is on a different plane, below the tread, is close to impossible, I reckon.
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jonathanf2 How has the puncture resistance been so far? I also went for the "Armor" kind and am hoping they won't catch cuts as badly as my Corsa did after only 300 miles To me, the ride on the TK is bouncier than the Corsas, but if the low price comes with better longevity, it's worth it.
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jonathanf2 How has the puncture resistance been so far? I also went for the "Armor" kind and am hoping they won't catch cuts as badly as my Corsa did after only 300 miles To me, the ride on the TK is bouncier than the Corsas, but if the low price comes with better longevity, it's worth it.
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Is that a thing? I thought the defining features of fire roads is that they’re unpaved wilderness access. If not, what makes a “paved fire road” different from a regular road? We don’t have fire roads out here in Michigan, so I’m not familiar with these matters.
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This is one fire road right behind the Hollywood Sign. It's paved, but as you can see not well maintained:
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Yeah here in Los Angeles, the mountain ranges have paved fire roads closed off to the public. They are poorly maintained and they usually fill in potholes/cracks with either dirt or gravel. For road cyclists though, it's one of the few safe havens away from cars here in LA. I'm basically riding my Timekeepers on these type of roads.
This is one fire road right behind the Hollywood Sign. It's paved, but as you can see not well maintained:
This is one fire road right behind the Hollywood Sign. It's paved, but as you can see not well maintained:
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Yeah here in Los Angeles, the mountain ranges have paved fire roads closed off to the public. They are poorly maintained and they usually fill in potholes/cracks with either dirt or gravel. For road cyclists though, it's one of the few safe havens away from cars here in LA. I'm basically riding my Timekeepers on these type of roads.
This is one fire road right behind the Hollywood Sign. It's paved, but as you can see not well maintained:
This is one fire road right behind the Hollywood Sign. It's paved, but as you can see not well maintained:
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I've been riding my Timekeepers on these type of roads and they do pretty well. The descents have been fun though on these tires and they feel plenty fast while giving adequate grip. I just make sure to watch my cornering on loose surfaces and feather my braking.
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If those tires are serving you well on those roads, they should do great on the regular San Fernando Valley roads I'm riding on. Gravel bikes do seem like a great choice for many routes around here though... Hollywood sign, Mt. Wilson Toll Rd., dirt Mulholland, dirt roads up in the desert, etc.
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I just wanted to follow up on this thread. I'm now running two sets of American Classic Timekeeper tires. My first set are the 700x30c "armor edition" clinchers paired with lightweight TPU tubes. This setup has been awesome. With the TPU tubes they feel responsive and the tires have held up on both flat sprints and on hill climbs. For my weight, I run them at 65 psi when climbing and about 70 on group rides. Riding them on cracked and potholed Los Angeles streets they hold up quite well. On fast downhill descents I've never had any issues with grip or cornering. No issues with punctures either, and I occasionally ride them through hard pack dirt trails.
On my 2nd wheelset, I'm running non-armor 700x28c tubeless tires. Even though these tires have the same name as the clinchers, they're quite different. These tires due to being tubeless have a thicker rubber layer that continues towards the rim bead (they feel similar to my friend's tubeless GP5000 tires). The armor edition clincher side walls appears thinner and are more supple with a finer side texture. Also the 28c tubeless tires are heavier by about 55g compared to my 30c clinchers (320g vs 265g). When paired with TPU tubes, the clinchers weigh less. The tubeless tires still need sealant and a valve core which also adds to the weight. In regards to road feel, the 30c clinchers feel more connected and the thinner sidewall just responds better when hitting hard corners. The 28c tubeless tires, has a less connected feel in my opinion. Everything feels more muted and I can feel the extra weight when stop-n-go riding. I just don't find them as enjoyable.
Overall I think prefer running the clinchers over the tubeless tires. For hill climbing and responsive road handling the Timekeeper clinchers have held up very well.
On my 2nd wheelset, I'm running non-armor 700x28c tubeless tires. Even though these tires have the same name as the clinchers, they're quite different. These tires due to being tubeless have a thicker rubber layer that continues towards the rim bead (they feel similar to my friend's tubeless GP5000 tires). The armor edition clincher side walls appears thinner and are more supple with a finer side texture. Also the 28c tubeless tires are heavier by about 55g compared to my 30c clinchers (320g vs 265g). When paired with TPU tubes, the clinchers weigh less. The tubeless tires still need sealant and a valve core which also adds to the weight. In regards to road feel, the 30c clinchers feel more connected and the thinner sidewall just responds better when hitting hard corners. The 28c tubeless tires, has a less connected feel in my opinion. Everything feels more muted and I can feel the extra weight when stop-n-go riding. I just don't find them as enjoyable.
Overall I think prefer running the clinchers over the tubeless tires. For hill climbing and responsive road handling the Timekeeper clinchers have held up very well.
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Another AC 30mm tubeless convert. Wasn't able to find any GP5000s with tanwalls so decided to give the AC a chance. Grippy and fast rolling compared to the tubed Rubino pros I was running before. Hope they come out with a 32/34mm version. They set up well and don't appear to seep. Were a really tight fit on my wheels so I couldn't even get a tube in to stretch and seat the tires beforehand.
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Interesting insights, jonathanf2 . I’m running a tube-type pair of their other road tire, the Torchbearer, on another bike and kind of have the same impression that the tubetype feel a little livelier, but of course I’m not making an apples-to-apples comparison (being two different models).
Regardless of model or type, though, I’m really happy with the AC tires in my current applications!
Regardless of model or type, though, I’m really happy with the AC tires in my current applications!
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Interesting insights, jonathanf2 . I’m running a tube-type pair of their other road tire, the Torchbearer, on another bike and kind of have the same impression that the tubetype feel a little livelier, but of course I’m not making an apples-to-apples comparison (being two different models).
Regardless of model or type, though, I’m really happy with the AC tires in my current applications!
Regardless of model or type, though, I’m really happy with the AC tires in my current applications!
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Can you comment on the tire bead and fit? Wondering if the only difference is in the coating to prevent sidewall seepage that makes then thicker and not as lively or if its the armor protection. I'd really like a thin supple version that is tubeless compatible and just deal with a little seepage.
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Can you comment on the tire bead and fit? Wondering if the only difference is in the coating to prevent sidewall seepage that makes then thicker and not as lively or if its the armor protection. I'd really like a thin supple version that is tubeless compatible and just deal with a little seepage.
The Tubeless Ready version utilizes Stage 3S Armor construction with 120 TPI casing and a 120 TPI skin that when paired with liquid tubeless sealant, provides a more supple and smoother-riding tire. The tube-type version combines 120 TPI fabric with a lighter, more supple, and more puncture resistant Nylon105 belt to provide a faster, more supple, and puncture resistant tube type construction compared to previous American Classic road tires.
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I was hoping I could try setting up the clincher version tubeless if the tire bead was the same. I've ridden gravelking slicks quite a bit in wider widths and they feel about as supple in terms of sidewall stiffness. The gravelkings have a thin tread similar to the ACs. Might have to bite the bullet and get some RH
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I was hoping I could try setting up the clincher version tubeless if the tire bead was the same. I've ridden gravelking slicks quite a bit in wider widths and they feel about as supple in terms of sidewall stiffness. The gravelkings have a thin tread similar to the ACs. Might have to bite the bullet and get some RH
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A strava segment doesn't seem like a reliable way to measure as there are any obvious outside influences which will vary the time.