The trend towards slicks or semi-slick tires on gravel
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Good point. Aggressive shoulders can make hard cornering on pavement pretty pucker inducing. I've been impressed how something like the G-One and Ramblers can corner hard. Looks like the Gravel king could do that too. I like aggressive side knobs in dirt, but care must be taken on pavement for sure.
#27
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I was confused by tire options when I got into gravel two years ago. The semi-slick tire seemed to make sense, especially during the paved sections. But I followed the lead of some racing buddies and went with a Maxis Rambler (R) & Ravager (F) combination and it's worked out very well. The knobby design is very much appreciated in loose climbs/descents & sloppy conditions. I've also had zero problems riding these on pavement on those mixed-surface rides either; it rolls very much like my road bike.
Now if I was going to ride primarily pavement with just a bit of flat & dry country gravel thrown in, I would consider a larger-volume road tire, like 32c Conti Gatorskins.
Now if I was going to ride primarily pavement with just a bit of flat & dry country gravel thrown in, I would consider a larger-volume road tire, like 32c Conti Gatorskins.
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Good point. Aggressive shoulders can make hard cornering on pavement pretty pucker inducing. I've been impressed how something like the G-One and Ramblers can corner hard. Looks like the Gravel king could do that too. I like aggressive side knobs in dirt, but care must be taken on pavement for sure.
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For dry gravel I have found that the IRC Boken might be the way to go. Talked to a couple people running them at BWR yesterday and had no complaints. The tread pattern on them while small works great on loose dirt because it's quite soft and grips quite well. Then on the pavement they are definitely faster than Ramblers.
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Rene Herse
If purchasing Rene Herse Snoqualmie Pass tires for a gravel bike that does basic Wisconsin pea gravel and some pavement, can anyone compare their experience with their Extralight vs Standard model? Is the difference in ride quality noticeable? Is the Extralight casing really fragile?
I'm going to try mounting the 28's on another road bike that will likely only see paved trail touring...perhaps they will perform well there. Despite the thin casing that give it such a nice ride, I seem to be getting decent life out of them. The Challenge Gravel Grinders probably would have lasted longer had I used them exclusively on gravel, as the rubber was too soft a compound to see a lot of road use.
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Sure, slicks are fine on hardpack. My normal routes I can do on 25mm slicks, I just gotta slow down and choose my lines carefully a lot. The width&pressure of gravel tires lets me just bomb through ruts and minor potholes with aplomb. What routes I can ride doesn't really change, just the speed and stress vs fun.
But I can almost always find some hardpack to ride that isn't too slick when wet on my routes. YMMV, literally!
But I can almost always find some hardpack to ride that isn't too slick when wet on my routes. YMMV, literally!
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For dry gravel I have found that the IRC Boken might be the way to go. Talked to a couple people running them at BWR yesterday and had no complaints. The tread pattern on them while small works great on loose dirt because it's quite soft and grips quite well. Then on the pavement they are definitely faster than Ramblers.
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