Originally Posted by
BluFalconActual
Yeah, part of the "problem" with the gravel scene is that it is such a wide spectrum of what is considered "gravel". For where I live and where I like to ride, a subcompact 2x drivetrain and 42c Pathfinders are perfect for my choice of routes that are made of fire roads and the semi hard pack dirt of SoCal. Yeah, there are some guys who are all about "shred the gnar" and take their bikes down things I wouldn't dream of taking anything less than a full suspension mountain bike, but for me personally, that is not what I want my gravel bike used for.
The Pathfinder is really fast and provides a little of grip on the corners but it is for sure not something I would want to bomb down loose singletrack with.
So the one that I have is a 38mm, I wonder if that's the difference? I seem to be the only one that doesn't rave about pathfinders and I've always assumed that people were just riding differently than me, but it could be the width and how the tread is spread across the casing. If that middle part were to end just a bit more gradually like it might on a larger tire, it would probably be better. It might even be better with a wider rim bed to make the top of the tread flatter across.
BTW, I find the pathfinder to be sketchiest on smoother gravel descents where there's not much chunk and the speeds get high even though there's not much grip. On singletrack, I find myself more limited by the front tire/lack of suspension rather than rear grip.