Originally Posted by
RiddleOfSteel
As I've built the 620 for on-road supremacy, gravel has been a distant second for riding. I'd have to drive to it and do it. I still want to, and I've picked up some used gravel tires (for $10 each) in case I want to swap, just after I get all the tubeless goo off the insides of them... My first ride will be with the smooth treaded Somas though, just aired down.
As someone who has now put close to 1000km (
~620 miles) on the Somas over a terrain varying from tarmac, gravel, sand, singletrack and whatever some of the trails I rode on in Spain were I can tell they can absolutely fly over the rougher terrain at times. Leaving my road bike friend on his 28mm tyres in the dust.
I did get 3 flats over that period though. 1 snakebite on a rough gravel route and two slow leaks after I rode through some glass near a city, one of which left a sizeable hole in the outer tyre. But they have held up well all things considered.
I have found 3 bar to be the perfect pressure for me. 3.5 bar would sometimes feel harsh and 2.5 bar made the sidewalls wrinkle like a top fuel dragster when braking on tarmac. 2 bar almost made me go over the handlebar when the tyre buckled while braking in a corner on tarmac but that was when I had sprung a leak and was carrying a load.
I'll post a proper review with pictures of the tyre soon.
Not much you can do when the hole gets this big. Even with Schwalbe Aerothans on the inside.
