Originally Posted by
pdlamb
@
alan_K, that's a pretty big jump between 28 mm and 2 in tire widths. My impression was that a gravel bike would be somewhere in the middle. So, two questions. First, can you describe the routes you'd ride with each? What's the surface like -- e.g., sand, dirt, pea gravel, etc.; flat or %grade, or any other relevant information? Second, is the bike you ride a binary choice, i.e., if it's too much for the 28s, it's time to pull out the 2" MTB?
My routine bike paths are a mix of packed dirt and some small gravel (rocks mix) on the edges and holes here and there. There are some grades but nothing major, may be around 5-6%. We have rolling hills but overall elevation difference between two point of my ride is only about 800 ft. When the dirt is dry, I do quite well with 25 and 28 mm tires, even 23 mm tires don’t seem unmanageable but I have to watch the dry ruts. When the ground gets soft, thicker tires on mountain bikes work better for me than road bikes with thin tires. I do have multiple bikes and wheel sets - tires on for mountain bike wheels range between 1.5” to a max of around 2”.
In winter, I use widest tires I have that are studded with tungsten carbide studs.