Skinny Tubed Slick Gravel Tire?
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Skinny Tubed Slick Gravel Tire?
I'm looking at 25-26mm tires. I was about to pull the trigger on Gravelking slicks but then thought about GP5000s. I haven't tried the 5000s but learned to be careful with my favorite clincher GP4000. Are the sidewalls on the 5000s as durable as the GK? Most all my miles are road rides but I'm doing EroicaCA and my 85 Ironman needs new tires any way. I'd prefer the Continentals for the nice ride and high mileage but concerned about sidewall cuts. Maybe the GK are no better in that regard?
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Been using the gravel king slicks for years for road and light gravel - works great. I would not run GP5K's on socal gravel
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Consider a Conti Gator Hardshell - you can get them in 700x23/25/28/32, and I've taken mine on some pretty brutal gravel!
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Yep. Gatorskins work well for avoiding punctures and cuts but how I love the nicer ride of the GP4000s. I have had good luck with both Sprinter Gatorskins 22 and 25mm(tubular) and regular Gatorskins 25mm mixed surface events like Eroica CA and BWR. I'm looking for a nicer riding tire that will survive some training and a one day event and then be a pleasure to ride the rest of the year.
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Answer- Skinny Tubed Slick Gravel Tire
Question- What is an oxymoron?
Ive ridden 25mm GP4k and 25mm GP5k TDF edition tires on gravel roads and both have always worked as fine as one would expect such a tire to work.
Personally I wouldnt care too much about how well a tire rides if its 25mm on gravel. It will be bouncy, unforgiving, and meandering regardless of how supple the casing.
GK Slick for me- relatively inexpensive, relatively light, relatively strong.
Question- What is an oxymoron?
Ive ridden 25mm GP4k and 25mm GP5k TDF edition tires on gravel roads and both have always worked as fine as one would expect such a tire to work.
Personally I wouldnt care too much about how well a tire rides if its 25mm on gravel. It will be bouncy, unforgiving, and meandering regardless of how supple the casing.
GK Slick for me- relatively inexpensive, relatively light, relatively strong.
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Answer- Skinny Tubed Slick Gravel Tire
Question- What is an oxymoron?
Ive ridden 25mm GP4k and 25mm GP5k TDF edition tires on gravel roads and both have always worked as fine as one would expect such a tire to work.
Personally I wouldnt care too much about how well a tire rides if its 25mm on gravel. It will be bouncy, unforgiving, and meandering regardless of how supple the casing.
GK Slick for me- relatively inexpensive, relatively light, relatively strong.
Question- What is an oxymoron?
Ive ridden 25mm GP4k and 25mm GP5k TDF edition tires on gravel roads and both have always worked as fine as one would expect such a tire to work.
Personally I wouldnt care too much about how well a tire rides if its 25mm on gravel. It will be bouncy, unforgiving, and meandering regardless of how supple the casing.
GK Slick for me- relatively inexpensive, relatively light, relatively strong.
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Last edited by Classtime; 01-27-22 at 03:33 AM. Reason: typo
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Rene Herse, of course, make quite a fuss about the suitability of their tires for gravel as well as their suppleness, and have the Cayuse Pass in 26mm available in the Standard casing:
https://www.renehersecycles.com/shop...6-cayuse-pass/
https://www.renehersecycles.com/shop...6-cayuse-pass/
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Big Bucks for the RH tires. I enjoyed the Rat Trap Pass and the success of their tires in spite or because of the suppleness is why I'm considering something like the GP5000. A poor man's Cayuse if you will.
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Does the frame limit you to these narrow tires? If not, what is the motivation, vs. having the widest tire the frame will accommodate?
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Later models were limited to under 28 even.
Rim width will play a role in how widhothead tire actually ends up being too.
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#13
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I have the GP5000 in 28mm on my road bike and have run the Gravelking 26mm slick in the past as a winter road tire (which, of course, I frequently had to "test" off-road). I can't imagine the GP5000 would be more durable than the GK on gravel. You can also try the "plus" version of the GK slick for more protection.
I have also run the GK+ slicks in 32mm tubeless on my gravel bike and abused the hell out of them off road. I never had a sidewall problem with them (or the 26mm tubed version). My only flat on the 32's was in the middle of the tread after running over a large piece of glass on a paved road (which was quickly dispatched with a Stan's Dart).
I have also run the GK+ slicks in 32mm tubeless on my gravel bike and abused the hell out of them off road. I never had a sidewall problem with them (or the 26mm tubed version). My only flat on the 32's was in the middle of the tread after running over a large piece of glass on a paved road (which was quickly dispatched with a Stan's Dart).
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I'm looking at 25-26mm tires. I was about to pull the trigger on Gravelking slicks but then thought about GP5000s. I haven't tried the 5000s but learned to be careful with my favorite clincher GP4000. Are the sidewalls on the 5000s as durable as the GK? Most all my miles are road rides but I'm doing EroicaCA and my 85 Ironman needs new tires any way. I'd prefer the Continentals for the nice ride and high mileage but concerned about sidewall cuts. Maybe the GK are no better in that regard?
I have used the original GP5000 TL with the 60TPI casing, and its pretty tough. It rides as good as the OG tubed version, but has more rubber on the sidewalls, and the tire is harder to tear. As I recall, the newer models both have 3 layers on the side (and 2 on tread) which is the opposite of what they original GP5000 had.
Gatorskins are old technology - the new (and rather outdated) version is the GP 4-season. Decent ride, amazing durability. I think anything in that size is gonna be vulnerable to sidewall cuts, but a low TPI is gonna help.
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I'm running tubes. I'm considering the GP5000. not TL, not S TR, not old.
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Odd that both of the new ones have 3 ply on the sidewall and 2 ply on the tread.
25mm isn't a gravel tire though. IMHO I really don't ride anything under 32mm these days (unless I'm in the velodrome).
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They are impressively fast. I haven't had the new ones in hand. Certainly the original ones had a lot different sidewall construction between TL and standard. The standard was basically the same as your old GP4000.
Odd that both of the new ones have 3 ply on the sidewall and 2 ply on the tread.
25mm isn't a gravel tire though. IMHO I really don't ride anything under 32mm these days (unless I'm in the velodrome).
Odd that both of the new ones have 3 ply on the sidewall and 2 ply on the tread.
25mm isn't a gravel tire though. IMHO I really don't ride anything under 32mm these days (unless I'm in the velodrome).
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Personally, for that situation - I put the largest tire I can get on there. if it came with 25s, I'd wager 28s fit. these tires also come in 30 and 32. I often find I can go bigger in the front than I can in the rear, and the front is where I need the volume the most (for flotation, steering in the rough stuff, and ability to run lower pressure). I've put 28s on just about any bike I own (even though they originally came with 23mm tires.
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Putting 28s on my Ironman would violate the spirit of Eroica in my opinion. Silly I guess but that is the fun part for me. Most cyclists choose not to ride the Eroica CA long course on 25s pushing a 13/24 freewheel with 52/42 Biopace chainrings with friction shifters,, trying to brake using single pivots with 37 year old pads, cables and housings.
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