Best tires for Touring / light gravel
07-01-22, 04:31 PM
#26
Senior Member
I'm not talking about flying with the bike in a box. I'm talking about riding the complete bike up to the airport counter and handing it over. They roll the bike away. When you land, you go to the luggage collection area and an employee rolls your bike out. You then jump on the bike and ride out of the airport. They will ask you to turn your handlebar sideways and deflate your tires. I usually take my derailleur off as well.
When I'm flying home at the end of a tour I don't have access to a bike box. I just pay the airline bicycle fee and hand the bike over with no packaging whatsoever. If I use a bike shop to box the bike, I have to pay the bike shop. Then, since I can't bicycle anymore, I have to pay for multiple taxi rides to and from my hotel and airport and home. Most taxis are too small to fit a boxed bike so I have to somehow find a large taxi. I don't speak the local language so everything takes forever. After all these costs, it's cheaper and vastly more convenient to just pay the airline bike fee.
When I do fly with a box, I'm using an S&S box. These are too small to fit the wheels with the tires installed. I have to take the tires completely off the rims to fit the wheels into the box. Not all airlines will take unpackaged bikes, so it's important to check beforehand. Some airlines (i.e. Chinese airlines) will take unpackaged bikes and not even charge you any bike fee.
Departing Singapore
Arriving Shanghai
When I'm flying home at the end of a tour I don't have access to a bike box. I just pay the airline bicycle fee and hand the bike over with no packaging whatsoever. If I use a bike shop to box the bike, I have to pay the bike shop. Then, since I can't bicycle anymore, I have to pay for multiple taxi rides to and from my hotel and airport and home. Most taxis are too small to fit a boxed bike so I have to somehow find a large taxi. I don't speak the local language so everything takes forever. After all these costs, it's cheaper and vastly more convenient to just pay the airline bike fee.
When I do fly with a box, I'm using an S&S box. These are too small to fit the wheels with the tires installed. I have to take the tires completely off the rims to fit the wheels into the box. Not all airlines will take unpackaged bikes, so it's important to check beforehand. Some airlines (i.e. Chinese airlines) will take unpackaged bikes and not even charge you any bike fee.
Departing Singapore
Arriving Shanghai
07-02-22, 10:03 AM
#27
Full Member
Join Date: Aug 2021
Posts: 263
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 102 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 55 Times
in
48 Posts
Here in the US I have never seen anything like that. I wonder how tubeless users manage. The tires on my tubeless bike would probably stay mounted and not make a mess even with the valves open. Even if the beads came off the rim it might not make a mess if the bike stayed upright. Not sure what consequences there might be for spilled sealant, but I imagine they would not be happy. It may be covered by the rules on carrying liquids. The box might sop up most of the liquid if there is a cardboard box.
I'm not talking about flying with the bike in a box. I'm talking about riding the complete bike up to the airport counter and handing it over. They roll the bike away. When you land, you go to the luggage collection area and an employee rolls your bike out. You then jump on the bike and ride out of the airport. They will ask you to turn your handlebar sideways and deflate your tires. I usually take my derailleur off as well.
When I'm flying home at the end of a tour I don't have access to a bike box. I just pay the airline bicycle fee and hand the bike over with no packaging whatsoever. If I use a bike shop to box the bike, I have to pay the bike shop. Then, since I can't bicycle anymore, I have to pay for multiple taxi rides to and from my hotel and airport and home. Most taxis are too small to fit a boxed bike so I have to somehow find a large taxi. I don't speak the local language so everything takes forever. After all these costs, it's cheaper and vastly more convenient to just pay the airline bike fee.
When I do fly with a box, I'm using an S&S box. These are too small to fit the wheels with the tires installed. I have to take the tires completely off the rims to fit the wheels into the box. Not all airlines will take unpackaged bikes, so it's important to check beforehand. Some airlines (i.e. Chinese airlines) will take unpackaged bikes and not even charge you any bike fee.
Departing Singapore
When I'm flying home at the end of a tour I don't have access to a bike box. I just pay the airline bicycle fee and hand the bike over with no packaging whatsoever. If I use a bike shop to box the bike, I have to pay the bike shop. Then, since I can't bicycle anymore, I have to pay for multiple taxi rides to and from my hotel and airport and home. Most taxis are too small to fit a boxed bike so I have to somehow find a large taxi. I don't speak the local language so everything takes forever. After all these costs, it's cheaper and vastly more convenient to just pay the airline bike fee.
When I do fly with a box, I'm using an S&S box. These are too small to fit the wheels with the tires installed. I have to take the tires completely off the rims to fit the wheels into the box. Not all airlines will take unpackaged bikes, so it's important to check beforehand. Some airlines (i.e. Chinese airlines) will take unpackaged bikes and not even charge you any bike fee.
Departing Singapore
The 2nd time I had bike bag difficulties, I just bought the box from a bike shop and packed it myself. Most cities will have large transport for hire. It's better than a damaged bike.
Back on topic for the OP:
maartendc What size are you looking at? That would determine what tires you can get. Personally I think 35-40mm will handle most unpaved trails. If it's not wet trails, a 35/38 combo will be a good balance. The Panaracer GravelKings Slicks or SS + are fast, but their side walls aren't the thickest. Going tubeless won't give you sidewall protection. If you can find the Schwalbe Almotion Onestar, I would get those as they roll fast and have great protection.
Last edited by Sardines; 07-02-22 at 10:33 AM.
07-04-22, 04:53 PM
#28
Junior Member
My Kona came with Mondial 40c tires, was not sure I was going to like them, however that changed on a 20 mile ride that I was unfamiliar with, the road I was on turned into a gravel road, nice wide gravel road but gravel non the less. The next 4 miles were gravel the big kind and my Mondial tires handled it well. I had to ride back on that same road another 4 miles. I have Marathon Plus 32c on another bike and I can tell you that those tires will do gravel but not well, paths and small gravel are OK but not so much the big gravel. IMO
Since this is the touring thread I guess we all ride heavy loaded bikes from time to time and if you are going to be out riding all day unless you know for sure what type of roads you will be riding on it is nice to have a tire that can handle the unexpected reasonably well.
I would say the Mondial is probably not the best at anything but a good all rounder, which for a touring bike is a good thing.
And so far no flats, and I'll pay extra for that any day.
Since this is the touring thread I guess we all ride heavy loaded bikes from time to time and if you are going to be out riding all day unless you know for sure what type of roads you will be riding on it is nice to have a tire that can handle the unexpected reasonably well.
I would say the Mondial is probably not the best at anything but a good all rounder, which for a touring bike is a good thing.
And so far no flats, and I'll pay extra for that any day.
