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Skinny Tubed Slick Gravel Tire?

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Skinny Tubed Slick Gravel Tire?

Old 01-26-22, 08:22 AM
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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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Old 01-26-22, 11:21 AM
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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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Old 01-26-22, 11:33 AM
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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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Old 01-26-22, 12:21 PM
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Originally Posted by SquishyBiker
Consider a Conti Gator Hardshell - you can get them in 700x23/25/28/32, and I've taken mine on some pretty brutal gravel!
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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Old 01-26-22, 01:33 PM
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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.
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Old 01-26-22, 03:01 PM
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GK slick is a good choice, another might be the Donnely Strada LGG in a 25mm.
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Old 01-26-22, 04:10 PM
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Originally Posted by mstateglfr
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.
I know how 25mm (and 22mm) tires ride on gravel. What I don't know is how well the GK and the GP5000 protect against sidewall cuts. Any experiences with these tires in the wider varieties would also help me decide. My GK slicks in 32mm on my commuter don't feel like the sidewall is very tough and the ride is not as nice as my 28mm GP4000s. I have read that the 5000 has a more durable sidewall and might be ok for that one day ride and leave me with a nicer riding tire while I ride them down to the chords.
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Last edited by Classtime; 01-27-22 at 03:33 AM. Reason: typo
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Old 01-26-22, 06:54 PM
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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/
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Old 01-26-22, 09:06 PM
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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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Old 01-26-22, 09:54 PM
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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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Old 01-27-22, 12:32 AM
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Originally Posted by Polaris OBark
Does the frame limit you to these narrow tires? If not, what is the motivation, vs. having the widest tire the frame will accommodate?
An 85 will limit width to 28m​​​m or narrower since this is gravel.
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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Old 01-27-22, 03:31 AM
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Originally Posted by Polaris OBark
Does the frame limit you to these narrow tires? If not, what is the motivation, vs. having the widest tire the frame will accommodate?
What mstateglfr wrote is true. This particular bike originally came with 25mm tires but will take 28s no problem. For this vintage road bike ride in Cambria at the end of April, part of my fun is to ride a bike as it was originally equipped. This means 25mm tires, BioPace 42/52 with a 13/24, and all the rest. Some folk modify their road bikes with wider tires, among other things, and we all have fun.
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Old 01-27-22, 06:59 AM
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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).
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Old 01-27-22, 07:46 AM
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Originally Posted by Classtime
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?
Lord, there are 4 completely different constructions of the GP5000, so no answer is going to be accurate without specifying the casing design.

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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Old 01-27-22, 08:53 AM
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Originally Posted by Classtime
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.
Ok, so price also puts the Cadex Classics 25 out of consideration, but how about the American Classic Torchbearer 25mm? It’s a slick with some file treading on the shoulders, a mid-range 120tpi casing, a full bead-to-bead anti-cut layer, weighs in at 270g, and only costs $30. Reviews of AC’s new rubber is generally very good— I’ve not seen Torchbearer reviews specifically— so at that price, worth a flyer (as the saying goes).

https://www.amazon.com/AMERICAN-CLAS...st_sto_dp&th=1
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Old 01-28-22, 10:21 AM
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Originally Posted by chas58
Lord, there are 4 completely different constructions of the GP5000, so no answer is going to be accurate without specifying the casing design.
I'm running tubes. I'm considering the GP5000. not TL, not S TR, not old.
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Old 01-28-22, 03:25 PM
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Originally Posted by Classtime
I'm running tubes. I'm considering the GP5000. not TL, not S TR, not old.
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).
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Old 01-28-22, 04:18 PM
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Originally Posted by chas58
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).
Right. But 25mm was originally on the bike and it is a restoration for a 100+ mile ride that includes significant gravel.
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Old 01-29-22, 01:26 PM
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Originally Posted by Classtime
Right. But 25mm was originally on the bike and it is a restoration for a 100+ mile ride that includes significant gravel.
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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Old 01-29-22, 02:31 PM
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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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