jonathanf2

I just want to chime in on this thread. I've been running the Timekeeper in 700x30c "armor edition" tubed type with lightweight 33g tubes. So far they've been running great. They're fast and I've PR'ed a bunch of sprint segments on Strava with this combo. The tubed version of the tire was easy to mount and I like the slightly wider width for the fire roads and poorly maintained streets I ride on. Only issue so far was that they smelled funny when they arrived and the side markings seem cheap, I had to really look hard for the directional arrows to make sure I was mounting the right direction. Tire wear seems decent, I haven't noticed any major wear and that's from doing quite a bit of climbing and fast descents.

BTW - I'm 150 lbs. and I'm running them at 65-70 psi.

chaadster

jonathanf2 That’s an interesting and cool looking bike! Are you hitting gravel on the TKs, or just pavement?

jonathanf2

I'm mostly riding pavement on this setup, but the Timekeepers seem to do okay on occasional rough patches of dirt and gravel. They're also easy to keep clean with a damp cloth. Yesterday I did compare tire widths with my friends bikes running 28c tires and I'm not sure if the extra width of the 30c was noticeable? Also the tire tread is pretty much a pure slick other than the minor side tread pattern, but the rubber compound does feel a bit more tackier/rubbery with the updated TK armor edition (never tried the original TKs). I haven't had an issue where I've locked up the brakes. The tires seem to react well to braking. Lastly grip hasn't been issue and that's riding on fast downhills.

Overall they seem like a decent mid-tier performance slick. Prices are reasonable and Amazon availability means I can get them next day in my area. I wouldn't hesitate to the buy them again.

chaadster

2mm ain’t much. Even when you consider it’s 2,000 microns, it still doesn’t sound like much! Trying to eyeball 2mm out of 30mm on a curving bike tire, where the maximal width is on a different plane, below the tread, is close to impossible, I reckon.

urbanknight

jonathanf2 How has the puncture resistance been so far? I also went for the "Armor" kind and am hoping they won't catch cuts as badly as my Corsa did after only 300 miles To me, the ride on the TK is bouncier than the Corsas, but if the low price comes with better longevity, it's worth it.

jonathanf2

I'm monitoring how the tires are doing so far. No issues yet and that's primarily from riding paved fire roads with less than ideal conditions. Though for longevity I believe the Torchbearer tire is their longer lasting road tire. I was originally thinking of getting those instead, but they don't come in tan side walls!

chaadster

Is that a thing? I thought the defining features of fire roads is that they’re unpaved wilderness access. If not, what makes a “paved fire road” different from a regular road? We don’t have fire roads out here in Michigan, so I’m not familiar with these matters.

jonathanf2

Yeah here in Los Angeles, the mountain ranges have paved fire roads closed off to the public. They are poorly maintained and they usually fill in potholes/cracks with either dirt or gravel. For road cyclists though, it's one of the few safe havens away from cars here in LA. I'm basically riding my Timekeepers on these type of roads.

This is one fire road right behind the Hollywood Sign. It's paved, but as you can see not well maintained:

chaadster

Oh, wow…that’s a pretty neat setup with them being closed to public motor vehicles. Thanks for the info!

SoSmellyAir

Nice! I need a gravel bike (and a valet to wash my bikes).

jonathanf2

I've been riding my Timekeepers on these type of roads and they do pretty well. The descents have been fun though on these tires and they feel plenty fast while giving adequate grip. I just make sure to watch my cornering on loose surfaces and feather my braking.

urbanknight

If those tires are serving you well on those roads, they should do great on the regular San Fernando Valley roads I'm riding on. Gravel bikes do seem like a great choice for many routes around here though... Hollywood sign, Mt. Wilson Toll Rd., dirt Mulholland, dirt roads up in the desert, etc.

jonathanf2

I just wanted to follow up on this thread. I'm now running two sets of American Classic Timekeeper tires. My first set are the 700x30c "armor edition" clinchers paired with lightweight TPU tubes. This setup has been awesome. With the TPU tubes they feel responsive and the tires have held up on both flat sprints and on hill climbs. For my weight, I run them at 65 psi when climbing and about 70 on group rides. Riding them on cracked and potholed Los Angeles streets they hold up quite well. On fast downhill descents I've never had any issues with grip or cornering. No issues with punctures either, and I occasionally ride them through hard pack dirt trails.

On my 2nd wheelset, I'm running non-armor 700x28c tubeless tires. Even though these tires have the same name as the clinchers, they're quite different. These tires due to being tubeless have a thicker rubber layer that continues towards the rim bead (they feel similar to my friend's tubeless GP5000 tires). The armor edition clincher side walls appears thinner and are more supple with a finer side texture. Also the 28c tubeless tires are heavier by about 55g compared to my 30c clinchers (320g vs 265g). When paired with TPU tubes, the clinchers weigh less. The tubeless tires still need sealant and a valve core which also adds to the weight. In regards to road feel, the 30c clinchers feel more connected and the thinner sidewall just responds better when hitting hard corners. The 28c tubeless tires, has a less connected feel in my opinion. Everything feels more muted and I can feel the extra weight when stop-n-go riding. I just don't find them as enjoyable.

Overall I think prefer running the clinchers over the tubeless tires. For hill climbing and responsive road handling the Timekeeper clinchers have held up very well.

redlude97

Another AC 30mm tubeless convert. Wasn't able to find any GP5000s with tanwalls so decided to give the AC a chance. Grippy and fast rolling compared to the tubed Rubino pros I was running before. Hope they come out with a 32/34mm version. They set up well and don't appear to seep. Were a really tight fit on my wheels so I couldn't even get a tube in to stretch and seat the tires beforehand.

chaadster

Interesting insights, jonathanf2 . I’m running a tube-type pair of their other road tire, the Torchbearer, on another bike and kind of have the same impression that the tubetype feel a little livelier, but of course I’m not making an apples-to-apples comparison (being two different models).

Regardless of model or type, though, I’m really happy with the AC tires in my current applications!

jonathanf2

Part of me wants to gravitate away from tubes, but for smaller diameter road slicks paired with TPU tubes, it's hard to beat the lower weight and livelier road feel. I'm going to do another ride today and check my Strava times with the 28c tubeless tires and see if there's much difference in my segment times compared to my clinchers.

redlude97

Can you comment on the tire bead and fit? Wondering if the only difference is in the coating to prevent sidewall seepage that makes then thicker and not as lively or if its the armor protection. I'd really like a thin supple version that is tubeless compatible and just deal with a little seepage.

jonathanf2

I rode on the 28c tubeless tires yesterday and I liked them better this time around. I took them on some flat pavement sprints and they felt noticeably faster. I also took them on really bad roads with gravel, potholes and dirt and they absorbed the bumps while holding traction. According to the American Classic website this seems to be the difference between the two, which does explain why the two type of tires feel different:

The tire bead seems to be holding just fine and the fit is also good. Regarding sidewall seepage, I initially used 40ml of sealant, but they didn't seem to hold air as well overnight. I added an additional 10ml to each tire and that seems to have done the job to keep them well sealed. Though I still think something like a tubeless GravelKing tire has a more supple/thinner sidewall.

redlude97

I was hoping I could try setting up the clincher version tubeless if the tire bead was the same. I've ridden gravelking slicks quite a bit in wider widths and they feel about as supple in terms of sidewall stiffness. The gravelkings have a thin tread similar to the ACs. Might have to bite the bullet and get some RH

jonathanf2

Other than the name and side tread pattern, they look and feel like two different tires. It did cross my mind about setting up the clinchers as tubeless since they're less weight, but I didn't want to risk it in case of a tire blow out. The tubeless bead layer seem better suited to handle any abrupt impacts and possible sidewall cuts.

mstateglfr 

Wouldnt a power meter more accurately answer what you seek to learn?
A strava segment doesn't seem like a reliable way to measure as there are any obvious outside influences which will vary the time.