Gravel tyres
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Re: Gravel tyres
Postby robbo mcs » Sun May 21, 2023 7:45 pm
Obviously the tyre size is hugely important as well.I think those of us that are lightweights can get away with running slightly smaller tyres
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Re: Gravel tyres
Postby Mr Purple » Sun Jun 18, 2023 1:42 pm
They are absolutely amazing. Crazy fast - I actually smashed a heap of my road bike PBs on the flat tarmac bits home despite pushing a headwind home - 36km/hr+.
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Re: Gravel tyres
Postby warthog1 » Sun Jun 18, 2023 4:14 pm
I hope you have a better experience on punctures than we have had here. Multiple flats.
It may be our flinty gravel here. However I did have a stick punch through the tread on a speedero.
There are a few on the ww forum who like them.
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Re: Gravel tyres
Postby Mr Purple » Sun Jun 18, 2023 4:15 pm
Was tempted to put the default gravel racing Specialized Pathfinder Pro on but we’ll see how it goes.
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Re: Gravel tyres
Postby warthog1 » Sun Jun 18, 2023 7:51 pm
If so I am sure they will be fine and fast.
It is only the rougher, sharper stuff that hurts them here.
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Re: Gravel tyres
Postby Mr Purple » Mon Jun 19, 2023 8:35 am
My GR1's punctured first time out, but I've done 160km out there on Vittoria Terreno dry without an issue. If that rock's got your name on it, it's got your name on it.
The Specialized may be more puncture resistant but I'd imagine with the wrong rock they'd also go.
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Re: Gravel tyres
Postby Mr Purple » Sun Jul 02, 2023 9:58 am
And you nailed it - punctured a rear Tufo Thundero today after all of 270km. Not a distinct rock hit either, just let go on landing a small jump.
Also discovered the plug kit I had been carrying was rubbish and couldn't plug it. So a tube in now and I'll take it off and put a Vittoria Terreno back on today.
Lucky I made it through the BVRT E2E. I'll order some Specialized Pathfinders now. Also noticed both Bontrager Paradigm factory wheels seem a mile out of true.
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Re: Gravel tyres
Postby warthog1 » Sun Jul 02, 2023 10:15 am
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Re: Gravel tyres
Postby Mr Purple » Sun Jul 02, 2023 10:59 am
This was a 'no particular reason' puncture. That's a dealbreaker for me.
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Re: Gravel tyres
Postby warthog1 » Sun Jul 02, 2023 1:54 pm
Courtney double punctured on them (ie f and r) during a gravel race.
Weak carcass it seems.
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Re: Gravel tyres
Postby Retrobyte » Sun Jul 02, 2023 4:07 pm
You must be bunny hopping a lot - or is it just your massive wattage twisting them out of shape?
I have these on my gravel commuter and they've been bulletproof so far, even with my 95kg and loaded up for work. But I'm not landing any jumps (or attempting any)
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Re: Gravel tyres
Postby Mr Purple » Sun Jul 02, 2023 5:08 pm
I do spend a bit of time in the air, but wouldn't think anything too extreme!Retrobyte wrote: ↑Sun Jul 02, 2023 4:07 pmYou must be bunny hopping a lot - or is it just your massive wattage twisting them out of shape?
I have these on my gravel commuter and they've been bulletproof so far, even with my 95kg and loaded up for work. But I'm not landing any jumps (or attempting any)
My bad actually, it was just that the rear Tufo I had to tube on the trail hadn't seated properly. Two seconds with an actual track pump fixed it.
Have some Specialized Pathfinder Pro S-Works on the way. Might need some lighter wheels to make maximum use of them.
Half thinking I should get a cheap alloy set of 650b wheels and stick 50mm tyres on them for laughs.
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Re: Gravel tyres
Postby warthog1 » Sun Jul 02, 2023 8:23 pm
Got a link at a reasonable price?
They have a good rep. I'd give them a go.
The g one rs are popular here but not cheap.
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Re: Gravel tyres
Postby Mr Purple » Mon Jul 03, 2023 8:11 am
They're the same price everywhere - so I just bought them direct from Specialized.
$90 apiece, only $10 more than the 'Pro' version and 100g lighter.
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Re: Gravel tyres
Postby warthog1 » Tue Jul 18, 2023 5:21 pm
The tyres been on there a while and has been plugged once and also patched once. Heaps of cuts and nicks on it.
So swapped in a gravel king sk. Have had one on the front for over 12 months and it's been problem free. They are just a bit difficult to seat.
Decided to try putting sealant in via the bead rather than the valve.
Maybe not a good tyre to try it with.
Got there with my workshop compressor eventually, but it wasn't a clean process.
I hope I get better at it as I will probably keep using SKs. They grip well, roll reasonably well and are the toughest gravel tyre I've yet used.
Haven't had one on the back yet and BRR review doesn't rate the puncture resistance. My front one still looks great though, no real cuts or splits and it has been there for 3 or 4 rear tyres.
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Re: Gravel tyres
Postby warthog1 » Sat Aug 05, 2023 6:00 pm
I figured yeah whatever, they've been around a while and people have just got accustomed to them.
Starting to reassess that. Maybe they are good and they are praising them for good reason.
The front has been on there a few thousand k's, but hey it is a front tyre, they get an easier time of it.
Keeps on keeping on though and not a hint of a puncture with good feels and grip.
The back has only been on there a few hundred k so far but yep, good feel and good grip. Thus far bullet proof like the front has been.
They don't test exceptionally on BRR for puncture resistance but I have had other tyres that test better, that have been fragile (I'm looking at you Tufo). Not sure the BRR puncture score correlates with gravel conditions.
Anyway, I will report back how they progress, but very happy so far
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Re: Gravel tyres
Postby blizzard » Sat Aug 05, 2023 6:52 pm
I have GravelKing SS on my XC for wet commuting and rail trails. I have had 3 different tyres and 2 seated easily and one was a PIA to seat, makes me think they tolerances aren't great. The tyres themselves ride nicely and are quick, noticeably quicker than the Maxxis Detonators they replaced.warthog1 wrote: ↑Sat Aug 05, 2023 6:00 pmWell I've read people banging on about panaracer gravelking sk's.
I figured yeah whatever, they've been around a while and people have just got accustomed to them.
Starting to reassess that. Maybe they are good and they are praising them for good reason.
The front has been on there a few thousand k's, but hey it is a front tyre, they get an easier time of it.
Keeps on keeping on though and not a hint of a puncture with good feels and grip.
The back has only been on there a few hundred k so far but yep, good feel and good grip. Thus far bullet proof like the front has been.
They don't test exceptionally on BRR for puncture resistance but I have had other tyres that test better, that have been fragile (I'm looking at you Tufo). Not sure the BRR puncture score correlates with gravel conditions.
Anyway, I will report back how they progress, but very happy so far
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Re: Gravel tyres
Postby biker jk » Sat Aug 05, 2023 8:08 pm
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Re: Gravel tyres
Postby warthog1 » Sat Aug 05, 2023 8:43 pm
Haven't tried the gravelking ss yet Blizzard. They look worth a try though.
Have a set of gravelking slicks (TLC) on my WR50s currently. They ride nicely but are a pretty light and thin tyre. Done a little bit of dirt on them and fine so far.
Interesting comparison here I just noticed on BRR
https://www.bicyclerollingresistance.co ... el-king-ss
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Re: Gravel tyres
Postby Mr Purple » Tue Aug 08, 2023 3:48 pm
So far I’m up to three patches and it’s still leaking somewhere. This in a tyre that did all of 300km, mainly on the very smooth BVRT.
Do not recommend!
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Re: Gravel tyres
Postby Mr Purple » Tue Aug 08, 2023 4:51 pm
300km and that tyre needed a total of four patches to even bead properly. And even then it was initially leaking sealant in a further three places. So seven punctures in 300km.
Having said that it's already stopped leaking, and I only noticed the last one!
Not a rave review on the Tufo Thundero but an excellent testament to Orange Seal. There's a couple more BVRT KOMs I'll take on these ones (they're perfect for long, flat stuff) but I'll put the S-Works Pathfinders on the new wheels in anticipation.
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Re: Gravel tyres
Postby Mr Purple » Sun Aug 13, 2023 10:22 am
That repaired tyre lasted all of 38km before puncturing on exactly the same track at the same spot it punctured last time I rode that way to work.
Straight through the sidewall. Inevitably it wouldn't plug, but then the pump also bent the valve stem and the tube failed. So I had to walk the rest of the way.
One Tufo Thundero headed straight for the bin. Appalling.
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Re: Gravel tyres
Postby warthog1 » Sun Aug 13, 2023 11:27 am
Yes nobody here, where I live, uses them anymore. Too fragile.Mr Purple wrote: ↑Sun Aug 13, 2023 10:22 amI should have known.
That repaired tyre lasted all of 38km before puncturing on exactly the same track at the same spot it punctured last time I rode that way to work.
Straight through the sidewall. Inevitably it wouldn't plug, but then the pump also bent the valve stem and the tube failed. So I had to walk the rest of the way.
One Tufo Thundero headed straight for the bin. Appalling.
Yet on the ww forum some seem to sing their glowing praises.
Never again on my bike.
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Re: Gravel tyres
Postby Mr Purple » Sun Aug 13, 2023 2:30 pm
They might actually have a use justification somewhere. Maybe somewhere with really, really smooth gravel roads. They are lightening fast, after all. Accidentally set a Daisy Hill top 10 on a reco day today.
What was most disappointing was the failure of the various methods of repair. The Slug Plug tool was useless, the Chris King tubeless valvestem immediately bent on inflation and I still don't know why the new tube had a hole in it.
Ah well. Better to find out then than on some backwoods trail in the middle of nowhere with the ominous sound of banjos somewhere in the background.
Put a Cinturato H 45mm on the back. It looks like it'll survive the apocalypse.
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