a few words about tires

[Jim Thill - Hiawatha Cyclery]

I'm of the opinion that gravel is best ridden on fairly smooth, even
slick tires. If the tire is fat enough and not inflated too hard, then
it will conform to the gravel surface and provide ample traction. Most
gravel roads have three car-tire tracks that are well packed and ride
like pavement. Most gravel riders will try to follow these tire
tracks, so a smooth tire is the obvious choice.

The only time I imagine that a knobbier tire will be advantageous is
when cornering hard in loose gravel. But my policy in loose gravel is
'don't corner hard'.

[Lanny]

I second Jim's suggestion but would add that wider is better, at least
to around the 2" size. I've ridden a heap of gravel on 700 x 42
Marathon Supreme's as well as the Schwalbe El Cheapo 650b (http://
www.hiawathacyclery.com/cart/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=10&products_id=96).
It's my contention that the slightly wider tires "wander" on the
gravel much less than the narrower tires and are much less likely to
be deflected by larger stones or grabbed by ruts running parallel to
the road surface.

On Mar 14, 10:55 pm, Jim Thill - Hiawatha Cyclery

[Dan S]

I'm a gravel virgin, but Hurl at CRC was telling me about 28s being a
bit too narrow, and 32s being just about right. Is this a
disagreement, or just a priority for speed over comfort?

On Mar 15, 6:49 am, Lanny <lannyh...@gmail.com> wrote:
> I second Jim's suggestion but would add that wider is better, at least
> to around the 2" size. I've ridden a heap of gravel on 700 x 42
> Marathon Supreme's as well as the Schwalbe El Cheapo 650b

...

> On Mar 14, 10:55 pm, Jim Thill - Hiawatha Cyclery

> > I'm of the opinion that gravel is best ridden on fairly smooth, even
> > slick tires. If the tire is fat enough and not inflated too hard, then
> > it will conform to the gravel surface and provide ample traction. Most

...

[sean.p....@gmail.com]

IMHO it depends, primarily on the amount of weight you have on the bike (and consequently are asking the tires to support), and I find this results in a comfort vs speed trade-off.
-s
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

[Lanny Hoff]

I am sure lighter and/or more skillful riders than I could make a case
for narrower tires. At 210 lbs (15 stone) I find the stability of
wider tires a sigificant advantage and I expect it to be even more
significant late in the day as I get tired.

[sean.p....@gmail.com]

My personal experience is that I, at 145 lbs, can ride 28's on gravel fairly comfortably on a stripped-down bike (e.g. fixie) with no cargo, whereas fully loaded for a week-long solo tour I found 38's barely adequate and not comfortable over 8 mph on gravel. However, my long-tail cargo bike with 26x2.0's handled gravel with aplomb even heavily laden at any speed I could muster (10-15 mph).
Of course YMMV.

[Joshua Kruck]

Did you find that tire pressure changed things much on your 38's?

[sean.p....@gmail.com]

I find tire pressure has to go up with load to prevent pinch flats, and tire pressure has to down with soft surfaces (sandy & loose gravel) to provide float/traction, so I concluded that 38's were not going to meet both of these to my personal satisfaction. I will be running 26x2.0's on my next touring (gravel) bike, because they work well for me on my cargo bike.

Also, I find lower tire pressure more comfortable for longer rides (60+ miles).

[Lanny Hoff]

Although it does not sound like it sometimes, the Weasel and I often agree.

Like this time.

[Bill Connell]

With gravel riding, comfort IS speed. If you're bouncing all over,
you're putting your concentration and energy into finding perfect
lines; with a wider tire, you can ride bigger picture, plus soft
patches or washboard don't drain your momentum nearly so much. I'm
planning to ride 32s too, unless i get a windfall and decide to buy
something wider. I've ridden gravel with 28s and thought it was fine,
but it wouldn't take long for the extra skittishness and bumps to take
a toll.

Bill

[Jim Thill - Hiawatha Cyclery]

Hurl has a lot of experience and I generally defer to his opinions on
most bike things. If you are planning to ride a 700C bike that doesn't
have monster clearances, a cyclocross tire is a good choice,
considering the options.

I am planning to ride a 26" wheeled bike for Almanzo. My experience
with that bike has been mostly with 26x2 smooth Marathon Supreme
tires. They are light enough, have a smooth ride, and are pretty
tough.

Last year I inadvertently rode a fair bit of gravel on 700x25
gatorskins. Sub-optimal, yes, but I didn't crash, and once I relaxed,
I wasn't terribly uncomfortable.

In my case, I seriously doubt the question of winning or losing,
finishing or DNF, is going to come down to tires.

On Mar 15, 9:34 am, Dan S <dansteeve...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Almanzo]

In my experience, there is no better 700c tire than the Vittoria Cross
XN Pro (formerly the EVO XN). At 32mm the tire easily provides enough
stability to keep the rider focused on the task at hand (e.g. moving
forward, not staying upright). Weighing just 350g, this tire has also
proven to be incredibly durable on some of the regions more difficult
gravel and ATV trail sections. Again, this is just my experience.

[MM]

Any 29er tire recommendations? The only smooth, large volume tire
I've been able to find is the Big Apple. I'm looking for a 700c tire
around 50-55 wide with a smooth tread and a kevlar/folding bead...
anyone know of anything like that?

On Mar 15, 2:05 pm, Jim Thill - Hiawatha Cyclery <thill....@gmail.com>
wrote:

[Jim Thill - Hiawatha Cyclery]

Marathon Supreme 700x50.

[Nickel]

Thanks for the comments on smooth tires. My first gravel outing was
down in Red Wing and I rode what I brought: 27 x 1-1/4. I didn't have
too many issues and only wiped out in a corner once, more my over-
eagerness than anything else. Recently I have been riding Ritchey
cross max pro 700x32. I did the Rag105 on them last year and only
felt a little uneasy on one rutted downhill section. I think if I did
it again, I might opt for 26x2.0.