Gravel tyres

[MichaelB]

That's a very good price on CCache.

I've just ordered some Goodyear Eagle F1 road tubeless tyres on there now - $49 each which is a bargain as well.

Bugger, no 30mm left

[warthog1]

Hmmm.
I have had a great run out of panaracer gravelking SK.
That bloody butt ugly brown SS not so much.
Supposedly more puncture resistant than the SK. That brown one aint. Have plugged and then patched it once. It has since coated the back of the seat tube in orange seal twice.Went out today and it was coated again. Small nick evident in the middle of the tread. Still plenty of pressure however. Dont know if that silly coloured tread is somehow more fragile? Wouldn't have thought so.
Off and binned so I dont have to look at it again. Have a tan wall black treaded SS on in its' place. Will see how that goes.

[warthog1]

100 k on the new tyre today. Rode nicely and my seat tube isn't coated in Orange Seal.
Looks better. Hopefully it lasts better.
The front SK in that photo has done somewhere north of 5k km. No probs at all.

[MichaelB]

My 45 wide Pirelli Gravel M tyres are arriving today.

After yesterday's gravel/MTB shenanigans, I'm looking fwd to some tyres that will provide a bit more comfort/cushioning on some of the rougher tracks, as well as a tread that will provide some better grip on those steep uphill sections with a hard pack base with a generous loose gravel topping.

Whilst the Bianca Pro's roll really well on the road, on the hardpack/loose cover areas, they are sketchy, so if anybody wants them (pickup in rADL or the price of postage, they are yours).

[warthog1]

My 45 wide Pirelli Gravel M tyres are arriving today.

After yesterday's gravel/MTB shenanigans, I'm looking fwd to some tyres that will provide a bit more comfort/cushioning on some of the rougher tracks, as well as a tread that will provide some better grip on those steep uphill sections with a hard pack base with a generous loose gravel topping.

Whilst the Bianca Pro's roll really well on the road, on the hardpack/loose cover areas, they are sketchy, so if anybody wants them (pickup in rADL or the price of postage, they are yours).

Interested to hear how they go.
Should be a bit more comfy hopefully.

I am 76kg and run 37psi f and 40psi r on my 40 wide goers. Yes that is firm but on the rocky stuff you can get some hard hits at speed if you miss stuff. Big bang on the front on something today but it survived intact thankfully.

[MichaelB]

Interested to hear how they go.
Should be a bit more comfy hopefully.

I am 76kg and run 37psi f and 40psi r on my 40 wide goers. Yes that is firm but on the rocky stuff you can get some hard hits at speed if you miss stuff. Big bang on the front on something today but it survived intact thankfully.

They were pumped up prob a bit hard, but the issue is that Chambers gully goes from hard packed & flat to steep & rocky quick and often. The last thing I wanted to do was walk home ....

[warthog1]

Yeah I lean towards harder rather than softer to save damage and walking too.
I end up on little tracks miles from home. My wife aint finding me or getting there in her car. I need to make it home under my own steam.

[MichaelB]

Couldn’t help myself and put the front on. Couldn’t be bothered cleaning the rim. Went on well

[warthog1]

Should grip a bit better!

[ningnangnong]

I've just put the same Pirelli tyres above (Cinturato Gravel M) on my Paralane - 35mm is the max width I could fit, unfortunately. Pretty easy to mount and seated with a track pump.

Took them out for their first run yesterday. Performed really well on a slightly sandy/rocky fire trail - I was impressed with how well they gripped! That said, I'm coming from exclusively riding 28mm roadie tyres for the last few years, so every time I saw the trail get a bit sandier or a large amount of rocks, I was expecting to wash out.

They rolled really well on the road too with that centre tread.

Unfortunately, after only about 2.5km of said fire trail, I felt a bunch of goop on my leg and then heard the dreaded hiss - barely ridden them and already a puncture. The tyre eventually sealed with maybe 20psi in there (but not before layering my seat tube in sealant).I wasn't far from home, so went home and topped up, with no dramas for the rest of the ride. Looks like it's gone down since then though.

[warthog1]

I'd whip it off and patch it. I have just used larger tube patches inside the tyre a few times with success, but you can get tyre patches.
Break the bead and suck up the sealant with a syringe to save wasting it.
Haven't used Pirelli gravel M just gravel H. Rolled well and ok for punctures but not the strongest tyre.
Gravel is far harder on tyres than road

[Mr Purple]

Gravel is far harder on tyres than road

1040km in on these SWorks Pathfinders and still no punctures or visible signs of wear. I'm way up on what I normally get on my road tyres!

I think it really just confirms that climbing standing is what kills my road tyres. Have to climb seated on gravel otherwise you just move backwards.

'A rock with your name on it' is what kills gravel tyres. Haven't met that one yet on these.

[warthog1]

Gravel is far harder on tyres than road

1040km in on these SWorks Pathfinders and still no punctures or visible signs of wear. I'm way up on what I normally get on my road tyres!

I think it really just confirms that climbing standing is what kills my road tyres. Have to climb seated on gravel otherwise you just move backwards.

'A rock with your name on it' is what kills gravel tyres. Haven't met that one yet on these.

True
They do sound good though. I need to try them

[ningnangnong]

I'd whip it off and patch it. I have just used larger tube patches inside the tyre a few times with success, but you can get tyre patches.
Break the bead and suck up the sealant with a syringe to save wasting it.
Haven't used Pirelli gravel M just gravel H. Rolled well and ok for punctures but not the strongest tyre.
Gravel is far harder on tyres than road

Topped it up and it's holding air now - will see if that remains the case next time I ride it.

If not, then I'll patch it - I'm lazy and don't want to do any maintenance that's not strictly necessary.

[warthog1]

Topped it up and it's holding air now - will see if that remains the case next time I ride it.

If not, then I'll patch it - I'm lazy and don't want to do any maintenance that's not strictly necessary.

Fair enough. Bike maintenance I don't find that enjoyable either.
Riding them is much better.

[Mr Purple]

Thought I'd finally killed the rear SWorks Pathfinder after this little incident during the week. Seriously, who gets a screw through a tyre in the middle of a rainforest?



Weirdly I didn't even notice that - the air leak I heard was from an unrelated sidewall leak that sealed itself anyway.

Plugged with a dynaplug and didn't drop a PSI for the rest of the week though. So 1662km and counting - about twice as much as I've been getting out of road tyres. Still no real tread wear to speak of too.

[MichaelB]

Thought I'd finally killed the rear SWorks Pathfinder after this little incident during the week. Seriously, who gets a screw through a tyre in the middle of a rainforest?

[\quote]

Ummm, you

[Mr Purple]

2100km on those Pathfinder SWorks now, no sign of any real wear and the plug from the screw puncture remains the only repair needed.

I've already ordered another pair. I'm not going to pretend I'll bother trying anything else from here. They're just excellent.

Weird how I've got twice as long out of my gravel tyres as I do out of my road. Less friction I suppose. The opposite with the chain - replaced my road chain at the standard 2500km on the weekend and realised my gravel chain was way more stretched at 2100km so had to do them both.

[warthog1]

I'll have to give those pathfinders a go

[Arbuckle23]

I've already ordered another pair. I'm not going to pretend I'll bother trying anything else from here. They're just excellent.

I am going to go Pathfinders as well. Your experience mirrors other feedback from some people I ride with.

[MichaelB]

Interestingly, the non-S-Works versions don't rate that highly by BRR ...

Specialized Pathfinder Pro 2Bliss Ready 38
https://www.bicyclerollingresistance.co ... der-pro-38

Specialized Pathfinder Pro 2Bliss Ready 42
https://www.bicyclerollingresistance.co ... finder-pro

Specialized S-Works Pathfinder 2Bliss
https://www.bicyclerollingresistance.co ... er-s-works

Still happy with my Pirelli Gravel M, and still have some way to go to wear them out !

[Mr Purple]

I’m pretty sure the Pirelli Cintarato H would be just as good.

I have little faith in the Rolling Resistance reviews after my Tufo Thundero experience. Doesn’t matter how fast they roll if you have 7 punctures in 300km.

[warthog1]

Cinturato H were better than tufo for puncture resistance for me but not great. The gravelkings I am now running are stronger.

[Arbuckle23]

I had thought about the Cinturato H as can get some slightly better pricing.
But I want to progress this bike to my "away in with the caravan" bike and make it more of an all road type bike rather than pure gravel, So looking for the best tyre for good tarmac, rubbish tarmac and gravel.
Which leads me to the Pathfinders

[Mr Purple]

I had thought about the Cinturato H as can get some slightly better pricing.
But I want to progress this bike to my "away in with the caravan" bike and make it more of an all road type bike rather than pure gravel, So looking for the best tyre for good tarmac, rubbish tarmac and gravel.
Which leads me to the Pathfinders

They would be a great choice for that use.

I've found my gravel bike on the Pathfinders (42mm) is often faster than my road bike on some tarmac descents (25mm). Probably by virtue of being a bit heavier and not needing to slow down for bumps.