Maxxis Ramblers. They have tread, but they roll fast. Solid for mixed rides. I did my normal 20 mile fast flat road loop on them today and they were fine. Slower than my sector 28 tires, but much more Cush.
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\nIf I remember correctly the Ramblers took awhile to seal up 100%. Pumping up tires is easy and it ensures you have the pressure you want. 2 weeks and they will be sealed much better... probably.
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\nI had old MTB tires where the sidewalks constantly were wet because so much seskant was weeping from them.
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Zurichman wrote:bobknh I just finished my first gravel race this weekend The Pony Express 120 but I opted for the 75 miler since I had little training in. From advice from local riders there I went with the Kenda Flintridge Pro 40 mm tubeless. I had little time to get use to them. I though they weren't as fast as my Clement MSO 40 mm on the road but then I was running the Clement with a tube and 50 lbs. psi and @ 200 lbs. on the Flintridge 40 lbs rear and 35 lbs front. It did take me awhile to get use to that 1/2 flat tire feeling of a tire coming from the roadie background. All I can say is those tires came thru flawless at that ride and it had everything including really sharp flint and any kind of rocks you could think of. I did pick my lines at times but at other times I didn't have to worry about where I threw the bike or made a pass. I have found y gravel tire as I am a happy camper/rider with those tires and the set up I ran.
Zman
Hey Zman - congrats on your first gravel race. I'll probably stick to non-competitive events myself. As I probably told you, I rode my first bike race in 1958 as a 15 year old Junior in NYC's Central Park -- my last in 2008 as a 65 year old Masters age group racer, with lots of races in between. Too many races those 50 years of competition. In flinty conditions I certainly wouldn't recommend the extra light BJ's - or even the standard casing. The side walls on these tires probably wont hold up. One nice thing about the BJ's though, is that they seem to roll just as fast at lower pressures as they do at higher. I run mine typically at 35/30 rear/front on both pavement and gravel. Compass claims that in their own tests, the BJ's don't lose RR over a wide range of pressure. Part of the reason is that a softer more supple tire like the BJ's, have less suspension loss over smaller bumps and irregularities. They don't bounce as much. The ironic thing, is that they may actually feel slower, because your brain interprets small high frequency vibration as going faster. Don't know if these claims are correct. But, I am able to hold my own in high speed group romps around Hilton Head Island in the winter with BJ's at 35/30 PSI. At that pressure they soak up most small bumps in the pavement, and corner like racing tubulars.
Zurichman wrote:Hey bobknh This event was very low key. For some it was just to finish or beat previous year's times. I would guess that only the first 10-20 riders were racing it. It is a great event for sure and thanks for the praise.
The cool thing was I got a chance to talk to some veteran racers/riders and pick their brains on rides that they really like. The Tamland was a real sweetheart during the ride also.
Zman
Glad you had such a good experience. I hope gravel racing stays that way. I just read a report on Gravel Cyclist on big time gravel stage race in Idaho. The report gave a sense of "big time" commercial involvement creeping in. Full SRAM factory support, recently retired pro cyclists (Ted King who rode in the TdF for Cannondale), splashy podiums etc. To be fair, the race did try to maintain a low key tone, with lots of local volunteers and activities. But, clearly, the main benefit was to improve summer tourism near Sun Valley, and to sell lots of stuff to us. Why does Ted King race in these events? Ridiculous?
