WTB Vulpine Tires: Getting Rolling
What we have here is a new tire from WTB with an old name that has a new mission: Be fast on gravel.
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What we have here is a new tire from WTB with an old name that has a new mission: Be fast on gravel.
Every time I did this I felt like I could not feel as much- or any- vibrations coming through the saddle like I was through my hands and my feet. It did not seem to matter if I had a chamois on or if I was in my street clothes, this seemed to me to be the case. That Infinergy® stuff really seems to knock down the higher frequency stuff really well.
This handle bar actually has features that make a difference in ride feel and comfort. Plus, it is fairly light. That’s always a nice thing.
I give the CZR wheels a ‘highly recommended’ score here. While certain singular features on competitor’s products may seem more appealing, the CZR wheels have a complete feature set, are a part of a systemic tubeless range, which not many other choices in wheels can lay claim to, and a wheel set which performs at a very high level in very demanding conditions.
The most recent news for the gravel and back road rider is here. Sea Otter has come and gone, the first to be held since the pandemic struck in 2020, and a few things came out of that show/festival. We also have a couple of news items from recent press releases. Let’s check it out!
When you hear or read the name “American Classic”, you probably are not thinking about tires. But that’s what we are looking at here.
One of my longest rides this year was done on the SR Allroad Core. It was a 112 mile gravel ride with a little pavement mixed in here and there with towns passed through. The ride was 10.5 hours long and I experienced no saddle discomfort at all…
The bars were easy to set up and no more difficult to wrap than a standard handle bar, in my opinion. Once everything was set, I set my hands into the drops and pushed down. Whoa! These bars have some noticeable give.
There have been a lot of recent reports and discussions on how much of a difference ‘better’ wheels make on a bicycle and if they are worth the cost of the upgrade. Do lighter wheels actually matter? Is aero everything? Are red hubs really faster?
The WTB CZR wheels not only are light weight, very competitively priced, and super-subtle in looks, but have excellent lateral rigidity which enhances handling and reduces rider fatigue.
Our look at the new Dura-Ace and Ultegra 12 speed and what- if any- implications it may have for a future GRX offering, and gravel tech in general.
The CZR range will include trail bike wheels and these gravel/road wheels which we have in for testing. Focusing then on the gravel side, the WTB CZR wheels will feature an internal rim width of 23mm, reinforced spoke hole beds, and WTB’s “4D” spoke holes which aim each nipple and spoke out to the hub at an angle which removes stress on the spokes which typical straight holes in rims cannot do.
So, who is this tire best suited for? I believe that the way Panaracer has made this tire and the way that they market it as the “strongest version of the GravelKing SK..”speaks to a cyclist who craves a reliable tire with volume for rougher surfaces and/or heavy loads.
I’m pretty impressed by the Cinturato. It does ride well, handles well, especially for a tire with not much tread, and it is almost a ‘set it and forget it’ tire in terms of width and air pressure retention.
The Gravel King SK+ tires have decent roll, are seemingly quite resistant to punctures, and have copious volume for their size. In fact, you had better have room for 50mm tires on your bike if you want to try out these 650B tires.
The overall design of each aspect of the system has a pretty wide appeal, in my opinion. So, yes- it isn’t for everyone. But if you are looking for a way to gain a bit more control, better ride comfort, and more versatility in your gravel/adventure riding, then the Redshift Sports Kitchen Sink Handlebars, Cruise Control grips, and Really Long Bar Tape are well worth looking into. I highly recommend the system.
Okay, so I didn’t know what to expect here, but what I found has been pretty impressive so far. The Pirelli tires roll well, and set up great.
There are several sizes of the Gravel King SK+ tires in the range, we happen to have the 650B X 48mm versions. The tires we have are the blackwall versions, but Panaracer lists a skin wall version as well. None of the funky colors as with other Gravel King variants here though, which you don’t get with the SK+. Just plain black tread.
I can see these as wheels you upgrade to which you ‘just ride’ and not give much thought to. In other words, perhaps the perfect wheel set for most people’s needs.
The control part is what I wasn’t expecting. When things get rowdy, rough, and sketchy, the Drop Grips especially come into play and make controlling the bike a much easier task. I felt a lot more secure while holding these grips when I hit loose gravel in a turn, for instance.
The news of a new power measuring pedal product from Garmin is out now and our own MG attended the ‘virtual’ press release event. Following are the details and comments on this new pedal system for power measurement from Garmin called “Rally”.
So, if you can get past the fact that the GXX is not going to win any lightweight wheel contests, the GXX wheels will give your bike a smoother, more controlled ride with less energy wasted trying to herd the bike down a rougher road. That’s worth a lot right there, in my opinion.
The WTB Proterra i23 wheels are a subtle looking, value priced wheel set at $649.00 for the pair. You get smooth EZO sealed bearings, easily serviced parts, and WTB’s proven tubeless rims. Nothing ‘shouty’ going on here, just a workingman-like wheel set.
Today in “Gravel Grinder News” we have a new rear derailleur and cassette from SRAM plus news of a versatile water bottle cage system from Granite Design.
