Pirelli Gravel RC Tires: At The Finish
I wish that this Gravel RC was just a bit lighter both on the scale and under the keen eye of a caliper set ….
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I wish that this Gravel RC was just a bit lighter both on the scale and under the keen eye of a caliper set ….
Before we dive in, let me restate the obvious. Saddles are a very individual item, in that one person may love a certain one and the next person hate it.
After a lot of rides since the spring and lots of wash cycles, etc, they both are holding up well!
The Gravel RC is a bit of an interesting creature, with very fast looking, minimally low profile center knobs and graduated layers of wider spaced knobs that increase in aggressiveness as you move towards the outside edges.
I rode it the way I ride all my gravel bikes and that is over a mix of good roads, bad roads, dirt roads that are nearly no-roads, and long climbs followed by fast descents.
So what we did was Vulcan Mid-Meld the geo of the Lycos and the titanium of the Ronin into one frame….
When I first saw it upon delivery to the vast and sprawling Grannygear Rancho, I thought, “Meh…looks a bit short and such…”
I’m at Sea Otter again this year and have a camera in hand. Here are some of the things I found interesting enough to point at and push the shutter button.
Lets see what I have found about the three pieces of gear I rode in over several hours and a goodly amount of miles. First, my favorite piece.
What if you could take the personal touch up a couple of levels? What if you could actually visit the folks making your bike, meet them face to face, sit down over coffee, get a proper fit done, and work it all out?
Now here is a thought. Let’s say you have a real need or desire for either one of these lights. But the shortcomings are an issue.
So what do you do when you already hand-make top flight bike frames in carbon and Ti and want to go to the next level? You add gold, of course.
So far I am super happy with how the valve clogging issues have completely gone away.
So, looking at this tire as what WTB has described it as – a gravel racing tire – I have to hand it to WTB at this point.
I am a fan of alloy wheels. And by that I mean wheels built with aluminum rims.
Cooler weather seems like it’s quite a long ways off, but maybe not. It’s getting a bit chilly at night already and the days are getting shorter, so the tipping point is likely just around the corner. Or the next corner. But soon, anyway.
We really liked the speed, ride feel, and grip that this ‘on the skinny side’ gravel tire had. Not surprisingly, we hoped that WTB would opt to offer a wider version of this great tire.
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So, overall what do I think? Well it is not a terrible light in many ways.
And here is a thing to consider and debate over a flask of whiskey around a campfire: “When it comes to gravel bikes, smoother is faster.” True or?
As for the Fernflow Shorts, these are the best so far for gravel bike rides and I think they would be quite good for adventure and bikepacking outings. Now, the Lupra is a viable garment for me, as I am not so interested in wet weather protection.
I remember when this Warbird was my only gravel bike. It was very nice to ride and I recall thinking that it would make a quite decent road bike…..
So what is the dealio with all my road bike dissatisfaction? Not sure. I know my wife just shakes her head and smiles. She is a patient woman and I am determined to find that ‘just right’ bike.
I am spoiled, I think, and now a floor pump seems like a hand crank telephone in comparison.
