Tag: Guitar Ted

The PR800 is a great light with features that make it a bit more versatile and useful for the long distance cyclist.

I liked the overall feel and tacky grip, (when it was dry), of this tape. It does damp out some vibration – not all of them – so you end up with a nicer experience in regard to hand comfort. I liked how the cross-section allowed for the tape to have that soft-ribbed grip which aids in situations that might be a bit rowdier than your typical road surface.

Showers Pass, probably best known for rain gear, does have a new pair of shorts out called the “Gravel Shorts”. Of course, this distinction is the ‘buzzword du jour’ these days, but it does differentiate this pair of shorts from the similarly plainly named “Cross Country Shorts” which we reviewed back in 2018.

In today’s Gravel Grinder News we have a new handle bar tape offering from Wolf Tooth and some new on-bike storage solutions from KOM Cycling. Let’s dig in…..

So who is this tire for…..They are the kind of rider that wants a bullet-proof, easy tubeless set up, a tire that doesn’t require baby-sitting in terms of air pressure retention, and a tire that wears well. That is a tough combination to get right, but I believe that Pirelli did get this right with the Cinturato Gravel H tires.

HED Wheels, the Minnesota U.S.A. based maker of wheels, perhaps best known for their aerodynamic qualities, has released a new wheel in their Emporia range today. Dubbed the Emporia GC3, it features design cues from HED’s Vanquish RC Pro and Vanquish RC Pro Performance Series wheels and has a 30mm rim depth.

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.

Riding with the thicker DSP V2 tape was nice in that there was a bit of a reduction in buzz and the tape had a very noticeable give. It should be noted, however, that thicker tape means that your handlebar grip diameter will be larger. This may or may not be a positive for you.

Today Roval announces two new wheel sets based off their flagship Terra CLX wheels. The goal was to bring carbon fiber wheels and Roval’s design ethos down to price ranges which should be a bit easier on the budget for many more riders than the range topping CLX wheels. Additionally, Roval has a new flared drop bar made in carbon fiber to talk about.

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.