Gravel / Gravé / Gnarmac / Groad / ATB

Maybe it's for a lunch bag, it does look really shit when it protrudes over the stem

neck is ok, but knees suck...

... setback seatpost incoming

Buy any rigid XC bike from more than three years ago for flat-bar gravel geo. They go for peanuts now.

haha this is very true and something I've thought about but then it means having another bike in the garage

I'm pretty sure this frame isn't custom geo.

So good

Ahh that would make sense.

SFAB!
Forget the bike, the mud and everything else just look at the tree shyness. You can normally only see it from above or looking straight up. Nature is weird.

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I was unaware of tree shyness as a phenomenon! Might have to pop along there soon and have a look for myself.

A friend of mine studied it at university in France, by landing on the tree canopies in a giant meet dangling from a balloon.

My gravel bike currently has Panaracer GravelKing 43mm tyres. In June I am going to be riding to the New Forest (from London) to go on a family holiday.

I'm looking for a less heavy-going tyre, that will let me mix up my usual route over there with some trails but not slow me down on what will be mostly roads... and then I'd like that tyre to be decent on the New Forest gravel/fire trails, for day rides while I'm on holiday.

Any suggestions? Same tyre, but in 32mm?

Thanks!

Terreno Dry or Zero in 35mm, pumped to 60psi for any long stretch on the road

Thanks - these look good. Decent price too!

I've found slick 32c Gravelkings to be fast enough on road. I seem to be one of a handful of people who don't constantly puncture them though.

GKs are fine until they start to wear out. I had loads of punctures on my rear in the space of 2 month and needed replacing

Defo would avoid for long riding / touring or replace after 3k miles.

I've done way more miles than that on a pair I have and they're still going strong! I think I am just exceptionally lucky from hearing other people's experiences. Definitely need replacing soon though, they're pretty much square.

Agree re Terrenos, have 650b Zeros and 700c/38mm Drys and they both roll great

I second that experience. I found gravelking sks in 38 very hard wearing, if not particularly fast. Good touring/recreationnal tyres imo.

Vittorias are much faster (tried mix and zeros) but have a short lifespan.

Have been using Spesh Pathfinders all last year up until December. Nice smooth centreline means good rolling resistance on road but deep file tread either side is great for gravel and grip in corners. Zero punctures too.

The chat on Gravel Kings needs a big pinch of salt I think. In the past there was only the tubed version. There is now a tubeless version, a "plus" version and a tubeless plus version. There are also multiple different tread patterns. The manufacturing has obviously changed over the last 5-10 years, to the point where I think it's almost useless to say "Gravel Kings puncture a lot" when there's probably been over 100 versions of the tyre at this point.

Having said that here's my opinion - I had the pre-tubeless slicks and I thought they were a terrible combo of no grip and multiple punctures. I've got some tubeless SKs which were perfectly fine until one of fuckers exploded blowing tubeless shit everywhere in my flat. My mate on the other hand really rates the (tubeless) slicks and has only punctured once or twice on them in a few thousand km.

If you like them I would just ignore the opinion of people in this thread and go off your own experience

probably been over 100 versions of the tyre at this point.

You make a good point..there are better and many other versions now....I'd still buy another pair as I did like how fast my 38s felt on the road at 55psi yet had grip off road with lower psi.

I use gravelkings and I find them to be good for my application and based on my experience.

The phrases are "I find that" or "I have heard that". If they're missing from the anecdata then it's not even that, it's just noise.

Spesh Pathfinders

+1
Currently have the S works ones and they're real nice feeling.

Thanks for all the input. What I’m reading is that there are a few options to go at!

You're looking for the 'Which Tyres' thread, for all the latest GK anecdotes...