Do you ride 650B or 700c with your gravel bike?

[RobJ]

So the Jan Heine article I linked about which size tires are faster generated some interesting discussion and I liked hearing the anecdotal reasons why running one versus the other.

With that in mind, what size are you running for your gravel/dirt/off-road adventures? Why? And what's your experience been (e.g. hated 650 never going back...). Not having logged many miles to speak of lately I like hearing feedback from those who have.....

[Davist]

I recently got a new gravel bike and specifically wanted to try 650b (and 1x), kind of a drop bar MTB that I can ride to the trail. I'm very happy with it. (It has room for 700c, I have extra wheels, but haven't been inclined to swap yet)..

As gravel means a lot of things, I wanted something more trail capable, and the 2.1 thunder burt Schwalbe's I put on it are great, as well as being surprisingly capable on the road, I think they're "as fast" for all intents and purposes as the stock 47c Horizon's. I've been able to do everything I wanted, including single track, recommend giving 650s a try.

I don't wish to use it as a fast road bike, and the local "events" like Hell of Hunterdon (~20% light gravel or something) would be better served with my regular bike with 28s or 32s as I've ridden in the past, BUT the local Gravel Grape Crusher (90% off road, plus single track, rocks, roots) would be great for this bike. Hope this helps..

[spoonrobot]

I ride both, 650b for rando gravel adventures and 700c for racing. Same size tires; 650b is always a little slower and less comfortable. Doesn't handle roots and ruts (large diameter bumps and small diameter bumps but elevated so the approach angle is at or above the rim) very well - I've been thrown to the ground more than once at 5-7 mph by a root I didn't see clearly. Those roots on 700c are no problem.

For example, something like this on 650bx42 is more of a handful than on 700xc40:

https://drandalls.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/img_9170e2.jpg?resize=640%2C480

650b shines when you can get a ~20% larger tire, that gives about the same rollover for much more comfort, speed on the rough stuff but at slight penalty on smoother stuff. So I like 'em both but prefer 700c - when I raced with 650b I was having a harder time staying with more normal pack buddies.

[sparky33]

I ride and like both 700x42 and 650bx48+ on gravel.

Some of it is a preference for a specific tire for specific stuff, some of it is because one bike is 700c specific (Lauf, sort of) and the other is not, some of it that I just like variety.

One size is not better than another overall, but my observation on how sizes relate from handling, comfort, quickness, etc:
larger diameter, skinnier rubber (700x42) = smaller diameter, fatter rubber (650x48) ....sort of what was just said above

[Blue Jays]

Interesting topic, thank you.
Will watch this thread for ideas when considering specs for next bicycle.

[Hilltopperny]

I have three sets of wheels for mine. I am currently running 42mm somas on the 650b and my 700c have 35mm Bon Jon’s and 36mm challenge gravel pro.

I have found fat 650b to do well over rocky and tougher terrain and 700c 35-40mm to be better at keeping speed on dirt/gravel, but it’s pretty insignificant. I am heavy enough that traction is not much of an issue for me, but for rides like the Farmers daughter I brought along 650b 1.9 GKSKs. I don’t know if I would’ve been able to ride any of the heavy muddy sections on 700c with the clearances on my bike.
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[Spdntrxi]

Both...

700x35

650x42 and 650x47...

[BryanE]

700 x 38
I still race.
I did the 650 thing in the 90s.
Once is enough.

[simonov]

My 650Bx42 bike is way more versatile as an all road bike than my 700Cx38. I can ride the 700 bike on 32s and it's nice enough on the road, but then it's not great for more gnarly gravel. With 700x38 it's awesome on chunky stuff, but the paved riding to get there is tedious. The 650B bike just does all of it really, really well. I'm fortunate to have both, but if I could only have one it would be 650.

[laupsi]

just put an order in for Open WI. DE. going w/650x2.2. Can’t wait!

[glepore]

650b, but I ride on mostly mountain gravel and need the cush, along with a front suspension fork and a vcls seatpost. Cause I'm old and a wimp.

[d_douglas]

Not specifically on topic, but I am curious how many people ride smooth 35-38mm tires? As in, not gravel tires, but effectively road treads, but really wide?

Though I am not inclined to have one bike :), I wonder if a nice balanced gravel bike like an Open UP width some of those high end Herse tires (Jon Bon Pass, I think?) allows a bike like that to pass as a road bike (not for racing, but for riding fast and having the sensation that we all love of flying along on paved roads.

Anyone?

[nesteel]

Not specifically on topic, but I am curious how many people ride smooth 35-38mm tires? As in, not gravel tires, but effectively road treads, but really wide?

Though I am not inclined to have one bike :), I wonder if a nice balanced gravel bike like an Open UP width some of those high end Herse tires (Jon Bon Pass, I think?) allows a bike like that to pass as a road bike (not for racing, but for riding fast and having the sensation that we all love of flying along on paved roads.

Anyone?

I run 700x38 smooth tires on pavement/pea gravel trails on my Journeyman. The 650X2.125 tires/wheels I reserve for the more serious gravel/off road excursions.
I could see myself getting down to two bikes; the Journeyman and one dedicated roadie when I want to travel light.

[HTupolev]

With that in mind, what size are you running for your gravel/dirt/off-road adventures?
2.1" 26ers.

https://i.imgur.com/uKkWOVY.jpg

Why?
Because the bike's 1984 Stumpjumper frameset was designed for it, both in terms of clearances and the height of the canti posts.

I'm currently building up a Black Mountain Road+, and it will similarly use 650b. I could stick 700c wheels on it, but the tire clearance wouldn't be nice for the regional double-track roads.

My hardtail is a 29er, but I don't use it much.

And what's your experience been
Fine for the most part. When dealing with something like a log over the road, it feels like some more rollover would be nice. For dealing with typical gravel roughness, tire choice and setup seems a lot more impactful than wheel diameter.

Not specifically on topic, but I am curious how many people ride smooth 35-38mm tires? As in, not gravel tires, but effectively road treads, but really wide?
Depending on the gravel, I wouldn't call a wide slick "not a gravel tire."

I'm running Rat Trap Pass ELs on the above bike. They have an extreme lack of traction on some types of snow and wet organic surfaces, but grip fine on rocky aggregate whether wet or dry. If your gravel is a mud bog, they're a terrible gravel tire. If your gravel is hardpack and crushed rock, they do the job well.

allows a bike like that to pass as a road bike (not for racing, but for riding fast and having the sensation that we all love of flying along on paved roads.
"Sensation that we all love of flying along on paved roads" depends in large part on you. Different people identify and value different sensations of flying along on paved roads.

A big consideration here also is that gravel bikes often have very different geo from traditional road bikes. From a performance standpoint the implications of this are subtle, but from a feel standpoint it can be dramatic. An Open UP is basically a road bike with wide tires, a Salsa Cutthroat is more like a rigid mountain bike with drop handlebars.

My Stumpy's geometry is basically that of a beach cruiser: mountain bikes in 1984 were still closely inspired by the old Schwinn cruisers that had been built into klunkerz in the 1970s. Sticking an aggressive road fit on that beach cruiser geometry has some whacky consequences. Out of the saddle at low speeds it's floppy, steering at cruising speed feels deliberate and weighty, and keeping the bike leaned in tight paved corners can require conscious counter-steer. On the whole, the handling doesn't fall anywhere in the remote vicinity of "lively", although I'm not sure where I'd put it on the bicycle spectrum: I don't think it handles much like any bicycle that's been set up for its frame's intended purpose.
But.
When I'm trucking along at road cruising speeds on it, I feel like I'm trucking along at road cruising speeds. To me, it doesn't feel "slower" than it is, and its performance is close enough to my skinny-tired road bikes that I often use it for spirited road riding. There are days when it's a blast, and days when I thirst for something that handles lighter.
...It'll be interesting to see how the Black Mountain Road+ ends up, its steering geometry is much more road-like than the Stumpy. It should handle quite light, even with tires nearly 2" wide.

How you respond to the feel of the tires is a big factor in perception of speed. The first time I rode with the Rat Traps on the Stumpy, I wondered if the speedometer was reading high, it felt like I was going slower than I was. But that feeling soon went away.

[owly]

Two years or so riding my 70mm bb drop frame and I've come to feel the sweet spot for me, being 700x32 or 650b x 2.1/2.2.

Riding a 35mm I feel too tall in the saddle and just don't like it. I'd like to be able to ride something like a 700x40 knobby mainly for the extra rollover, but I'm stuck with my frame for the time being.

Smoother gravel, I'll stick to a 32mm, or a 650b x 48 filetread.

Doing a lot of exploring rides lately though in steep, rough places. The volume 2.1/2.2 combo is great for that.

I know there's other frames out there with 80-85mm drops, so maybe in the future.

[unterhausen]

I ride 700cx38mm gravel king SK. I rode a 100km ride on the road this year on them, it was fine. Maybe a little noisy.

I have been 650b curious, but inertia takes over when I actually build a bike

[Hakkalugi]

I ride 650bx48 and 700cx36 depending on mood and route of the day. Love the 650s on Singletrack and the 700s on gravel roads, but I don’t treat them as ‘dedicated’ to any surface type.

[spoonrobot]

Not specifically on topic, but I am curious how many people ride smooth 35-38mm tires? As in, not gravel tires, but effectively road treads, but really wide?

Though I am not inclined to have one bike :), I wonder if a nice balanced gravel bike like an Open UP width some of those high end Herse tires (Jon Bon Pass, I think?) allows a bike like that to pass as a road bike (not for racing, but for riding fast and having the sensation that we all love of flying along on paved roads.

Anyone?

It's close but not really the same, for 700c. One of the main trusts of 650b was that in a tire close to 700cx23 diameter - 650bx38-650bx42 - the larger tire, due to the smaller wheelsize, feels almost exactly the same as 700cx23.

Something like 700cx35/38 feels fine but obviously slower - not as spritely - than 700cx23, moreso than the difference between 700cx23/650bx42.

My main road bike is 700cx38 and although I miss out on the pure speed of narrower tires the comfort benefit for my riding style is a worthwhile tradeoff. You can try it cheap with the latest round (inside casing color is now natural, from black) of GK slicks in 700cx35 or 38 - they tested as no statistical difference (Δ<1%) in my rolldown testing vs the most recent Herse Barlow Pass.

[rain dogs]

Not specifically on topic, but I am curious how many people ride smooth 35-38mm tires? As in, not gravel tires, but effectively road treads, but really wide?

Anyone?

I currently do. 700x38 Schwalbe G-ones.... not totally smooth, but pretty darn close, plus the tiny knobs wear off at an expected rate. This is my current set-up.

AND, this OP question is one I'm wrestling with currently. My wife and I bought the same gravel bike (cute I know) but with the idea of sharing three sets of wheels. She uses her gravel bike for everything except the grocery getter - so truly all road.

The bikes can fit 700x45 or 650x50. So, do we go 2x700 and 1x650? or 3x700?

The thinking is to have a set of 700x28ish, a set of 700x38ish and maybe a set of 700x45 OR 650bx50 ... all tubeless. Same rotors, same cassettes. Different rings up front (Mine 50x34.... hers 44x28)

But when you look at weights, availability etc. the 650b almost doesn't seem worth the bother?

When we ride off road, she can use the largest and me the middle. When we ride on road, her the smallest, me the middle. When we ride alone, we can choose the wheelset which makes the most sense.

Sounds ideal, but what do I get. 650b or 700c for the widest ones.... and then what tire? cause the differences seem small with very little weight advantage (50g wheels) (basically nothing at the tire)

[NHAero]

I ride Vitoria Randonneur Hypers in 700x37 on my Anderson. Smooth tread, low rolling resistance, but also great on dirt roads and hard packed trails that I take as short cuts. My Firefly has 700x28, pure roadie bike, and it's hard to compare because its also lighter and has no fenders or disc brakes like the Anderson.

[Hilltopperny]

I currently do. 700x38 Schwalbe G-ones.... not totally smooth, but pretty darn close, plus the tiny knobs wear off at an expected rate. This is my current set-up.

AND, this OP question is one I'm wrestling with currently. My wife and I bought the same gravel bike (cute I know) but with the idea of sharing three sets of wheels. She uses her gravel bike for everything except the grocery getter - so truly all road.

The bikes can fit 700x45 or 650x50. So, do we go 2x700 and 1x650? or 3x700?

The thinking is to have a set of 700x28ish, a set of 700x38ish and maybe a set of 700x45 OR 650bx50 ... all tubeless. Same rotors, same cassettes. Different rings up front (Mine 50x34.... hers 44x28)

But when you look at weights, availability etc. the 650b almost doesn't seem worth the bother?

When we ride off road, she can use the largest and me the middle. When we ride on road, her the smallest, me the middle. When we ride alone, we can choose the wheelset which makes the most sense.

Sounds ideal, but what do I get. 650b or 700c for the widest ones.... and then what tire? cause the differences seem small with very little weight advantage (50g wheels) (basically nothing at the tire)



I would go 650b if you have single track or rough trails to ride. It also will give a bit of a different ride than 700c that you may enjoy.


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[merlinmurph]

My Seven Evergreen SL currently has two sets of wheels:
700x28mm for road use
700x40mm Clement/Donnelly X'PLOR MSO for dirt/mixed

Very little of my gravel riding is on actual roads, but rather, a lot of singletrack. In the northeast, that can mean roots and rocks. I avoid the really gnarly stuff, but anything else is good and there's a good of amount of local trails to keep me busy.

I'm considering a set of 650b wheels with serious fatties for trail riding. Being old and slow, I prefer cush over speed (speed? what's that?).

[R3awak3n]

I have been a fan of 650B for many years now. Road I still prefer 700c but if there is more than say 40/50% gravel or any rough stuff I will pick the 650b any time. More volume = more fun. I do not care a single bit if they are slower.

[sparky33]

But when you look at weights, availability etc. the 650b almost doesn't seem worth the bother?

What do you mean there?

A variety of 650b tires are just a few clicks away since the internet happened.


The bikes can fit 700x45 or 650x50. So, do we go 2x700 and 1x650? or 3x700?

When we ride off road, she can use the largest and me the middle. When we ride on road, her the smallest, me the middle. When we ride alone, we can choose the wheelset which makes the most sense.

It sounds like you and your wife want(have?) 700c sets because that is your safe choice. Maybe get a third wheelset of 650b and some different tires so you two can experiment, try it out, before going further down that road.

[Mzilliox]

New gravel bike: so far 650B, but only because i dont have a set of 700c. Id love ot get a set of discy gravel 700c wheels for running the 38 steelicoms or whatever they are called

[rain dogs]

What do you mean there?

A variety of 650b tires are just a few clicks away since the internet happened.

It sounds like you and your wife want(have?) 700c sets because that is your safe choice. Maybe get a third wheelset of 650b and some different tires so you two can experiment, try it out, before going further down that road.

Yeah... should clarify. We have two of the three sets of wheels, both 700c. We mostly ride mixed terrain, like 60/70% road 40/30% gravel, nothing too technical. We always ride road to get to the gravel.

The third set that I'm looking for is either A. our first 650b or B. another 700c in any case fairly small knob toward smooth no matter the size.

Re: "the bother". There are tons of 700c disc wheelsets out there, less in 650b. And with tires, the max difference on our frames are 5mm more than 700c, but when you look up the tires, many of the same models come in the same width 650x45 or 700x45 for example, so in theory we could gain a little width, but those tires maybe don't exist. And again, so many more 700c tires than 650b (I'm looking at schwalbe and gravelkings primarily)

Lastly, all the MTB'rs now say 700c rolls best in off-road, which being a roadie has me confused. I last rode mtb in the days of 26" and I thought we were benefitting by going that way (smaller) for gravel/offroad, but mtb is saying go bigger > 29(700c)? So which is it?

[Duende]

I’ve been curious to try 650B for some time now, but the opportunity just hasn’t presented itself. The gearing differential as well as the wider tire control is definitely intriguing.

However with that said, I’ve been perfectly content riding my 700 x 38 Steilicomms for off road. They aren’t holding me back any.

For on road I’m riding 700 x 25. I like the feel of a narrow tire for road.

[Jaybee]

I've got 2 sets for my groad bike, one 650x2.2 front/48mm rear and a 700c set that I will run anything from 32mm file treads to 43mm GK SKs. There's a noticeable difference in cush from the fat 650s, and i find it spins pretty well on the flats too. I like this set a whole lot more for bigger gravel and singletrack, and because it's maybe only 3% worse for the mixed-terrain commute, I usually only use the 700c set when I need mud clearance.

Re: rain dogs comments above, I do prefer 29" wheels on my MTB. I notice the loss of rollover on rooty rocky terrain on the 650b gravel bike, though the geometry is probably contributing there also. I haven't ridden a roadish drop bar 29er that felt as sprightly in the other 95% of my riding as my 650b though - we're always making compromises.

[weaponsgrade]

I've got an old 650b hardtail mtb set up with WTB Byways; 700x38 Barlow Passes on my gravel (clearance for 42s); and a rigid 29er with Thunder Burts. All three bikes have been ridden at different times on the same roads/gravel roads. I prefer the 700/29er. Depending on what I feel like, I'll switch between the gravel and 29er.

I think the 650b hardtail will make for a good bikepacking bike when I find some time to get into that. I spec'd the gravel bike to have road-like handling rather than mtn-like handling. It's probably not a surprise, but overall I'm fastest on the gravel bike and the 29er is the most comfortable. Bikepacking excepted, for my local riding I've come to the conclusion that if the trail is gnarly enough to require something bigger than a 42, then I'll want a mtn bar for the control.

[donalrey]

My "road" bike has 700x35c Rene Herse Bon Jon Pass. Perfect balance between road and dirt/gravel.

My "gravel" bike, for the most part has on 26x2.3" Rene Herse Rat Trap Pass. This is my favorite tire - it just rolls so smooth both on paved and dirt. I have a 650b set up as well with Rene Herse 650bx48c Juniper Ridge - I'll throw it on if I know I'll be riding some rougher stuff.

[xeladragon]

My "road" bike has 700x35c Rene Herse Bon Jon Pass. Perfect balance between road and dirt/gravel.

My "gravel" bike, for the most part has on 26x2.3" Rene Herse Rat Trap Pass. This is my favorite tire - it just rolls so smooth both on paved and dirt. I have a 650b set up as well with Rene Herse 650bx48c Juniper Ridge - I'll throw it on if I know I'll be riding some rougher stuff.

My same setup... 700c BJPs and 650b Juniper Ridges on my two all-road bikes.

[xtheendisnearx]

700x38 Gravelking

[polar8]

700x38 Gravelking

I was looking at those for my build, how do you like them?

[Smitty2k1]

I'm building up my first gravel/allroad bike, a Black Mountain Cycles Road+. The designer said it was designed for 650bx47 so I got some WTB Horizons for it.

If I like it a lot I may pick up some 700x32 road tires, but definitely sticking to the wider 650b's for gravel.

[simonov]

I'm building up my first gravel/allroad bike, a Black Mountain Cycles Road+. The designer said it was designed for 650bx47 so I got some WTB Horizons for it.

If I like it a lot I may pick up some 700x32 road tires, but definitely sticking to the wider 650b's for gravel.

With some light wheels and Rene Herse Stampede Pass 650x42 tires, you may find that it's as good on the road as with the 700x32s. Maybe even better depending on the types of rides you do.

[lavi]

26x2.3" Rene Herse Rat Trap Pass. This is my favorite tire


I have these as well. Wow. What a fun ride. Makes me feel like a kid again.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200118/df93d600660ed2595ccce80b7ab2e3ed.jpg

[Bici-Sonora]

650 x 48 Gravel King non SK (file tread) for mixed surfaces. 700 x 35 for smoother dirt roads and what passes for paved roads in Tucson


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[Geeheeb]

BOTH! 700 35c on the poprad, 650 47 on the kona rove.

[owly]

Yesterday ran a 27.5 x 2.1 Thunder Burt rear with a Rocket Ron front over the rocky/loose/rough stuff.
Once again clarifying in my mind the ride height/feel of a 2.1 is perfect for me. Quite a bit of tyre weight though!

700x32/33 gives about the same height, so I'm going to get some 33mm knobby X-One to replace the same in 35mm. i.e. AllRound rear with Bite front.

[Sparshall]

Horses for courses...or something like that. I ride both depending on how far and terrain. 700x37 Gravelking slicks can handle almost everything in my neck of the woods, but sometimes you can beat 650bx47 WTB horizons at 28psi for a plush ride.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200119/e20be89016f9953e88f5ffac534603d7.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200119/b572f61fb3ff8389813588180788ca44.jpg


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[SlowPokePete]

I'm on 650b (HED Belgium plus w/WI rear SON dynamo front)...

....at this point I'd love to throw my I9's with carbon rims (700) back on there cause I know they were faster (they are quite a bit lighter after all), but I like the dynamo too much.

Looking forward to when I pull the Juniper Ridges Endurance (after I do the Farmer's Daughter) and go back to the Switch Back Hill EL's...



SPP

[mtb_frk]

How do you like your haanjo?


Horses for courses...or something like that. I ride both depending on how far and terrain. 700x37 Gravelking slicks can handle almost everything in my neck of the woods, but sometimes you can beat 650bx47 WTB horizons at 28psi for a plush ride.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200119/e20be89016f9953e88f5ffac534603d7.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200119/b572f61fb3ff8389813588180788ca44.jpg


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[Sparshall]

How do you like your haanjo?

It’s an awesome bike. Took mine down to the frame and built it up as seen. I’ve taken it on 3 day bikepacking trips and fast gravel races. Historically they’ve been spec’d pretty oddly, but I think they’re getting better.

I’m actually selling it now because I’ve got too many other projects going on.

[cabriggs]

I've got an alu Diverge with 700x30c tires. I've always thought they were on the skinny side for gravel, but they've handled the limited gravel I've done so far just fine. That includes the 46 mi D2R2 Green River ride last year, which I think has somewhere around 15-20 mi of actual dirt/gravel and the rest pavement.

This year I plan to ride the 100k at D2R2 and a friend who's done it (and is on this forum) has told me I should be fine on these tires. I trust him.

[RobJ]

2.1" 26ers.

https://i.imgur.com/uKkWOVY.jpg


Because the bike's 1984 Stumpjumper frameset was designed for it, both in terms of clearances and the height of the canti posts.

I'm currently building up a Black Mountain Road+, and it will similarly use 650b. I could stick 700c wheels on it, but the tire clearance wouldn't be nice for the regional double-track roads.

My hardtail is a 29er, but I don't use it much.


Fine for the most part. When dealing with something like a log over the road, it feels like some more rollover would be nice. For dealing with typical gravel roughness, tire choice and setup seems a lot more impactful than wheel diameter.


Depending on the gravel, I wouldn't call a wide slick "not a gravel tire."

I'm running Rat Trap Pass ELs on the above bike. They have an extreme lack of traction on some types of snow and wet organic surfaces, but grip fine on rocky aggregate whether wet or dry. If your gravel is a mud bog, they're a terrible gravel tire. If your gravel is hardpack and crushed rock, they do the job well.


"Sensation that we all love of flying along on paved roads" depends in large part on you. Different people identify and value different sensations of flying along on paved roads.

A big consideration here also is that gravel bikes often have very different geo from traditional road bikes. From a performance standpoint the implications of this are subtle, but from a feel standpoint it can be dramatic. An Open UP is basically a road bike with wide tires, a Salsa Cutthroat is more like a rigid mountain bike with drop handlebars.

My Stumpy's geometry is basically that of a beach cruiser: mountain bikes in 1984 were still closely inspired by the old Schwinn cruisers that had been built into klunkerz in the 1970s. Sticking an aggressive road fit on that beach cruiser geometry has some whacky consequences. Out of the saddle at low speeds it's floppy, steering at cruising speed feels deliberate and weighty, and keeping the bike leaned in tight paved corners can require conscious counter-steer. On the whole, the handling doesn't fall anywhere in the remote vicinity of "lively", although I'm not sure where I'd put it on the bicycle spectrum: I don't think it handles much like any bicycle that's been set up for its frame's intended purpose.
But.
When I'm trucking along at road cruising speeds on it, I feel like I'm trucking along at road cruising speeds. To me, it doesn't feel "slower" than it is, and its performance is close enough to my skinny-tired road bikes that I often use it for spirited road riding. There are days when it's a blast, and days when I thirst for something that handles lighter.
...It'll be interesting to see how the Black Mountain Road+ ends up, its steering geometry is much more road-like than the Stumpy. It should handle quite light, even with tires nearly 2" wide.

How you respond to the feel of the tires is a big factor in perception of speed. The first time I rode with the Rat Traps on the Stumpy, I wondered if the speedometer was reading high, it felt like I was going slower than I was. But that feeling soon went away.



I keep coming back looking at this bike. I love this thing.


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[Davist]

Yesterday ran a 27.5 x 2.1 Thunder Burt rear with a Rocket Ron front over the rocky/loose/rough stuff.
Once again clarifying in my mind the ride height/feel of a 2.1 is perfect for me. Quite a bit of tyre weight though!

700x32/33 gives about the same height, so I'm going to get some 33mm knobby X-One to replace the same in 35mm. i.e. AllRound rear with Bite front.

Not sure what you use normally, but Thunder Burt's are lighter (published 385g 2.1x27.5) than the WTB horizon or byway (510-520g or so) by more than 100g/tire, I'm using Thunder Burts and have been pleasantly surprised at how well they roll and keep up even with guys on file treads (my wheels, though, are mountain bike wheels and need a diet!)

[sparky33]

So the Jan Heine article I linked about which size tires are faster generated some interesting discussion and I liked hearing the anecdotal reasons why running one versus the other.


While organizing things today and I realized that I have all of the BQ issues from Vol 1 Issue 1 to current. Well hey, that’s neat. Glad I kept those. ....Looking through it is interesting to see the gradual changes from a 1999 Rivendell Road with 700xskinny tires in Volume 1 (number3) to issue 70 which has an update on Jan’s disc Firefly with 26x2.3 and another trip summary of a Brodie Romax with 650x48. 18 years of evolution in those pages.

Any guess as to when the term gravel bike first appeared in BQ?