Winston Leg-Thigh
Maximum Pace
- Mar 31, 2015
- 197
- 249
Gravel King SK 32mm
Bought a pair of these to let me explore some of the sketchier rindos and gravel trails. First impressions were that they feel really solid yet supple: much nicer than the regular gravel kings (which I had no luck with). My wheels aren't tubeless and are only 15mm internal so they come up a bit narrow (30.5mm), but they were easy enough to fit, only needing a lever for the last bit. On tarmac they roll well and the extra volume compared to 25mm gives a really smooth ride. They probably make things a bit slower on the flat and climbs but they're great for descending - the extra volume means you don't have to worry about bouncing all over the place or on those semi-speed bumps they have on some hills - and there's no problem cornering with them (although my cornering skills are best described as utter shite).
Off-road they're brilliant on gravel and rocky roads - you can just roll over all sorts. They (I) struggled on really fine gravel / sand and they aren't going to get you through really deep mud, but they're okay in light mud and on grassy surfaces. For rides where I'm staying on tarmac I'm running the rear at about 75psi, for rides where I'm mixing it up a bit I've gone with about 60 psi. Obviously if I was running tubeless I could probably go lower but those pressures seem to work well for me. I've had the rear one on for about 800km and it looks to be standing up well. I have had one puncture; a shard of glass just as I was turning on to a rindo. The glass went through a gap in the knobbles but it didn't cause any serious damage to the tyre and I think if I was running tubeless it would've sealed without any problems.
Been okay in these conditions
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IRC Marbella 28mm
Bought this because the clearance at the front with the 32mm gravel king was a bit too tight. I wanted something knobbly and this was about the widest thing I could find that was less than 32mm. Again it's tubeless ready but I'm running it with tubes. Fitting was the complete opposite to the gravel kings. I need levers just to get the first bead on, and I was close to giving up with the second bead. Once it was on I was a bit surprised at how narrow it looked, and a quick check with the calipers showed it at 25.1mm. After about 350km it's stretched out a bit (26mm) but it's still narrower than I was expecting, although that might be down to my rims being narrow. That said, it rides beautifully. It's much more comfortable than the 25s I had on before and it has stood up far better than I would have expected to some really dodgy roads in terms of grip, ability to plough through stuff, not getting cut to shreds, and still looking like new. The minimum recommended pressure is 75psi and that's what I've been running it at on all surfaces. I haven't been on anything too muddy yet (this weekend maybe), but for gravel, unpaved roads, and tarmac, it's a great tyre. Fortunately it has taken everything I've thrown at it because I dread the day I have to try and get the tyre on / off again.
If your frame hasn't got clearance for "proper" gravel tryes but you want to get off road a bit or want something all-weather, this is a great tyre.
It's stood up to these roads okay
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Bought a pair of these to let me explore some of the sketchier rindos and gravel trails. First impressions were that they feel really solid yet supple: much nicer than the regular gravel kings (which I had no luck with). My wheels aren't tubeless and are only 15mm internal so they come up a bit narrow (30.5mm), but they were easy enough to fit, only needing a lever for the last bit. On tarmac they roll well and the extra volume compared to 25mm gives a really smooth ride. They probably make things a bit slower on the flat and climbs but they're great for descending - the extra volume means you don't have to worry about bouncing all over the place or on those semi-speed bumps they have on some hills - and there's no problem cornering with them (although my cornering skills are best described as utter shite).
Off-road they're brilliant on gravel and rocky roads - you can just roll over all sorts. They (I) struggled on really fine gravel / sand and they aren't going to get you through really deep mud, but they're okay in light mud and on grassy surfaces. For rides where I'm staying on tarmac I'm running the rear at about 75psi, for rides where I'm mixing it up a bit I've gone with about 60 psi. Obviously if I was running tubeless I could probably go lower but those pressures seem to work well for me. I've had the rear one on for about 800km and it looks to be standing up well. I have had one puncture; a shard of glass just as I was turning on to a rindo. The glass went through a gap in the knobbles but it didn't cause any serious damage to the tyre and I think if I was running tubeless it would've sealed without any problems.
Been okay in these conditions
View media item 7138
View media item 7139
View media item 7140
View media item 7141
View media item 7142
View media item 7143
View media item 7144
View media item 7145
View media item 7146
View media item 7147
View media item 7148
View media item 7149
View media item 7150
View media item 7151
IRC Marbella 28mm
Bought this because the clearance at the front with the 32mm gravel king was a bit too tight. I wanted something knobbly and this was about the widest thing I could find that was less than 32mm. Again it's tubeless ready but I'm running it with tubes. Fitting was the complete opposite to the gravel kings. I need levers just to get the first bead on, and I was close to giving up with the second bead. Once it was on I was a bit surprised at how narrow it looked, and a quick check with the calipers showed it at 25.1mm. After about 350km it's stretched out a bit (26mm) but it's still narrower than I was expecting, although that might be down to my rims being narrow. That said, it rides beautifully. It's much more comfortable than the 25s I had on before and it has stood up far better than I would have expected to some really dodgy roads in terms of grip, ability to plough through stuff, not getting cut to shreds, and still looking like new. The minimum recommended pressure is 75psi and that's what I've been running it at on all surfaces. I haven't been on anything too muddy yet (this weekend maybe), but for gravel, unpaved roads, and tarmac, it's a great tyre. Fortunately it has taken everything I've thrown at it because I dread the day I have to try and get the tyre on / off again.
If your frame hasn't got clearance for "proper" gravel tryes but you want to get off road a bit or want something all-weather, this is a great tyre.
It's stood up to these roads okay
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