Originally Posted by
will dehne
That bike is fitted for long distance fast biking. Therefore aerobars, 2 bottles, air pump, and large saddle bag. Also use Conti City Tires for combined trail and street biking.
Will - it's great to hear from you and that your bike, which you put so much work into researching, has been a resounding success!
The picture looks very "serious" - a real performance machine that's being configured very thoughtfully. The tyres look like you've gone for 38s? Which is a good choice.
The only thing I'd question is the use of cheap-ass Conti Cities - they have good puncture resistance, but are so-so in every other way. If you want a tyre with a similar tread profile and at least equal puncture resistance but with better cornering and braking grip and much lower hysteresis energy (so better acceleration and cruising speed) then I'd look at the Marathon Duremes - these are made out the same legendary rubber as the Marathon Supreme tourers (another option) and Ultremo racers. Low hysteresis (flex energy) rubber really counts on gravel because the tyre has to flex so much to adjust the surface. A premium low HE tyre will do this with less energy loss making it faster. It will also mesh with the gravel better at the same pressure making it more comfortable and giving better handling. This can't be said too many times: on gravel and other rough stuff tyres have a bigger impact on handling than frames! Which is why hardcore crossers go arsenals of handmade condition specific tyres.
Put the Duremes - or maybe Supremes - on the bike: I'd be astonished if you didn't didn't notice a big difference!