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Old 07-26-12, 04:30 AM
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Myosmith
Lover of Old Chrome Moly
 
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Location: NW Minnesota
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Thanks for the input

not knowing the condition of your "gravel" roads is
That is exactly why I'm building this bike, I never know what the condition will be and want to be able to ride over a wide variety of surfaces. Gravel roads in the area can be packed like concrete but a couple days of rain and some traffic can turn them to oatmeal. Trails can be pea rock, crushed granite, sand, packed clay, worn turf or all of the above. There is a riding area near here called "The Sand Hills" which is a series of trails through sandy loam prairie. Some of the ground is fairly loose but not soft like a sand dune. The rails to trails are usually a mixture of the old granite railroad ballast and crushed rock, pea rock, or gravel.

I have an old pretty much worn out Michelin 42mm semi-knobby tire that I tried in the fork and there was about 1/4" of clearance on each side and just a little more over the midline of the tread, so I ordered the 40mm Schwalbe Smart Sams after checking that I could do a one-time exchange for size if they are unridden.
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