Originally Posted by
Barrettscv
Pete,
What is your opinion of the Almonzo? Did they grow in size after a few weeks of full inflation?
I measured them and they really haven't grown at all, still a nearly perfect 30c tire. As for my opinion of them, I'd say that they do what they were designed to do really well. The deeper file tread on the center manages to hold onto soft stuff about as well as you can expect for a tire that size. The flip side is that the deep file tread isn't great on pavement, but if you're looking for a dedicated gravel tire then you don't really care. The sidewall is plush enough, but still reasonably firm given the gravel purpose. I kept them around 65psi on the front and 75psi on the rear, which was probably under what most people would run with them. Taking them up in pressure from there really causes them to act like a big road tire, bouncing off the loose gravel instead of going over it easily.
One concern is the growing tread separation on the tires (photos of a couple of spots). There were some minor gaps from new, and they have only grown. Unfortunately I think that will mean the end of these tires before the tread wears down. Judging by the "sheen" difference on the sidewall, I think it might be a lack of full coverage with the glue, but maybe not. Overall, I give the tires about a 6 or 7 out of 10 due to the tread separation offset by the fact they roll pretty well. Were I to buy another set of tires in this size range, I'd almost certainly buy Clement's 120 tpi's instead. That's what a slim majority of people who had a decent setup for gravel seemed to go with.