Originally Posted by
chaadster
The 700x37 Herse Bon Jon Pass Extralight casing are set up tubeless on my racy gravel rig, the T-Lab XT-Lab
I think I'm going to pull the trigger on those, they're 35mm though right? The barlow pass is 38? They'll go on a separate wheelset but who knows maybe they'll just stay permo mounted. If that's the case I'd sell one of my 700c wheelsets and get a 650b for long gravel treks.
I ride gravel roads— not trails, not tracks— which, around here, are mostly hardpack but can have loose rock and crushed limestone on the surface, too. Grading happens pretty regularly, too, which turns the surface into an inch-deep churn of limestones, sand, loess, and clay, so you can get a variety of conditions, but mostly hardpack, so speed is king and having tire volume to smooth the potholes, washboard, and other rough stuff is paramount to making speed because traction is a given and rarely a concern.
Thicc. It's finally getting worked back smooth here. I've been riding 40mm Maxxis Velocita slick and they do well in that crude except up steeper grades. I start to miss my Gravel king SKs then. Though I probably should just drop my pressure down abit.
OP: I feel your pain. It's the same for shoes and clothing too it seems, you have to fully purchase and commit before you get a good idea of what works. Though at my LBS the tech mentioned if I didn't like the Maxxis tires within about 50 miles he'd buy them from me.
Like I mentioned up top I have two 700c wheelsets, one for road and then one for gravel. However I really should've gone 650b for the second for my gravel riding. On my bike I can clear only 40mm with 700c but 650b I could do 48mm. I never noticed on my mtb with 2.2"x700c but on my gravel bike I don't think I'd want the extra height you'd get by running that size in 700c. Not really thinking of toe overlap but just over all handling and wheel spin up. 2.1" x 700c just seems massive (in the context of a drop bar bike). I'm 6' and riding a 56cm frame though.