Review on 🚲 AMERICAN CLASSIC Gravel Bike Tire - Aggregate Tubeless Ready, 650B x 47C, 700 x 40C, 700 x 50C for Mixed Surfaces by Gabe Smith

FOREWORD I was so frustrated with my difficulty mounting these tires that I wanted to write a terrible review . After just a few rides, their performance is almost enough to fully forgive (but I'll never forget) this terrible struggle. However, performance for the price deserves 5 stars, subtracting one star for difficult installation and another for incorrect sizing. SUMMARY - Extremely difficult to set up and take down - 40°C measures <37mm on my Stan's Crest wallpaper (21mm ID) + Supple, quiet and comfortable on pavement with low rolling resistance + Predictable cornering with excellent traction + Off-road traction that excellent for this is a narrow tire + a $35 tire that beats >$50 tires +/- durability to be determined INSTALLATION AND INSTALLATION This tire was extremely difficult to fit onto my Stan's Crest rims due to the tight hard bead assemble. I'm used to fitting the second side of the bead to the rim with little difficulty, but this is the first time I've had to use a bead lever to fit the first side to the rim (along with a pair of Pedros tires) . Lever). ). I doubt I could install them without my Koolstop jack (if you use tubeless tires you should have this tool). Once both beads were in the rim, they converged in the center and blocked airflow from the valve, requiring me to pinch the tire over the valve to separate them when using a 100psi jet from my Lezyne Pressure Over Drive floor pump have been inflated. It got up on the first try and held air all night without installing sealant. When I removed the valve core to install the sealant, the collar popped out, but locked securely after another high-pressure jet. After installing the rear wheel, I found that I needed to replace the rim tape and found that removing this tire was almost as difficult as installing it (which didn't get any easier). Basically, unless you have the experience and good tools to fit tubeless tires, plan on paying the shop to install them. This is a beautiful tire with subtle low logos. This is NOT a 40mm hoop, just 36.87mm on my Stan's Crest wallpaper with a 21mm bore. RIDING EXPERIENCE Replacing 42mm Specialized Sawtooth 2Bliss tires on my steel Salsa Vaya. They roll smoothly and silently on the pavement and transition smoothly into turns, providing excellent grip on hard lean angles. They feel much more responsive than Sawtooths and will handle the edge of a rough road even at 50psi. Tried the city singletrack and was really surprised by the grip even with wet leaves and roots. Reducing the pressure to 30psi and off-road grip becomes really impressive for a narrow tire with minimal profile. Braking was smooth, quick and predictable, and grip when climbing mud was great. They roll over the hard pack and back onto tarmac very quickly, they really felt like they were pulling at 30psi so pumped to 40 and they felt great again. They are very similar to the Schwalbe G-One All Terrain tires I once ridden - a much more expensive tire. LONG TERM I plan to upgrade it in the future if there are problems with punctures, construction or tread life. Also, I didn't get a chance to test them in dry, loose conditions or serious mud - I doubt they'll do well in those conditions, but these tires surprised me in other ways.