about those tires....

[alpinerabbit]

mmm yeah but if you actually get sent over a gravel road during a ride - happened to me - it works.

I once misread the map and we had to go 5k over a packed gravel type forest road. worked fine, even going 20 kph.
I rode Schwalbe Stelvios at the time.

[OakLeaf]

I'd actually guess you're less likely to get a flat on gravel. Gravel = less traffic = fewer people throwing bottles and trash out of their car windows. Also, any shards of glass or metal will settle to the bottom, underneath stones, rather than sitting on top stalking your tires like they do on asphalt.

Now, handling a skinny tire, stiff frame road bike on gravel is its own special joy, and I personally HATE it and avoid it whenever possible. But flats aren't the reason.

[RoadRaven]

Yeah, they will work and ride off road... happened to me too, you go off the edge because you get crowded off in a race, or you're not paying full attention and of course the tyres hold up.

What I was trying to say is where possible, don't use skinny smooth road tyres when you are going to bike off the road. Skinny and smooth (and the high pressure that often goes with these tyres - I train at 110psi, I race at 130psi) means they are more susceptible to tiny stone shards, prickles/thorns etc - not just the expected dangers of road rubbish like broken glass.

By gravel, Oak, i assume you mean loose metal/small stones? In which case, again I would recommend not "skinny smooths"...
I guess it all depends what Sundial classes as road tyres. I'm afraid I am not familiar with Kendars.

Alot of hybrid/comfort bikes are sold with slightly knobbly tyres... and they would hold up much better than the tyres I race on...

I guess the moral would be; use the right tyres for the right surface when you possibly can.

[OakLeaf]

Yes, the technical name for that type of road surface is "crushed stone," but most people in the USA call it "gravel." (Technically, "gravel" refers to smooth river stone which is obviously considerably more expensive, used for landscaping but not road building.)

There are several different sizes/grades of crushed limestone, and I'm not sure what the number designations are, but the stones used in most road building out East are typically about 2-3 cm across.

[RoadRaven]

LOL, Oakleaf... over here, the surface seems to called (interchangeably) metal, gravel and shingle... and that is small but often rough stones collected from naturally occuring shingle pits, from river beds (but often smashed up afterwards to a uniform size) or from commercially pulverised rock.

ROFL - there's no way our "gravel" would go in gardens... not if you wanted the purty smooth 'river' look.

[OakLeaf]

Just how much gravel (aka crushed stone ) can my frame and wheels take!

I dropped my car at the dealer for service today, which meant I had to either walk my 1/2 mile lane in cycling shoes or ride the SOB. The whole way (besides being terrified of crashing especially on the steep descents, bouncing up and down so hard I could barely see and trying to use just enough rear brake) I was listening to rocks pinging off my bottom bracket, spokes and who knows what. I haven't even looked how many chips I put in the paint I don't really want to know.

(didn't crash though - although I did half-paddle my bike down the initial, 200 ft., 10% grade)

[sundial]

I'd say you're a cyclocrosser in the making.