W@nted

Rain forecast has shifted to 6mm rain at 4am on sunday morning. So some wind and wet cobbles possibly during their race. I read that MvdP was ill during last week, hence not on top form during Ronde. I hope he is fully recovered come sunday… These flats will suite Mads P and Ganna. Not sure if Pogi will be able to drop them on the flats.

Current predictions only for 1 mm rain in the morning, but it might change. The wind will be present, though....

Makes sense, thank you! well done on your silver! Beast! Now we wait for an in depth race report...

Jeez, only 38 finishers in the 168km event. Quite a few non starters, possibly due to the weather/conditions? Or is this an indication of a further decline in racing numbers? Not even a single word on bikehub on the maluti double 90, which also happened last weekend... I expected more participants, looking at the "growth" of gravel racing. Or are the fun rides like race to the sun preferred?

So how was the race?

We Ride Flanders done yesterday. What an awesome event! So much respect to the pros and the speed they do these cobbles at! Gravelbike was the perfect weapon. Was almost 30 min faster than on the road bike last year.

I wonder how is the puncture protection of say air trak vs pathfinder in 45mm, especially sidewall protection.

Might try them after the set of pathfinders i just bought. Must say, I am down to 25 psi on the pathfinders, very plush tire.

The difficult thing about gravel tires is to have the best tire for the terrain. Surely these wide mtb tires roll better on gravel, but the issue is when you do many kms on tar with the tires as well. Or when using the same tire/wheelset for everyday training and races, then the gravel tires make more sense to me.

Great weather this weekend, Ronde is going to be a cracking race!

Some more feedback on the new spez pathfinder tires. I did n mixed ride yesterday consisting of tar, gravel, jeep and singletrack. Pressures at 28 and 30 psi. Tires were faultless and felt planted. Not once did I run out of grip. Really just a solid all round tire, confidence inspiring. On flat tar road, 30km/h at 200W is quite similar to the Schwalbe G one Rs. They also fee more durable than the RS.

Fitted the new pathfinders last night. The tire casing and thread are definitely thicker than the Schwalbe G one RS tires. Interesting that the front wheel had almost no orange seal left. All solidified against the tire with no liquid left. Did a 50km tar ride on the pathfinders this morning. It was very windy, so cannot compare the speed to the RS tires yet. They did feel a bit harder than the RS tires, think I will drop pressures to 28/30 psi. Was running 35 psi on both this morning. The Silca sealant is quite thick, compared to orange seal. Also a noticeable amount of fine carbon strands in the sealant. Had almost no pressure drop through the night after installing, so it seems like a good rim/tire/sealant combo. The RS tires I had to inflate almost every 3rd day.

I live in the NL, so ordered directly from Silcas euro store.

My only concern with the g ones are the grip on loose gravel, wet trails and their durability. After about 1000km on mine, the wear on the rear is quite noticeable. Does seem to cut quite easily as well.

Has anyone tried the new 2.0 formulation of the Silca sealant? I have ordered a bottle with my new tires. Interesting claims about it lasting more than 6 months. Also now apparently injectable through most valves... I have been using orange seal original, but it does require quite frequent top ups.

I ordered a set of 45mm pathfinder TLR's yesterday. I will also share some feedback once tested. I am currently running the Schwalbe G one RS in 40mm, but they are not very confidence inspiring on loose gravel. I also had a smallish cut (2mm) on the rear tire that took 2 doses of orange seal sealant to eventually plug. Also decided to go for 45mm rather for some additional comfort. The RS one rolls nicely on the tarmac though. On my revolt, at 200W power, I am about 1.8 km/h slower than my road bike with 28mm GP5000 TLR fitted. I must say I do prefer the revolt with the comfort on longer rides. Road bike is mostly being used on the trainer.

@mikkelz To give feedback on this thread on the new pathfinder TLR's

Feedback on the new pathfinders?

We amateurs get a 24h head start 😁

Nope. I have only seen one price/option regarding nationality of the riders. Same for events in NL and Belgium.

My finger is on the process payment button... I cannot find any real world reviews on them online yet though. I want to fit them before Paris Roubaix I did a section of cobbles with my 40mm g ones and soon realised I want/need more volume between the cobbles and my bike

I see the new Spez pathfinders TLR tires have been launched. New sizes, available in 40mm and 45mm...

Wahoo elemnt bolt v2. Mine has not missed a beat in 2 years. Battery life still around 14 hours +-. Navigation is good and all settings/screens can be changed on your phone app while you are riding.

And we wonder why the racing scene is dying out... Sad.