# Which wheels for half gravel road race??



## JackDaniels (Oct 4, 2011)

Somewhat loosepack gravel for about 25 miles, other half on pavement.

1. Aluminum clinchers with 25mm gatorskins

2. Full carbon tubbies with 22mm sprinters

The 25mm would ride nicer but are pretty heavy and would be more prone to pinch flats...

Edit. third option I could put the gatorskins on c24 clinchers which are very light


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## den bakker (Nov 13, 2004)

JackDaniels said:


> Somewhat loosepack gravel for about 25 miles, other half on pavement.
> 
> 1. Aluminum clinchers with 25mm gatorskins
> 
> ...


what do you normally ride use on the gravel roads?


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## JackDaniels (Oct 4, 2011)

clinchers

I would probably run aroun 90-95 psi either way


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## JohnStonebarger (Jan 22, 2004)

Sounds like a tough one. I run clinchers, but for gravel races I choose between 40-45 psi cross tires -- usually my preference when it's all gravel -- and 90-95 psi road tires. Either way with 23 mm rims and latex tubes I haven't had a problem with flats, so it comes down to rolling resistance and gearing (road vs. cross).
Is this multiple laps? Can you pre-ride?


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## nOOky (Mar 20, 2009)

I guess I would prefer to allow for extra grip in the gravel and suffer the extra meat on the road sections than to ride skinny slicks on the gravel. It depends on how loose, how twisty, and how much climbing I think. Based on your info I'd ride the 25mm clinchers.


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## kbiker3111 (Nov 7, 2006)

Sprinters don't have the best puncture protection.


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## WeakSister (Oct 30, 2009)

Depends on the road/surface. I did a race where the gravel was on a rutted, washboard road, so I used alum clinchers with Vittoria Pave (infinitely better than gatorskins). But my carbon tubbies have performed great on more mild gravel surface.


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## JackDaniels (Oct 4, 2011)

I raced the 25mm clinchers at 100psi which was the right call. A lot of other people flatted.


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## DocRogers (Feb 16, 2006)

Depends on how rough the gravel is (around here it can be smooth as pavement, washboard, or worst of all freshly graded with about a billion golf ball sized rocks), and how comfortable you are riding it. I'd probably go somewhere between those two choices.


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## RRRoubaix (Aug 27, 2008)

JackDaniels said:


> I raced the 25mm clinchers at 100psi which was the right call. A lot of other people flatted.


Cool, glad it worked out.
Dang, 100 psi? Sounds like a lot- was it sketchy in the gravel sections?
(I think option 3 sounded best, mebbe w/ latex tubes).

But the real question is- why didn't you use this as an excuse to buy a new wheelset?!?


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## mjengstrom (Apr 20, 2009)

I ran 25mm conti 4000s clinchers at 85psi on older 404's at Battenkill and tour of the Dragons this year and had no issues. I weigh around 160. Gravel at Dragons was actually loser and harder to ride on than Battenkill. I think you would be asking for trouble on 22mm.


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## DocRogers (Feb 16, 2006)

Don't even talk to me about the Tour of the Dragons. I threw my back out Friday - 2 hours before I was to leave for Vermont - and had to sit out the race. Grrrrrr. 😢


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