Friday News And Views

The Terrene Honali 700 X 50 tire.

Terrene Debuts New 50mm Honali Tire:

Terrene Tires has made quite a splash with the three tires that they entered the market with last year. The mtb "Chunk", the fat bike specific "Wazia", and the gravel oriented "Elwood". I have the Elwoods and I think they are as good a gravel tire as you'll find.

Of course, with only three offerings, (or even if they had 300), there are tires we wish we could get from Terrene. I asked about something maybe more in tune with a Fargo for gravel. Terrene said, "Hold on.....". Now I see this offered up from the ongoing Taipei Cycle Show show. It is a 50mm wide touring tire dubbed the "Honali". I'm not sure how you should pronounce that. Hmm.......

Well, however the name sounds, the tire looks good. Maybe not exactly what I had in mind, but we will have to see about that. There is a reflective sidewall, which I think is cool if you do anything late evenings or at night. Some folks don't like that reflective stripe, but it never bothered me, and it could save you from getting hit. I like that idea.

I was thinking a bit about tossing on a set of Surly 700c sized Extraterrestrials, but those tires are heavier ( reportedly over a 1000 grams each) and burlier than I think I need. Great tire though. Love the 26"er version on my 1X1. I just feel I don't need that big brute of a tire on my Fargo. I don't think I need all that flat and sidewall protection, for one thing. Maybe the Honali will be similar but not as beefy? That's what I'm hoping to find.

Resurrect your decade old FS 29"er as a "full suspension gravel device"!

Now That Is Taking It Too Far:

Another Taipei Cycle Show find was news concerning the showing of a "full suspension gravel bike".

No, I am not making that up. Go ahead- click that link. 

I wish I were making it up, but it is apparently an idea being floated in Taiwan which I am sure some company is hoping will catch on. Ya know, I hate to break it to them, but there are these devices called  full suspension 29"ers out there that are already doing the same thing they want this bike to be doing, only they do it better. Heck, I bet there are a lot of decent, first generation full suspension 29"ers out there that would be had for a song that you could actually use as a gravel bike. Well, actually I don't have to bet. People are already using those bikes as gravel bikes. I saw a few last Summer at Gravel Worlds, as a matter of fact.

So, yeah........I happen to still have that Fisher HiFi in the image here, and I think I might just go right ahead and try this myself. I mean, why not? A set of lighter disc wheels, a nice set of tires, a Jones Bar, and BOOM! I even serviced the fork for this recently.

Like I need a new project, but again- why not? Stay tuned for a post dealing with my experiences on dual squish bikes on gravel and how this Fisher might work out coming soon.

Sun Race 11-50T 11 speed cassette

Now That Is Taking It Too Far: Part 2

First SRAM comes out with Eagle 12 speed and says this is the best wide range cassette 1X option you can buy. Well, is it really? Sun Race makes a case for their 11-50T 11 speed cassette which slides on to a regular splined free hub body and costs a heck of a lot less than SRAM Eagle. Plus, if you already run 11 speed mtb shifters and derailleurs, this is supposed to work fine with those components.

The image here doesn't do the scale of this cassette justice. Those big cogs are ginormous! My gravel bikes don't have chain rings that big!

I guess this puts SRAM on notice that, for many of us, if we are going to pop for something along these lines, the value per buck spent is going to be tilted in this cassettes favor more often than not. I mean, you don't have to have a specific SRAM wheel, you don't have to have SRAM Eagle, and you don't have to spend a ton of money to expand the gearing range on your 1X set up. That is, if you are into such a thing.

I still think 1X is a flawed system that compromises chain line, increases wear, and has gearing steps which hearken back to 6 speed mountain bike freewheels. My opinion is that human powered mountain bikers will someday realize that maintaining momentum and cadence is easier with close ratio gearing set ups. But then again, maybe I am a dreamer. 

A tire for skinnier rigs- WTB's new 32mm Exposure.

 And One That Isn't Taken Quite Far Enough, Maybe......

One more bit that was just released news this week- A tire from WTB to join the currently offered 28mm and 34mm Exposure line up. This one is the "Goldilocks" 32mm size.

Many folks may not realize it yet, but many disc road bikes can take 32mm tires with ease. This might make your roadie rig, (if it is a disc road bike), something more adept at smooth dirt roads and maybe even some finer gravel. (Looking at you, Southeastern Minnesotans!) I like the idea of that, but in practice, at least around here, a 32mm tire is not going to work. 

Yes, I have tried it. Even 30mm tires, actually. When you find that gravel that has been swept cleanish of "real crushed rock" and has that fine, hard, gritty limestone base showing, then heck yeah! 34mm or even 32mm tires absolutely are a blast to ride. Or you could cruise alleyways. That gravel is pretty tame. However, you aren't going to find miles of unbroken stretches of that in Iowa. On the contrary, you are more likely to find miles and miles of deep, fresh, chunky gravel, which would make a 32mm tire a big chore to ride, and super unpleasant to experience.

So, I like the idea of the Exposure, and maybe it would work where you live, but it doesn't go far enough for me. I'll stick to my 37mm Riddlers and other, bigger, supple, more capable gravel tires here.

Okay, that's a wrap for this week. Have a good weekend and ride yer bicycles!