Fat Tires On Gravel: From Krampus To Gryphon

Does The Gryphon Mk3 Measure Up to The Original Vision? 

In  this series I wanted to bring you along historically and philosophically on my journey towards getting a certain 'flavor' of gravel travel exemplified in a specific type of bicycle. I hope that it has come across to anyone that has read the entire series so far that this bicycle I had envisioned was something that, at first, did not exist. Also, that in some ways, history had to evolve to a point where the vision I had could be realized practically. 

In other words, what I was after was probably, most likely, a very odd thing. That said, I presented this series as a way for anyone else that was curious about my Singular Gryphon Mk3 to understand where I was coming from in regard to my high praise of the bike. 

But does the Gryphon Mk3 do everything I wished for in 2014? Is this "that bike" that I had envisioned back almost ten years ago now. That's where this post comes in. Now, this is not a review on the Gryphon Mk3, I already have done that here: "Country Views: A Gryphon On Gravel " This post will be looking to see if what I thought I was getting into a decade ago has panned out with this bike in 2023 and beyond. 

Okay, so first of all, my thoughts were spurred on to this idea by my exposure to the Surly Krampus. That bike's wheels and tires were what I thought were the story. Those Knards in a 29" X 3" size were amazing tires and whatever wheels that the bike had must have been good enough that the tires shined brightly for me. So, the most important part was that the tires and wheels had to work, or this idea may have never happened, or have been possible to pull off, if say the tire market for big, poofy 29" tires went away. Thankfully, that did not happen.

Heavy tires and wheels killed this idea on this Fargo

The wheels and tires, therefore, were paramount to getting where I wanted to go. Surly 29" X 3" Knards are still listed on the Surly site, but they are hard to find out in the wild. Even the Krampus comes with 2.6" tires now, making that bike "just another hardtail". The magic is in the tire size, and to a somewhat lesser extent, the rim width, so getting those right is very important to this idea. 

The tire couldn't be some knobbed-up, enduro type thing either. That would have killed the idea straight away. The appeal for this idea was based mostly on the Knard's easy roll on gravel and its "farm implement" type flotation capabilities. With choices becoming slim, I was forced to look elsewhere for satisfaction, and especially because the 29 X 3 Knard was becoming a rare bird. 

You might say that the Extraterrestrial is what I was looking for, but Surly only makes that in a 2.5 and it is very heavy. I have a set and I wouldn't have pursued this fat tires on gravel thing any further had those been my only tire choice. 

Of course, I ended up with Teravail's Coronado tires in the 29" X 2.8" size. They are that tire that isn't a full-on enduro knobby, and they seemed to occupy a similar space as do the Knards, but even a bit better in terms of capabilities. The 2.8" size I knew well, from my time on the 27.5" X 2.8" Trailblazers, so I knew that the contact patch of a 29"er would only enhance what I liked about the Trailblazer. Plus, the Coronado comes in a lighter, tan walled version, which was even better for my purposes. 

 A rare type of tire best suited to my purposes.

So, the Coronado was sourced and now I had to decide what to do about wheels. Fortunately for me, I had a set of wheels which was perfect for this platform. Those being what I called my "Project Wide Gravel Wheels v2". Those were built to prove a point, and they did that well, but then I had them sitting around because, well.....they sucked on my gravel bikes. But for this Gryphon idea? The axle standards were perfect for the Gryphon Mk3, a stroke of luck, to be sure, and so they ended up becoming perfect for the tires, being a great width, and certainly a great hubset in the DT Swiss 350's. So, a stellar set of wheels for a big, poofy tire and they actually fit the Gryphon Mk3 as well. It was meant to be!

I cannot stress enough the importance of the wheels and tires which are at the heart of the idea for this bike. But without the right frame and fork, I would be without a completion of the dream. Fortunately for me, Sam Alison of Singular Cycles brought forth the Gryphon Mk3. His decisions were paramount in making this dream of mine come to fruition. The Gryphon's design cues: Eccentric bottom bracket, non-suspension corrected frame, drop bar specific design - These were all critical towards making my vision for fat tires on gravel a reality. 

The frame being made from steel, again, a big deal, but not a "deal killer". I am grateful for Sam's insistence that a frame ride well and look 'classic', as if it was a bike that had been evolved from those lines that form what many of us bicycle nerd types think of when we think of "adventure drop-bar bikes". I mean, it is obvious Sam is onboard with that ideal. Just look at anything the man has produced in terms of design and that is readily apparent. So, the aesthetics of the Gryphon Mk3 were appealing to me as well. 

 So, it all came together and it just worked. I had that similar feeling as I once had with the Fat Fargo, but now I had 29"er wheels and tires, not the momentum-sapping 27.5"ers. I had a very comfortable riding position. Not "sit up and beg", like a newer Fargo, but lower. Not so low that I would tire of being in an aero position too long, as with my Noble, or Tamland Two, which have pretty low stack heights for a gravel bike. Those bikes have their place, but I was looking at something that would do a trick those bikes couldn't do, and we are not concerned with aero so much here. I mean, the fat tires kind of took care of that, didn't they? Yes. 

No, this is the bike that will do those days when the gravel is very fresh and chunky and will smooth out the ride. It is the bike I hope to be on when flotation is king. Sand, really loose terrain, or even mild snowy conditions fit that idea. 

Is this "that bike" then which I was wanting? I will say that it has been better than I expected it might be so far. Obviously, it is still pretty new to me, and also obviously I haven't had the opportunities to test every bit of the idea I had envisioned so long ago now. 

But I have a good feeling that this bicycle is that bicycle.

That brings this series to a conclusion, for the time being, but look for periodic updates to occur as situations allow. And as always- Thank You For Reading Guitar Ted Productions!