IB14: Clement Adding More Gravel Tire Sizes

I don’t think knobs do anything for traction on gravel. You’re better off with a smooth tread unless you’re planning on riding in mud.

Yep, those both make sense. A little tread on some dirt roads and 35/36 is right where you want to be, 32 a little too small, 40 is a little monstrous. I have Challenge Gravel Grinders (35s) on my cross bike right now and had fun riding some fire roads and not too technical single track with sandy sections. No problemo, pure fun.

And 28s are just the thing for decaying blacktop with some tame dirt sections but I can see some commuter / adventure rides where some might like an option 32 with light or no tread.

I don’t know the cost structure of a new tire width so hard to say if this is profitable. That aside, it is nice to see a variety of tire options as they make a big difference in handling and performance and getting maximum versatility for your frame should it support different tire sizes.

I think this is a potential advantage of disc brakes on road frames that is not as clear as it could be for consumers.

j

Tubeless please!

The PDXs set up tubeless nicely on regular rims. I’ve raced them in the mid 20s and they hook up well without issues. They did burp in hard corners around 21 psi but that’s almost too low to be racing anyways. 2-3psi more and no problems.

Tubeless would make these perfect!

without road tubeless beads and casing this is a waste of space. We have had access to TR/TC mtb tires for years, why the delay? Did the skinny tire developers somehow think there was no advantage? Love the tread patterns Clement does, but unlike the Dude, have had no luck setting them up safely on at least 3 different rims including Shimano Road Tubeless. Seems when I hit lower pressures off they blow.

Just raced (CX) on a set of PDX tires set up tubeless on ENVE XC rims this weekend. The setup was a nightmare. I had no confidence in the tires holding air or staying on the rims, as I’d had issues setting them up, and issues with them holding air at various pressures. I wound up having to start the race with 50psi in my front tire, and 45 minutes later, I was down to 35psi. This just isn’t going to work for me long-term – it’s either time for new tires that I can run tubeless with confidence, or to invest in some latex tubes and have an old-fashioned setup… I think it’ll be new tires.

I’m running MXP’s on Ultegra 6700 wheels, using Stan’s rubber rim strips to build up the bead. I’ve bottomed the tire on the rim a few times and rolled it pretty good a few times on off-camber corners. No issues, even when I got grass stuck between the rim and the bead. I was running about 28 psi, but I’m 180+ pounds. I used to have troubles until I got those rim strips. They market them for their Alpha rims, but they fit the Ultegra wheels perfectly.

I would ride Clement tires, but they refuse to make a tubeless-ready tire. why!? not worth my time. I want to ride gravel roads and singletrack on my cross bike, but not with tubes. inevitable pinch flats.

FWIW, I’ve done four races this season on Vittoria XGs/Alpha 340s @ ~28 PSI with zero burp issues, in case you’re looking for a tubeless cross tire that seems to work reliably. I’d rather be running Clement PDXs or MXPs (the Vittorias are pretty mediocre in all other aspects) but I’ve just heard too many horror stories about Clements set up tubeless, including witnessing my team mate who burped his on the last lap of last weekend’s race and had to pump up his tire to finish.

I set up PDX’s tubeless on a set of ksyrium elite rims. I’ve raced them hard and trained on them over the past two months with very favorable results, and not a single burp. Only draw back back is the narrow mavic rim, so the tire rolls (but the bead holds strong) on hard corners below 30 psi. I’m fine running this pressure along with the assurance of no pinch flatting and small punctures being taken care of by sealant. I feel like people who complain about the tubeless setup being a nightmare haven’t put enough time into prepping their rims. The bead has to be tight to the rim, as in it should be hard to get on the wheel initially. If this isn’t the case ad some tape! I used almost 6 layers of tape to build up the channel in my rims, and because of this I have an awesome tubeless setup that handles way better then it would with tubes and I was able to use a set of wheels I already had. And about the tape adding weight don’t even bother. The setup still weighs less than it did with tubes, and the increased performance cancels any weight argument.