Gravelish: Equipment Testing — WTB Resolute 42c Tires & SunRace 11-42 Cassette • 1/10/18
These tires are pretty sweet, with 36# rear, 34# front. Much more sure-footed on the loose gravel than the 35c Specialized Tracer tires that came on the bike. And the extra volume helps soak up some of the stuttery stuff.
My single speed experiment was short lived, I need my gears, at least for now. But, having the Paragon Machine Works sliding rear dropouts turned out to be crucial to run these tires: I had to slam them all the way back, which increases the tire clearance at the front of the chain stays. Also makes the wheelbase just a touch longer, which I think makes it a bit more stable. Or that could be the effect of the tires, or heck, could be placebo, but works for me!
The Sun Race 11-42 cassette with the 42t Wolf Tooth chainring is close to being right; a smaller chainring might be a bit better for really steep stuff. The cassette shifts very nicely with the long-cage Sram Force derailleur.
Very exciting, this is all finally coming together :-)
13.3 miles, 2000 feet
Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/1351099257
