I bought this tire for my gravel bike. I have been using the Goodyear Contender tire (40mm) which has been great, but wanted something a little smoother as my tread would wear out anyway. Since I use my bike 90% of the time for commuting on mostly paved roads and bumpy bike trails, it didn't make sense to have a tire with treads. This has been a great choice, as it can run over anything but also picks up the speed of my bike and has less rolling resistance (almost as quick as my road bike with 28mm tires). I have also used it on gravel roads during weekends and it does a good job and you can fly on the roads. However, I wouldn't recommend it for climbing steep terrain on loose material. That said I did climb some steeper gradients on gravel and it was fine. Works great in the rain. Good tire!
This is the most comfy drop bar I've used in 30 years of riding. Yes, it looks funky without tape, but with tape it's fine. The way it dips down between the stem and brifter is so cozy for your palm. Nice slight flare on the drops. I feel like the end of the drops angle up slightly in a way that annoys me, so I deducted a star for that, but this is probably my fav drop bar of all time, now. I also love that the hose routing underneath is entirely exposed, so it's easy to swap bars even with an integrated stem. I meant this to be a temporary bar until I go one piece, but now I'm just spoiled.
On pure ride and value alone, these would rate at least 4.5 stars but I'm taking 1.5 off for the difficulty in installation. Without a doubt, these are the most difficult tires to mount I've ever used. I broke 2 tire levers trying to get them on and all the usual tricks like soapy water failed. I ended up paying my LBS to get it done--since I had to get new levers anyway. Plus, I'm at the age where sometimes you just want to throw money at a problem to make it go away :) Gratifyingly, the mechanic told me he had a rough time with them as well so I don't feel quite so dumb now.
But once on, they're pretty nice--soaks up bumps really well. I can't speak to how well they'll handle real gravel--got them for my regular commuter bike--but so far, the grip and handling seem good. I've just got my fingers crossed I can get by without having to take them off any time soon.
I live in downtown Las Vegas, and there's a lot of debris in these streets. I used to get a puncture flat almost every ride (I was on Schwalbe Marathons). I hated it, made me want to stop cycling. I wanted the absolute best puncture protection, and the Continental Gator Hardshell tire delivered. Since installing these, I haven't had any flat tires (7 rides so far). I got the 32mm width, 70psi helps avoid punctures too. Some say these tires don't have good road feel since they're thicker and heavier. I say a tire that holds air feels better than one that doesn't.
