The Radavist

American Classic recently relaunched as a tire company, offering a variety of sizes for road, gravel, and e-bikes at an approachable price point. Coinciding with the relaunch, American Classic has established an ambassador program and is currently seeking applicants.

All types of riders and racers are encouraged to complete the application form to be considered. American Classic will then follow up and provide tires to those selected in exchange for feedback, fun content, and the charge of spreading the joy of cycling.

All of my mountain bikes have Teravail Kessel 2.6″ tires on them at this point. I’ve personally been thrilled at the tire’s grip and resistance to our sharp rocks here and can still count on one hand the number of times I’ve needed to plug one of those tires. So when the Warwick landed in my inbox, my interest was piqued. The Warick is designed for modern XC, flow, and enduro trails. This tire utilizes a hardback edge in the center of the tire to increase traction while braking. Teravail recommends a Kessel in the front and a Warwick in the rear for optimized trail riding when the going gets rough.

If you’re interested in reading more, head to Teravail, and if you want to get rolling on a set, hit up your local dealer.

Piggybacking on our recent news that WTB is keeping 29/27.5+ tires in its catalog, we wanted to plug – sorry, bad pun – the brand’s new Tubeless Tire Sealant.

For a company that is probably best known for its tires, WTB cares about keeping you rolling across all aspects of wheel-related goods. This is evident in its wheel development, rim tape, valves, tires, and now its own Tubeless Tire Sealant. It only makes sense that the brand would want to encapsulate its products under the TCS System umbrella. Now, not all sealant is created equal, and while everyone has their favorite sealant to use but WTB is doing something unique with its sealant so let’s check out what details make it different…

So there’s been a lot of chatter on this website about the availability of 29×3″ tires and I can finally share what WTB‘s 29+ offering will be later this year and into 2022. The official word from WTB is that 29×3 is here to stay, with the following coming in soon:

-Ranger 2.8 x 27.5″ TCS Light/Fast Rolling 60tpi Dual DNA SG2 tire
-Ranger 3.0 x 29″ TCS Light/Fast Rolling 60tpi Dual DNA SG2 tire
-Vigilante 2.8 x 27.5″ TCS Tough/Fast Rolling 60tpi TriTec E25 tire

If you’re like me, who invested in a 29+ tourer, you can breathe a sigh of relief. Many thanks to WTB for believing in us chonky weirdos. xo

Also, you don’t need to do anything at the moment but be patient. They’re hoping the 29×3″ Rangers will land in December so you don’t have to email them or anything…

Enjoy the weekend!

To commemorate 150 years of tires, Continental released a limited edition gravel bike with OPEN. These bikes come equipped with golden Terra Trail tires. Unfortunately, these bikes won’t ship to the USA but we can still ogle them from afar.

See more at Continental.

Restrap has developed a handy kit to save your ass when your supple tires decide to explode, 50km from your home. Their new Tyre Boot Kit has eight cuts of durable and tear-resistant Hypalon, specifically designed for covering sidewall and tread tears on any tubed tyre. The kit also contains superglue to attach the Hypalon patches, just try not to get it all over your hands this time. ;-)

The Tyre Boot Kit is for sale at Restrap today.

American Classic, known for wheels in the past, have relaunched as a tire company, making e-bike, road, and gravel tires, selling direct to consumer. Each tire design comes in either a 40mm, 50mm in 700c widths or 47mm in 650b in gumwall or black and the retail is a whopping $35… See more at American Classic.

The long-awaited 27.5″ x 2.2″ plump and knobby Umtanum Ridge TC Tire is now in stock at René Herse. Ever since Rene Herse Cycles has worked with Lael Wilcox to develop the 29″ / 700C Fleecer Ridge dual-purpose knobbies, they’ve been deluged with requests for 26″ and 650B versions with the same noise-cancelling tread pattern. They launched the 26″ Humptulips Ridge late last year. Now they are introducing the 650B / 27.5″ version, the Umtanum Ridge.

Pick up a pair now in Standard, Extralight, Endurance, and Endurance Plus casings at René Herse.

Perhaps you’ve got a classic road bike just waiting to take on the next vintage ride or you just like riding tubulars on rim brake bikes, either way, Vittoria’s latest rubber is something a little different. The Italian brand reached across the EU and tapped the Netherland’s A. Dugast to develop handmade tubulars, specifically for L’Eroica. These limited-edition tubulars are produced in 118 pieces – just 59 people in the world will be able to own them – and they are 100% hand-made by A. Dugast tire artisans in their workshop in the Netherlands. Only natural materials such as high-quality cotton, natural rubber, and natural latex are used. See more on this collaboration at Vittoria.

Available in red (26″ pictured) or grey (27.5″), the newest tire from Ultradynamico is ATB-inspired. Convert your 90s MTB into a modern, supple, planing machine.

Specs:
-Race compound for superior grip in all conditions.
-Luxurious high TPI mystery casing sourced from a Moroccan street bazaar which may vary in hue
-Tread rubber extended down sidewall for added protection without sacrificing the premium ride quality of our most flexible casing
-Continuous ramped center delta for a fast roll when propelled, and confident braking traction when modulated
-Side knobs won’t let you down, or let you fall down in loose, dry corners
-Wide knob spacing sheds mud and makes artistic patterns in the space dust
-Did you know the triangle is the strongest shape in this dimension?
-27.5 pairs as a front with our ROSé or CAVA 650b in the rear for a fast and fun slackened ATB rat-rover
-Tubeless compatible for a rover mimicking psi of 20-30psi
-Tires packaged and sold individually.
-Each set of commemorative 26″ MARS tires comes with a 13″ x 19″ poster from painter Bryan Buswell. Posters ship separately in a proper tube and will arrive a few days after your rubber.
-27.5″ x 2.2?? available in GREY compound only and 26″ x 2.2?? available in RED compound only.
-605g and 600g

In stock and shipping now from Ultradynamico.

If GoodYear’s gravel tire offerings are as robust as their mountain offering, then the Connector tires are going to be a great option for gravel riding and racing. The Connector tire comes in 120tpi casing, a fast-rolling tread pattern, an anti-puncture belt beneath the tread, and in sizes 700×35, 700×40, 700×50, and 650b x 50. These tires are available now with two more models on the way in a few months. See more at GoodYear.

Maxxis has a new gravel tire in their lineup. The semi-slick Receptor is a 650 x 47mm, 120 TPI, 484g tire that is designed to roll fast over pavement and hardpack while having bite on loose corners. See more at Maxxis.

Finally, a knobby 26″ tire from René Herse. The Humptulips tires are named after a ridge on the southern edge of the remote Olympic Mountains, home to a spectacular gravel loop. These tires are 2.3″ wide, come in three casings, in black or tanwall. Head to René Herse for more information.

Halo, makers of various wheels and components, have entered the gravel market with three new models of tires. Their RXR (650b x 47mm) is an all-road/hardpack tire, GXR (650b x 47mm) is an all-surface tire, and the GXC (650b x 47mm or 700 x 38mm) is a gravel tire with lots of grip for the roughest days out on backcountry roads. Each tire comes in black or gumwall and you can find out more at Halo Wheels.

If 2020 brought anything, it was an unexpected amount of time spent locally and at home. It feels like ages ago that we were spending seven months of the year on the road, traveling to events, races, and bike rides throughout the American West living out of our truck, grinding our morning coffee and cooking dinner under the stars. While it was and is a huge downer to be stuck at home with the Nation’s strictest Covid-19 restrictions, I cannot deny how much fun we had sticking to a radius close to our new home in the Land of Enchantment. While we didn’t do any month-long road trips, quick weekend jaunts provided plenty of inspiration as we familiarized ourselves with this beautiful state we now call home.

This year, a handful of products made my life easier in one way or another. Check out a quick list of some of my personal favorite products I used this year.

Got an older 26″ MTB frame and want some tires that are a little sprier? Check out Rene Herse Cycles’ latest dual-purpose knobby tire, the Humptulips Ridge 26″ x 2.3″, named after a remote ridge in the Olympic Mountains that offers some of the best riding in the PNW. Like most Rene Herse tires, the Humptulips Ridge is available with three casings, so riders can choose performance and durability to suit their needs: supple Standard (560 g; $ 74), ultra-fast Extralight (530 g; $ 89), and extra-tough Endurance (560 g; $ 89).

Check out more at René Herse.

“Are those GOODYEAR MTB tires?!” Since first building up my Starling Murmur, I have received more questions on its tires than the bike itself. On my preferred terrain, tires don’t last long, sometimes I’ll get a month out of them, sometimes it only takes a single ride for me to have a few Dynaplugs in them, so when tires last nine months, I am beyond impressed. I’ve had great luck and a good run with the Goodyear 29 x 2.6″ Escape tires, so let’s take a quick look at these robust tires…