S40 wheel and tire suggestions for gravel roads

[SteveY]

I have an S40, about a 2020 - 2021 model with quick release wheels. It has Kenda Kriterium 700x30mm tires and the stock wheels - I think - bought it used. These have been fine (Cruzbike newbie, about 200 miles ridden) on streets, paved trails, and hardpacked limestone rail trails. But on Nebraska/Eastern Iowa gravel roads they don't have enough grip and are too bouncy and uncomfortable even at the lowest pressure, which is around 63psi.

I know a little about tires and less about wheels so looking for advice on 2 main points:
1. Is it easier to build out a second set of wheels and tires, and swap them for gravel rides, or just get decent gravel tires that fit my wheels and swap them out with the Kenda tires? I would likely swap them 4-8 times a month.
2. Any suggestions for tires and/or wheels? I am not a racer or wish to spend thousands of dollars on this, but I would like something that balances value and cost for a 'serious recreational' rider doing 5 to 6k a year on the roads and trainer.

Thanks!

 

[cpml123]

I have Schwalbe G-one allaround 38mm. With tubeless, you can go to 40psi or so. I would suggest you try the tires on the gravel and see if you like them before spending money on getting a new set of wheels for gravel riding.

 

[SteveY]

My fork is the shorter one, like the photo attached. I read some other posts with people asking the same question, but couldn't find anyone who reported what worked.

I did find this comment on another site,

More specifically, many riders find that 650b wheels fitted with 42-47 mm wide tires measure about the same in diameter as 700c wheels fitted with 28-30 mm wide tires.

if that is true maybe 650b wheels are the best answer for this model?

 

[SteveY]

I did about 30 miles on gravel Saturday with about 60psi in both tires. It wasn't too bad other than a few places with fresh loose gravel. It was dry so the tires didn't slip to much. Strava says the max incline was 9%, but I saw up to 12% on the wahoo during the ride. I was happy with how it handled and got some practice getting into the right gear to spin up the steeps instead of overpowering and spinning out.

I think I will do a couple more rides before making changes. I am still learning how to ride the bike! This was my first ride where I didn't have to think about turning much of the time. And I could sometimes pick a straight line on the edge of a path and not worry or wobble or go into the grass.

If you have a favorite 700 tire you ride on gravel please recommend it.

 

[Boreen bimbler]

Slightly off topic but related. I just swapped my 170mm cranks and round chainring for 150mm cranks and an oval ring 2 teeth smaller than before. It is much better up hills now (and everywhere else), I would imagine on gravel would be far less likely to get wheelspin.
I also put my old wheels with 2mm less rim width on with the same 35mm tyres as I was using and there is a noticeable difference in comfort, for the better. It definitely proved the wider rim = more comfort idea wrong.

 

[SteveY]

I have read about shorter cranks, but 170 to 150 seems like a big jump. Can you provide any other details on why you prefer it? I have oval rings on my df road bike and like them, but I really don't notice a difference when riding other bikes with round ones. On second thought, I remember it is nice when doing long uphill climbs.

Do you think the tire comfort is from the rim width or is there other differences between the wheels?

 

[SteveY]

I am thinking about trying something like the Schwalbe G-ONE Speed or Allround tire - https://bikexchange.com/schwalbe-tires-review/#gravel.

Any tricks on figuring out if they might fit the tight clearance on my S40 before purchasing? Thanks.

 

[IyhelM]

Favorite tires:
* hard packed gravel: G-One Speed
* sand and loose gravel: GravelKing SS
* muddy paths: TerraSpeed

Note that if you go for 650b wheels it will seriously reduce your choice and that most 650b rims now come in 25 mm inner width which will let your tires expand 1 or 2 additional mm in width.

 

[Boreen bimbler]

Not sure about tyre widths fitting sorry. I'm quite a newbie with recumbents but am a lifelong (53 years) bike person.
I used the same 2 wheel sets on a standard bike I noticed no difference in stiffness with thinner tyres. DT Swiss 460 with 28 spokes on one set and 470 with 24 spokes on the other. The narrower 460's are more comfortable. I've been building wheels for most of my life and was surprised at the difference that way around. I think the ballooning of the tyre helps. It may just be the tyres I use - 35mm pirrelli somethings???

As for the crank change. The 170's always felt a bit long but that was what I had. I thought it would be a big jump but it felt instantly natural to me. You also have a naturally higher cadence. So with that and the oval ring long draggy hills seem far easier going and smoother. I have also used oval rings before and noticed the difference for about 10 min on a standard bike but I do think they help smooth the pedal stroke a bit up hills. Also even though I lost 2 teeth on the front I can pedal comfortably at 4-5kmh faster (38t ring 11-40 cassette).
I did read some forum explaining about how your knee angle should be different on a recumbent as you are in a different position. Didn't understand why tbh but after one 45km ride I'm converted.

If you go for two sets of wheels there often seem to be people selling off virtually new stock wheels after upgrading.
Hope that makes sense. I do go on a bit.

 

[SteveY]

I am lucky enough to have a couple of lbs's in town. I will visit them and hope to find a 700x30 gravel tire in stock so we can find one that won't rub. The G-One or the GravelKing mentioned above I think will be fine for mixed read/trail/gravel riding.

I did some searching on recumbent crank lengths and the little I found all leaned toward something shorter than what you need on a df bike.

Finally, I was already looking at the https://absoluteblack.cc/beach-racing-oval-sram-direct-mount-chainring-0mm/ from a previous blog post. I need to do some more hilly rides before determining the tooth size.

Thanks.

 

[SteveY]

I tried the panaracer gravelking sk 700x32. They rub in the center of the tire with 70 psi too much to ride. This is with tubes. At 60 psi it might be ok. I wonder if I go tubeless and lower pressure if it would work? The max tubeless psi is 60, so I could go lower.

Or try the ss 700x32. The nubs are not as tall on the ss.