With increased tire clearance and capability, today's gravel bikes can take on rougher trails than ever before
I enjoy clearing up common misunderstandings. "Gravel biking is exactly the same as mountain biking was 20 years ago!" " That's a loaded sentence with a lot of space for interpretation. For someone who spends much too much time thinking and writing about the differences in off-road biking, I'm not sure the Specialized Rhombus Pro tire does me any favors in dispelling the myth/misconception. I'm certain I don't care because it's my best gravel bike tire I've tested so far, even if it won't be my primary gravel bike tire.
To confuse matters further, Specialized advertises the Rhombus Pro as a gravel tire designed for "tough riding on severe routes." This adds gasoline to the fire of those who believe that gravel biking would be amazing if bikes had dropper posts, suspension forks, and flat handlebars.
"With increased tire clearance and capability, today's gravel bikes can take on rougher trails than ever before," says Specialized.
"Just purchase a mountain bike!" say dirt bike detractors”
There is a legitimate use case for the Rhombus Pros that differs from conventional trail bike riding, but first, let's go through the Rhombus specifications.
Rhombus Pro tire specifications
The casing has 60 threads per inch, and the tire is a folding bead tire with Endurant flat prevention and the Gripton tire compound. The Rhombus' suggested tire pressure range is 35-65psi, and the tires weigh a stated 575g in size 42. I've been putting the 700x47s through their paces.
For a long time, bike companies attempted to persuade us that 27.5 is the "fun size" wheel, like a bag of Snickers meant for the Halloween bucket, while 29ers are the "racing" size. To say the least, the language is kitschy, but I'm going to adopt it anyway and declare that 70047 is the "fun" tire size for gravel bikes.
The breadth has certain disadvantages. If you're on really smooth gravel or concrete, it's heavy and useless. The tire may not feel as hard or responsive as a narrower tire, but the increased volume dampens the ride while you're on chunk, which is where you want to be on the Specialized Rhombus.
I strapped on the 47s in preparation for a bikepacking/tour journey from Boulder to Denver to Winter Park and back to Boulder. Except for snow, they've seen almost every surface imaginable since then. Because they are a narrower tire, they mounted up quickly with a shot from a compressor, and I haven't had any difficulties with air leaking.
The Rhombus resembles a little mountain bike tire. For extra traction, the central tread is comprised of ramping, clustered knobs with open pockets. There are well-spaced transition knobs with siping for continuous grip as you lean the bike over, followed by blocky side knobs with more sipes and some give for further traction.
Rhombus Specialized in Action
The Rhombus tires spin up effectively, although on smoother ground there is some visible drag and buzzing. And, while it's a little draggy for a gravel tire, it's not much different from an XC tire.
I've had no problems with the tires' expected traction. They thrive on buff singletrack, but they also dig in and grasp the ground in looser, rockier situations. The few times I've seen slippage have been in deep, loose soil, which is to be anticipated. A narrower tire like this will not match a 2.3-2.5′′ tire.
Leaning the tire over, there are no gaps in coverage, and they readily travel from the center to the side knobs. I never feel like I'm leaning as much on a gravel bike as I do on a mountain bike, but the tires keep a line on the corner knobs.
I've also been pleasantly impressed by how well the tires have held up. I'd been running lower pressure, approximately 35psi, and the tires had a lot of rock smashing on the way down Rollins Pass.
#BikeTires #MountainBike #Tires #Rhombus
SOURCE: singletracks
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