You can't have everything in a tyre and with the American Classic Ki🌳mberlite you trade weight for price and puncture protection.
Pros
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Price is two for one compared to everyone else
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Long life
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Excellent puncture protection
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Exceptional warranty
Cons
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Heavy
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American Classic entered the cycling scene in the early 80s. American road and track racer Bill Shook de🌜veloped expertise in high-end aluminium and brought the brand to prominence over the next three decades, but then in 2018, ꧋after 36 years, the company disappeared from the market.
In the fall of 2021, we covered the comeback as well as the renewed focus it brought. Today's American Classic offers a range of low-cost, high-value tyres. Sales are direct-to-cons🥀umer, through Amazon, and pricing sits close to half what you might pay for something similar from other brands.
This winter we spent time with the American Classic Kimberlite tyre, which is an all-road style tubeless-ready tyre for fast riding that transitions on and off of pavement. It's not currently included in our list of the 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:best gravel tyres but we wanted to see if it should be in a future version. If you are l𒊎ooking for an inexpensive go♋ anywhere type of gravel tyre keep reading to see our thoughts on this option from American Classic.
Larger side knobs give plenty of﷽ cornering grip off-road. (Image credit: Josh Ross)
Specifications
and settled on 29 psi. That matches the recommendation for my weight when paired with the 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Hunt 42 Limitless Gravel Disc and its 25mm internal width. This pairing carried me through the next few months of winter riding and a mix of mostly road with gravel roads sprinkled into the mix as and when it made s🃏ense. I remained comfortable and there is no sign of wear despite the mileage.
When it's near freezing and raining, the last thing you want to mess with is a puncture. For that reason, I was grateful for the promise of puncture protection and during my time testing these tyres, I never experienced a puncture. However, all that puncture protection does come with a cost though and that's weight - these are heavy⛎ tyres.
Conceptually close to the American Classic Kimberlite is the WTB Byway. The Byway is a well-known tyre that comes in the 𒁃same 120tpi tubeless 700x40 with edge-to-edge puncture protection. It also weighs around 100 grams less but it does cost over twice as much. If you are willing to sacrifice the extra weight you not only save money but end up with a very similar ride performance.
The design of the centre does best with continued forward movement. Pedal your bike straight ahead and it doesn't matter if you find yourself on paved road or gravel road, it's a good experience. It can lend itself to float when you find yourself on mud so either stick to the road in the rain or look for a different option when riding off-road in the wet. There is traction as you corne♕r bu🦩t in the wet, the transition can feel abrupt.
The centre uses details to ♕add surface area𓆏 for better grip and puncture protection (Image credit: Josh Ross)
Verdict
The American Classic Kimberlite tyre isn't a do anything, set it and forget it kind of tyre. If it's wet you'll have a better experience sticking to paved roads. When it's dry, the Kimberlite will handle gravel 𝓀roads just fine.
Wherever you use the Kimberlite you will notice the weight. ℱIn exchange for the weight, you get high puncture protection that's backed by a warranty. You also get a hard-wearing tyre and pricing that can't be beaten. For the fastest race🅰 days, you might consider looking elsewhere but you might also be willing to deal with the weight and not worry about a puncture.
Tech Specs: American Classic Kimberlite gravel tyre
Josh hails from the Pacific Northwest of the United States but would prefer riding through the desert than the rain. He will happily talk for hours about the minutiae of cycling tech but al💖so has an understanding that most people just want things to work. He is a road cyclist at heart and doesn't care much if those roads are paved, dirt, or digital. Althoug💛h he rarely races, if you ask him to ride from sunrise to sunset the answer will be yes.
Height: 5'9"
Weight: 140 lb.
Rides: Salsa Warbird, Cannondale CAAD9, Enve Melee, Look 795 Blade RS, Priority Continuum Onyx
