I've truly enjoyed my 2012 LeChamp Ti from day 1. On a few rides, I've ventured a little of the beaten path down a gravel/dirt road, but since it's still first and foremost a road bike, I've been a bit hesitant to do too much serious gravel riding.
So my question is, has anyone thrown on some gravel knobbies and turned their LC Ti into a gravel road bike? Think the CF fork can take the punishment? What about the frame or the stock Mavic Ksyriums?
Stuff the biggest road tires you can fit in the frame and brakes and go ride it. Unless the surface is very soft or very rocky, you will manage just fine with slicks.
The limiting factor on my 2011 LeChamp Ti is the rear brake bridge. I can barely fit 25mm Michelin Lithion 2 tires (which actually measure out to 26+mm for me); 25mm Michelin Pro4 Service Course were even wider, and rubbed the brake bridge. So "gravel knobbies" are unlikely to fit.
Yeah, I hadn't reallythought that far ahead, but looking at the brake bridge and front derailleur bracket clearances, with 23c's mounted, I only have about 3mm if clearance. I might experiment with some smallish knobbies or 25mm Gatorskins.
For me and at my size, it is all about the tires. Smaller than 28 is useless for me unless nice and graded. Buy rather like 37-8CM actual size for logging road and chucked up surface. And they are fine for smooth graded as well. 6'1" and 210lb.
Has anyone tried taking it on the gravel? I'm looking for a bike that can do some gravel (for stress-free mileage - i.e. no distracted drivers) but be good on the road (for doing some triathlons - not looking to be competitive).
"These Mavic Ksyrium Elite wheels performed flawlessly. The tires were good too, but we upgraded them to Michelin 30c tires for more mixed terrain capabilities."
But maybe the better route would be to get the Fantom Cross TI and throw road tires on it for road duty?
Has anyone tried taking it on the gravel? I'm looking for a bike that can do some gravel (for stress-free mileage - i.e. no distracted drivers) but be good on the road (for doing some triathlons - not looking to be competitive).
anyone able to fit 28c GP4000s on the newer le champ TI? I read these measure slightly over 30mm. I emailed bikes direct they said 28 was max but all 28c tires vary from different manufacturers. Thanks.
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Road Bike, Cycling Forums
5.4M posts
205K members
Since 1990
A forum community dedicated to Road Bike owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about bike parts, components, deals, performance, modifications, classifieds, troubleshooting, maintenance, and more!