Stop Under-Tiring Your Gravel Bike (and Other Hot Takes)

I went to Taiwan, but the show must go on. While I was away covering the Taipei Cycle Show, Mike Levy, Lisa Charlebois, and Logan Jones-Wilkins had plenty to talk about. Predictably, things got heavily focused on gravel tire pressure, but that wasn’t all.

This week, the podcast crew debates why roadies need bigger gravel tires, breaks down Specialized’s newest tech, and confesses to their strangest cold-weather clothing hacks.

In this episode, we cover:

Lisa’s 300km Mission: A recap of an epic 193-mile ride through Napa and Sonoma, plus a crucial PSA on the protocol for crossing the Golden Gate Bridge late at night.

Specialized's New Pathfinder TLR: Logan is currently working his way through a massive pile of test rubber. He explains why pros like Keegan Swenson opt for the slickest options, but argues the more aggressive Terra tread is actually better for the rest of us.

Levy’s Tire Volume Hot Take: Levy takes a firm stance that most gravel riders are severely under-tired. His advice to roadies hitting the dirt? Stop obsessing over aero, mount the biggest tires your frame clears, and run an insert.

New Roval Gravel Wheels: A quick look at the newly launched Roval Terra Aero CLX and Terra CLX3 wheelsets, including a discussion on their 27mm internal width and the decision to use a wide carbon hook.

Questionable Winter Kit: Inspired by Jonas Vingegaard's heavily modified, cut-up winter bib shorts, the crew shares their own extreme cold-weather survival tactics—from crotchless long underwear to the merits of baggy mountain bike pants on a drop-bar bike.

Give it a listen, and let us know in the comments if you have a favorite tire or if you think Levy is wrong on his hot take.

Episode Timestamps:

00:00 - Intro

01:25 - Lisa’s 300k

05:04 - Gravel Tires

27:54 - Specialized Wheels

34:28 - Clothing discussion