*100km ride report:* Well, I ordered a set of *Michelin Pro 5 in 40mm in tanwall* and installed the *165mm New Albion XDD 46/34 crankset* to go with my *9 speed 11-32 cassette*. The Michelin Pro 5s seem pretty good, compared to 55mm gravel tires, and they look very good in tan. I only got to ride about 30 miles on the Schwalbe Pro One in 38mm before I swapped them out, but I do think that those felt a bit lighter and faster on paved roads with my Platypus. Both tires measured true to size on the wide cliffhanger rims that I have. The 165mm crankset works well for me compared to 173mm in 38/24.
I spent most of the ride in the 46 up front, shifting my way through the range of the cassette. The 34 came in handy for spinning up gradients and for recovery. It's a very satisfying build right now, rolling along upright for 100km puts a smile on my face. Slow enough to not scare anyone in the park, fast enough have fun ride on. I tucked in occasionally to deal with the wind and pick up speed, but over 100km the bike’s weight and wheels show up — which seems more about the engine than the machine. I’m happy with the build as-is and plan to ride it this way for a little while. That said, on longer rides with rolling terrain or false flats, a lighter wheelset would help take some of the edge off. Forgot to take photos on this ride, but I’ll post something interesting next time. On Sunday, February 15, 2026 at 10:24:17 AM UTC-6 Stephen Martinez wrote: > Hey man! Yep — you were on that *really nice* Neutrino on that ride, > riding with your brother too I think. I was riding with the MBBC guys for a > bit on my blue Waterford (below). > > Funny enough, I also have 26" Rat Trap Pass on a 90s hardtail with a rigid > fork — a Waterford 1400. I’ve been thinking of doing the Cotton Patch > Challenge Gravel Grinder in Greenville later this September on that bike, > though I don’t really ride gravel, it looks like a fun t-shirt ride though. > It’s quick for what it is, but with the 1x gearing I do spin out on road > rides once speeds creep up. > > On the Platypus side, I originally started with 2x Rene Herse Antelope > Hills in 55mm. I actually took a spill last year cornering down a small > hill in the park — my fault for not realizing how high my center of gravity > is on the Platypus compared to a road bike. After the usual “is my bike > okay?” followed “welp, there goes $100.” The brakes took a hit and tore > through the sidewall, so that tire was done. > > After that I swapped on a spare IRD to the front. It’s not a true slick > like the Rene Herse — more of a micro-dot tread — but it’s been fine for > riding around this winter. I did run the Rene Herse setup on a faster group > ride (Ride Around Dallas 100), and I got dropped pretty quickly after each > regroup. Short rolling hills and rubber-banding speeds above ~18 mph really > added up on the heavier Platypus with cliffhangers. That said, I’m stronger > now, and I do think lighter wheels (down the road) would help if I want to > use it for faster rides like that. > > I’m in no rush to change things up all at once — I can take a long-term, > one-change-at-a-time approach. For now it’ll just be lighter tires and a > different crank length / chainring combo, with wheels maybe later in the > year. No matter how it’s set up, the Platypus (and mixtes in general) are > just super fun in that upright position. > > Like you mentioned, body position is huge. I can tuck a bit when needed — > I'm running Nitto Losco bars, so I can slide my hands onto the straight > section near the stem. The stem is a fillet-brazed Nitto faceplate, around > 100–110mm. It looks great and works well as-is, though I could see going > slightly longer or lower to stretch things out a bit while still keeping > the comfy upright sweptback bars option. > > Hope to see you out riding again this year — your Strava rides always look > like a good time! > > [image: IMG_2320.jpeg] > > On Saturday, February 14, 2026 at 7:47:01 PM UTC-6 GAJett wrote: > >> Interesting data on tire wear, but a lot of info is missing. In you seen >> to report the distance ridden or the time ridden. In no case have you >> reported the tire pressures used. In other cases I found terms are poorly >> defined limiting my understanding of your points. >> >> A Compilation of Your Data >> >> RH rec. psi Your >> Tire Width Load Dist. Time Result >> Soft Firm psi >> Stampede Pass 32 270? n.s. 4 days Tread smooth >> 60 74 _____ >> Stampede Pass* 32 350 n.s. <1 day Worn out >> 88 110 _____ >> Bon Jon Pass 35 270 730 n.s. OK >> 69 85 _____ >> ============================================================= >> All tires: 700c Width: mm Load: lbs. Dist.: miles >> n.s.: Not Stated >> * Using the above smooth-treaded tires. >> >> You don't mention any performance issues such as slippage. While the >> center tread pattern of your Stampede Pass tires did wear smooth the tire >> "kept going" meeting the marketing claim made by RH. On the follow-up ride >> with three people on the Stampede Pass tires you mention they were "worn >> out". Does that mean the center rubber was worn away down the the casing >> threads, or something else? >> >> For myself, running a total weight of about 175 lbs, I'm on my second set >> of Loup Loup Pass tires (650b x 38). These are consistently run at the RH >> recommended soft pressure of 40 psi front and rear. I haven't tracked my >> mileage till last year (1,000 mi. in 7 months) but I estimate both sets >> have gone over 2,000 miles. While the center of the tread has worn smooth >> it looks like there's a lot more distance before they're "worn out"). And >> what does that really matter? >> >> But anyway, I'm converting my old Raleigh Competition from 27-inch wheels >> to 650b (for a lower standover height). 42's will definitely fit while >> 48's would be an upper limit. In any case, as much as I love the RH tires, >> I'll probably go with a pair of 650b x 42 Panaracer GravelKing Slicks >> saving about $32 in cost and about 30g over the RH extralight Babyshoe Pass >> tires as based on advertised weights. >> >> GAJett >> >> On Thu, Feb 12, 2026 at 10:01 AM Piaw Na <[email protected]> wrote: >> >>> On Wednesday, January 14, 2026 at 9:39:47 AM UTC-8 [email protected] >>> wrote: >>> >>> Of course, none of this means that they didn't do robust studies and >>> publish their results in reputable, peer-reviewed journals. And it does not >>> mean that their tires aren't faster, grippier and more comfortable than any >>> other tires available. I was just making a wisecrack about the tendency to >>> reference science that indicates you should buy their products if you like >>> things like speed, comfort or traction without sharing the actual science >>> (on the parts of the website I've been too, at least). >>> >>> EIther way, I definitely want to try their extralight tires at some >>> point. I've just been intimidated about them being "fragile," especially >>> because me plus my bike weigh about 270lbs. >>> >>> >>> I don't trust anything Rene Herse says about their tires. (The tread >>> pattern in particular is a bunch of hogwash, as I'll describe below) For >>> instance, I think that at 32mm or less, there are plenty of other >>> comparables from major manufacturers at 1/2 to 1/3 the price that will work >>> well for most riders. I run Michelin Power Cup 28s on my single bikes ($35 >>> each) and are very happy with them. >>> >>> Having said that, for 35mm tires and up, there really aren't any >>> comparables that are as light. And at the prices RH is charging there's no >>> point (for my use cases) to using anything other than extralights, since if >>> you're happy to carry extra weight there are plenty of large sized tires >>> that are heavy. >>> >>> As for your weight and size, I use extralight Bon Jon Pass tires on my >>> tandem/triplet. When we're unloaded as a 2-seat tandem the bike is 250 >>> pounds, when fully loaded we're 270 pounds. The bike survived last year's >>> tour of the dolomites and alps (including off roading) for 730 miles and >>> over 57000' of climbing and the tire still hasn't worn off the center tread >>> pattern yet. The year. before that, we did 823 miles and over 73000' on a >>> much tougher tour with 700x32 Stampede pass extralights. Within 4 days of >>> that sort of treatment the center tread pattern disappeared (which is why I >>> think the center tread is just marketing --- how could it make any >>> difference if it wore out after 4 days into an 800+ mile tour), but the >>> tire kept going. We got the bike home, put the bike into 3-seat >>> configuration and it wore out when we rode it in Santa Cruz on a day ride. >>> (In triplet we were 350 pounds) That was when I started shopping for the >>> Bon Jon Pass 700x35 tires, which measure 38mm on our tandem. So if you want >>> to try the extra-light Rene Herse tires I think we've tested that tire way >>> beyond your weight class for you and you can buy with confidence. I'd wager >>> that I'm also a much more aggressive rider off road than most folks. :-) >>> >>> -- >>> >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >>> "RBW Owners Bunch" group. >>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send >>> an email to [email protected]. >>> >> To view this discussion visit >>> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/94b2884f-2b09-4ef6-8b55-d1fc3a5b5330n%40googlegroups.com >>> >>> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/94b2884f-2b09-4ef6-8b55-d1fc3a5b5330n%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >>> . >>> >> -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/2632280a-7d1e-4e23-801a-a5badcf85f5dn%40googlegroups.com.
