RIDEALIVE 2016 has seen all sorts of ride stories unfold, and here I’d like to share a little bit of mine.
In the Okumikawa region, even when you're just riding along on the pavement, if you look to the side, you’ll often find gravel trailheads peeking out at you. The same goes for the area around Lake Mikawa; I managed to find a few such entrances during my scouting trip.
Looking at Google Maps, the roads seem to dead-end, but satellite imagery suggests otherwise. Under the optimistic assumption that I could make it all the way to Tsukude, I planned to take this route on the second day of RIDEALIVE. I invited Kamo-chan, who had just installed SimWorks by Panaracer THE HOMAGE tires on the new bike we featured the other day.
As for me, I was riding a KONA ROVE ST borrowed from Mako-san of Culture Club, set up with a carrierless packing system.
Shortly after leaving Kobiso Campsite, we hit about 3km of gravel—the first half consisted of packed-down dirt, while the second half was a section filled with larger, wet rocks from the previous day's rain.
RIDEALIVE2016 Day2 from Shotaro Shiga on Vimeo.
At one point, I followed what seemed like the more pleasant path, only to end up on a side trail, lose our way, find ourselves pushing our bikes, and even encountering a giant deer….
I was a bit worried since I rarely ride unpaved roads while fully packed, but the performance of THE HOMAGE in different conditions was tremendous. The 43c air volume and side knobs provided excellent traction on loose gravel, and for the muddier stretches, the wide contact patch offered enough stability that I could climb and descend with confidence.
Even on the road, they were extremely comfortable for touring where you're not pushing for speed. Due to the typhoon on the day, we found ourselves riding along the coast against strong headwinds, but the tires never felt sluggish or draggy.
It reminded me once again what a fantastic tire this is.
Now, with cyclocross season approaching, some of the staff are busy getting their bikes ready, but if you’re thinking, "I'm not into racing!", why not try switching over to THE HOMAGE?
(You can use them in lower-level races, too. If you’re not worried about winning, they might actually be the best choice…)
They're popular in the U.S.A., and apparently you can even ride them in Myanmar.
These are the best tires for adventuring on mountain roads covered in fallen autumn leaves or winter snow!!
Be sure to give them a try!