Even while complaining about how cold it was, I spent the beginning of the year doing two straight days of snow riding. There’s a theory that saying "it’s cold" is just a reflex, and it’s actually not that cold. Keisuke here.
Today, while touching on those snow rides from the beginning of the year, I’m going to write about these tires that played a major role in the snow.
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…
It wasn’t exactly “a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away,” but looking back at when I first encountered these tires, it feels like it was just that long ago.
My first encounter with these tires dates back over a dozen years. Back then, as a high school student, it was honestly difficult for me to understand what they were, where their appeal lay, or what the size 700x43c actually meant. But I still vividly remember the shock I felt at their rugged tread pattern and the sense of volume when mounted on a wheel—it completely captured my heart.
If we’re talking about things that didn’t make sense, it was about as confusing as the time I found a VHS tape at my parents' house as a kid and saw a big man in a black cape and mask swinging a red sword, saying, "I am your father." But that galaxy far, far away left a huge impact on me, and its charm still holds my heart to this day.
Since that day my heart was captured, the return of a legendary tire
【BRUCE GORDON】
Rock’n Road Tire
COLOR : Blackwall / Gumwall
SIZE : 650B x 43mm / 650B x 48mm / 700C x 43mm / 700C x 48mm
Tubeless compatible (700C x 43mm model is not compatible)
PRICE: 8,800 yen
Time has passed since that shocking encounter, and we are now in the present day.
Gravel touring has become the centerpiece of trends, tire clearances are getting larger, and our playgrounds are moving from paved roads to forest trails.
Whether you should say the times have caught up, the sizes once called "fat" have now become standard, and I think it has become much easier to choose tires in that same size range.
The Rock’n Road Tire has been resized, updated, and resurrected, as if throwing a stone into that competitive tire market.
Needless to say, I jumped at the chance to get a tire that I had been unable to get my hands on over a decade ago (partly because of tire size, and partly because I didn't own a bike that could run them), even though I had sensed its appeal back then.
A "Do It All" tire from dry to snow
What I chose this time is the newly added size, 650B x 48mm Gumwall.
I set them up tubeless to take advantage of the 48mm air volume and run through rough gravel.
The ride I took shortly after putting these tires on was a route of a little over 50km—the first half on paved roads, then entering a gravel trail from the top of a mountain pass, slowly descending along the ridgeline, and then riding paved roads back home. It was very sunny, but because it had rained the day before, the gravel surface was semi-dry.
I started out expecting stability on rocky, rough surfaces and gravel descents, but even on flat gravel and climbs, they gripped the surface firmly and provided a stable ride without slipping when applying torque.
The sense of security that is transmitted through the pedals as I push down, knowing they are firmly gripping the ground, makes it easy to end up pushing the pace.
※Minimum pressure limits vary depending on rider weight, bike setup, and road conditions. (The pressures above are for a 50kg rider and an 8kg bike.)
I set the pressure on the higher side at 2.8–3.0 bar (maximum 3.5 bar) for the start on paved roads, then let some air out at the entrance of the gravel to lower the pressure for the unpaved section. Combined with the characteristic sidewall suppleness of Panaracer, which manufactures them, they provide a level of suppleness and grip that exceeds their air volume.
The distinctive tread pattern didn't clog with sand even on damp, post-rain roads, and I was able to run through gravel covered in melting snow without it getting completely buried in the snow.
True potential realized! Snow tire DNA that treads on snow and breaks ice!
The Rock’n Road Tire has a design source in Finnish spike tires. That snow tire DNA proved its worth on snow and ice.
One day during my snow rides at the start of the year, I took these tires to my home course in Seto. It was a route of less than 30km, climbing a paved mountain pass and returning via a gravel descent. Although there wasn't much snowfall, the paved road on the north side of the mountain didn't get any sun, so it was frozen in places.
Since I was climbing on the frozen sections, I wasn't going very fast, but I proceeded cautiously while being mindful of slipping.
Beneath my feet, as I was nervous about the road surface, these tires crunched through thin ice, raking through the snow and treading on the ground, allowing me to continue my ride as usual. I felt a great sense of security here as well. The confidence and peace of mind you get from being able to trust your bike—and by extension, your tires—are powerful allies on a ride.
They defied my expectations in a good way, performing even better than I hoped. They offer a high degree of freedom to handle any road surface, along with an all-terrain capability and stability that seems to wipe away a rider's anxiety.
If I had to point out a weak point, it would be that they struggle a bit with cornering. As you can see, the tread pattern is linear both vertically and horizontally, so it tends to slide laterally when force is applied in that direction. Honestly, while riding, I did feel the rear wheel slip slightly during cornering. However, that is only to the extent that they aren't great at high-speed cornering, and I don't think it's enough to feel uneasy about the ride.
The Rock’n Road Tire has been resurrected, keeping its old-school tread pattern while receiving updates suited to the current era.
Now that bike categories and riding styles are diversifying, I can't say they fit everyone, but if you ever find yourself standing at the entrance to an unknown road with these tires on, there is no reason not to go further. Because you’re with the Rock’n Road Tire.
