BRUCE GORDON Rock'n Road Tire

The tire that created the modern standard

The 700 x 43c fat tire exhibited at Bruce Gordon's booth at NAHBS is a very common tire size today, but in the early 1980s, 26-inch MTBs were the mainstream.

In the early 80's, 26" MTBs were the mainstream, but in the UK and the US, there were already 700c fat tires, the prototype for 29er tires. The snow tire made in Finland, the origin of this tire, gave them a dream. It was the prototype of the 29er, so to speak. The Rock 'n Road tire was inspired by this tire.

The tire that set the standard for the modern era was discontinued with the death of Bruce Gordon in 2019, but David, a former apprentice of Bruce Gordon, has taken over his mentor's work and is now producing the Rock 'n Road Tire again at Panaracer, the pride of Japan. The new model is now being produced again by Panaracer, the world's leading manufacturer of tires in Japan.

In addition to the existing tire sizes, a new tire size, 650b x 48mm, 700c x 48mm, has been added to the lineup, as larger tires are becoming more popular.

The tire's tread pattern is made up of low knobs scattered throughout the tire, making it smooth on city streets, dry dirt, and a bit of singletrack, while the fat tire's air volume helps to reduce road push.

When the Rock When the Rock 'n Road tire was designed, it was created for one purpose and one purpose only: to make it easy to travel over any terrain. It was designed for one purpose, and one purpose only: to be easy to drive on all terrains. The unique "step pyramid" tread pattern is the key to this capability. At high speeds, the center tread line becomes a nearly continuous line, allowing the rest of the tire to lift slightly off the ground when driving on pavement.Rock 'n Road mimics the feel of a narrow road tire on pavement, but when driven on dirt, sand, mud, or gravel, the tire's best qualities become apparent. It is on trails with varying weather conditions that this tire really shows its worth.

The tire design is by American mtb legend "Joe Murray" (one of the founders of Kona and designer of various bicycles and parts).

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