A while back, I mentioned setting up my gravel bike with 53C tires.
Since then, I've been commuting 36 kilometers every day on a route that includes a 10-kilometer stretch of unpaved road.
Here are my thoughts...
It's exactly like the feeling I had when I rode with a drop bar setup on a super lightweight hardtail.
The gravel frame I ride has a flip-chip function that allows you to increase the wheelbase by 5 centimeters starting from 50C.
As the tires get wider (40C > 53C), the wheelbase increases significantly, making cornering on unpaved roads quite stable.
On the unpaved sections, I was able to achieve a hardtail-like riding ability.
However, on paved roads, the nimbleness I felt with 40C tires disappeared completely.
Since most of my riding is on pavement, I switched back to 40C tires.
If I were riding a frame with suspension (like the Giant Revolt X, which has front suspension),
I would definitely be using tires close to 53C.
