I've been running Ramblers for a few years now and highly recommend them. I used a set of 40c EXO tires f/r for a couple years and am now on a 45c EXO front and 40c Silk Shield in the rear to get a little more "suspension" in the front and flat resistance in back. The lighter EXO model is a little more fragile, but they're light at around 375 grams, so a good tire for race days or lighter riders. The 45c is a good amount larger in volume than the 40c, and can be run several PSI lower. Ramblers roll decently on pavement, and don't feel like they give up a ton of watts over a smaller/smoother tire. And more importantly they have a consistent amount of grip when leaned over - the side knobs don't feel too squirmy on pavement, like WTB Nanos can, for comparison. On gravel these are in their element, and they can handle some trail use too, within reason.
They set up easily as tubeless. They're fast and have good traction is all the conditions I encountered (rain, snow, dry pavement, dirt, gravel). But they're insanely fragile. With less than 200 miles on them I'm throwing away the front tire; too many cuts to trust the tire anymore. On the second ride I had to call my wife to come pick me up because I had so many rear punctures my sealant was exhausted and my hands were too cold from messing with the pump to fit the tube I carry. (To be fair, they use cinders on the road around here for traction in winter, but this was <10 miles into the ride.) I love Maxxis tires and use them almost exclusively on my MTB. But these were a terrible disappointment. Won't recommend them. Won't buy them again.
I like Maxxis tires anyway and expected these to work well, which they do. After years of using Kendas as my winter tires I switched to these and have been very happy. They are lightweight but seem durable. They have great handling, especially in turns. Their rounded profiles are much preferred to the Kendas and their square-edged shoulders that resulted in sudden tip-in on turns. They mounted tubeless on my Stan's ZTR rims with minimal fuss. Traction is good wet or dry, upright or leaned into a turn. I particularly like that these Ramblers run so well on so many surfaces as most of my gravel rides are mixed-surface rides. One ride I do often transitions from asphalt to gravel and back again multiple times over the 35 or so miles and these tires handle those transitions without a blip. However, on really burly gravel these can get overwhelmed. I'm thinking here of gravel better negotiated with 2.4 or larger MTB tires. For everything else, though, the Ramblers excel and I'm willing to accept sketchy performance in extreme conditions for exceptional performance in all the other conditions I encounter.
Very bad esthetically the black is painted up the sidewall in several spots and looks extremely unprofessional. I don't own a wallmart bike and if I did this would suit it. Totally unacceptable, should of never passed qc.
Love these tires, they were a huge improvement over my old ones. They are 40mm, but seem to cling to the ground like they're a lot wider. I live in a dry area, so my experience has been on dry dirt paths, pea sized gravel, and forest floors with leaves and twigs. I don't have a reason to think the tires will perform poorly in mud, but I can't speak on that topic. One final thought: I haven't noticed much slowdown on paved roads. I do about 50/50% of dirt and pavement.
The Rambler are a nice addition to my old Trek of 20 years. i overhauled the entire bike stripping it down to the bare metal and rebuilding. the choice of the Rambler was a combination of fit, drive style, and changing conditions for winter commute. they work well with road commuting as well as trials along the Erie Canal. the tires look great on the bike and it is a wonderful addition. I have not set them up as TL but will plan to do that in the future.
I got these tires to replace stock Kenda Happy Medium. I planned on racing and wanted a lighter tire. Read lots of reviews of gravel racing tires and for my purposes the Rambler is meeting and exceeding my expectations. I have ridden (I keep track of all my rides) 515 miles so far on these tires. Road, rotten granite, super rocky climbs and descents, loamy forest trails, full on mtb trails, gravel roads, snowymuddy conditions, sand, and some roots have been the surfaces.
The stick well in all conditions and are predictable on all reasonable surfaces.
I'm using 40mm tires, tubeless, on a Lynskey GR270 with Stans Grail rims. Loaded weight of me and bike is just under 200 lbs.
I'm using the 120TPI front and 60 TPI rear.
The tires are wearing great. No cuts or holes.
Price was reasonable and I have no complaints.
YMMV.
This review is for the EXO/TR 700x45. Nice supple sidewall. Seems to have lower rolling resistance that WTB Riddler. Measures 44mm wide mounted to my rims, a couple mm less wide than the Riddlers. Good traction on hard pack dirt and easy single track.
I have these on front and back of my carbon gravel bike after the stock tires both got holes that would not hold a plug-even the oversized mushroom head type of plug. These tires are great rollers and have good traction even on singletrack and gravel downhills. The only trouble I have is that they loose pressure rather quickly. I have pumped them up to 50psi and had them deflate to 40 psi in @2 hours...I read another review where a guy has this problem and turns out there were holes in his sidewalls, so I checked with soapy water, but no sign of holes, so...? I know there is plenty of sealant, too...
I've gone through a couple pair of Ramblers in the 40mm size. The first pair I was conservative and used the 60 TPI for the rear and 120 front thinking the tougher tire for the rear. Next set I got 120 TPI front and rear and the 120 TPI held up fine.
Looking for more volume my next set was the 45 mm size. 120TPI for both. They have been super tires. My normal ride is about 40 mile total. 25 on pavement to and from and 15+ miles mostly intermediate mtb singletrack but there's some extreme rocky difficult stuff too. Around here it's everything from nice packed clay to embedded rock to loose sharp rocks.
For plain old gravel and forest service roads they're superb.
They roll great on the road and are great off road. Not a lot of mud here, but are a bit slippery with the occasional rain. But what isn't?
I ride a Lynskey GR 270 w/ Stan's Grail wheels, 700c. The Maxxis size is true to size on my rims, 45mm mounted and aired, tubeless. Of the two 45mm tires I got, one was 494g the other 504g. That's for the EXO TR tire.
I wanted a lightweight gravel tire that was still durable enough and this one fits the bill. I ride my gravel bike like an off-roading Porsche and so far no flats. These are tubeless ready and that's how I have them setup. It definitely rolls fast on both the pavement and dirt. It has just enough grip to hit corners at speed and weave through single track without issues. The tires went on the rim with no issues. I even managed to pump up the tires with a floor pump without an air compressor to seal them in.
These are a great tire for gravel and trails. Road these at the Heck of The North, which is a gravel race in Two Harbors, Mn. They were perfect. Supple, lightweight, decent rolling resistance, and most importantly, good traction in the mud.
Looking for a tire to do the TAT across Arkansas. I've found it. Just yhe right mix of toughness and roll. The silkshield does not make the tire too stiff. May need 3 hands to mount it, but very much worth the effort. Will buy again.
I purchased a set of these in June of 99 for my Lynskey gravel build They roll great and grip well in all but the roughest conditions They were a little fragile so when I started to get frequent leaks ( I'm running tubeless ) on the rear I replaced it with a slightly heavier silk shield version So far I am happy I did Holds air better and no leaks so far
I purchased a set of these in June of 99 for my Lynskey gravel build They roll great and grip well in all but the roughest conditions They were a little fragile so when I started to get frequent leaks ( I'm running tubeless ) on the rear I replaced it with a slightly heavier silk shield version So far I am happy I did Holds air better and no leaks so far
I had an original set of Ramblers and found them the worst tires I had ever tried to mount tubeless. For reference between switching tires across three race wheel sets and three training wheels, in both cases for gravel and ultra mtb racing, I probably mount 15 tiresyear. I have a shop air compressor and prestaflator to make quick work of it.
After reading the reviews about the improved design I thought I'd try these again. Now, to be fair I have only tried to mount Ramblers on one wheel - Hed Belgium Plus. Mounting was easier, but not anywhere near as good as Schwalbe G One all around or speed, Kenda Flintridge, Panaracer Gravelking SK, or Compass Barlow Pass.
After mounting I always fully deflate to ensure the bead is set. Immediately these popped off. Back and forth until I finally got them to stay seated without air. Some are OK with a tire unseating like this but I'm not.
After that they held air. First ride reminded me how nice these are. Second ride epic flat on a course I ride every weekend and haven't flatted on in over 4 years. Just my time? And of course the bead popped off just to add to the fun. I think the Gravelkings will go back on. They don't ride near as nice but I haven't ever flatted on those or the Flintridges, riding in all conditions including lots of puncture inducing PNW rain.
My WTB tires that came with my Cannondale were horrible. They lost air and I had to repair holes in my tubeless tires twice! The Rambler is rugged and holds air sturdy up and down San Gabriel Mountain trails. I ride up 10% grade paved roads for few miles before the dirt and no issues with the knobby tires. A big part of my Topstone bike is that I feel solid on any surface
