Tires for the Trans-Labrador Hwy

[benebob]

Planning a trip on the Trans Labrador Hwy, Newfoundland and the Cabot Trail.   Expecting around 5000 miles.  I know my rear Anakee 2 won't survive the trip so I'm looking at a new set of tires for the trek.  What would you want for lots of loose gravel and lots of highway miles.

[Dutch]

I guess the one that does all is the Heidenau K60 Scout. You also have the Continental TKC80 that is a bit more off-tarmac orientated but does reasonably well on. And the new TKC70 that is mostly on road. I read in the US the Sinko is populair, not so much well known in Europe.

More important than tires is the nut that connects the handle bars to the seat. Good tires can't make up for a 'bad nut'    What tire pressure are you going to use, or is tarmac pressure also good for gravel? In my case it would, but that has more to do with my (lack of) off road riding skills then anything else I'm afraid 

[Yellowtiger99]

I did the same trip from Long Island New York a few years back.  I left with anakee 2s and had tkc80s strapped on top.   I figured the tkcs would be shot if I left home on them.  And I always had extra tired in case I had issues.  My trip was just over 5k too. I know the TLH has changed a lot since I rode.  How much is still gravel?  I brought extra gas but never had to use it.  I lowered the pressures whenever I was off road.  And pumped them up again when I hit the paved sections.  I switched the tires to TKCs about 100 miles before leaving NewFoundland.  And switched back to anakees when I was down with the gravel in Labrador.  Worked great for me but it made the bike a bit heavy.

[benebob]

Yeah I'm trying to get a sense of how much gravel is left, hoping someone has been up there in the past year or so with some insight.  I'm leaning towards the Scouts myself, even though they aren't a gravel tread but more suited to dirt/sand.   How long did you take for your trip?  I'm limited to about 6 hours a day medically, was planning on going west to east, ferry to Newfoundland, explore there and then hit the Cabot trail on the way back down.  Have it planned out for 16 days or riding and 5 off to play catch up or do some sight seeing.  Longest day ride is 408 miles (which I know will be pushing it but it is just how things worked out)

[lukeman]

I've heard good things about the Mitas E07 Dakar.  Better in the gravel.

[Yellowtiger99]

You should check on Ridetherock or advrider. Both have topics discussing how much had been paved.  I know a lot has been done since I was there.  Can't imagine it being paved.  Scouts are great tires. At least what I have heard and read. I want going to go with them for my next set.  I hear that he center compound is harder to get more distance out of them. Maybe take an extra rear since they wear out first?  My trip was 21 days and 5005 miles.  I

[Yellowtiger99]

I did several detours around Nova Scotia and Newfoundland.  I would think that 16 days and a limit on saddle time is pushing it. Then again, I am slow on any surface. I like to look around a lot.  I had a couple from England that would hit the road after me and pass me every day leaving me in a cloud of dust. Always wondering when I would show up to the next town.

[benebob]

That's what the extra 5 days or so is for plus I don't mind dropping the Cabot Trail off for now either if needed, picking up the slack.  Not planning on taking another set along as if it does wear in the rear I'll buy a more streetable tire at that point as it will be on the home stretch.    Oh and anybody try these?  Good review on avrider http://www.shinkotireusa.com/tire/804-and-805-series

[Dutch]

Like I wrote previously, Shinko isn't popular in EUR (hell, I couldn't even get the name right first  ), over here the A brands (Michelin, Pirelli, Bridgestone, Dunlop etc) are prefered. Maybe a bit more expensive but quite often they perform better with longer life. And even the just better is worth is, 10 bucks saved on tires and $ 1000 crash damage doesn't sound like good economics to me.

How twisty is that Canadian Gravel? I can imagine that on strait roads the real knobbies aren't as necessary as in the corners.

[Mustang]

How twisty is that Canadian Gravel? I can imagine that on strait roads the real knobbies aren't as necessary as in the corners.

not much for twisty roads but the gravel can be really deep , especially after the road graders go thru .............

[John Stenhouse]

As Mustang says. it ain't the twisty it's the depth, size of the stuff and all of a sudden coming across a pile of the stuff pushed up by a truck. Trust me I've ridden it, TKCs or something like the Shinkos will be heaven sent

[Dutch]

Thanks for the explanation, as you can tell I'm no off-tarmac specialist 
Will the Anakee's last to the start of the gravel roads? If yes, would it be an option to contact a bike shop in that area and ask if they can have a set of knobbies waiting for you when you get there?

[eurobykz]

there are no bike shops on the translab.  In Lab City and Goose Bay there are powersport dealers (selling mostly quads) and you might possibly be able to arrange to have the proper size tyres waiting for you.  Maybe.  Possibly.   But...

more than half of the translab is now paved, but as I understand it there remains  +/- 500 km from Goose Bay to .  So a mostly-paved heavy-haul truck route through black-spruce swamp with blackflies...   

That said, since the question was about tyres,  and given the remoteness of Labrador and the consequences of having things go sideways...   I would bring a set of TKC's or have a set of TKC's waiting for me at Goose Bay (assuming clockwise travel)  or put a set of TKC's in the post and pick them up when I got there....    I like my heidenau K60 scouts, but in crappy deep loose crud, I would go with TKC's every time.  Unfortunately, a rear TKC lasts  2000-3000 km in my experience...   

There's lots of great dual-sport trails in Canada that would appeal to me a whole lot more...    Check out the TCAT   trans-Canada adventure trail (graveltravel.ca) 

Ian

[Mustang]

you think it's remote now ................ I lived in Goose Bay on the US Air Base that used to be there , from 1970-1973, there wasn't even a road then.

the road now




https://alavigne.net/Outdoors/TripReports/2011/NfldAndLabrador/?p=translabhwy&n=2#_

[benebob]

Reason I'm looking at the Shinkos (and they aren't bad simply because they are cheaper, come from Korea and lack the name of a Mich or the like who also make grade B and C tires) is they are said to last about 5k miles on the rear which would allow me to run a set the whole way making my life much easier (at the worst case I'd need to replace the rear with a tire on the ride home in N.S. or even the states where a 150/70 17 should be a dime a dozen.  I don't ride off road enough to warrant a Scout for another 5k after I get home either.  The Lab. trail was an afterthought as I wanted to do Newfoundland and the Cabot Trail so naturally it fit in the loop. :)  I'm hoping to go prior to the black flies waking up (late May thru the 1st week of June) am told most years they aren't in full force until late June.  The downside to that is it is early after spring regrading of the highway.