According to Surly, the ET's will fit on 19-50mm (outer width) rims. That's a big range and I imagine that my 27mm rims (31mm outer) would work fine.

I did a little more research and found that these might be some good options:

WTB nano
Specialized fast trak
Maxxis crossmark
Conti race king
Schwalbe smart Sam

Anyone have any experience with these?

Looking for a tire that is great for gravel, dirt, and paved roads on my 27mm internal width 29" rims (700C). Right now I am thinking that the Surly ExtraTerrestrials might be a good option. Any other options worth looking into? The tire does not need to be tubeless compatible. The Surly ET's are 2.5 inch and am open to anything that is between 2.0-2.5 inch. Thanks!!!

Hello.

I have been using my iPhone and the Gaia GPS app for my navigation on bikepacking trips, a system that has worked fairly well up to this point. I do not have the phone strapped to the handlebars and instead keep it in a handlebar bag for easy access. This process becomes frustrating in areas where there are lots of turns / traffic.

As a result of my experience with the phone, I have begun looking into dedicated GPS devices that can be strapped to the handlebars. I currently have a Garmin Edge 520 and was wondering if anyone has used a Garmin Edge device for navigation assistance and recording. Otherwise, I am planning on acquiring one of the Garmin eTrex devices that people seem to like. Would the Garmin Edge be sufficient for 2-3 day trips, and acquire the eTrex for extended trips? Also, I carry an Anker external battery pack for charging USB devices when needed. Thank you.

John

That is indeed where my thoughts are right now. The Jamis Renegade series looks appealing, and the Expat version offers a lot of bang for the buck.

Thanks for the input. Still mulling over possibilities. I am interested to see what your experience is with skinny tires on your fat bike.

I am tempted to swap the 1x for 2x to give myself more gear range on mixed terrain when bikepacking. Also, the suspension fork has not felt like a key component of my setup and wouldn't mind giving a carbon fork a try. With those two modifications, a second wheelset with skinny (29 x 2.0 ish) tires might make for a good commuting / gravel road setup, while retaining the 27.5+ wheelset for bikepacking.

Good morning,

This is my first post on the forum and I look forward to being a part of the community. I recently got into bikepacking and selected a Jamis Dragonslayer (27.5+) as my trusted rig (steel, flatbar, rigid w/ front suspension, 1x11-46, sporting 27.5 x 3.0 Maxxis Chronicles). The bike has proved to be a great companion for bikepacking and exploring the backcountry of San Diego on singletrack/fire roads/desert sand. Between this bike and my full suspension, I have most of my bases covered for my cycling needs, however, I am yearning for a modification or additional bike that will help me with commuting to work, and days on the weekend where I want to spend time exclusively on pavement/gravel roads. The plus wheels are too doggy for me in this regard.

Looking for advice as to whether I should invest in a 29" wheelset for my Jamis and slap on some gravel/touring tires, or should I invest in a dedicated gravel grinder for commuting, gravel road exploring, and mixed gravel/pavement touring. I would like to do some touring /bikepacking on surfaces that are exclusively pavement / gravel roads, so I am wondering if it is smart to have a bike dedicated to these surfaces, and would be great for commuting, or should I simply buy a second wheelset. If I got a second wheelset to fill this void, I might want to swap out the suspension fork for a rigid carbon fork, but I don't want to get ahead of myself. Also, I might want to make the Jamis a 2x, given that the current 1x setup is geared low (30x11-46) and well suited for singletrack. Your thoughts are greatly appreciated.

Cheers,
John