With Smokin’ Gun, American Classic rises to new… widths
No strangers to the ‘wider is better’ mentality that helps riders to make the most of a given tyre’s casing, Bill Shook and company are back for 2016 with the Smokin’ Gun. Set to ship in 27.5in and 29er diameters, the Guns measure an impressive 43mm outside and 40mm inside. That’s roughly double what many of us were riding, oh, around the turn of the century.
Despite decidedly plus (or “jumbo” per the press release) sizing, the Smokin’ Guns are said to weigh in at 1,733g for the smaller diameter, 1,790g for the larger. Sticking to their -ahem- guns, American Classic have laced the new rims to the company’s iconic high-flange hubs using 32 standard spokes apiece. For 2016, 110x15mm front and 12x148mm rear Boost options have also been added.
In an interesting aside, American Classic have moved to a two-stage sealing system: an underlying structural fibre tape and an outer sealing layer. The brand’s own alloy tubeless valves will also be included. UK pricing has yet to be confirmed, and we’ll hit the company up for more information at Interbike in a couple of weeks’ time.
