Review: Giant Gavia AC 1 Tire
(2020) I met up with two of my favorite mechanics and started to say how I sliced my tubeless tire on a ride but it held enough air to get me home. I was cut off with the ironic comment, “Oh good, another tubeless success story.” And it was another tubeless success story. But there was much more to it than that.
Since the start of the pandemic, many people rediscovered cycling to calm their stressed nerves. Unfortunately for these late-comers, dwindling inventory led to the discovery that the right bike for them may be located on another continent, idling in some shipping container waiting for the whole thing to pass. People with bikes were riding them more but they are just now feeling the pinch. Shops are not able to get new bikes, but they are also not able to get replacement parts. All the long-time riders have felt the effect, too.
Read our review about the Giant TCR Advanced Pro O and you’ll find a line that mentioned a hasty desire to swap out tires. Since the bike was set up tubeless there were slimmer options and the factory tires remained. With shocking delight we took turns with confidence and traction as we did with our beloved Veloflex Master gumwalls or Vittoria Corsas. With mixed reviews about some tubeless ready tires - particularly with certain sidewalls bubbling sealant - we decided to remain with Giant’s Gavia line because it works. At this time, dependability is front and center.
There is also the concern that there is only a loose standard regarding tubeless systems. Some wheel companies' hooks are different gauges than others, calling in question the security of the bead interface. Not all tubeless tires and wheels get along. To use Giant tubeless tires with Giant (or Cadex) wheels, there is a confidence in design. Just today we put faith in the Gavia AC 1 tubeless tire through four cascading technical turns and they held on for dear life.
Giant’s Gavia tire is durable, dependable, and comfortable. Our last set lasted just over 2000 miles in nearly every condition. No matter how much Bucks County road crews enjoy over-chipping and sealing the roads, the Gavia performed reliably. The Deflect nylon belt had a role in the longevity. The dependability has come into play several times. From a front tire sealing itself on a wild descent to a back tire holding a scant 40 psi to get us home, the Gavia has shown its worth numerous times. Even tonight there were the signs of white blotches on the tire suggesting more punctures prevented. The tires are also comfortable. Running lower pressure allows the road vibration to be absorbed and for those little annoying bumps to be reduced to tolerances.
If the Gavia is durable, dependable, and comfortable, what could be said to improve it? For one thing the Gavia is only 60 TPI, a reduction from the 320 TPI of the gumwalls. The tires accrue a sandpaper feel and may not hold a line when under heavy braking. This, no doubt, leads to the tire’s dependability, but a little more cushion could be found. The other area Giant could improve is the rolling resistance. It could be the light event schedule has watched our sprint speed wither away, but several technical Strava Segments have us scratching our head as to how our pace was much slower. Durability and dependability might not equate to low rolling resistance.
The lockdown may have been lifted in our area (for now), but the ripples of low inventory at bike shops have not been slaked. It would be racy to snap on a higher threaded tubeless tire but the dependability may be at stake, sending us back to the taxed out bike shop. Or we can continue with dependable tires and use it as a scapegoat for slow Segment times. We are certain, though, that riding dependably down roads is still faster than repairing a tube on the side of the road.
