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Wiki list of Gravel tires
It might be a good conversation starter to list tires that meet the general requirements of use on gravel roads. Since there are so many variations of gravel, the list can include lightweight tires in smaller sizes or mountain bike tires in Monstercross sizes and everything in between.
If you are using a tire, please post a brief summary and review. 1) Schwalbe G-One tubeless: 40-584, 35,40-622 2) Clement X'Plor MSO: 32,36,40-622 60&120tpi 3) Clement X'Plor USH: 35-622 60&120tpi 4) Challenge Gravel Grinder: 36-622 Open Tubular, 33,38-622 clincher 5) Challenge Strada Bianca: 30-622 O/T, 33-622 clincher 6) Challenge Parigi-Roubaix: 27-622, 7) Panaracer Gravel King SK: 32, 35, 40-622 8) Panaracer Gravel King: 28,32-622 9) Panaracer Pasela: 700x28, 32 10) Kenda Happy Medium: 32,35,40-622 11) Kenda Small Block 8: 32,37-622 12) Maxxis Rambler 40-622 13) Surly Knard: 41-584, 41-622 14) Specialized Trigger Pro: 38-622 15) Specialized Trigger Sport: 33-622 16) Continental Cyclocross Speed: 35-622 17) Vittoria Revolution: 50-559, 584, 622! 18) Vittoria Adventure Trail: 37,40-622 19) Vittoria Terreno Dry, 31,33 and 40mm 20) WTB Riddler: 37,45-622 21) WTB Exposure: 30,34-622 22) WTB Nano: 40-622 23) Hutchinson Override 35, 38-622 Here are a few sample data points to include; size: diameter and width, bonus points for actual measurements tread pattern: slick, semi-slick with some texture, small knobs for dry conditions, deeper knobs for soft or damp conditions, etc construction: tpi, flat protection, tubeless ready, etc performance on pavement performance on firm and smooth gravel performance on deep or soft gravel durability ride |
I'm running 26 inch wheels on my gravel grinder. The list of tires is obviously smaller for 26 inch wheels than 29ers. Some of the Kenda tires come in 26 inch flavors but they're not easy to find online.
I like pasela t serv protite tires which comes in a 26 x 1.5 and a 1.75 (although it measures a little narrower than spec). |
Clement MSO: http://clementcycling.com/xplor-mso
size: 700x40, about 40.2mm wide tread pattern: tightly packed small knobs for mostly dry conditions construction: 120 tpi, flat protection performance on pavement is excellent, like most touring tires this size with secure cornering on wet or dry pavement. performance on firm gravel is excellent, with excellent cornering and braking performance on deep or soft gravel is very good with good control and sufficient volume over rough surfaces. Excellent braking in soft conditions. Cornering performance and float on soft surfaces is limited by the lack of bigger knobs on the shoulder. durability: good so far ride: smooth and plush Clement USH http://clementcycling.com/ush size: 700x35, about 34mm wide tread pattern: small file tread on the shoulder for dry conditions with a dense pair of center blocks for pavement speed and durability construction: 120 tpi, flat protection performance on pavement is excellent, like most road bike tires performance on firm gravel is excellent with very good cornering grip on a hardpacked fine gravel performance on deep or soft gravel is deficient, float and traction is limited, it's only 34mm wide. durability: very good so far ride: smooth and plush |
Clement Xplor MSO 40mm 120tpi
They are relatively light, relatively comfortable, and havent given me a flat yet. Probably 500mi of use so far, 90% on gravel thats anywhere from tight packed in dirt to loose and sloppy. I use tubes, so no idea on tubeless. They measure 40 when mounted on H Plus Son Archetype rims which are 23mm wide on the outside. |
Challenge Parigi-Roubaix: Paris-Roubaix PRO
size: 700x27, about 29.5mm wide tread pattern: textured pattern like a road bike tire construction: 300 tpi, flat protection, non-vulcanized open-tubular construction can be fragle and flat prone performance on pavement is excellent, it's ultra fast open tubular road bike tire performance on firm gravel is very good, good cornering and traction and ultra fast rolling performance on deep or soft gravel is not safe or recommended durability: below average but could last 1500 miles ride: ultra smooth and plush |
Kenda Happy Medium: 700x32. Kenda Tires | Bicycle | Happy Medium Pro
size: 700x32, about 32.5mm wide tread pattern: file tread in the center and small blocks on the shoulder construction: 120 tpi, flat protection performance on pavement is sluggish, cornering is not secure performance on firm gravel is good, with good traction but slow going performance on deep or soft gravel is safe but not outstanding durability: below average but could last 1500 miles ride: moderately good Kenda Small Block 8: 29x1.9. Kenda Tires | Bicycle | Small Block Eight Pro size: 29x1.9, about 47.5mm wide tread pattern: tightly packed small blocks in the center and wider spacing of the small blocks on the shoulder construction: 120 tpi, flat protection performance on pavement is sluggish, cornering is secure, the tire feels slow and heavy performance on firm gravel: good traction but slower rolling performance on deep or soft gravel is excellent and almost foolproof durability: average, could last 1500 miles ride: moderately good |
Maxxis Re-Fuse TR (tubeless)
size: 700x32, mounts to 34.5mm on 23mm internal rim tread pattern: fine file tread construction: 60 tpi, dual-compound, bead-to-bead flat protection performance on pavement is very good, both dry and wet performance on firm gravel or is good, with good traction. Excellent on hardpack. performance on deep or soft gravel/sand is... not recommended durability: averaging 3,000 miles per rear, predominantly road miles. Have not had a single flat. ride: excellent |
This is a very helpful thread.
I am new to riding gravel and bought a Masi cxgr about 2 months ago. As it's name implies, it's meant to be both a cx and gravel bike (I bought it for gravel grinding; I have no interest in actual cx). The stock tires are 35 mm Kenda Slant Sixes, which as far as I can tell are something like a cross between the Small Blocks and Happy Mediums. Anyway, my impression is that they are really quite slow both on pavement and gravel, though I admit I have little basis for comparison, and so I'm thinking about swapping. My rims won't take a tire smaller than 35 mm. This list has given me several ideas for further investigations, maybe starting with the Clement X'Pior. |
Challenge Gravel Grinder Race 38
Size: 700x38 Tread pattern: diamond with knobs on the side Construction: 120 TPI Performance on pavement: A bit of rolling resistance as you might expect, but not bad at all for an off-road tire. Performance on firm and smooth gravel: Excellent Performance on deep or soft gravel: Good Durability: I'm a clyde, and I've put 700 miles on mine so far, still going strong. I am just starting to see a bit of wear on the rear. No flats so far. Ride: Excellent on dirt, gravel and grass. Good for cyclocross, except for wet mud and sand With that said, the only similar tire I can compare to were these cheap $20 Ritchey 32c cyclocross that were horrible by comparison. The Challenge tires roll better over all surfaces and are much more durable. |
Bontrager CX0
size: 700x38, about 37 mm wide. Also available in 700x34 tread pattern: small knobs in center, larger knobs on the edge construction: 120 tpi performance on pavement: excellent, very fast tire performance on firm gravel: excellent performance on deep or soft gravel: very good. Just OK in mud though. durability: below average. Mine are almost completely bald in the center after ~2500 miles. Above average flats. ride: smooth and fast Panaracer/Pacenti Pari-Moto size: 650x38, about 37 mm wide. Also available in 650x42 tread pattern: smooth, just a light herringbone construction: 120 tpi performance on pavement: excellent, very fast tire performance on firm gravel: excellent performance on deep or soft gravel: good; wide/supple enough to float on top of most surfaces. No tread, so no good for mud. durability: Surprisingly, above average. Only 2 flats in ~2000 miles. ride: plush and very fast Compass Stampede Pass size: 700x32, about 31 mm wide. tread pattern: smooth, just a light herringbone construction: 120 tpi performance on pavement: excellent, very fast tire performance on firm gravel: very good performance on deep or soft gravel: Just OK, not wide enough to float. No tread, so no good for mud. durability: Only ~50 miles in, so no report. ride: very fast Panaracer Gravel King SK size: 700x32, about 32 mm wide. tread pattern: small 1 mm square knobs construction: 120 tpi performance on pavement: good, fast tire performance on firm gravel: excellent performance on deep or soft gravel: Good, not wide enough to float. Decent tread. durability: Only ~50 miles in, so no report. ride: fast. The mini-knobs make it ride a tiny bit slower than a smooth tire, but make it much more confident in gravel. Schwalbe Thunder Burt (Evo Liteskin) size: 26"x54, about 52 mm wide. Also available in 27.5" and 29" diameters, in 54 and 57 mm widths, and with different casings/protection/tubeless. tread pattern: small 2 mm square knobs, larger edge knobs construction: 120 tpi performance on pavement: good, fast for its size but a little squishy in hard turns (that's what you get at ~35 psi) performance on firm gravel: excellent performance on deep or soft gravel: excellent, plenty of float. durability: Only ~100 miles in, so no report. ride: fast. The mini-knobs give it good enough traction for occasional mud, but it's still a very fast tire for its width. The Thunder Burt is one of the most popular tires for Dirty Kanza because it has good width and traction but not much rolling resistance. I concur with others regarding the Challenge Gravel Grinder Race tires; I've ridden them a little bit and they seem great. They're going back on my gravel bike after 'cross season. I put on Challenge Limus Pro Open tires for the couple cyclocross races I'm doing. |
Originally Posted by MinnMan
(Post 19141831)
This is a very helpful thread.
I am new to riding gravel and bought a Masi cxgr about 2 months ago. As it's name implies, it's meant to be both a cx and gravel bike (I bought it for gravel grinding; I have no interest in actual cx). The stock tires are 35 mm Kenda Slant Sixes, which as far as I can tell are something like a cross between the Small Blocks and Happy Mediums. Anyway, my impression is that they are really quite slow both on pavement and gravel, though I admit I have little basis for comparison, and so I'm thinking about swapping. My rims won't take a tire smaller than 35 mm. This list has given me several ideas for further investigations, maybe starting with the Clement X'Pior. |
700x45 WTB Riddler
Size: 700x45 measures 44.5mm on a Velocity Dyad rim Tread pattern: small, short knobs at the center with deeper knobs on the shoulder for traction and float. Construction: unknown tpi, unknown flat protection, I'm using tubes. Performance on pavement is moderately fast with moderately low rolling resistance. Cornering on wet pavement could be problematic with the knobs on the shoulder potentially sliding on sharp turns Performance on firm and smooth gravel is excellent, the tire rolls fast with enormous traction Performance on deep or soft gravel is excellent with plenty of float and stability. The tire is secure on off-camber surfaces even while cornering. Heroic 35mph turns on loose gravel roads felt as safe as a good 29er tire Durability in unknown but the tire is robust Ride is moderately supple but is not as plush as the 120 tpi Clement tires. |
I have 2
Schwalbe Big Apples, 700x50 nice soft plush tires with a large tread but not very deep, have been able to ride in lots of dry surfaces from light coverings of sand to large rocks. wet pavement is great but mud sucks Panaracer Tour Gard and Tour Gard plus 700x32, 37, 42 all great tires had 1 flat with many 1000km rides nice with great traction in all but slick mud. |
Continental Speed Ride: 42-622 (700x42 nominal). Wire bead version with reflex white stripe. Specs list 3/84 TPI, 495 gr.
These are the street oriented variation of the Continental Cyclocross Speed (35-622) and look identical, other than width and sidewall graphics. Like the Cyclocross Speed, the wider Speed Ride has the same diamond file primary tread with some outer knobs to grip in deeper rough and soft stuff. Continental's hype claims it's a "fast semi-slick", but that's just silly. It's nowhere near a slick, but it is a smooth and quiet rolling tire and a good compromise for street and dry gravel, chat trails or grass. Occasionally I ride rough grass and pasture. It's fine as long as the ground is no worse than damp. I ride 'em around 50 psi on a rigid fork Univega mountain bike. I weigh 160. Conti says the tires can handle up to 85 psi but I haven't tried higher than 60. Third and best set of tires I've tried on this bike. Rivendell likes 'em too. Good tires for chat trails and gravel (worst I've ridden is a railroad embankment lined with large, sharp edged ballast gravel), dry grass and rough pavement, smooth rolling on good pavement too. On the minus side, the diamond file tread pattern picks up small pebbles which might accelerate wear and flats. So far, so good after one month. Continental says the Speed Ride has a puncture resistant layer. That, plus the slightly wider size, might account for the slightly heavier weight (495 gr vs 420 for the 700x35 Cyclocross Speed). Updating 1/21/2017 After several weeks on the Conti Speed Rides on my 1992 Univega mountain bike I still like 'em and would consider the narrower Cyclocross Speed tires for a gravel/all around bike. Great on wet and slippery pavement, mud-slick puddles, and riding open fields on our single one-inch bit of snow this winter. Two flat so far, only one related to the quirk of the diamond file tread trapping debris. First flat was a huge hunk of broken glass, shaped like a diamond, hidden under leaves -- it would have flatted any tire. The glass punctured into the tread enough to shred a couple of fibers of the flat resistant shield, but it hasn't suffered any additional damage. Second flat, a week or so ago, was a tiny shard of glass wedged between the diamond file tread. Just barely nicked the tube. Overall, not bad. I'd expected more flats from this quirk, but so far, so good. Would buy again for an all around hybrid and light gravel/trail riding bike. Good value. |
Conti GP 4-season 32mm
Acxtual size: 32mm true to size tread pattern: slick construction: 110 tpi, flat protection strong for a road tire (double vectran breaker belt), not particularly tubeless ready. (Note: Conti lists is as 330tpi, but it is actually 110tpi x 3 belts. performance on pavement: Excellent. At 17 watts rolling resistance and only 320 grams, I find this tire as fast as my race tires when I’m doing non competitive riding. (road tires tend to range from 10-22 watts resistance, touring tires from 17 – 33 watts performance on firm and smooth gravel: Work great! performance on deep or soft gravel: worthless in deep soft terrain or on wet non paved terrain durability - TBD ride – Excellent. Comments: Work excellent on road or dry hard pack. Smooth ride, light, accelerates very well. No complaints. The 32mm size took me years to find for sale outside of Germany. I finally found them on amazon, although the 622-32 tire is listed as a 32 inch tire. Go figure… continental bicycle Grand Prix 4-Season Picture http://blobs.continental-tires.com/w...race-s1-01.png Continental Gatorskin 32mm Actual size: 31mm (folding) 30mm (wire) tread pattern: slick construction: 60 tpi, not particularly tubeless ready. (Note: Conti lists is as 180tpi, but it is actually 60tpi x 3 belts. performance on pavement: good. At 19 watts rolling resistance and only 360 (w)/400(f) grams, they are not bad (road tires tend to range from 10-22 watts resistance, touring tires from 17 – 33 watts) performance on firm and smooth gravel: Work great! performance on deep or soft gravel: worthless in deep soft terrain or on wet non paved terrain durability – May never wear out. I find the wimpy cloth sidewalls wear out before the tread does. ride – A bit harder than the 4 season due to a thicker, stiffer tread, and less supple sidewalls. My32mm tire on dirt: http://www.bikeforums.net/attachment...1&d=1480366585 Kenda Kwick 30mm Actual size: 28mm tread pattern: chevron center with deep lugs on side. construction: 60 tpi, not particularly tubeless ready. Have a nice smooth ride, probably due to the fact that they seem to have no puncture protection. performance on pavement: good and fast. Biggest drawback is that I can’t corner hard on them due to the lugs on the sides. performance on firm and smooth gravel: Work great! performance on deep or soft gravel: too narrow to float, but the side lugs do bite a little in sand, dirt, mud, grass. durability – I have never seen a tire wear down as fast at these. A month or two of commuting made the center of the tire very smooth. ride – supple. Comments: About the only thing nice I can say about these is that they are small enough (fattish 28mm) to fit many road bikes (short to medium reach caliper), and will work great on a lot of gravel roads on a road bike for those that can’t fit anything larger. $12.95 – great tire for the price! (jenson USA)> They are light and fast and ride well, but its just an odd size for a tire with lugs. Kenda Kwick Tires - Clincher Reviews - RoadbikeReview.com Kenda Kwick Tire > Components > Tires > Dirt Tires | Jenson USA Kenda Tires | Bicycle | Kwicker Pro Picturehttps://www.biketiresdirect.com/prod...0/kekwi1-1.jpg IRC Mythos XC Slick IRC TIRE BICYCLE TIRE OFFICIAL SITE |COMMUTER | MYTHOS XC SLICK I don’t think they make this in 700c anymore, but they are great for a large cross/gravel tire. I’ve had these for years (way before the term “gravel” became widely used), and they are great. The concept of a high volume (42c) tire with minimal center tread and some good lugs on the side for bite, is wonderful. I have used 42mm tires (26x1.95”) for a fast mountain bike tire, and they also work great on a 700c gravel bike. This specific 700x42 tire is light, fast, easy rolling, and can do any terrain other than mud. The lower pressure and wider footprint help a lot. 42c is a good size for a light fast mountain bike tire, and works great on more difficult gravel routes. I can only fit a tire this big in my front fork, but that extra bite and floatation is what I need at the front. With these on a cyclocross bike, I can do the same trails I ride on a mountain bike, and still ride home at a brisk pace. Picture: http://irc-tire.com/en/bc/products/c...ck/photo01.jpg |
Some Key sites for tire research:
Good info on rolling resistance and puncture resistance: Tour/E-Bike Tires Rolling Resistance Reviews 40mm gravel tires: 700×40 Tire Roundup | GRAVELBIKE Best gravel road tires (part 1 and part 2) Best gravel road tires tested ? part 1 | Road Bike News, Reviews, and Photos Best gravel road tires tested ? part 2 | Road Bike News, Reviews, and Photos Schwalbe G1 and X1 https://roubaixcycling.cc/tag/schwalbe/ Review: Schwalbe G-One | road.cc If you can fit the Schwalbe G-One tyres in your frame, you should get some. As genuine all-rounders they're impossible to beat right now: fast rolling on tarmac and properly capable off-road. They're really, really good. Maxxis Rambler: Maxxis Rambler Tire Review | Gravel Cyclist: The Gravel Cycling Experience The Maxxis Rambler is my 40mm gravel tire (tyre) of choice. They are tubeless ready – yes, real tubeless! – no messing around, easy to mount, roll fast and corner with confidence. Review: Maxxis Rambler 700 x 40c Gravel Tire - Light and Fast Maxxis calls the Rambler’s tread a “gravel-specific tread pattern,” and so far, we’re liking it on gravel and dirt roads, trails and grass. Don’t be surprised if you see one of us also racing them when it’s dry this cyclocross season. |
I had those Kenda Kwick 700x30s on a bike for a couple years. Aired down, they weren't horrible on grass or light gravel. But once I clipped off the knobs and let them wear smooth on cement, they turned into surprisingly good road tires. Now that cyclocross has moved on to larger tires, the Kwicks do seem like an odd size.
Just for funzies, here's how they looked once I decided to retire them. The rear was paper-thin. :) http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e2...kk5600_800.jpg |
Maxxis Rambler 40c and 38c tubless
Size: 40c, actual measurement at 37mm Size 38c: actual measurement 34mm tread pattern: small knobs for dry conditions construction: 120 tpi, flat protection, tubeless ready. performance on pavement: excellent. Similar to road tires. performance on firm and smooth gravel. Excellent – easy to transition from dirt to grass to pavement performance on deep or soft gravel: Not bad. durability ride: reputed to be compliant for a tubeless tire. The don’t feel particularly firm or harsh to me, but it is winter time. I’m impressed with their speed. With a 4mph tail wind, I was easily doing 20mph. The tread knobs are not much rougher than much of the asphalt I ride on when commuting, so they probably don’t hold the tire back much. Doing hard cornering, they transitioned easily from asphalt to grass to asphalt. I spun them up to 24mph and did a fast hard corner on asphalt, and they stuck like a road tire. I was leaned over hard on the side tread blocks, and only then could I hear them slightly complaining. Much, much more inspiring than a knobby tire that gets all squirrely when cornering hard on asphalt. The ride did not seem to be any better than my 32mm Continental 4 seasons, even though I am running them at about ˝ of the pressure. But then again, it was freezing outside, and I had tubes in them. Maybe with warmer weather and tubeless I can do a better comparison of the rambler to those lovely continental tires. https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/i...5_TdJ_nG3qJz5O |
Ritchey Speedmax 700x32:
Good traction off road/gravel paths and pavement. They roll really nice on pavement if you pump them up. They work well in a pinch for a road ride if you don't have time to switch wheels. No traction issues so far on or off road. These tires are reasonably priced too (you can find em for $20 a tire).. |
The Panaracer Gravelking SK has been mentioned. As well as the SK, it comes in a smooth tread. I liked the SK in 32 and the smooth tread in 28. Thought I would try the smooth in 32. Bummer! They only measure 29+ on my Open Pros. Barely wider than the 28s and they weigh substantially more.
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Kenda Kozmik 50-622
Easy tubeless install on velocity aileron rims. Decent on pavement, great on gravel, especially loose stuff. Specialized Renegade control 29x1.8 Easy tubeless install. Poor on pavement, quick wearing, good on gravel. Specialized Sawtooth 42-622 Easy tubeless install. Great on pavement. Good on gravel. The best all round tire I've tried. I wish they made one a little wider. |
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After being inflated for a week, my 32mm Gravelkings have still not grown beyond 29mm. :( I would return them but I asked my LBS (owner friend) to special order them and I hate to bother him again. I emailed Panaracer to complain but I doubt I'll hear back. Sucks.
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I feel your pain.
Tire sizing is crazy. I have a 28mm Continental 4000s and 32mm Gatorskin that have are the same size. And, a pair of 28 and 25mm Michelin Pro4 tires that both measure 27mm. I bought the 28 to replace the 25mm because I wanted more volume.... My 38mm & 40mm Maxis tires above measure 34mm and 37mm. |
:notamused:Yep, you would think they would have some consistency for the same tire. Imagine my disappointment as I had perfectly good 28 Gravelkings on the bike and another new pair in the drawer. Paid more than usual (LBS) for the 32s and they aren't any bigger.
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