Originally Posted by
dksix
I built up a hybrid a couple of months ago to use on some local rails-to-trails and some gravel riding. It's a Schwinn Vantage F1 and I went with Continental City Ride II tires in 700C x 37
https://www.continental-tires.com/bi...res/city-ride2 . The tires just don't give me the handling I'm looking for once off anything but dry hard pack and asphalt. It's not bad, or hadn't been until I got into some freshly dumped 1.5" sand stone that was put on a road that runs along a river that had been under water recently.
For loose stone I look for tire width and tread suppleness. Recently I put a set of 700c x 38 mm Soma Shikoro tires on one of my bikes for mixed pavement and gravel rides, which I do a lot of. FWIW, I don't find tread patterns all that useful on gravel, and pretty much stay with smooth or file-tread tires, preferring the wider and suppler ones.