Hybrid tires vs. purposed gravel tires?
05-30-17, 09:31 AM
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Hybrid tires vs. purposed gravel tires?
Legitimate question here. So I noticed that there are quite a few tires out there labeled as "hybrid tires" that typically run a bit wider, and have a decent enough tread pattern for gravel/cyclocross. Just out of curiosity, is there any particular reason why more people aren't using these? Is it the weight penalty, or is it just due to the tread not being aggressive enough. Just curious.
Example: Vittoria Adventure Trail City Tire
Example: Vittoria Adventure Trail City Tire
05-30-17, 10:04 AM
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My opinion....
City/touring tires or any tire for that matter that is durable and includes some type of protection layer is usually "hard" and less supple overall. Many of them even with a specific ETRO width tend to be narrow and hard where they actually make contact with the road (more of an egg profile). Lowering the pressure on them does not linearly make them more supple. I've found they tend to sink into gravel and dirt which wipes out any fast rolling advantage they may have had on hard surfaces. Yes they weigh more which doesn't bother me much. I am generalizing, I'm sure there are exceptions and I've never used the Vittoria Adventure you mentioned.
As for aggressive tread? Gravel is more like a road surface than an off road surface. A pure gravel tire does not need much tread if any at all. Your limiting factor is not the tire losing traction on the gravel, the gravel itself is moving under and around the tire. A tire with some bite can help in some type and thicknesses of gravel but not nearly as much as a tire with some bite does in soft dirt/mud. If you are riding road and gravel with some hardpack, a gravel tire with small tread is a better choice. If you are riding singletrack/dirt/gravel/CX, something like the WTB Nano and many others is a good choice. Niether style is a substitute for an MTB tire for mud but.
City/touring tires or any tire for that matter that is durable and includes some type of protection layer is usually "hard" and less supple overall. Many of them even with a specific ETRO width tend to be narrow and hard where they actually make contact with the road (more of an egg profile). Lowering the pressure on them does not linearly make them more supple. I've found they tend to sink into gravel and dirt which wipes out any fast rolling advantage they may have had on hard surfaces. Yes they weigh more which doesn't bother me much. I am generalizing, I'm sure there are exceptions and I've never used the Vittoria Adventure you mentioned.
As for aggressive tread? Gravel is more like a road surface than an off road surface. A pure gravel tire does not need much tread if any at all. Your limiting factor is not the tire losing traction on the gravel, the gravel itself is moving under and around the tire. A tire with some bite can help in some type and thicknesses of gravel but not nearly as much as a tire with some bite does in soft dirt/mud. If you are riding road and gravel with some hardpack, a gravel tire with small tread is a better choice. If you are riding singletrack/dirt/gravel/CX, something like the WTB Nano and many others is a good choice. Niether style is a substitute for an MTB tire for mud but.
Last edited by u235; 05-30-17 at 10:10 AM.
06-03-17, 07:47 PM
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I think that fashion is a factor, "What are the cool kids wearing?" That's as legitimate a reason as you want to make it.
Weight and suppleness would be the technical reasons. Some tires roll better than others and this changes for different surfaces. Two tires that are similar on the road might be very different on grass or dirt.
That said, I'm going to try out a pair of Michelin City Proteks. Don't cost much and this bike isn't in dirt a lot. We'll see how they do on the occasional stretches of sand we have here. No one tire can be perfect at everything, but if it's so bad at something that you end up walking and sand is one of those things that'll kill you.
Weight and suppleness would be the technical reasons. Some tires roll better than others and this changes for different surfaces. Two tires that are similar on the road might be very different on grass or dirt.
That said, I'm going to try out a pair of Michelin City Proteks. Don't cost much and this bike isn't in dirt a lot. We'll see how they do on the occasional stretches of sand we have here. No one tire can be perfect at everything, but if it's so bad at something that you end up walking and sand is one of those things that'll kill you.
06-03-17, 10:54 PM
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I'm curious to hear your impressions of those tires. I'm very impressed with the Protek Cross Max and am considering the Protek Urban for another bike.
06-05-17, 07:47 AM
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