Will a gravel tire slow me down?
 

I currently ride on 700x32c Bontrager H5 tires, which are fairly tough with a shallow tread. These have OK grip and rolling resistance if pumped up to >65psi.

I am considering getting some wider tires that would be suitable for both road and gravel - something in the 35-40mm range (for a Trek Crossrip). This could them become both my commuting and general-purpose touring / gravel bike (the 32mm tires feel too stiff and thin off-road).

Given that gravel tires typically have deeper tread or smallish knobs (e.g. Schwalbe G-One), would I be likely to notice any difference in rolling resistance or effort required, when used on pavement?

Any recommendations for this kind of dual-purpose commuting/gravel tire?

Many thanks!

John

Why are you asking the same question again?

The surface that you are riding on will define the performance advantage/decrement of the tire you're using. Finding a compromise tire is not easy but a perfect compromise means that both road and gravel performance will be "compromised".

The solution is easy: You need 2 bikes instead of just one.

N+1, sorry :D

They won't slow you down much if you keep them pumped up to full pressure.
Things such as wind, terrain, hills, traffic lights, stops, road conditions have a much greater effect on speed than tires.

It is a very similar question, but not actually the same! I'm interested in the difference between a reasonably slick commuting tire and a gravel tire, which is (from what I've read) quite different to a knobbly CX tire. My other question was to determine whether it would be worth changing the Schwalbe X-One knobblies on my CX bike to a tire more suitable for road/gravel use - I decided on 35mm Schwalbe Marathon Supremes for this bike.

This question concerns my commuting bike (with the 32mm Bontrager tires). I'd like to use this for gravel as well with 35-40mm tires at lower pressures.

Naturally :-)

Good points. I've found that keeping road tires well above the minimum recommended helps them roll better on the road, and then letting air out off-road (and maybe running tubeless) for a smoother ride over the bumps.

Thanks,

John

Same recommendation as before: Continental Cyclocross Speed (700x35) or Speed Ride (700x42), just variations of the same tire. Very shallow file tread, side knobbies, great all around for pavement, gravel and dry grass. Lightweight, supple and comfy despite the unimpressive TPI count.

I'll pump 'em to around 55-60 psi front/60-65 psi rear if I'm riding mostly decent pavement. 45-50 psi front/50-55 rear for chip seal, rural roads and gravel. A little lower if I'm riding the grassy levees, pastures and fields.

Only drawback is they're not very puncture resistant for serious off-roading, but most of my punctures came within a week a few months ago from riding open pastures with dried grass burrs. Only one puncture on pavement from riding across a pile of road debris and picking up a razor thin shard of glass. And another from riding across a huge chunk of glass hidden under leaves at the park near a pavilion where they host concerts with beer in glass containers. Overall, not enough to motivate me to try another tire. I like 'em.

Something like the Clement X'Plor Ush, 120 TPI is a good lightweight road & gravel tire. I find the rolling resistance seems acceptable.

However, they are a bit more expensive. I'm not sure about puncture resistance, and I've only put a few hundred miles on mine,so I can't comment on overall longevity. So far, so good. I just normally ride on narrower tires, and just pull out the cross bike for special occasions.

We all believed this for years, until power meters became affordable.

Then the evidence showed that larger tires and lower pressure rolled as well if not better than skinny high pressure tires. Shoot, I used to pump up to 120psi to do century rides. Never again...

For many tires, your maximum pressure should be the minimum pressure listed on the sidewall. But yeah, full pressure does feel faster, doesn't it?

+1

Listen to this, it explains the efficiency of wider/lower-pressure tires very well

+1

Try The Ritchey Speedmax Cross 700x32. I use them as my all around tire right now and they are good in gravel and roll pretty well on the road pumped up to 80-90 psi. Fun to chase someone on a tri bike with a cx bike with gravel tires on and see the priceless look on their face😁

If you are not in a hurry, don't worry about it.

I'm always in a hurry getting to work....not sure why; in 50 years no-one will care what time I arrived :-)

How loose is the surface on your gravel routes? I ride gravel roads on road tires, specifically Panaracer Pasela. Sometimes I feel my tire jump to the side, but I don't lose control.

My question was intended to ask whether gravel tires will slow me down on pavement - I wasn't very clear! My idea was fit some wider tires to my commuter, so that I can use it on smooth off-road tracks, such as gravel on the weekends. If this is too much of a compromise, then I'd need to consider an N+1 gravel bike :-)

John

I know what you are going after, and I'm saying to reconsider. If your gravel route isn't all that loose, don't use a gravel tire at all. I don't know how much it will slow you down on pavement, but it will be at least a little. I don't see the point. I slip around a little. I don't care. I like my road tires.

In other words, I recommend leaning towards a road tire. Since you will necessarily need a compromise, let it compromise your traction on gravel.

Just a suggestion.

I'm not sure exactly what makes a "gravel tire" different from a commuter tire, except it's more premium.

Ah, OK - my misunderstanding! I currently have 32mm tires, so maybe I should just see how I go with these. I don't have any specific tracks in mind yet - just an idea of what I'd like to do. Quite a lot of the tracks I've looked at in my area aren't suitable for road-bike of any type - definitely need an MTB for rocks & roots.

John

I guess it's mostly width and tread type? I see a gravel tire as something in the 35-45mm region with a file tread of small knobs.

Most hybrids for commuting that I've seen seem to be thinner (28-32mm) and with a very light tread.

Au contraire, I took my hybrid down a trail that was nothing but roots that would have broken my entire body if I fell off. Albeit at a slow pace. This made it very technical and enjoyable as I couldn't just bomb over them. Found it quite enjoyable.

I live on a hard packed gravel road, so I ride gravel daily (twice!). I use Schwalbe Kojaks. No compromise for gravel considering there's 20-30 times more pavement between gravel sections.

The neighbor is faster than me with knobbies, although the speed is probably more from the 250cc motor than tire choice.

Then you are a braver man than I! But seriously, a lot depends on your skill level - mine is definitely as the "rookie" level and I found navigating the rocks pretty stressful, particularly with clip-in pedals. I also used my brakes so much that I thought I had worn the pads and stretched the cable on the first ride....

I've seen some pretty awesome videos of (very experienced) riders navigating MTB trails will a CX bike, and wish I could do it :-) At present, I'd like to find a nice hard-packed or firm gravel trail in a picturesque spot, on which to develop my skills and relax from the daily grind (i.e. work).

John.