MinnMan

I have four different gravel tire sets- Gravelking SS (38 mm), Donnelly Xplorer Ush (35 mm), Terravail Cannonballs (42 mm), and Maxxis Mud Wrestlers (33 mm)

I'm signed up for a gravel event in SE Minnesota this Sunday and though it won't rain on event day, it looks like we may have rain on 3 of the 4 days preceding. Maybe not...we'll see.

The Gravelkings are new to me and I've really been looking forward to riding them in this event, but as semi-slicks, I think they'll do poorly if the roads are at all muddy. The Mudwrestlers are for truly sloppy conditions and I'm not expecting those. I'm kind of leaning towards the Cannoballs, because they have more tread than the Ush, but maybe either of the two will be about the same? On paved surfaces and hero gravel, the Ush's are definitely faster.

I'll watch the weather and still hope that I can ride the Gravelkings, but for argument's sake, let's assume that there will be an inch of rain in the couple of days before the event.

Which would you ride?

Rolla

For mud, I like wider-spaced, taller knobs, and the Maxxis MWs look great for that. I rode Xplor USHs for a year and really liked them, but I think the Gravel Kings give a more pliant ride; neither would be my choice for slop. I have no experience with Cannonballs, but one review says, "they hook up well through slimy mud and splashing through unexpected puddles." If true, that sounds like a solid choice for your conditions, if the weather goes as predicted.

rumrunn6

w/o 1st hand knowledge & just looking at internet pics & guessing at your conditions, I'd agree with the Donnelly Xplorer Ush or Terravail Cannonballs

base2 

IME Gravelking SK's suck when the goin' gets greasy. I'd err on the side of taller knobs or at the very least substantial side knobs being better than SK's until the summer-time.

Your gravel is probably not like my gravel, so YMMV.

MinnMan

These are SS's. They have even less tread than SKs. So likely not for this weekend.

I think the Cannonballs have better tread. Also,as 42s, they can be run at quite low pressure. Am leaning that way.

I appreciate the perspectives.

phrantic09

Is this wet gravel dirt roads or trails? If it’s soft dirt roads, GKs will be fine, it’s better to be wide than have tread imo.

MinnMan

As it turned out, the roads were just a little damp. I went with the 35 mm Donnelly, but the GK probably would have been fine.

OTOH, one of the reasons that the roads were not wetter was that they were dried by the wind. And the winds were hellacious. Many people noted that it was probably the windiest ride in their experience. 28 mph sustained wind with gusts approaching 40 mph, in open farmland with very few sheltered spots. Tough conditions, but not for the reason I expected.

I wish I had a picture of us riding the cross winds. We were all visibly leaning into the wind.

Rolla

Thanks for following up with the ride report -- glad your tire choice worked for you. Like the old adage says, "wind doesn't blow -- it sucks!"