[Closed] Talk to me about gravel tyres (sorry!).....

I’ve got on ok with riddler 45’s run tubeless. Nearly 1000km since November and no issues. Mix of easy singletrack, green lanes, gravel and road.

I was going to suggest the 2" Marathon Supremes at Merlin for £31 each, but they aren't designed for serious mud. I've ridden my 35/40mm versions down a slightly muddy, level gravel path, with no issues... But we're talking less than an inch depth of mud!

Schwalbe g-ones. Your bike Sounds like an ATB 😉

Vittoria Terreno is a common reply. I'm currently using the Wet type in 38mm (measures more like 40mm) and it's great as a gravel tyre with a bias towards a spot of mud. I've also had the Mixed which were great and my pal rides the Dry with great gusto off road.

Also used G-one Bite in 40mm which were great also.

I've had some Continental Race Kings which were decent off road but a bit fragile for commuting imo.

I also go tubeless, which I think helps with feel and grip.

I found Riddlers puncture prone till I went tubeless. Gravel King SKs have been good as well.

If you want fast, solid and cheap then I'd recommend Halo Twin rail.

Forgot I had tried Gravel Kings SK (small knob), they were very light and fast. But they're very thin and prone to punctures. These were the 35mm ones. They also come up a bit narrow. Would try the wider ones if I got them cheap.

Tread is over rated. Your riding sounds like my commute. 35mm slicks run tubeless. Schwalbe G One Speeds on the front and Hutchinson Overideson the rears are they are cheaper and last longer. Same set up on my CX/gravel bike.

Also happy with my Halo Twin Rails.

All the gravel tyres I’ve tried have been terrible and scarily unpredictable but that’s part of the fun I guess. (I treat my gravel bike as an xc mtb for reference)

Riddlers - properly terrible off road, made of Rizla and can lose grip while off the brakes in a straight line - which is actually quite impressive.

Senderos - better in loose/muddy condition, still roll pretty well but somehow turn wet rock into ice.

Resolutes - still rubbish at everything but predictably rubbish, slightly less rubbish than Riddlers.

I quite like the look of these.

https://www.merlincycles.com/pirelli-cinturato-gravel-h-classic-folding-gravel-tyre-179684.html

Not tried them so can't comment on their performance.

As mentioned above by @jambo, I’m riding WTB riddlers tubeless. They’re great for my hybrid (gravel, ATB , whatever the f*ck they’re called now) bike.

They can cope with a little mud, but not much. They can cope with a little road work, but they’re not slicks, they can also take a little bit of Singletrack, but they’re not like my Minion DHF’s.

Just what you’d expect. A little of everything but not the best at anything.

I don’t think there is a magic option

With a toddler on the back I think of go slightly more tread than I would out on my own

Teravail Rutland are good but pricey. They come up a bit small

Wtb Resolutes a mate had them in his gravel bike year round ace likes them

Riddlers are pretty fast feeling on the road. Off road, set up tubeless with lowish pressure, they're pretty good. They are not mud tyres, so steep up and down mud isn't great. But flat mud is fine. Get the biggest size you can fit.

ampthill

With a toddler on the back I think of go slightly more tread than I would out on my own

toddler on the back, riddler on front, perfect setup 🙂

I should add. I didn’t choose riddlers, that’s what came on my focus atlas and so far I’ve felt no need to change them.

set them up tubeless straight away so never tried them with tubes. Run between 40-50psi.

My favourite so far is the WTB Ranger. I know it's more of an XC than gravel tyre but works really well for me. I tried WTB Raddlers, an although they performed ok, the buggers kept going flat (tubeless). Rangers back on, no issues.

Thanks for all the responses. I think I'm definitely leaning towards a sturdier, gripper tyre. I'll look into the ones above - particularly the Rangers, Riddlers and Raddlers then. Guess if theyre dear i could just get one for the back and stick an existing 2.2 or 2.3 29er tyre on the front!

I think the Vittoria Terreno range will be sturdier and easier to live with than WTBs, from what I've seen/experienced myself. Having used them now for 2 or 3 years I wouldn't consider any other brand because I doubt there could be a better compromise of speed/sturdiness/grip and ease of tubeless-o-fying (still needed to learn a few tubeless tricks at first but is reasonably straight forward to swap tyres around now).

Am always amazed by what I can get away with on the Terreno Dry, I think at the correct pressures the side knobs maybe come in to play and assist with traction, my rear is now worn almost slick in the centre but still seems to perform perfectly even in some fairly nadgery situations.

I guess if you're running higher pressures under a child seat it might detract from the grippiness, in which case the Terreno Mix might be a good compromise, I used a set in 35mm as a winter CX training tyre, riding a mix of tarmac and deep mud, seemed good in both scenarios! The 40mm would be ideal.

I've a pair of Hutchinson Touareg 700 x 45 that are barely used if you want to make me offer?

Drop me a PM if your interested!

A lot depends on the conditions you ride in, reading above about resolutes being terrible surprised me but my local riding is rooty, muddy, clay based and resolutes are great for that, grip well and clear the local mud fast.

Currently got a set of pirelli cinturatos in for a review and I've been surprised how capable they are in the local mud which is still a thing around here. Roll well on hard surfaces too.

But what works for me may not work for you unless you live near me

Tread is over rated

I used to say that as I used road tyres on gravel and single track for years. However after putting on 33c Schwalbe X One all rounds I can confirm that the grip is incredible (cornering, tough single track climbs etc,.) yet they still roll really well on tarmac.

Another Terreno vote here. 38c wet on front, 35c dry on rear. Been good in a wider range of conditions than they ought to be. Run 30-32psi with Vittoria liners.
They’ve been waaaaayyyy more robust than Maxxis Ramblers that I used previously.

Negatives are fast wear rate and a sketchy on wet rock etc, but that kinda adds to the fun.

Negatives are fast wear rate and a sketchy on wet rock etc

I've only just replaced my rear Dry after 3000km (with the front one, same age) and only because I had pinched the bead and exposed a lot of sidewall threads with my negligible chainstay clearance so couldn't be bothered trying to refit and tubelessify such a well used tyre 🙄

The rear was smooth in a ~1cm band across the centre but was still good for punchy little singletrack climbs on grassy hillwalking paths etc. I think the compound and side knobs are doing more work than you realise.

Edit: apologies, sound like a Vittoria salesman. Other tyres are available. Apparently 😉

@13thfloormonk - no need to sell to me, I love them! Maybe didn’t make it clear that the downsides are very minor IMO.

To be honest, under 40mm width won't cut it. Think I want at least 47mm, ideally 50s. The more I look, I realise I want a 29er xc tyre really - but getting one at about 1.9 to 2.0 wide seems impossible these days, which is why I'm attempting to look at gravel tyres!

Terreno Dry come in 700x47c and 29x2.1.

Would love to try the 47c on a frame that has clearance.

I just added Terreno Mix 33's to my Gen 1 gravel (think compact chainset, heavy) and blimey they came up narrow.

The OEM wheels don't want to go tubeless promoting new wheels / bike thoughts 😂

Sadly I can only find the Terrano dry (or any Vittoria gravel tyres) up to either 38 or 40 mm in 700c. All the wider ones seem to be for 650b wheels.

Part no TYV0450 - due in with supplier next week.

Thanks!

Check Freewheel.co.uk

I'd been anxiously awaiting some more Terreno Dry 38s coming back into stock, I think Freewheel are basically the front of house website for the importer? Got my new 700x38 for the front last week.

Verrrrrrry excited about the 700x47 Terreno Dry, but I think it might be the TLR tan wall casing only which would be a good thing (lighter, more supple, tan 😎) but I think it's less robust than the grey TNT casing and I've sort of gotten used to absolutely abusing my tyres so didn't fancy going lighter weight.

They come in both anthracite and tan. Tan is a lot more fragile - got tan Mezcal/Barzo on another bike and had a few sidewall tears. No problem with the anthracite Terrenos.

Part no above was for anthracite ones.

Mezcal are also worth a look - come in 29x2.1.

I'm a G One Speed fan, but scroll down and there is a Schwalbe for every gravel occasion it would appear. They have been great run tubeless.

https://www.schwalbe.com/en/gravel-reader/schwalbe-g-one-allround

Been running WTB Resolutes in 700x42 they have been brilliant for the last year including the winter but as said before it depends where you ride. My Vaya can take 700x50 but I’ve never felt the need to run that size. Would like to try 700x45 when these wear out.

Think I want at least 47mm, ideally 50s. The more I look, I realise I want a 29er xc tyre really – but getting one at about 1.9 to 2.0 wide seems impossible these days

These are what you want!

https://www.goodyearbike.com/tires/connector/

Goodyear Connector in 700x50 flavour. I love them on my Sonder Camino. Waaaaay more capable than the 42 resolutes I had before, more planted and cushioned, loads more grip but don't think they are perceptibly slower on tarmac. Big thumbs up from me.

'Reasonably' priced too compared to some.

To be honest, under 40mm width won’t cut it. Think I want at least 47mm, ideally 50s. The more I look, I realise I want a 29er xc tyre really – but getting one at about 1.9 to 2.0 wide seems impossible these days, which is why I’m attempting to look at gravel tyres!

Vittoria Terrenos (they were called Terreno XCs when they launched) are essentially Terreno Drys for mountain bikes; I've got some on my bike (essentially an overweight, flat bar gravel bike).

They don't seem to do TNT versions anymore, but if you can find them I found that they hold air much better than the TLR tan walls. The tan walls are fairly available in 2.1" and 2.25".

https://www.vittoria.com/ww/en/tyres/mtb-xc/terreno

-- Edit --

Merlin have them half-price at the moment in 2.25" (the picture shows a TNT version but the listing says TLR).

https://www.merlincycles.com/vittoria-terrano-xc-race-g20-tlr-folding-mtb-tyre-29-228305.html

I have the TLR tan wall 2.1" Terreno XC on the 29er.

It closes the gap massively between the 29er and the gravel bike, they really are very fast tyres!

They don't feel as confident as the narrower versions though, I think there is more of the slick central tread in contact with the ground so straight line braking on loose gravel feels 'floaty' and I was forever drifting wide on corners. I still like them, they're just a bit of a handful

Another vote here for Goodyear Connectors. I ran them at 700 x 35c and really rated them. I've swutched to 650b now and am using WTB Resolutes in 42c which are also great. The Goodyears at 50c wouldn't fit my frame....

Those look really good. Might try to get hold of one of those.