[Closed] What moon on a stick tyre for gravel/cx (and a bit of road)?

Not bought any yet but I was considering specialized pathfinders for this.

Race what?

Usual contenders are

Panaracer Gravelking SK
Schwalbe G-one all round
Terravail Cannonball
WTB - resolute, nano.

Edit: My pick out of those for a good all rounder would be the WTB Nano

Compass pass steliacoom or hurricane ridge, previous stw thread on compass pass tyres here

I really like the Schwalbe G-One tyres. Easy to fit and tubeless-ify.

That said, I don't race and I avoid mud (riding in the Peaks means it's mostly just rocky/gravel trails) but they fulfil your [i]fast on/off-road, grippy on gravel and durable[/i] criteria.

I've got the G-One Bite on the front with marginally more grip, a G-One Allround on the rear.

I think most of the tyres mentioned above will give up at the first sign of mud. I'm still nursing wounds from attempting to use Challenge Gravel Grinders on some wet grass last week, and have had some hilariously awful CX races when I've encountered a bit of moisture on Bontrager CX0s.

If you want something genuinely all round, then something more like the X-One all round/G-One bite (which I think are pretty much the same tread in different sizes).

For a dry-only tyre, I'm very happy with the Gravel Grinders.

Race what?

CX

Schwalbe CX Comp.
Only about a tenner each!

Or look at Vittoria's on PX if you want tubeless for a wee bit more

Whatever Vittoria tyre floats your boat. I have found them the easiest to fit tubeless and good on various surfaces, currently on Terreno mix 40c. WTB nano 40 is ok but I found it a bit more puncture prone and on the front it feels a bit squirrely.

I had some Terrano Mix and they were great off road but found them a but draggy on road and even got a noise similar to MTB tyres on road (but quieter). If you need grip for CX you will then have too much knobliness for road unless you are only race very dry CX where something like a Terrano Dry would be good on road and for CX

I was going to say WTB Nano, trailwagger beat me to it.

Ran them on my old CX bike, fast and very capable. Will never be the best in deep mud but still decent in a little slop.

Schwalbe G-one all round

These. Great for tarmac (I've done 100 mile days on them!) as well as gravel. Just don't expect a lot of grip in mud....

Thanks for your suggestions all.
Sounds like WTB nano's might be a good compromise with possibly a tyre change in the winter!

nanos

Anyone got experience of the Smart Sams in 42c size? Hoping for a bit more volume over the 33c Razes on the cross bike to make it a little more capable off road in flinty fire roads

I was going to say Nanos but they can wear fast. Still would have them though, Nano is probably my favourite all-terrain/all-year tyre as it somehow manages to compromise the least overall in such differing terrains and conditions

G one Speeds. This is their designated use. Toad and a little bit of gravel. Great tyres. I run mine tubeless. They might struggle on the mud. Nothing is grippy on gravel. It’s gravel. You know, small mobile Particles that move over each other.

has anyone suggested WTB Nanos?

Grifos. Pump them up more when you're not racing.

42mm wtb resolute, nanos are fine if you're doing mostly tarmac or hardback. If you want all year round dry/wet tyre go resolute. V grippy around 30psi ( tubeless obvs) and buzz along nicely at 40psi

The new Schwalbe Hurricane is supposed to tick all those boxes but by an act of marketing genius they re designed an existing tyre so you have both old and new design available. Make sure you get the right one if you go this route.
I am using G-One AR at present but thinking of changing to the Hurricanes for winter.
Let us know what you choose.

I still have a scar to show for how poor g one allrounds are on slightly damp grass in a summer cross race!!! Great tyres, just not suited to that!

Yeah, it's surprising just how slippy wet grass is on summer tyres. I did a race last year with an X-one front and a CX0 rear on damp grass and I kept doing doughnuts. Came off properly three times and countless other slides. The X-ones aren't exactly aggressive, but the grip difference was huge.

Nanos are fine if you’re doing mostly tarmac or hardback...

What’s a good tyre thread without some disagreement. I used mine mostly on gravel, grass, hardpack, fire-roads and farm tracks (often with a skim of mud) and found them to be perfectly at home there. The get-you-home on tarmac sections weren’t too punishing but I do agree with this review that they can feel a tad squirmy cornering on paving but I feel that’s a nitpickingly small price to pay for such versatility.

But this isn’t a road tire, after all, and while there are smoother treads on the market, few offer the same the level of versatility as the WTB Nano 40c.

If your all-road adventures consist of a mix of pavement and hard-packed dirt roads, there are faster-rolling file tread options to consider. However, if you like to take your drop bar bike on a mix of loose gravel and singletrack, the WTB Nano 40c is an excellent choice.

https://www.bikeradar.com/reviews/components/tyres/wtb-nano-40c-tcs-light-tire-review/

The new Schwalbe Hurricane is supposed to tick all those boxes

That was my old year-round favourite before trying the Nanos, although the Hurricane was a heavy wire-beaded thing it rolled like a champ and yet had mad grippy edges like some frankentyre. Interested to see what the new one brings 👍🏼

Schwalbe Smart Sam or CX Comp ?

cheap and should be okay for that kind of ride

Much prefer Gravelking SKs to Nanos - more supple, faster and lighter. Not tried in mud, but tbh when it gets muddy I want a proper mud tyre.

For non-monsoon spring to autumn riding on mixed terrain, my 2.35" G One Speeds are great and are far speedier than they desserve to be on the road, currently using one up front and 4" Jumbo Jim on rear for my Wazoo on commuting duties (only because the rear FatNotFat freehub is practically dead).

However, they wear quickly and then become more prone to punctures (not such an issue if you run them tubeless with reg topups of sealant). They also don't do wet conditions well at all. In that respect, the All Round might be slower but last longer and be a bit more adaptable.

I still want to try a pair of Gravel King SKs, but I'm trying not to buy new tyres before other sets have ceased to be.

Hutchinson mamba cx for all round summer use if you don't mind non-uci legal sizing.

Rene Herse Steilacooms.38mm. Named after a CX course in Oregon (I think) and will do everything you ask. Just don't get the Extra light casing!!

I would have said Nano 🙂

But you said

capable-ish in mud

Thus, it needs to be capable-ish in mud, fast on/off-road, grippy on gravel and durable.
Up to about 42mm for clearance sake.

Fair enough - you did say moon on a stick, but I think you're asking too much. Pick your compromise!

I'm running Vittoria Terreno Dry.

I've had a couple of frights braking on wet grass, but the only narrow tyre which HASN'T given me a fright on wet grass was a Challenge Limus which is a full on wet CX tyre.

The Terrenos have a lovely robust floaty feel over chunky gravel, they might be considered at the heavier end of the gravel tyre spectrum, think they're 550g for a 40c but they don't feel it.

They roll great on tarmac, a little noise but no significant drag.

Good fun on gravel, as somebody above mentioned, loose gravelly corners are always going to be loose gravelly corners though, it's just a new technique to learn, look for the camber on the inside of the corner!

So far I've found them fun in the mud, i.e. they slip and slide but you can still make good progress, and no frights. I did walk a very steep, skinny bit of muddy singletrack the other day, largely because I wasn't in the mood for any silly slow speed falls onto wet grass littered with pointy sticks...

loose gravelly corners are always going to be loose gravelly corners though,

Agree but the tyre still makes a big difference. As someone who often uses 25c road tyres on gravel it is the corners that are dodgy and I sometimes almost end up in the ditch on the outside of the corner whereas with something like the Terrano's I used that wasn't the case.

As someone who often uses 25c road tyres on gravel it is the corners that are dodgy and I sometimes almost end up in the ditch on the outside of the corner whereas with something like the Terrano’s I used that wasn’t the case.

Sorry, yeah, the point I was making (and was made above) is that I don't think the sort of tread you find on gravel tyres makes much of a difference on loose gravel, but volume certainly does!

It’s reassuring to see I’m not the only one who doesn’t like Nanos.
I’d also volunteer the Terreno Dry but with the caveat that any tyre that isn’t a mud tyre is going to struggle in mud. You could match with the Terreno mix front, and I’ve raced wet grass/sandy courses with that combo but low pressures are key. The Terreno mix tread is very similar to the challenge Grifo.
I’d also offer the Bruce Gordon Rock n Road but they’re slap on your clearance limit and it wouldn’t take long for them to clag up and foul the stays.
I’ve tried Gravelking SK and Gravelking Mud and the SKs we’re overwhelmed in mud and the lack of decent side knobs on the Muds didn’t inspire confidence in bends.