Thinking about replacing my gravel tires, I’m torn with what to get. These are for 700c wheels, and I’ll be riding mixed pavement and dirt, although probably 75/25 pavement to dirt. Right now I have the 38mm Rene herse slicks, and they’ve been great and look super good, but they’re expensive, and really don’t roll as fast as I’d like for how much they cost… Considering Terra speeds because I hear they roll fast, but I’m concerned I’ll just wear off the knobs riding pavement. If I’m riding dirt only, I have a set of 650b knobbies that I like, but they’re pretty slow on the road. Any suggestions? Preferably something that also comes with tan sidewalls
Panaracer Gravelking slick for ~$50. Choice of 32, 35, 38mm (or more). Tan sidewalls and sometimes limited edition colors and easy to set up tubeless. I typically ride the 32s and they roll well enough that I don’t worry if my buddies show up on their road bikes without telling me.
I was on the Rene hearse too but the feather weight or whatever it’s called. But I got too many slashes. Now I’m on the specialized pathfinder 42 front 38 rear tan sidewallls. I did the wtb riddlers for a while but I felt slower than every else. Haha
+1 for the Gravelking slicks, especially since the OP has another set of wheels for chunkier gravel. Could even go to 32mm GP5000’s if the “gravel†is mostly packed dirt trails and roads.
I just got a set of Donnelly Strada USH WC 700x40 tan walls to use for lighter gravel and mixed in pavement. They seem to roll quite well, tight tread not knobs, more grip than Gravelking Slicks (which I also have), and are TAN (not BROWN!).
+1 for the Spesh Pathfinders. I ride a lot of pavement to get to gravel and I’ve found them very good on everything except really chunky gravel and loose sand.
Thinking about replacing my gravel tires, I’m torn with what to get. These are for 700c wheels, and I’ll be riding mixed pavement and dirt, although probably 75/25 pavement to dirt. Right now I have the 38mm Rene herse slicks, and they’ve been great and look super good, but they’re expensive, and really don’t roll as fast as I’d like for how much they cost… Considering Terra speeds because I hear they roll fast, but I’m concerned I’ll just wear off the knobs riding pavement. If I’m riding dirt only, I have a set of 650b knobbies that I like, but they’re pretty slow on the road. Any suggestions? Preferably something that also comes with tan sidewalls
Don’t know how fast they roll but I just got a set of American Classic Kimberlite on my wife’s bike… 700x40. She didn’t notice a difference in speed so far.
The Gravelking SS is a good option. They seem to last a really long time, they are fairly fast, and a little safer to corner on than the slicks.
I race on Terra Speeds. Real fast, great grip, but they wear quickly on the road. I have some of the 40c Challenge Strada Bianca handmade tubeless tires that i use for training on the road, but they seem fragile for gravel. It could have been bad luck, but i cut mine in 2 places on my first road training ride. I patched them from the inside and they’ve been fine since, but i still don’t have the confidence to use them on gravel.
The GKSS is a really great balance between speed, grip, cost, and durability. When my Challenge tires wear out, I’ll get another set of GKSS.
Maybe look at Conti Speed Rides? I’ve used them on mixed surfaces… they roll and wear well, are a similar weight to the Terra Speeds and have stood up to extended gravel training and races (I did the unPAved 90-mile option on them with no issues) but are a lot cheaper than the Terra Speeds at under $30.
https://www.biketiresdirect.com/product/continental-speed-ride-tire-folding?v=700x420
I’m pretty happy with the GK 35c SS on (measures ~37 on wheelset I’m using) for mixed riding. Rolls surprisingly well on pavement though not a lot of grip on looser gravel. 42c IRC Double Cross has been my go-to full gravel tire. The Boken is a phenomenal option that’s something between the SS and DC.
one tire to rule them all or most of it, Specialized Pathfinder.
When in doubt, you can’t lose with Conti Black Chili tires. I use the RaceKing Protection as my gravel tire (lots of sand around here) and the Black Chili never seems to wear out. My most recent rear tire I even ground of probably 50 percent of the center knobs and it is still going a year later with no signs of giving out.
If I only had clearance for 40mm, I’d do the Terra Speed. With Schwalbes gravel offerings going to stiffer, slower casings and really slow rubber, then Terra Speed is the best option. I’ve not heard others say the Challenge Strada Bianca was as fragile as the above post-er. I mean to try that tire when the 45mm version comes out, at least as a rear.
+2 for the Gravelking slicks. I have 38s and only wish I had more tread if I’m climbing a steep uphill in loose sand. But I’m willing to give up a little traction for short sections because on the road I hardly notice any loss in speed vs 25mm road tires. The ability to jump off onto a trail whenever the temptation arises is so much fun I hardly ever ride my road bike anymore.
The GKSS is a really great balance between speed, grip, cost, and durability. When my Challenge tires wear out, I’ll get another set of GKSS.
Yeah, the GKSS really seems like the “Goldilocks” tire for a bike that sees mostly pavement, but some gravel. I put a set of Rene Herse standard casing tires on my multi-surface bike, but they’re just a bit too fragile for me to be confident using them on extended gravel rides. I ended up getting a set of Gravel King SK’s to use for those occasions. Had it been available, I would have probably chosen a GKSS as the only tire for this bike. The GKSS rolls faster than an RH, with better puncture resistance, presumably a similar ride quality and tread life, at price that’s 33% less. And it’s undoubtedly a better tire on pavement than the GKSK.
A lot of people seem pretty happy with a GK slick, but the SS seems to add a lot of durability (both tread life and puncture resistance) for a pretty nominal difference in rolling resistance.
If my bias were 75% gravel, 25%, I would be temped to go with the Terra Speed. But for a bike that sees more pavement, I like the lower weight and and greater tread puncture resistance of the GKSS. And while I wouldn’t choose either tire for a white-knuckled bomb run down a switch-back dense descent, the high-void-ratio full knobby design of the Terra Speed looks like it would be quite detrimental to paved cornering grip. For the marginal difference in .crr, the GKSS looks like the better choice for a pavement-biased application.
for what it’s worth, i raced this weekend (a 3-day gravel race) on the terra speeds (35mm version). i’m riding a cross (rather than a true ‘gravel’ bike) and the course was fairly fast and dry, with some paved sections. i thought they were just right; surprisingly good bike climbing steep gravel paths, and fast enough on pavement that i wasn’t particularly conscious of them when we were going fast.
I’ve heard enough that I’m pretty positive they’re fast. I just think they’ll wear too quickly on the pavement. I’m thinking I may get a pair as a race setup though.
i think i’ve only got about 350km on them or so. they were new-ish for the race, which was about 200km long, and then i had a handful of training rides with them before the race. so far they -seem- to be holding up well, but obviously that ain’t much to go by. anecdotally, i’ve heard good things about their durability.
I’ve heard enough that I’m pretty positive they’re fast. I just think they’ll wear too quickly on the pavement. I’m thinking I may get a pair as a race setup though.
IME, it’s only the center of the rear that wears a bit fast, at which point you’ve basically got something akin to a “file tread/side knob” tire like the Challenge Gravel Grinder, and it still works pretty well, considering that when things get rougher/looser, the side knobs start coming into play, even when going somewhat straight. In other words: sure, they wear…but even worn it’s a pretty decent tire 
It’s one of my favorites. I just wish the 40c version actually was true to size (mine measure out more like 38mm on 20mm internal width rims) and/or they made a slightly wider version (say, something more like 45mm).
It’s one of my favorites. I just wish the 40c version actually was true to size (mine measure out more like 38mm on 20mm internal width rims) and/or they made a slightly wider version (say, something more like 45mm).
I agree. I bought some 35s and they measure 33mm on a 20mm internal rim, and my 40s measure 38mm.
38mm is about right for most of the courses i ride, so not a huge deal…but a true 40mm would be better.
I have the Pirelli Cinturato Gravel H 40mm and they look and roll fantastically
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