Best Gravel Tires 2019?  

I love this format. Get nerdy. I can watch this stuff all day.

Loved the video. Really enjoyed the breakdown of so many different options and you saving us all the time and money spent on trying out so many selections. Keep up the strong work!

Thank you, Russ. I liked the content and enjoyed the format. Bring on more topics from the Bike Whisperer!

Great insight Russ. Keep it going. Your opinion is well delivered and much appreciated

Thanks Russ. Tires are the hot topic for many years now and you helped me consider adding to my already large collection. Dammit Russ!

Cool video, Bike Professor Roca. Appreciate the pictures of tread with the discussion of your experiences with those tread. More, please.

Do more! Love the content, love the format. I ride Maxxis Rambler 40's on my True Grit. I'm nervous on dicey terrain, and I'm deathly afraid of flats on a long ride over rough stuff. So far, so good. I rode them for the Belgian Waffle Wafer ride, and I must say, I paid on the roads, but I had all the confidence in the world on the gnarly stuff.

Long over due! When I was last buying tires I actually looked to see if you had made this video!

Love the format, and super relevant to me.

Great content as usual. My Salsa Journeyman came with WTB Riddlers. I ride about 505/50 gravel and paved path. The Specialized Pathfinder Pro 700x38 has worked really well for my type of riding. They were also a great choice for my recent multi day ride of the GAP trail from Pittsburgh to Cumberland MD.

Love it. Great great material. Concise, clear. I've already made a PayPal contribution but I'm gonna do patreon now too. It's just worth it.

Love my pathfinders too! Freaks me out how well they work ! Coming from mtb,s i had my doughts. Hooks up on most trails

I'm new to this, but I really like my 26" x 2.1" Kenda Small Block 8's. Nice and grippy, but not too loud on pavement. And yes, please, more #bikewhisperer please. Funny, after watching your bike flavor wheel vid, I got onto my modern hybrid and had a strong sensation of climbing into a hammock. Thanks for putting a name to what I was feeling.

This was super great and beneficial! I like the breakdown of everything and this helped as I’m about to put the Specialized Pathfinders Pro skinwall on my bike!

Hey Russ, I really love this kind of content (looking forward to more soon, I hope), and I'm glad that you're advocating for the cyclists out there who are far more into the non-competitive, get on your bike and enjoy it aspect of cycling. It's also a pretty exciting time to be getting into this kind of cycling, as there are lots more options than there were even 5 years ago that would allow one to have a pretty versatile bike that can be used (reasonably well) in a variety of conditions...which is really cool. However, as exciting and awesome as big, supple 650b, 27.5, 700c or 29er tires might be, there are some of us (like myself) who are still rocking the not-so-cool-anymore 26" tires. For me, for now, the best bike for the type of riding I want to do, my preferred bike size, and my budget is one that wears 26" tires. I know that I'm likely in the minority here (I'm OK with that), and that this isn't as much your area of interest as the 650b or even 700c bikes, but I wonder if it would be possible, where it makes sense, to include some recommendations for folks like myself in these kinds of videos? I'm trying currently to find the 26" equivalents of the recommendations above, but often, when a manufacturer has an amazing gravel/allroad tire selection in 650b/700c, they only have old-school, knobby "mountain bike" tires, or super fat 26x3 or larger options, which makes it hard to find appropriate 26" analogs to the very-much-appreciated recommendations you make for the other sizes (with the notable exception of RH). It's also possible that this request may have implications in subsequent videos like this one, too, so I figured that I'd share my thoughts, and the worst that could happen would be that you think I'm a bit crazy, a bit self-interested, and a bit off-the-point with my request...and that's OK. Again, I really appreciate your work/effort in this area, as well as your very clear efforts to grow your brand, your channel, and your reach--I'm sure it's lots of hard work, and I hope you're encouraged by the support you're receiving in the comments...keep it up!

This is the content I’m all about

I do like this format. Please do more content

Hello Russ. Excellent content as always. One correction though: I believe the tires on the Breadwinner you rode were G-One Bites, not allrounders. I'm running WTB Resolute 650b x 42mm on my GT Grade and they've been really good so far, but since I mostly ride on small-graveled roads and pavement, I'll be getting the Pathfinders on my next bike (no clearance for them on current one). Keep up the excellent work!

Excellent. Packed a lot of great info into a straightforward video. Is missing the fun side of your videos but there is room for both formats (well more: live stream, PLP interviews, reporting). I am somewhat amazed at the quantity of quality videos you are putting out. Don’t forget, more Laura for the female perspective too!

Boy am I glad I watched this video in time, I was seconds away from placing an order on a pair of Gravelking SK's, not diggin the painted sidewall idea, went with some Teravail Sparwood in REAL gumwall

Please do more, great format for us nerds.

700c Road - Specialized Cottons 700c Gravel - Schwalbe G-1 29er MTB - Maxxis Ardent Race Maxx Speed 27.5+ MTB - Schwalbe Rocket Ron’s

I went with the Ramparts over the Horizons because of the luck I had with setting up Teravail Cannonball's tubeless on another bike. The fact that all I was seeing on 650b road bikes was the Horizon was another reason for me to choose something else. I've been really happy with them so far. Still working on dialing in the pressure on them for my weight and load.

Definitely do more!

I luuuuuuv my wtb nanos! Transformed my cross bike into a do it all bike!

I recently had a pair of Teravail Sparwood (27.5x2.1) put on my Specialized Roll comfort bike. They have transformed it into a gravel/hard pack beast. The Sparwoods are slightly buzzy on asphalt but I just love these tires.

Love the bike whisperer content! Now we’re getting Russ’ deep expertise! More! : )

I used to always go for armored touring tires because I was afraid of the struggle I underwent with every puncture. It used to take me 30 minutes to change a tire because of how much I struggled getting it on and off! I finally learned the trick of how to get the tire off the rim with only one tire lever, and not needing a lever at all to get it back on: push the bead into the well. Everybody kept telling me that tire changing was easy, but not a single person mentioned this trick. Only once I started trying out tubeless did I learn this trick. When I asked the owner of my LBS after nobody had ever told me about it, she said that people are just not good at communicating tricks like that. I just put the non-SK GravelKings on my touring bike. Coming from the Schwalbe Marathon Almotion and Supreme, which I had to keep pumped up to 70 PSI to not feel sluggish, having these tires feel faster than those at 55 PSI is such a paradigm shift for me! I know you aren't a fan of the GravelKing casing, but its casing is certainly an comfort improvement over the Schwalbe Marathon series.

great information! thanks.

I’m running the 700x38 Terivail Ramparts on my Twin 6 Ti Rando. They’re great tubeless and run a like a 700x40, I have them on Stan’s Crest rims. I also have the Coronado on my Seven Sola single speed. The tan wall “light and supple” feel great!! Definitely wider rims and wider supple tires are worth a deep dive.

Gravel bike 1) Maxxis Ramblers 40f/38r - Gravel bike 2) Teravail Rutland 700cx42 gumwall, not as smooth on pavement but loving Teravail tires. Krampus - Teravail Coronado 2.8 gumwall. Long live supplelife.

I love my Teravail Cannonballs. Running 650b x 40s on a 46cm All-City. Feels great on gravel and modest single track

nice job!

Thanks 4 the info russ! This kinda stuff is super helpful because I have little experience with a lot of supple tires

Learned a lot.

Excellent topic. :-)

One tire I'm interested in hearing about is the wtb venture. Love the videos as always

Thanks great info

Excellent overview and review thank you.. I've been using the compass 700 x 38c (barlow pass?) tubeless on a racier feeling bike. Good all around tire (its design motive?) that I wish for a bit more of a side knob on loose gravel descents.

Love my supple setup on my Kona rove St, have a Riddler (45c f) & nano (40c r) both from wtb. Setup tubeless and couldn't be happier

I have been shopping around on amazon for bargains on returned tires (often 75% off) that fit my needs and picked up a G-One Bite 27.5x2.1 for under $20 a couple months ago. I have it mounted on the front of my Big Dummy, which rocks an 80's mullet (27.5/26) and an albatross cockpit, and I have been riding it hard (!?!) on my local single tracks (NEMBA maintains about 30 miles of trails within a stones throw; yes I gets lots of weird looks from the fancy mtb'ers). The front rim is wide at 35mm internal and I had my doubts but the tire fits like a glove, and I run it at 20psi with a tube without any flats yet (fingers crossed; I do bottom out the rim sometimes though). This is my favorite all around to date, rolling smoothly around town yet reasonable trail grip. I find that they will wash out on corners and smack you to the ground if pushed too far, which seems to be their weakest attribute, but I am used to Minion DH tires as my offroad benchmark for traction and the G-Ones do admirable. I am a little concerned about the amount of wear they are showing after less than two months. I recently put a Continental Race King 26x2.1 on the rear that I picked up dirt cheap. This seems to roll almost as smooth around town as the G-One on front yet is more grippy on trails, though I almost immediately got a pinch flat (perhaps due to the much narrower 19mm rim on the back; its a parts bike, gimme a break!). I hope to do some canine bike touring this fall so I will get to pump the tires up and see how they do with longer on-road trips. My pup took her maiden voyage yesterday on board the rear platform I fabricated for her and she shows great promise :) The other tires I picked up are the Schwalbe Marathon Plus MTB 27x2.25. These do surprisingly well on road but have a fatal flaw offroad in that they have literally next to zero traction on wet wood. Diagonal roots sweep the front (or rear) out from under you automatically and if you have to cross a wooden bridge then beware! Too dangerous for me.

Thanks man, the biggest problem with running rubles is flatting for me. But if I can ride longer and my tires take a lot of beating, then I’ll try it. Also, I hear that tubeless requires riding every day.

Thanks for the reviews. Most tires were slick/semi-slick. How about a review of tires with more 'bite' like the WTB Resolute, Maxxis Rambler, Terravail Rutland, etc.?

Great video . Maybe something about Classic saddles?

Massive subject and after coming back to cycling after a long break I found the choice bewildering. I specked Schwalbe Marathon plus for my Surly Ogre in 700 x 50 and found them fantastic for a mix of conditions. A bit slippy on mud but that's not really what they are for. I then bought 700 x 35 in the same tyre when I bought my gravel bike (A Ribble CGR, steel frame carbon fork) and found the different size a very different ride and a lot less supple but strangely suited the bike. As conditions get worse I may experiment with more off road style tyres for both but so far no dramas and no punctures!

i am using hutchinson overide, very good on the solid cover

It also comes down to what's your limiting factor. Like I ride singlespeed and so my biggest problem is just keeping up with folks especially on tarmac sections, so I run the best rolling resistance tires I can (in this case pathfinders, b/c that center slick is niiiiice)

What about WTB Venture? Love this nerdy kind BikeWhispherer topics :)

I have been running Maxxis Refuse 40mm tires that came stock on my Devinci Hatchet. Experimented with other tires, but with not success. The Refuse have been so reliable bikepacking or even gravel racing this weekend. Pretty heavy but they roll well. Not great cornering as they are slick.

I have been enjoying the WTB Riddler 700x45.

The Teravail Coronados are fantastic when it is dry but no directional control if the dirt ever gets wet.

Love the cazadoro and panaracer gk... ,

‘With great suppleness comes great risk’. So how many punctures or ripped sidewalls are acceptable in a ride? Surely there’s a tire out there which is the best compromise? The Panaracers?

I ride mostly dirt, technical singletrack, a small bit of gravel and only a minimum of road to link up trails. Roads are best used to get to the dirt! Some of the highest quality tires, best performing tires Ive experienced are Donnelly(Clement) Xplor MSO. 32, 36 and 40c. The only thing they dont do well is thick mud. Then I run their MXP or PDX ‘cross tires. I also like Specialized (I get them cheap) and Continentals. Both are quality well made tires and seal up tubeless easily. I have 8 sets of wheels I use for singlespeed/fixed, touring, ‘cross, gravel and fire roads. Im a wheel builder and tire geek!

I approve!

Wanted to say that this guy knows what he is talking about. Bough the ReneHerse Barlows tires...what a big big difference it made in my bike. Speed, comfort and looks. I have the PanaRacer gravel kings that I haven’t test and for sure the construction looks great but I don’t think they are going to feel like this ReneHerse but I paid for two PanaRacers less than the price of one of the Barlows. I don’t think I’m getting anything else. ReneHerse are just wonderful. I got the standard casing, wondering about the endurance. Any experience with those?.

Nice video, but I have to disagree on the G-One Allround from Schwalbe. I have the 29"x2,25" on my Trek 920. Have them set up as Tubeless. First tire went flat on the second ride and sealant would not seal properly. Surprised by that because the puncture was really small. Ended up cleaning the puncture, made it bigger by putting a plug in and lots of glue. That held up to 35psi, but as I am a heavier rider, I need more psi in my tires. Replaced the front damaged tire by buying a new one, same brand. Went on a bike tour hoping that the rear tire would hold and the first failure was simply a production failure. On the sixth day of my bike tour, the same thing happened. A micropuncture and the sealant just bled through. Roadside repairs were made in gale force winds, just above freezing in the cold rain in the highlands of Iceland. After several failed attempts with plugs which didnt hold because of everything being wet, a tube went in. A 30 minute ride into the resumed ride, a pinch flat was now on the menu. Being exhausted, cold and wet I hailed down the first car I saw and asked for a ride. Now I am in the process of dealing with the website that sold me these tires about a refund. Have made several attempts with thicker sealants but nothing stops the leaks altogether, all of them just slow them down to about just below 20psi. And these are not large punctures by any means. So no, I cannot recommend the G-One Allround Tubeless. Thinking of just going for a tried and tested Marathons next.

I'll add to your GK review by saying, I've run the GK slicks (which in itself is a weird model. I mean Gravel and Slick?). They are 700x38 and I can't tell you how many times I have patched those things (yes, I patch my tubeless tires). They roll pretty nice but they are on the delicate side.

For my gravel bike, all gravel riding WTB 650b x 47 sendero perfect

Cool stuff, as always. I'd be interested in thoughts or reviews of the Donnelly EMP's or X'Plor MSO's. The other thing to consider when looking at tires is width and your rims. A 38mm on one set of rims may be 38mm per the manufacturer, and on another set of rims run 39 or 40mm depending on how it sits. Right now I am running Panacer GK SK's since that seemed like the standard starting point for a quality tire when I was building up my gravel bike. I've got a couple hundred miles on them running tubeless with zero flats or punctures, running mainly type 1-3 gravel. Fingers crossed and knock on wood. They could be cushier for sure, though.

Thank you for helping sort through the sea of different tyres :) These are all completely out of my price range but ill keep an eye out for deals. Perhaps you could overlay text of the name of the tyres or provide links or move your selfie video to the bottom corner as I struggled to work out what the names were and had to take it back over and over and listen really hard to hear it then try a bunch of different spellings on google. Thanks again!!

Whisper on brother it's all good

My best are: undemanding gravel with some road -- Specialized Pathfinder Pro, amazingly quick tire. Rougher stuff -- WTB Resolute, good rolling resistance for a knobbier gravel tire. My least favorite: Teravail Cannonball -- felt like made of lead, bike immediately felt sluggish. Donnelly MSO aren't bad, but quality control is lacking...decent chance of getting a weird out of round or funny bead tire.

Perhaps a discussion on lube and toobless, I feel two topics that cyclists get really wound up on, love the channel

Appreciate the videos! Could you please review gravel/cx cushcore inserts? I would like to hear your thoughts on suppleness vs added rotating mass

Dang, I *just* bought and mounted a set of 700x43 GravelKing SKs yesterday. I wish I had this content sooner. To add insult to injury, I was surprised to find that, visually, the tire clearance didn't seem to change much compared with the stock 40mm Bontrager GR1 tires that came with my Trek Checkpoint ALR5. I then measured them with some digital calipers, and they read 39.5mm! I suspect my 17mm rims are to blame for this.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on the Victoria Terreno range. I’ve been using the zero model in 38 and been enjoying them.

Hey, I loved the video. I think you should make the base volume louder though because at my phone's max volume, your voice is still quiet.

I use the G one's by Schwalbe, in 700 by 38 they roll really well on Tarmac and are good on loose stuff as well.

I just ordered some 700x1.95 Kenda Karma Sport(might Pro amazon listing was a bit confusing), which is well liked over at MTBR. UI don't see CST tires mentioned much, but the prices look very good.

How would you advise the Specialized Pathfinders v. Sawtooth? I ride about 50/50 road and gravel. The sawtooths seem to roll fast, but I’ve had the 700x38 dig in too much on sandier/muddy stuff. How are the pathfinders on the road?

Would love to see more 650x42 options esp in tan wall. I run Rene herse slicks on my straggler w 25mm rims 👌

More plz

Use the G One all round in 700c x 40 for summer rides in the south coast and New Forest of England

Tyres are a minefield so hats off to you for going there. I think everyone's experience varies because terrains can look the same but react with tyres differently. On our gravel my G Ones lasted 2 rides multiple punctures that didn't seal and a tear 1/2" long finished them. Really surprised to see them in this video but they must work where you are. Thought it odd you included Panaracer?

What would be awesome is to have the same bike with about 6 exact same wheelsets shod with all the different tires and test each one on the same course. The 2 main things this could bring to light is how much suppleness different tires can bring, and also how much tire profile (round/square/smooth/knobby) can affect handling. I've gone from square knobby tires to round smooth tires on the same bike and felt like I was actually on a totally different bike - speed and handling wise. Wonder if there's any merit to that feeling or if it's all in my head?

Mileage may vary - I get the feeling you've not personally run with the Gravel Kings very much - Given their size range, going to the 27.5 wide versions before reviewing them makes more sense. Running the 35c tires on my old touring rig allowed me to: Ride with and head a paceline of veteran riders (running nothing larger than a 28c), accelerate and even sprint on the gravel shoulder or rail trail (useful when I needed to catch up after pausing for photos😄) and ride all day, feeling less beat up by the rougher road conditions than the rest of my group. Trying the 50-622 for my adventure build and this time I will run them tubeless. The only flat out of over 3000km riding with the SK 35c (btw two bikes with the same tires) came from running over a curled up safety pin, which I levered into my sidewall by running over the other end😖. Not bad mileage, and I have run them (with tubes!) as low as 40psi on offroad rides. In Canadian retail these are not budget-oriented tires (listing just below the same size Schwalbe (yes, Russ, there's an 'L' 😉) g One - which I liked fine but gave to a friend whose review is pending - the Panaracer GK SK seems a resilient, versatile and wise investment for roadie/cyclocross folx who need to ease into the gravel world. I like that their smallest 622s allow my single speed customers to try gravel grinding without frame rub, and I am really impressed with the 50-622 after a short offroad test ride. Riding the smooth 38s this weekend to compare against smaller knobby version, in search of ideal all-rounder. Also, where are the Sim Works Hommage series in this lineup? Another supple review is needed (ahem, Sim Works!). Keep up the good work Russ, I got yer back (via Patreon). Make Mine Supple for Life!

What all-round gravel tyres would you recommend for puncture protection while commuting without having to resort to something like a Schwalbe Marathon? I recently bought a Norco Search XR S for weekday commuting and weekend adventuring. I converted the 42C WTB Resolute tyres it came with to tubeless straight away, but unfortunately 15km into my first commute I somehow split a tread block and had to insert a tube. I'd like to repair it with a patch or plug and go back to tubeless (I hoped that tubeless would help with small punctures), but i'm a bit worried that they might be a bit fragile for dependable commuting 25km each way with a pannier. Or it is just worth using thick tubes in this scenario?

Thoughts on WTB Nano 40s. There wear fast, but for my 200 lbs work great.

i am currently using schwalbe g-one speed in 29x2.0 on my gravel bike. while they roll really fast and i can almost keep up with my road bike speeds, i find them to not really be supple at all. shame that the rene herse, as well as the soma´s are hard to get and very expensive here in germany. maybe i bite into the sour apple and order the 48c tubeless shikoro. looks tempting, albeit quite heavy on paper.

Teravail Cannonball vs WTB Venture. Which is better suited for all round riding? Or is there a better all rounder?

Thoughts on the Michelin Power Gravel and The Bontrager GR1 Team Issue?

Hard to find a G-One. Not surprising, they come on a lot of prebuilt bikes.

Hey man, good format. Just get down to it and tell us what you like & why! Nice. I have been running Schwalbe G-One Allround Microskin TL Easy on my gravel wheel set 700c x 38mm and very happy in all respects (the bike they're on is a Soma Double Cross Disc). G-One has been a very good tire. But, I am intrigued by both the Panaracer SK and the Teravail Cannonball (heard very good things).

The Trigger/Tracer from Specialized is great for me. My Diverge can only handle 33mm

Do you think you can do a 2022 version of this video please?

Super stoked about the 700x44 Byways coming in October

Hi - need some help to select the right gravel tire. I currently have the Bontrager GR2 Team Issue Gravel Tire (700c 40mm) - but get flats all the time (even when i ride on the normal street - 1 week riding - flat - 4 flats on the back tire, 1 flat on the front tire in the last 4 weeks). I got the Tannus Armour Tire Inserts - but that doesnt fix the flat problem. Can you recomment me another gravel tire (high puncture resistance!)? which one has the best quality and prevents flats Panaracer, Vittoria, Continental or WTB or something else? My terrain: Road and also some Offroad (forrest with gravel and fine sand). I would say 60% road, 40% offroad.

I have to say about the Gravel Kings vs something lighter like the Riddlers. The Gravel Kings can be run at a much lower pressure without squirming due to their tough casing, so even though I have both I often reach for the Gravel Kings. I am curious about your friend though, what do you mean by she was constantly getting flats? Were her tires just going flat or was she actually tearing sidewalls?

Any thoughts on wtb's exposure?

Strange I’ve had great luck with the GravelKing SK’s, better luck the Schwalbe G one’s running tubeless. The Schwalbe G one’s don’t play well with all tubeless wheels, they kept losing air on my DT Swiss gravel wheels. Even the know for hard to set Maxxis Rambler set up easy on my DT Swiss GR1600 wheelset. One set the Schwalbe G one’s were great for about 1,500 miles, then I ran over a root that I’ve run over several times with the GravelKing’s and it blew the G one’s sidewall. Besides the GravelKing’s the only other tire I’ve liked and had great luck with is the Donnelly Strada USH, those held up well, just didn’t have as much traction on looses stuff. I’ve tried the Teravail cannonball, didn’t hold up nearly as well as the GravelKing, lost air during rides with no visible flats. Any light in weight tire I’ve tried being 6’4” and 175 lbs has caused me trouble, definitely the more durable tires like the GravelKing’s have been great for larger riders. In the USA GravelKing’s are actually more expensive or the same price as many you’ve listed.

Have you ever tried the Teravail Rutland? 650b X 47.

can surly straggler 650b fit to teravail cannonball 47c with aileron rims? @pathlesspedaled

More clearance at my fork than chain stays. Thoughts on mixing sizes on road bike?

#1 Rene Herse - Barlow Pass. For when it’s dry #2 Rene Herse - Stelicoom. For when it’s muddy These are the fastest tires I’ve ever ridden. Don’t tell anybody

Can I use a tubeless tire on a nontubeless rim with a tub looking for a good Gravel tire for a verge 2 622-45

People who support the channel are "patrons"; the other viewers are called "supplicants". :-)

Ok how many miles should I get out of a set of Maxxis Rambler 700X40 tires?

With the huge boom in popularity of 31 an 33 inch mountain bike tires in Canada and even 35's that we are starting to see in European road racing, I wonder how long the 650b and 29+ platform will survive in the United States.

Which one of these 650b slick tires would you recommend for mainly road riding, Terravail Rampart or WTB Horizon/Byway ?