Gravel tyres for 95% road use

gerryhughes67

Looking for some advice regarding tyres.

Ive just purchased a gravel bike with more relaxed geometry than my road due to comfort from old injuries, so far I love it as can cycle pain free. However I’ve lost a couple of MPH of my average speed and I’m thinking the tyres may be one issue. The current tyres are Crosscut 700x38 and as 95% of my riding will be on roads I’m thinking of putting a more road suitable tubeless tyre on.

what would you guy recommend?

Wheelspinner

Depends on how much gravel grip you need, and what sort of dirt it is. I have some Schwalbe G One Speed on a bike and they’re fantastic on road for a big volume tyre. Come in a range of widths too, and there are variants for cross or other conditions.

Easy tubeless for me, although I went back to lightweight tubes in them, as I didn’t like the mess of sealant…

N0bodyOfTheGoat

I've not tried them, but https://www.merlincycles.com/vittoria-terreno-dry-g20-tubeless-gravel-tyre-700c-266927.html (£24.99 each before using a loyalty discount for 38mm) are supposed to be good for dry summer conditions.

If your typical gravel is smooth, try Marathon Supremes, good on the road and fine on low-grade offroad.

daniel_b

Marathon supremes are what I use, and they are fantastic, I didn't mention it initially as I don't have a tubeless setup and didn't know if they came in that flavour.

gerryhughes67

Thanks for the replies

molteni_man

I use Hutchinson Overides for m’y Gravel Bike. They’re fantastic for dry compacted gravel and very decent on road too. Sigma Sports is a good starting point for a look.

https://www.sigmasports.com/item/Hutchinson/Overide-Tubeless-Ready-Gravel-Tyre/MNLY?utm_source=google&utm_medium=base&co=GBR&cu=GBP&glCountry=GB&id=1057045&ds_eid=3823279037&ds_e=GOOGLE&ds_c=&ds_cid=20153863158&ds_ag=&ds_agid=&ds_k=&ds_kid=&ds_kids=&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAADpReTiC8Kzm0dkLZ3ZMuIhuzJEfW&gclid=Cj0KCQjw8MG1BhCoARIsAHxSiQm5DwXq838ER6wFTas-LdmWmuJNQG4soAgA6SB0_APa2K_xJxQzBCcaAg-qEALw_wcB

davebradswmb

I'm not averse to riding a bit of occasional gravel even on my best bike.

True gravel riding doesn't even require tread on the tyre, it's only when it gets muddy that you start to need tread, so if you are only riding on proper gravel then I would choose a decent road tyre that is robust enough to not be destroyed by the gravel. Marathon would seem to be a good choice, and maybe reduce the width to 32mm to gain a bit more speed.

skyhawk1

I use

Continental Cross Kings on one bike and Continental Double fighters on another

simonekarl

First, now that you have the tools, perhaps time to explore some gravel.... so careful you don't get tyres with too road focus...

Another option is the Specialized Pathfinder Pro available in a number of widths. They have a smooth track down the centre for fast road use and grippy shoulder for the hard compact gravel. They are rubbish in mud..

They are also pretty lightweight, if that is important for you.

I do about 60-70% of my riding on gravel and use a Goodyear Connector 700x40 and find them ok on the road. My drop in speed is more from the gearing than the tyres.

simonekarl

Further to my last post ☝️, found this on YouTube, a 40mm Road Tyre!

https://youtu.be/z-W_p2MY2Ik?si=YYjeWXVw79Itizy_