Subscribe now and choose from over 30 free gifts worth up to £49 - Plus get £25 to spend in our shop
Whilst recovering from my prostatectomy, my thoughts are gradually turning to getting back on the bike. Nethers are still tender so not anytime soon but still. I'm thinking that it will be a gradual reintroduction to off road riding so I was wondering about gravelifying my Cotic Solaris. By which I mean narrower, faster tyres than my current 2.6 Nobby Nics (maybe 2.0ish) and some of Ergon's Innerbarends to give me some variety of hand position. Plan would be gentle rides on local lanes and maybe forest fire roads, so tyres would still need some tread.
What tyres might fit the bill do you think? Don't want anything too eyewatering cost-wise as I've been off work since the end of October and may not be back until mid-Jan! I don't love tanwalls, but could bite the bullet for the right tyre. Wheels are Hunt Trail Wides, so I think 30mm?
I ride Continental Terra Hardpacks on my Swift & they're great.
As the name suggests though, they're not for mud.
It's worth checking out Banana Industries. I just picked up a pair of these to 'gravel-plus'-ify my On One Vandal:
https://www.bananaindustries.co.uk/products/michelin-wild-racer-fold-tyre-29x2-25-gum-x-advanced
(They were £15 each when I bought them, now up to £20)
I haven't dared put one on the front, as I use the bike for more trails than just strictly gravel/road, and wouldn't trust the tread in mud. But they ARE fast!
There's a couple of other options on there too; continental cross-king in 2.2/2.3 flavour for £15 each.
Conti Race King 2.2". I've got them on my Cascade and they're a good compromise between grip / rolling resistance, while being decent volume for comfort.
Real world width 55mm on a 25mm internal width rim:
I'd go for a fast tyre but still a decent size (2.2 minimum) so you can run low pressures and keep/add comfort.
Conti Race Kings are a good option but be careful that they're listed correctly and are the version you want. Lots of places sell these for ~£15-20 but often they're the non-tubeless wire bead version so double check.
Maxxis Rekon Race are a 2.4" but super quick tyres and Merlin have them for £18ea!:
Edit - I don't suppose you're anywhere near Guildford, down south? I have a pair of 29x2.4 Rekon Races (although they are Tanwall!) that I'm taking off a set of wheels this weekend as my new frame won't fit them, you're welcome to have them if it's useful? They've done some miles but have plenty of life left.
Conti Race Kings are a good option but be careful that they're listed correctly and are the version you want. Lots of places sell these for ~£15-20 but often they're the non-tubeless wire bead version so double check.
Good point I should've mentioned. Mine are the Shieldwall PureGrip version which are a bit more than the £15-20. These appear to be the Shieldwall PureGrip version for £20ish ea though, if Amazon isn't a turnoff.
Might not be a great tyre for proper wintery conditions, but for something fast, Hutchinson Caracal Race. Think they're available in 40/45mm. Only ~13W rolling resistance per tyre, which is insanely good.
Merlin had them, so do Amazon I think, Sigma did have some but were OOS last time I checked.
Gravel racers were all using XC tyres the last I heard, so I'd just get some 2.2in - 2.4in XC tyres, especially if your rims are 30mm internal.
Good point I should've mentioned. Mine are the Shieldwall PureGrip version which are a bit more than the £15-20. These appear to be the Shieldwall PureGrip version for £20ish ea though, if Amazon isn't a turnoff.
Looks like those are the 26" version - the 29" version is here. I bought these and they were the PureGrip Shieldwall tubeless variety.
The seller also appears to have a website where they appear to be cheaper, but they're listed as not tubeless-ready so may be worth checking they are the same with them.
A trick I've done a few times, check the big brands top XC bike on their own website, such as Spesh Epic, Trek, etc and see what tyres are fitted then go to eBay to see if can pick some up cheap. I've picked up many Spesh XC tyres off eBay over the years doing this. Good XC tyres would be more comfortable then thinner gravel style tyres.
Looks like those are the 26" version - the 29" version is here. I bought these and they were the PureGrip Shieldwall tubeless variety.
Whoops, that's what comes of rushing a post and not paying attention! The 29" ones you've linked to are the same seller I bought mine from in October last year.
Lots of options here, thank you!
Racing Ralph (rear)/Racing Ray(front) in 2.25 work well for me. Fast on road/hardpack and a surprising amount of grip on anything except mud.
<edit> might fail on the cost but the Performance variant is still pretty good </edit>
Mezcal rear, barzo front
Specialized Fastrak maybe.
I've not ridden the latest version, but had the older ones for ages. There's not a lot of tread so they can wash out on deeper sand/gravel and looser surfaces, but so long as you know what to expect they are a good tyre (well, the old ones were and newer should mean betterer - right?).
A trick I've done a few times, check the big brands top XC bike on their own website, such as Spesh Epic, Trek, etc and see what tyres are fitted then go to eBay to see if can pick some up cheap.
I was going to suggest Bontrager XR1s. Can eBay beat this though?
https://www.evanscycles.com/brand/bontrager/xr1-team-issue-tlr-tyre-718964