I’ve been using my gravel bike for about 4 months now and am already on the second set of tyres and am still having no luck. I’ve had some 120tpi Clement Xplor Ushs in 35c and now a set of Continental Speed Rides in 42c.

The Clements died when a rock slashed the sidewall. I’d already had about 4 punctures with them in a month. The Contis I’ve had on for about 3 months and have had around 15 punctures (of which half have been from bits of glass putting tiny holes in). I run the rear tubeless and the front has a tube in it now because it won’t hold tubeless. Last night the rear died too – air is leaking very quickly from the bead in a really weird puncture that can’t be repaired.

I ride it to and from work, on tarmac as a winter trainer, I’ve done a bit of off road touring around the Cairngorms on it and once a week I take it to the Pentland hills and do what would have been a pleasant mountain bike ride on them. The bulk of the punctures from sharp objects happen on my commute or when I’m on a long ride along the canal, the bulk of the pinches and slashes happen in the Pentlands. I run 60psi.

I’m after a tyre with a puncture protection belt in a size somewhere between 40 and 45c that is reasonably pinch puncture resistant. No reviews seem to mention this, only puncture resistance to sharp stuff. It appears a tyre <500g won’t handle it. In a perfect world it’d have a smooth central section and some decent side knobs. They must work tubeless.

I’ve ruled out the Panaracer Gravel King because my mate who I was out with killed his on the same ride last night.

Does anyone have any ideas? The list so far includes-

Planet X Rock N Roads

Schwalbe Marathon GT

The new Schwalbe Hurricane (although the perfect on would be with their Dual Guard casing which they don’t make in 700c)

Leftfield choice, the Michelin Star Grip which looks like it’d also be good for keeping training and commuting when things get frosty.

Can’t help, but I’m about to get some Continental Terra Trail in 700c x 40mm. They supposedly have a tubeless ready ProTection casing, hopefully they’ll last longer than a couple of months.

Planet X have been pushing some bargain Vittoria graphene jobbies in their emails.

I have the older Randonneur Trail tyres and they are pretty bomb proof, but only in a 38 ish (all that fits nicely in the back of my Arkose)

The 38 vittorias are actually 622×40, as are schwalbes.

Ive been running cheapo schwalbe cx comps all summer (622×40, 38c) and just swapped to a smart sam ( 35c) for the winter. Both have worked perfectly tubeless and arent too heavy despite being steel beads. No puncture protection belt (you dont need it with tubeless it wont protect the sidewalls). But being lower tpi they are considerably tougher than 120tpi casings.

If youre cutting tyres ditch the 120tpi casings and drop to a cheaper one, fewer threads means thicker threads means more resistant to cuts.

I found Specialized Sawtooth very good on gravel and very tough. Not too heavy (38c is 500g and 43c is 600g) but I didn’t have a single puncture with them and where I ride I have punctured everything but a Marathon Plus (Armadillos, Continental Plus, Randonneur etc,.).

I don’t think the Continental Speed Rides are tubeless ready/compatible … I ran the (more knobbly) AT Rides for ages and latterly tried to set them up tubeless, and although they initially sealed, gave up after a few days and wouldn’t retain air thereafter.

I currently run the WTB Resolute 700×42, set up tubeless, on my gravel bike (which also gets used for most of my commuting), range of surfaces including glass covered cycle paths, thorn strewn roads, stony off road long rides etc. I’ve had 3 or 4 punctures (that I’ve known about) that have sealed, in 10 months of riding with them. They’re not a heavy duty tyre and feel quite light/flexible, but seem to work ok for me.

i’ve run resolutes since october 18, when i swapped tyres to another set of rims i have 5 thorns in the rear and two in thje front i didn’t know were there, all had sealed. i’ve pulled aound 3 throns out and watched sealant do it’s job as i’ve carried on riding. i’ve worn two out and have just purchased another to replace the current rear. they are great in anything but really slippy mud and i can put up with them (and keep up with the other gravel gang riders more importantly) on tarmac.

however, it is mud and roots around here and looking at the sidewalls if you ride anywhere “slatey” or rocky you might have issues with cuts. but that’s just my thoughts looking at them, i’ve minimal experience of them in those conditions other than brief Welsh and Scottish forays

I did fancy the Sawtooth but I ride in the mud too much.

I’ve been brave and bought some Schwalbes like TINAS’s – some puncture protection, low TPI, hopefully they’ll last.

Hutchinson Overide? Biggest size is 38 though.

I really really wish WTB would do tough wall versions of their gravel/cross tyres. Some excellent tread patterns but the sidewalls can be a bit delicate.

Kenda Flintridge pro. Designed for the sharp flinthills of Kansas.

3000 miles on a combination of 42c Spesh Sawtooths and 42c WTB Nanos (cheap ones) and only one thorn puncture on the Sawtooths.

I second the £12 Schwalbe CX comps mentioned above, did me sterling service on my first “gravel” bike, a rim braked Surly Pacer.

If on one still have the Bruce Gordon Rock’n’Road then they’re pretty decent in terms of longevity and grip whilst not being quite as fast as the modern lightweight tyres.