Hello folks! I own a Specialized Diverge and currently use 700×38 Gravelking SK tyres. I would like something with a little more grip which also wouldn’t ‘clump’ mud as easily.

Currently considering Continental Terra Speed 700X40 tyres. Does anyone have any recommendations?

Wtb resolute 700×42 for all round use, not sure the older diverge has clearance for that size though?

Terra speeds are faster and less grippy, but you could stick one on the back and a terra trail on the front?

WTB ventures are a bit more mud-orientated?

I mean, if your gravel tyres are clumping up that much a) what about a CX tyre, and b) what about just taking your mountain bike?

Lot of good suggestions in the 650b thread ,as rocketdog says,check clearance.I had to go to 650b on my CX.

Another vote for WTB Resolutes. Fitted some yesterday to my bike and they’re ace. Grippy off road and still roll well on pavement

Spacialized Rhombus ticking all the boxes for me.

I’ve got WTB Resolutes too. Surprisingly grippy off road and seem to be pretty good on road too. Buddy of mine bought some to replace some other tyres and really likes them too.

Terravail Rutlands are what I went for in 700 47c . I did consider the Resolutes but had some Riddlers in the past and found they wore quickly and reviews seem to suggest WTBs puncture quite easily.

Resolutes are ok but they do drag on the road. WTB Nanos offer same grip offroad as resolutes but roll much better on it. Dont get resolutes in 650b either, they only come in 42mm which is pointless.

The problem is that there are so many options. They are all good and all have their fans. Ultimately with gravel tyres more grip off road means slower rolling on road and it’s just a matter of where you want to be on that spectrum. On top of that you have puncture protection. The more of that you have the heavier and slower (less flexible) the tyres are. Manufacturers are always trying to find that ideal compromise between speed and grip but of course there is no such thing as it depends on where you ride and how much speed you are willing to sacrifice to gain more grip.

I’ve used 700×38 gravelking tlc (slicks), wtb byway and teravail Rutland on my gravel bike. All three are great in their own way with the slick gravelking being easily the fastest on road and the Rutlands having easily the most grip off road (as you’d expect).

The Pirelli Cinturano M are also worth a look if you are after an all rounder.

The problem is that there are so many options. They are all good and all have their fans. Ultimately with gravel tyres more grip off road means slower rolling on road and it’s just a matter of where you want to be on that spectrum. On top of that you have puncture protection. The more of that you have the heavier and slower (less flexible) the tyres are. Manufacturers are always trying to find that ideal compromise between speed and grip but of course there is no such thing as it depends on where you ride and how much speed you are willing to sacrifice to gain more grip.

This.

Plus whenever someone says i use X tyre and it rolls well on the road, you should be asking compared to what? I could tell you a Sendero rolls well on the road if my only only point of reference are MTB tyres.

Also beware of the difference between feels fast and is fast. You hear lots of reports of people saying that this tyre feels as fast as (or feels slower than) this other tyre but it’s quite rare that there is any attempt to quantify the difference.

I thought my Gravelkings were great so I wouldn’t be in a rush to move away from them. My pal was riding WTB Venture which look like they should have more grip but I left him behind when riding in winter slop.

My new bike has WTB Sendero, which are another level off road but suffer on. Planning to buy some 700c wheels and will probably go back to GK’s as they’re such a good all-rounder.

In a similar situation with GravelKing SKs,and on advice on the Gravel Bikes UK forum I’ve taken a punt on Victoria Terreno Mix G2 tyres.

Since I put them on the spare wheels we’ve had glorious dry weather and dusty trails. Thank me later.

My favourite gravel summer tyre is the Specialized Pathfinder Pro 2Bliss which has a central smooth section and is really fast. My current tyre is the Reneherse Steilacoom Pass TC 700×38 which handles muddy boggy sections with ease, and also feels plenty quick enough on the roads compared to my riding mates that are on Gravel King SK’s and WTB Ventures.

Personally I won’t use WTB tyres gravel tyres as they seem to puncture/tear easily when running tubeless.

Rene Herse Steilacoom is also a 700×38. I don’t know whether it’s what you want but it’s worth a search. I found mine to have very good winter grip and it felt like much less of a rolling resistance penalty than I expected given what it looks like. And it has an exceptionally soft/supple feel about it which I really like. I think if the bike was predominantly used off road I’d keep these on all year round, but I’ve taken mine off now for something more tarmac suitable since I find myself using this bike on the road more this time of year.

This is a good article with lots tested for rolling resistance / grip & puncture resistance.
https://granfondo-cycling.com/best-gravel-tire-test/

I was thinking of the Conti Terra Trail Front / Terra Speed Rear setup but stock availability is an issue

Gravelkings SK here ( both 650b and 700c wheelsets) for most of the year then I bang on some specialized fast track 2.1 mtb tyres for the winter ( on the 650’s)

Hopefully this link works

I’ve been running the resolutes for a couple of months and reall like them. However I’vev had a couple of big slashes recently. I was going to buy the new version but can’t find any in stock in the usual UK shops.

Hopefully this link works

Ha! Vindicated! I keep recommending their ‘best in test’ Terreno Dry on these sorts of threads.

They don’t seem super popular right enough, I don’t think the tyre really looks anything special on paper (and no tan wall…) but I wouldn’t look anywhere else.

This guy actually puts them through some rigorous testing which might help your decision

They don’t seem super popular right enough, I don’t think the tyre really looks anything special on paper (and no tan wall…) but I wouldn’t look anywhere else.

How do you find they wear? I saw a post somewhere recently in socialmedialand where someone had worn out a rear tyre in 800k !!!

Bought some terrano drys after reading that review for the Edinburgh Day in Hell yesterday and they seemed to cope with everything plus not be as draggy on tarmac. I usually run nanos which are excellent for more off-road adventures but probably more draggy without the less knobbly centre section. Tbf my mate did it on 32mm expanses and was also pretty much fine. Doubt they would have coped with proper mud but again if it’s only a small component of the ride it’s a trade off. Think I’m going to stick with the terrano drys for the summer now.

How do you find they wear? I saw a post somewhere recently in socialmedialand where someone had worn out a rear tyre in 800k !!

I noticed the centre ‘fish scales’ on my rear tyre were almost smooth after maybe 1500km – 2000km. Lots of tarmac in that though and the tyre is still perfectly functional, the fish scales are possibly only 0.5mm thick and I do wonder how cosmetic they really are in the scheme of things…

I expect to get the rest of this year out of them again (at least) although my routes are all starting to get a bit chunkier so I’ll probably be putting more miles in on my Superfly 29er (also with Terrenos albeit 2.1s 😎 ).

Also – I think tyre wear is far more subjective than people realise, I have a buddy who is much fitter/faster than me but just destroys tyres, so one man’s 800km might be another mans 2000km…

Anyone recommend a gravel tyre other than the byway that has a slick centre tread for road but decent side grip for off road. Recently doing lots of tarmac which links off road byways and lanes.

WTB Venture? I have no experience of anything else as these came fitted to my Fugio but they barrel along the road sections without feeling like they are holding me back, and they also cope well with dry loamy forest single track and general gravel riding.

I’ve discovered lots of lanes and byways recently while out on my Krampus but if I wanted to ride these from home I’ve a nineteen mile ride from home and the same back , have you ridden the ventures on long stretches of road?

I think the longest road link section I’ve ridden is around 10 miles, on hilly B roads, and they seemed perfectly fine but then I’m coming from a MTB background running reasonably heavy duty enduro enduro tyres, so pretty much any gravel tyre is going to feel faster. If you’re coming from more of a road background, or spend more time on slicker gravel tyres then I guess you might notice some extra drag.

@fudge9202 – Schwalbe Hurricane, Vittoria Terrino Zero or Hutchinson Overide

Currently using schwalbe g-one bite evolution in 38mm and really like them, especially on the current dry trails.

Best all-rounder gravel tyre I’ve used is the Vittoria Terreno Mix (38mm).

Anyone a real life experience of the Specialized Pathfinder Pro 2Bliss?

Vittoria Terreno zero is not as good on road as you’d think. I found them heavy and draggy, this was borne out in the data from rides.

Terrano dry in im 650b here seemed to work well on yesterdays mixed surface ride

Slower than my 700c gravel king sk 38mm but much more comfy and grippey off road

Anyone a real life experience of the Specialized Pathfinder Pro 2Bliss?

Great tyres, my go to for most of the time unless winter/mud/grass. For actual gravel and tarmac they’re spot on.

@honeybadgerx cheers for that think I’ll give them a go, just a pity they aren’t in 50mm