Buying advice for tyres: What you need to know about gravel tyres
TOUR
· 21.05.2023
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The tyre tread for gravel bikes
The tyres on offer in the gravel segment range from almost treadless to properly studded with larger gaps. Depending on what you intend to do with your gravel bike, you should choose the tread pattern accordingly. The fine treads offer a light, quiet rolling behaviour, which means that the tyre can also be ridden very well on the road. If, in addition to gravel and asphalt, you are also drawn to unpaved paths with muddy sections, you should opt for a studded tyre. Traction and cornering grip are significantly better with more heavily treaded tyres. However, rolling resistance and weight are generally higher and the tyres can run noticeably and audibly rougher on asphalt. Tyres with a closed tread pattern in the centre and outer lugs for cornering grip offer a compromise.
More articles on the subject of gravel:
Prefer tubeless on gravel tracks
If you want to get the most out of your tubeless-compatible tyre, you should do without an inner tube. Converting to tubeless tyres not only saves a few grams of weight and reduces rolling resistance, but also offers puncture protection for smaller holes. In the event of major damage to the tyre, the following usually help Tubeless plugswhich are simply stuffed into the existing hole from the outside.
Tyre width and air pressure are crucial - not just for gravel bikes
If you want to be fast and comfortable on the road, you should not only choose the right Tyre width but also keep a close eye on its air pressure.
The rim width
Not only the tyre width, but also the rim width influences the handling. As with MTB and road bikes, the trend is towards wider tyres. Wide tyres and low tyre pressures are only compatible if the rims also have a corresponding width to provide the best possible support for the tyre.
Rolling resistance
Only those who ride exclusively on the road should tend to choose a higher tyre pressure of 2.5 to 3.0 bar. As soon as gravel and trail inserts are involved, the tyre pressure must be lowered. Even in mixed use on changing surfaces, you save more with a lower tyre pressure than you could gain on the road with a higher pressure.
with a higher pressure.
Tyre width
With identical tyre pressure, the tyre contact area of narrow and wide tyres is the same, but of different lengths. Due to the shorter surface area of wide tyres, in theory they roll somewhat more easily. The diagram above shows that the narrow 35 mm tyre rolls worse than the wider tyres across all air pressures. The 40 and 45 tyres are very close together.
Tyre pressure
Tyres roll more easily with increasing air pressure as long as they roll on a flat surface such as a road. But even here, the savings are only minimal above a certain pressure. On the other hand, comfort is noticeably reduced. Off-road and even on fine gravel paths, the opposite is true. Here, rolling resistance decreases with lower tyre pressure.
Comfort
The lower the tyre pressure, the more suspension travel and comfort. This wisdom can only be applied up to a certain point. If the air pressure is too low, the risk of punctures increases and the tyre becomes too unstable. Wide tyres and a tubeless setup allow the lowest possible tyre pressure. Depending on the rider's weight, pressures of around 2 bar are possible with 40 mm tyres.
Conclusion on the relationship between tyre width, air pressure and rolling resistance:
As wide as possible, with as much air as necessary, is the motto for comfort, grip and fast rolling off-road. If you run tyre pressures that are too high, you are wasting valuable potential.
Interview with Peter Krischio, Product Manager at Schwalbe for Gravel, Cross and Road
BIKE: What makes a good gravel tyre?
Peter Krischio: For me, a good gravel tyre is characterised not only by the usual properties such as low rolling resistance, good puncture and puncture protection, but also by a balanced combination of quiet rolling behaviour on the road and optimum grip off-road. For me, this is where the advantages of a gravel bike lie. Fast on the road and yet fully suitable for off-road riding.
Gravel is positioned between road and MTB. Which sector has a greater influence on the development of a new gravel tyre?
As I have also been developing road bike tyres for Schwalbe for a long time, I naturally borrowed a lot from the road sector. So it's only logical that our new R-Line (G-One R and G-One RS) have exactly the same casing construction as the Pro One road tyre. Incidentally, the Superrace carcasses of the MTB tyres are also based on this. The tread pattern comes more from cyclocross tyres. The profiles from the MTB sector work better with large-volume tyres. The rubber compounds also come from the road sector, as rolling resistance plays a major role here.
Aren't wide road bike or narrow MTB tyres the better gravel tyres?
The wide road bike tyres lack off-road grip. With narrow MTB tyres, the tread is usually too open for the road.
In many respects, the gravel segment is moving closer and closer to the MTB sector. Will there be even wider tyres and rims in the future?
Comfort and grip are always important. In terms of width, however, the maximum width will be 45 millimetres. Tyres wider than 50 millimetres are then too similar to MTB tyres. The ride feel on the road becomes noticeably tougher. Aerodynamics also make sense for gravel use. Tests have shown that 40 mm tyres offer the perfect compromise. The rim width is likely to be between 25 and 27 millimetres.
The fastest gravel tyres at a glance
We have selected the five fastest tyres for you from a wide range of gravel tyres:
Challenge Getaway Pro
With the Getaway Pro, the well-known Italian cyclocross brand Challenge has a very fast gravel tyre in its range. The low-profile tyre rolls almost at the same level as a Schwalbe G-One RS, but costs less. In terms of puncture protection, especially resistance to punctures, it is not quite at Schwalbe level.
Info Challenge Getaway Pro
- Price: 64 Euro >> available here
- Weight: 465 g/in 40 mm
- Width: 36, 40, 45 mm
- Rolling resistance*: 12.2 W
Continental Terra Speed
The Terra Speed went down in the last TOUR gravel tyre test (sister magazine of BIKE, EMTB and FREERIDE) as the test winner and combines good grip with very low rolling resistance. The tyre also weighs very little with its fine, flat lugs. If you are looking for even more grip, the Terra Trail, which has larger and higher lugs, is the right companion.
Info Continental Terra Speed
- Price: 64,95 Euro >> available here
- Weight: 400 g/in 40 mm
- Width: 35, 40, 45 mm
- Rolling resistance*: 12.7 W
Swallow G-One Overland
The G-One Overland was created for commuters and adventurers and is characterised by its high mileage. However, at 17.9 watts, the rolling resistance is significantly higher than that of the fastest gravel tyres. On the other hand, the puncture protection is high. The small lug spacing ensures smooth rolling.
Info Schwalbe G-One Overland
- Price: 64,90 Euro >> available here
- Weight: 515 g/in 40 mm
- Width: 40, 45, 50 mm
- Rolling resistance*: 17.9 W
Swallow G-One RS
The G-One RS has been trimmed for maximum smoothness and is currently one of the fastest gravel tyres on the market. Its minimalist profile is reminiscent of fine fish scales in the centre with small side lugs. The fast and smooth rolling behaviour is impressive. As soon as it gets muddy, however, the tyre no longer has a job to do.
Swallow info G-One RS
- Price: 74,90 Euro >> available here
- Weight of complete wheel: 445 g/in 40 mm
- Width: 35, 40, 45 mm
- Rolling resistance*: 11.2 W
Tufo Gravel Thundero
The Thundero from Czech manufacturer Tufo is characterised by a tame tread pattern and low rolling resistance. At just 431 grams, the Thundero is one of the lightest tyres in a width of 40 millimetres. However, the downside of the low weight is the weak puncture protection. A very good value tyre in comparison.
Info Tufo Gravel Thundero
- Price: 48,90 Euro >> available here
- Weight of complete wheel: 431 g/in 40 mm
- Width: 36, 40, 44 mm
- Rolling resistance*: 12.1 W
*Rolling resistance determined at 20 km/h, 2.5 bar tyre pressure and 50 kg load on a drum test bench.
Peter Nilges, BIKE Test Manager:
The fastest gravel tyres are very close together in terms of rolling resistance on the road and roll no worse at two bars than a road bike tyre at six bars. The biggest differences are in terms of grip on unpaved roads.
