Gravel Tire Recommendations

We just covered Gravel pedals. So my next question, what tire (including width) would the forum recommend for a gravel bike that will be used in Vermont/ NH with some pavement, lots of fire roads and occasional doubletrack??

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I can’t say enough good things about the Panaracer Gravel King SKs. I am not familiar with VT/NH off-road conditions (flinty sharp rocks?), but these tires are just about perfect for conditions in Virginia - hardpack, loose gravel, dirt+shale. Width would be dictated by clearance and how gnarly it gets. These tires tend to inflate larger than specc’ed size. My 35s measure >37 on 20mm ID rims. I can’t fit 38s, but I know people love them for DK. Check out gravelcyclist.com.

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I use 650x47 Gravel Kings. Loose gravel… Single track…i even raced a season of cross on them. They are reasonably fast on pavement for what they are.

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At every gravel race I ride – all of them are in the midwest – 80% of the racers (myself included) are on Schwalbe G-One tires. I ride the 35C, but they also come in 38C.

I run them tubeless and they’re incredible. They Cyclingtips podcast crew rolls them as well.

They roll fast on pavement. Totally plush on gravel.

I’m a complete tire snob – and you couldn’t convince me to roll another gravel tire.

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I’ve used WTB’s Nano (40mm wide) and Riddler (37mm) in VT and ME races. Both are highly recommended. The Nanos might be a bit snug in the chainstays, depending on your frame. Both have performed flawlessly tubeless on WTB rims. In several races where many people had flats, these held up without any issues.

Other tires that are often seen in the area are the Maxxis Ramblers and the G-One mentioned above.

You can find good reviews on all of these on Guitar Ted’s blog and on ridinggravel.com.

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I have a 35mm schwalbe g one on the rear, and 37mm WTB riddler on the front. This is the max my bike will take, so as a result, am somewhat constrained in my tire choice. I’ve been happy with these tires. But if I had more clearance, I’d go with bigger tires.

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I’ve been riding the Schwalbe Big One (2.25") on my mountain bike for gravel racing. A ridiculously fast tyre and way grippier than they look.

Mike

Which g one are you using?

The G-One All Around 35C

Here is a picture of my gravel bike with the 35C mounted, tubeless – don’t know if this helps. But it looks cool :metal:

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Thanks. Is that from promontory point?

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I remember this photo from the TR user bikes thread. Sweet ride for sure.

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I have been really happy with my Kenda Flintridge Pro 120TPI tires. They were rolling slow until I dropped the psi to 35-37 and man they’re like a rocket ship now. Ran over a broken mason jar on GMR and it shrugged it off. I ride gravel and pavement with LOTS of mud thrown in here and there. I have put 2,400km on them and they still have a lot of tread life left.

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It sure is :slight_smile:

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I roll 35c G-Ones as well. Plush enough for me, 70kg. Tubeless is a must.

I did a couple of races with 38c G-One Bites and found them to be too much tire with no benefit, heavier, roll slower. They would be nice if your doing a lot of single track if it was dry, damp.

I plan on trying a few narrower tires this season, 30-32c, to see if I like it. Just haven’t figured out which one. G-One speed comes in a 30. Hope to have that dialed before Landrun, if not I will roll the G-Ones if it is dry, or 33 cross tires if it is wet.

On the Panaracers, a lot of folks like them. A few guys I roll a lot with swear by them, but they suck for your riding partners as they flick a lot small rocks. Wear glasses around them.

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Maxxis Rambler. Affordable, lightweight, and high TPI. Been incredibly happy with mine in all types of conditions from pavement, single track, and some of the gnarly Kansas Flint Hills Gravel.

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There’s a lot of good choices now. I ride my gravel bike on pavement as much as gravel, I had WTB Exposure 34c that we’re good except they were hard to install and didn’t spin straight. I was on the fence between Hutchison Override and the GravelKing SK. I went with the GravelKings 35mm. Although I haven’t ridden them I have lots of friends that love them on Kansas Gravel. They installed easily and hold air well. The 35 measures 35.5 on a 19mm rim. Hopefully they do as well on pavement as the Exposures and better on gravel.

WTB Nano here in UK too. Good on actual gravel yet quick on roads and still respectable on all sorts of mud (everything from loose loam to sloppy gloop). Have used them on a CX bike on red MTB trails and did well (so long as you avoid the biggest rocks).

I’ve run a few different gravel tyres, my top three are:

  1. Schwalbe G-One. fast rolling, quiet, light, grips well on everything apart from grass. 700c x 38c is the sweet spot tyre. downside is potentially high wear rate.

  2. Panaracer gravel king SK. almost as fast rolling as the G-One, still quiet and fast. better in technical stuff and gives more confidence on loose surfaces, especially whilst cornering

  3. WTB resolute - more of an all round tyre, louder and noticeably more drag than the two above but tons of grip, and still relatively light and fast considering. best choice for technical mixed surfaces including mud.

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I purchased a set of Panaracers but couldn’t get them spooned onto my rim. They were impossibly tight. I could have fought through and finished the job but then I wondered about how I’d deal with a flat should it occur. Am I the only one?

I’m def going to look into the G one though. Thanks for the suggestions.