Fast gravel tires

qclabrat

qclabrat

Well-Known Member
I've been experimenting with tire sizes and have in the last year used, sizes from 28c Conti GP5000 to 50c Schwalbe Marathon Supreme and many more in between. Yes, larger is supple and forgiving for long rides, but I'm looking for tires for mostly road use and the option to dip into unpaved from time to time. What are some recommendations for the 32c size which are fast in the middle and have some bite on the sides? Ordered a set of Vittoria Terreno Dry, but already have buyer's remorse.
 
Sven Migot said:
Pathfinder Pro's are bullet proof & fast. They can take a beating. Smallest I've ridden is 38, but have gone 1000s of miles and they never felt slow.
Or maybe that's just me :banana:
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My friend has 38 Pathfinder Pro's on his gravel bike, I tried them and they felt fast to me. I ride 42 Gravel King slicks and they work well for me, fast on the road and fine for local gravel. Before that I had 42 Soma Shikoro slicks, worked as good or better, but didn't have a tubeless version.
 
qclabrat said:
I've been experimenting with tire sizes and have in the last year used, sizes from 28c Conti GP5000 to 50c Schwalbe Marathon Supreme and many more in between. Yes, larger is supple and forgiving for long rides, but I'm looking for tires for mostly road use and the option to dip into unpaved from time to time. What are some recommendations for the 32c size which are fast in the middle and have some bite on the sides? Ordered a set of Vittoria Terreno Dry, but already have buyer's remorse.
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Did you look at Terreno Zero? That sounds more like what you're looking for. I have 32c on my all road bike which I regularly abuse on unpaved roads and trails.
 
wanger114 said:
Did you look at Terreno Zero? That sounds more like what you're looking for. I have 32c on my all road bike which I regularly abuse on unpaved roads and trails.
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I did, they look similar to a set of Conti top contact lls I'm using on another bike. Since I'm also using 32c, prefer a tire with high side treads. Was a toss up between the Terreno and Gravel Kings, but went with the Vittoria.

Sven Migot said:
Pathfinder Pro's are bullet proof & fast. They can take a beating. Smallest I've ridden is 38, but have gone 1000s of miles and they never felt slow.
Or maybe that's just me :banana:
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I have the Pathfinder Pros 38c on an old CX bike, great on unpaved but rolls heavy on pavement.
 
Bikeworks said:
Fast? Schwalbe G-One RS. So far they've been fairly durable, but I haven't put them on anything more than 1" pea or Bedminister roads.
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^^^Yeah these look like they can fly^^^


My set up…

I have the Ultradynamico Rose(fr) and Cava(r) set up. Its worth noting that along with great rolling resistance they are super adhesive when corning. The Rose up front gives you a good tread height while on craggy surfaces without being runny while cornering. The cava meanwhile is high volume minimalist tread for less rear drag.

A good tire for me is low rolling resist that can also handle high speed cornering on road and gravel. Lets face it, regular gravel rides for all of us around here is mostly road riding.
 
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qclabrat said:
Which width are you on?
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I'm running the 40s, very happy with them

IMG_7373.jpg
 
We have come full circle now on this convo where what you are talking about is something like HOH, 80% road. You really dont need cornering knobs for dirt roads or even single track you would take that bike on. Sure, you can find a place where you need it but why gear up for the 1%. I have taken gp 5000 s TR on all of hoh, the tow path and the ridge trail at baldpate, but i do understand it may leave you exposed a bit more for punctures. I would recommend the tried and true beefier road tires:
Specialized roubaix pro
I have there on my zigzag, 30/32 measures 32-34 on wider rims.i consider these tires the smash against anything tires.

Vittoria rubino pro tubeless
I personally dont like these tires but people seem to love them
 
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qclabrat said:
I've been experimenting with tire sizes and have in the last year used, sizes from 28c Conti GP5000 to 50c Schwalbe Marathon Supreme and many more in between. Yes, larger is supple and forgiving for long rides, but I'm looking for tires for mostly road use and the option to dip into unpaved from time to time. What are some recommendations for the 32c size which are fast in the middle and have some bite on the sides? Ordered a set of Vittoria Terreno Dry, but already have buyer's remorse.
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Schwalbe G1 pro 32mm
 
qclabrat said:
I did, they look similar to a set of Conti top contact lls I'm using on another bike. Since I'm also using 32c, prefer a tire with high side treads. Was a toss up between the Terreno and Gravel Kings, but went with the Vittoria.


I have the Pathfinder Pros 38c on an old CX bike, great on unpaved but rolls heavy on pavement.
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The S-Works tire is completely different if you wanted to try those. The knobs are maybe 1/3 as tall so they roll like road tires. I agree the standard Pathfinder feels like a tank on pavement.
 
www.schwalbetires.com

G-One RS PRO | PRO | Black | 28x1.70 | Addix Race | 11654584

Race-oriented semi-slick race tire Lowest rolling resistance in the G-One range Maximum efficiency on light terrain, hard surfaces and asphalt Braking and traction edges for front wheel and rear wheel thanks to scale-like tread pattern Souplesse constru…
www.schwalbetires.com www.schwalbetires.com

They finally brought these out in BLK

We have them on hand on the popular 40 and 45c.
 
While tire width rules the discussion its good to know a thinner casing does have lower rolling resistance. I dont have punture protection on mine and they feel great
 
Whats the slowest tire they make? Asking for a friend.

Riding my REEB Sam's Pants as a Gravel bike and I'm pretty happy. Geo not the best but as far as tires go I upgraded to bigger tires and I feel sluggish. I think the guys I ride with were getting pissed that I was dropping them and said I needed wider tires. @pooriggy , @asm.
 
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