Gravel Bike Tires Vs Road Bike Tires

At the 2019 test more than half of the 26 road bikes we tried were aimed at mixed terrain and we could have easily filled all the road slots with new models of these wide tire relaxed geometry.

Gravel bike tires vs road bike tires.

You probably won t be able to mount any tire that s wider than 32mm. Mountain bikes are usually equipped with knobby tires which are well suited for gravel. Mountain bike tires designed for muddy conditions have more space between the knobs to prevent mud from tightly packing the treads. While the difference between the label width and actual width of gravel bike tires aren t any more reliable than what you find on road bike tires what i ve seen is that gravel tire label width appears to associate best with 19 21c rims.

Tyre widths of 37mm to 40 mm are the preferred choice for all round gravel tires as they provide the best compromise between off and on road performance. You might keep one set of wheels with 25mm or 28mm tires for when you want a road bike type of experience and a set of wheels with 35mm or wider tires for when you want to ride on gravel or paths. Over the course of 12 months roadbikereview tested 23 gravel road tires to find out which were the best for tackling the road less traveled. There is no perfect gravel tire but i have loved the specialized pathfinder pro tubeless as a one stop shop road training and texas gravel tire colin strickland rolling away from the field to.

Many of the new gravel bikes even give you the option of two different wheel sizes. Road bikes often have smoother tires to reduce resistance and enhance wear. Combining technology from continental s existing road and mountain bike tyres the tubeless ready terra speed and terra trail gravel tyres share a 3 ply 180 tpi protection casing and blackchili. The first tire we are going to look at is the panaracer gravelking folding tire.

How about the case of the road bike. This tire is going to be suited best to the rider who is looking to take their road bike on some gravel trails perhaps maybe you don t have a full fledged gravel bike yet or maybe you re just testing the waters to determine if you like it before you invest in a more dedicated rig. The forks and frames of gravel bikes have a huge clearance in comparison to road bikes. Not all bikes will accommodate the huge riddler 45 but if your rig does installing a pair will expand your riding horizons.