Choose the wrong ones, and you can lose a lot of speed when cornering or even worse. You will feel each bump and worst of all – you won’t be able to beat any Strava record. Yeah, that last one truly got your attention. And we sympathise. Actually, we do more than sympathise. We are here to give you first-hand knowledge on choosing the right tyres for your gravel ride.
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Know your terrain
The first step in choosing the right tyres is to know where you’ll be riding. Of course, that doesn’t mean you will ride on a single track all your life. However, your closest paths will be the places where you will ride most often. So, if they are smooth gravel and hardpack, you can go with semi-slick tyres. These types of tyres have minimal rolling resistance on hard-packed surfaces, making each one of your pedal strokes more efficient.
Then there are the looser and dustier surfaces. Here, you will need a bit more grip so a chunky tread is a must. Still, the treads shouldn’t be as big as MTB tyres, for example, as you’d still want them to carry enough speed through the path. Plus, there’s hardly any reason to go insane with your tyre’s grip power. You won’t be going DH riding and there won’t be any steep, sharp turns.
Finally, if you are riding muddy, wet, and flooded paths, you must sacrifice a lot of your speed to have a much bigger bite into the surface. Naturally, you will need some aggressive tread patterns and durable casing.
So, if you’re living near swamps, this would be the perfect choice for your off-road adventure.
Now, make sure you have at least two types of tyres as you might want to switch between different types of terrains. For example, a semi-slick wheel is a must for the dry summer months but when autumn falls, it all depends on whether you will ride gravel on more rocky terrain or if you are going to enjoy some wet soil that’s just waiting to become full-blown mud.
Unfortunately, your choices don’t end with the type of tyre. You also need to consider the width.
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Tyre width
The tyre width is once again dependent on where and how you’ll be riding. For example, the 28-32 mm tyre is common for roadies that have sections of well-maintained dirt or gravel roads along their route. With this width, you won’t sacrifice any of your speed but you will get some extra stability on the unpaved sections. Still, the gravel roads must be hardpacked; otherwise, you will probably just get stuck or worse. The looser the path, the wider the tyre must be.
If you are going entirely off-road but the paths are still well maintained and mostly solid, a 35 mm tyre would suffice. You can even go as high as 40 mm but you will start sacrificing your speed. It also comes down to experience. If you are an experienced gravel rider, choosing 35 mm will enhance your speed and power transfer. However, it’s up to you to control your bike during turns.
Going above 40 mm is for loose gravel, bigger rocks, and sand sections. In fact, if there are sandy parts on your route, don’t even think of going below 42 mm or, better yet, 45, just in case. Sure, you will lose a lot of your speed and energy transfer but on the other hand, you won’t end up jumping over your handlebars. Plus, it will give you much better comfort when riding.
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Going above 47 mm is practically pointless. That’s not even gravel biking anymore. You might as well get an MTB. Still, if you’re going on a bikepacking trip where you’ll be crossing some single tracks and more advanced features, you might consider such large sizes. Moreover, not all gravel bikes will fit this width, so know your limits.
Tubeless or not?
Finally, let’s talk about tubeless tyres. Yes, you should definitely go tubeless. You are going off-road and hundreds of small thorns, pointy stones, and debris are just waiting to climb on board, puncturing your tyre in the process. Having some sealant inside instead of an inner tube will save you about a gazillion hours in changing and patching your inner tubes. Save yourself the nerves and embarrassment of stopping every 5 km to fix your tyre and just go for the tubeless option. So find a durable and puncture-protected tubeless solution like the Maxxis Rambler (for slick) or WTB Resolute (for knobby) and forget about bringing a ton of repair kits, extra inner tubes, and patches.
Some final thoughts
Choosing the right tyres for gravel riding is all about finding the balance that works for you. If you’re sticking to smoother trails, opt for faster-rolling semi-slicks. A knobby, tubeless tyre will serve you better for more technical or mixed terrain. Still, the best tyre for you is the one that makes you feel confident and comfortable on your bike.
So, don’t be afraid to try some tyres and switch to the next one. Sure, you will invest some money but you’re riding a bike. Spending money on making our rides perfect is what we do. So go out there and enjoy the gravel paths.
