Gravel tire rolling resistance tested

[Nohands83]

Has anyone tried the Thundero HD's yet?
I used the regular version last year and was pretty happy with them - I didn't puncture on them either but I did use foam inserts.

[Agent041]

Has anyone tried the Thundero HD's yet?
I used the regular version last year and was pretty happy with them - I didn't puncture on them either but I did use foam inserts.

I am running Thundero HD 44c on my new gravel bike (Addict Gravel). They are great. Although I mostly ride on road as winter road bike on wet roads.

But last week I did 5h pure gravel and they were great. Fast, grippy, comfortable. No puncrute yet. And puncture protection is the most important for me for winter riding.

But it is hard to compare to my previous tyres (Pirelli Cinturato H 45c), as those were on Canyon Grizl. Two different purposes bikes. But on the same pressure, the ride on Addict Gravel was same comfort as on Grizl, and that should say something, as Addict is racing gravel bike. Will definatelly stick with Thundero HD. On Cinturato I had puncture (which tubeless sealed) every 3-4 rides.

[kokoon]

Has anyone tried the Thundero HD's yet?
I used the regular version last year and was pretty happy with them - I didn't puncture on them either but I did use foam inserts.

I am running Thundero HD 44c on my new gravel bike (Addict Gravel). They are great. Although I mostly ride on road as winter road bike on wet roads.

But last week I did 5h pure gravel and they were great. Fast, grippy, comfortable. No puncrute yet. And puncture protection is the most important for me for winter riding.

But it is hard to compare to my previous tyres (Pirelli Cinturato H 45c), as those were on Canyon Grizl. Two different purposes bikes. But on the same pressure, the ride on Addict Gravel was same comfort as on Grizl, and that should say something, as Addict is racing gravel bike. Will definatelly stick with Thundero HD. On Cinturato I had puncture (which tubeless sealed) every 3-4 rides.

What's your internal rim width? Considering the 44c tufos and not sure if they'll fit. If you're 24mm IW then could you please measure them?

[Agent041]

Has anyone tried the Thundero HD's yet?
I used the regular version last year and was pretty happy with them - I didn't puncture on them either but I did use foam inserts.

I am running Thundero HD 44c on my new gravel bike (Addict Gravel). They are great. Although I mostly ride on road as winter road bike on wet roads.

But last week I did 5h pure gravel and they were great. Fast, grippy, comfortable. No puncrute yet. And puncture protection is the most important for me for winter riding.

But it is hard to compare to my previous tyres (Pirelli Cinturato H 45c), as those were on Canyon Grizl. Two different purposes bikes. But on the same pressure, the ride on Addict Gravel was same comfort as on Grizl, and that should say something, as Addict is racing gravel bike. Will definatelly stick with Thundero HD. On Cinturato I had puncture (which tubeless sealed) every 3-4 rides.

What's your internal rim width? Considering the 44c tufos and not sure if they'll fit. If you're 24mm IW then could you please measure them?

No. Mine are internal 22mm, and tyres come to around 45mm. That was on around 55 PSI. So I assume that yours on 24mm would come around 46mm.

[kokoon]

Ah okay, thanks for this. Too wide then, I'll go with the 40.

[Nohands83]

Thanks for the reply, I've got a Gravel Addict as well. I'm doing a road trip stopping in France, Andorra and Girona in May and considering what tyres to take already!

The HD sound pretty good. Other option I was considering was Grand Prix 5000 All Season in 35mm which would be better for road riding but still ok for non-technical gravel.

Anyone tried the Grand Prix 5000 All Season on light gravel?

[CampagYOLO]

Thanks for the reply, I've got a Gravel Addict as well. I'm doing a road trip stopping in France, Andorra and Girona in May and considering what tyres to take already!

The HD sound pretty good. Other option I was considering was Grand Prix 5000 All Season in 35mm which would be better for road riding but still ok for non-technical gravel.

Anyone tried the Grand Prix 5000 All Season on light gravel?

I was pondering the GP5000 AS in 35mm for the same purpose as yourself on an all road bike but went with the G One RS instead in 35mm. It's been tested to be just as fast and the knobs will provide much more grip on gravel. Doesn't look like grip on tarmac or puncture proofing is as good though.

[Nohands83]

Yeah, I've looked at the RS but thought the side knobs might be a bit too pronounced for good higher speed descending on tarmac?
Pirelli Gravel H looked like another option similar to the RS just not quite as fast but with better puncture protection.
I guess it's going to be a compromise somewhere... It might be that give more technical gravel a miss on this trip and just stick to tarmac and gravel roads - which is fine.

[Agent041]

Thanks for the reply, I've got a Gravel Addict as well. I'm doing a road trip stopping in France, Andorra and Girona in May and considering what tyres to take already!

The HD sound pretty good. Other option I was considering was Grand Prix 5000 All Season in 35mm which would be better for road riding but still ok for non-technical gravel.

Anyone tried the Grand Prix 5000 All Season on light gravel?

Have not tried 5000 All Season, but in general, I would use a tyre that has knobs. Not matter what kind. For me, it is just simply better even on rainy tarmac surface. You do not get so wet. As smooth tyres pich up a lot of water from the road.

[Nohands83]

It's the lack of knobs I'm unsure about for gravel as well - even lighter stuff. Not too concerned about riding smooth tyres on wet tarmac - I live in UK so pretty used to riding in the rain!

I probably just need to do some more planning and figure out where and what type of terrain I'm actually going to ride when I'm away.

[prodigy]

The HD sound pretty good. Other option I was considering was Grand Prix 5000 All Season in 35mm which would be better for road riding but still ok for non-technical gravel.

Anyone tried the Grand Prix 5000 All Season on light gravel?

At the end of last season I was using exclusively the GP 5000 AS in 28mm width as do it all tire.
So in case you would use it on flats, I believe that light gravel shouldn't be an issue for this tire.
The GP 5000 AS also has good puncture protection, but on sharp rocks you might get cuts (however puncture protection does its job).

In September also did 120k gravel race with 90% of gravel roads on Panaracer Gravelkings Slick in 40mm - but to be honest, the roads were in almost perfect condition.

[CampagYOLO]

Yeah, I've looked at the RS but thought the side knobs might be a bit too pronounced for good higher speed descending on tarmac?
Pirelli Gravel H looked like another option similar to the RS just not quite as fast but with better puncture protection.
I guess it's going to be a compromise somewhere... It might be that give more technical gravel a miss on this trip and just stick to tarmac and gravel roads - which is fine.

I've not tried railing tarmac descents on the RS's. I have done on Terra Speeds and that was alright, the transition from the centre knobs to the side ones is less pronounced with a Terra Speed. Could be worth looking at the 35mm version of those?

I've ridden Terra Speeds on some fairly gnarly off road stuff as well and they've done better than expected. The only negative is their short lifespan.

[Nohands83]

Good shout.They could be a good balance for both, my wife has got the 650b version on her gravel and really likes them.
Have just seen that there's a HD version of the Speedero which looks promising as well. Would be a chunk heavier than Terra Speed though.

[CustomMetal]

Anyone tried the Michelin Power V2? Seem like they could be a good option for British Gravel although can't find many user experiences? The Tufo HD look interesting but would worry about durability on the flinty gravel around here and hard to get in the UK

[voicycle]

Yeah, I've looked at the RS but thought the side knobs might be a bit too pronounced for good higher speed descending on tarmac?
Pirelli Gravel H looked like another option similar to the RS just not quite as fast but with better puncture protection.
I guess it's going to be a compromise somewhere... It might be that give more technical gravel a miss on this trip and just stick to tarmac and gravel roads - which is fine.

I've not tried railing tarmac descents on the RS's. I have done on Terra Speeds and that was alright, the transition from the centre knobs to the side ones is less pronounced with a Terra Speed. Could be worth looking at the 35mm version of those?

I've ridden Terra Speeds on some fairly gnarly off road stuff as well and they've done better than expected. The only negative is their short lifespan.

+1 for this suggestion. I ride Terra Speed 40s pretty much everywhere and they really do perform like a road tire on tarmac whilst still being really good on gravel. There are some races (courses/locations) where I'll step up to a Pathfinder 42 for a bit of extra volume and a lot of extra puncture protection, but if you're not racing and can afford to take a rough section a bit more gingerly then Terra Speed is an incredibly capable tire and pretty puncture resistant too. 35c for a road-biased trip would make sense to me, especially if you can find an appropriate sized insert to give you a bit of extra insurance off-road!

As mentioned, their downside is short lifespan so for a while I was looking to buy some winter/training tires to avoid going through contis so fast. Was thinking either Cinturato M (popular and well-liked as far as I can tell) or @CustomMetal's choice in the Michelin Power (similar tread pattern and decent puncture rating so thought it might behave similarly in corners etc. and last a bit longer even if it's a bit slower). Pirellis and Michelins cost about the same as Contis though, so I eventually decided it's probably not actually that much more expensive to just keep burning through 2-3 sets of my preferred tires every year and not have to worry about swapping for races etc.

One other option to throw in the mix for @Nohands83's trip is WTB Exposure. I got a set of 700x36s for a city/lockup bike purely because they were available on a stupid discount, and though I haven't spent much time on them I suspect they'd do alright as a competitor to something like a GK slick (but probably not an AS TR). I generally avoid WTB because of all the leaky sidewall and puncture-prone stories (plus they don't test very fast on BRR), but these Exposures feel surprisingly good so far. And they're all black so no weeping sealant. I'd be curious to see how they do on BRR, but not curious enough to put a vote on them. I'm not sure I'd race on them, but if they live up to initial impressions I'd definitely consider them for a road-biased exploring trip like the one described.